Lets spill the Magic Wagon Mystic Bottle trick secret which is hidden inside the cabinet penetrated with spikes, without spilling the bottle of milk.
Again, this is not an exposure of magic trick per se, as I do not own this apparatus, neither do I have even seen the real thing or know the method of its secret working.
NOTE: This is not the rod through the milk bottle in the wooden box vintage magic trick, as shown below.
This is what I think is the Mystic Bottle magic trick secret that is closed inside the wooden cabinet pierced with brass spikes.
It is just my view how the trick of the Mystic Bottle works by viewing the video demonstrations on YouTube.
And my speculation could be inaccurate, wrong or even ridiculously silly.
This is another one of Magic Wagon tricks which used mechanical aid to achieve its penetration effect.
By the way, this beautifully made wooden cabinet Mystic Bottle by Magic Wagon is inspired by Edward Morrell Massey 1946 magical creation called “Strange Cabinet Of Deodar“.
Deodar Sacred Tree Hinduism
Massey used the name “Deodar” is because Deodar is a kind of cedar tree found in Himachal Pradesh, India.
Many Hindus believe it as a divine tree, and they worship it.
The name is derided from the original Sanskrit, Devadaru, means ‘Wood/timber of the Gods’.
Edward M. Massey Mechanical Magic Tricks
Edward Morrell Massey was a prolific inventor of mechanical magic apparatus in the 1940’s.
Massey is often called the world’s most prolific inventor of practical magic.
Among the many creations are the popular “Finger Chopper Trick“, “Glass Penetration” and “Ribbon Fantastique” and “Squeeze-Away Block“.
Edward M. Massey designed stage illusions for American Egyptian Hall Theater and Museum William Warner Dubin, Jr. , illusionist Howard Thurston and others.
Dismemberment Stage Illusion Revealed
This is Massey’s design patent (2034407-A) of the “Dismemberment” illusion apparatus for Howard Thurston.
You can watch this stage illusion which has been exposed by the Masked Magician aka Val Valentino over here.
Read this Edward M. Massey’s 1922 book with more than thirty of his tricks, 26 mechanical designs, six utility devices and seven sleights below.
Let’s continue with Mystic Bottle trick by Magic wagon.
This updated design of Magic Wagon Mystic Bottle is similar to the Stranger Cabinet Of Deodar.
Both are about penetration effect and I think the secret working method is still the same.
The Magic Wagon Mystic Bottle uses a bottle and wooden spikes, whereas the Strange Cabinet Of Deodar uses a drinking glass and brass spikes.
I feel the original use of a bulky drinking glass by Edward Massey, the penetration effect appears more baffling and convincingly magical.
It is because of the width of the drinking glass seems to fill up the whole interior of the cabinet.
This is what it looks like of Magic wagon Mystic Bottle with a glass bottle.
Now watch the video of Masseys’s Strange Cabinet Of Deodar below:
Before we get to the method of the trick, let’s analyze the prop design.
Both magic props are designed to make them appear less spacious than they really are.
This would enhance the penetration effect of the trick, where it seems there is not much space for the glass/bottle to move or hide.
Firstly, to reduce the bulkiness of both props, they cut off the four corners.
If you just solely look at the cut-off corners now, it seems insignificant or negligible.
But when you just look the whole cabinet, visually it is a different picture.
The black color cabinet interior is an important feature to this trick.
Black Art Principle Magic Trick
It uses the Black Art principle of magic trick.
Basically, it is about anything painted black cannot be seen when placed against a black background.
Black Art principle is used for both closeup tricks and stage illusions.
One classic example which uses the Black Art principle is the Square Circle production box.
It is also applied in many big magic props, which include the Zig Zag Girl, Jim Steinmeyer’s Modern Art and Op-Art, and the deceptive bases of stage illusion apparatus.
With the black color, your eyes cannot properly make out the actual width and the depth of the cabinet.
Another reason, it helps to camouflage the gimmick inside the cabinet, which I will highlight it below.
RELATED: Check out these two free books about the Black Art principle.
Hole On Top Of Cabinet
The slight difference between these two spikes-through-cabinet trick prop is positioning the hole on top of the cabinet.
The top hole of Strange Cabinet Of Deodar is slightly off the center of the wooden cabinet, as compared to the Mystic Bottle.
I suppose the reason why the position of the top hole of the “Strange Cabinet Deodar” is because of the wide rim of the drinking glass.
It’s time to sneak into the wooden cabinets to probe how the brass spikes and the wooden rods evade the bottle and the drinking glass respectively.
Magic Wagon Mystic Bottle Trick Secret
The secret of Mystic Bottle by Magic Wagon trick is by temporary moving or shifting the obstacle.
Many stage illusions and close-up magic tricks with penetration effect used this method.
Stage illusions like: “Walking Through Wall Illusion” by Jim Steinmeyer, “Franz Harary Walking Through A Girl Trick“, and, “Dan Wolfe’s Through Steel“, “Paul Daniels’ Geometrix” and “Cane Cabinet” (below).
NOTE: The line of star design along the cabinet edge and the black border visually mislead the actual distance of the holes from the edge.
Close-up tricks like: “Ching Ling Coin Box“, “Magic Wagon Penetration 360” and “Mister Danger Tenyo Trick“.
Let’s explore where does the drinking glass and the bottle of milk move to inside the cabinet.
How does the glass and the bottle move or shift inside the closed cabinet?
Specific Holes Position
The position of the aligned holes in the cabinet is not randomly set.
In fact, the holes are precisely positioned, so the bottle and the drinking glass can void being jabbed.
This Magic Wagon “Mystic Bottle trick or the Strange Cabinet Of Deodar is similar to those spikes/swords through basket/cabinet/cardboard box tricks.
For instance, the classic Indian or Hindu Basket Trick, Hans Moretti Sword Box, Radium Girl stage illusion by Val Walker and the spikes-through-cardboard box trick.
Indian Basket Trick Revealed
As you can see from the picture below, all the swords pierced through the side of the basket, except for the middle rod.
This is where and how the person of the Indian Basket Trick or the Hindu Sword Basket is positioned inside the basket. without being harmed.
This is another illustration of the lying position taken from the book “Indian Conjuring” by L. H. Branson.
Below is the Indian Basket Trick or the Hindu Sword Basket revealed by the Masked Magician Val Valentino.
Watch these two Spikes Through Cardboard Box videos or The Cardboard Box Illusion by Steve Kovarez. (video 1, video 2)
None of the bottom spikes or rods pierce directly across the box.
I think the person in the box is lying down at the bottom of the box, similar to the Indian Basket Trick aka “Hindu Sword Basket” above.
Radium Girl Stage Illusion Revealed
This is where the female assistant is hiding inside the cabinet of the Radium Girl stage illusion.
I include more examples of this artifice to achieve the penetration effect below.
For now, let’s continue…
After analyzing all the position of the aligned holes, I think this is where the bottle of the Mystic Bottle, and the glass inside the The Cabinet Of Deodar have shifted to.
It is at the back right hand corner of the Magic Wagon Mystic Bottle cabinet.
Similarly, it is also where the drinking glass is moved to inside the Strange Cabinet Of Deodar prop.
It is kind of similar to Bamboo Chest And Glass by U. F. Grant, where the glass is moved to the corner.
The next question is how and when does the bottle and the drinking glass move from the center of the cabinet to the back corner?
I speculate there is a lever hidden underneath the cabinet which shifts the bottle/glass.
It is covertly manipulated just before and after the trick.
Movable Platform At The Base Of Cabinet
I believe there is an adjustable platform at the base of the cabinet, where the bottle and the glass sits on.
This bottom piece cannot be clearly seen, as it is black in color (yes, Black Art Principle).
The Mystic Bottle prop comes with a raised base.
Below picture is from the Strange Cabinet Of Deodar by Edward Massey.
This platform is controlled by the small lever hidden right underneath the cabinet.
All the performers in the video clips secretly operate the hidden lever under the pretext of lifting up the wooden prop to show to the viewers.
For this demo video by Madison of Presenting Tenyo, by 1:21, he has already places his left middle finger under the cabinet when he lifts up the cabinet.
Madison turns the lever just after he closes the cabinet door at 1:23.
After the trick, at 2:35, again he uses his left middle finger to adjust the lever to shift back the bottle of milk to the center of the cabinet.
In this video, when he turns the prop around to show to the viewers at 2:23, his left ring finger goes under the cabinet to slide the lever.
After the demo, even before he’s finished pulling out all the brass spikes, at 4:10, he has already placed his left middle finger under the cabinet ready to shift back the bottle.
In this snippet, at 0:30, when Simon Corneille holds up the cabinet, tilting the ceramic vase, he has already slipped his left ring finger underneath it.
Most probably he adjusts the lever at 0:35, just after he has closed the door of the Mystic Bottle cabinet and places it down on the table.
Simon Corneille moves the vase back to its original position at 2:29 when lifts up the cabinet, just before he opens the its door.
In this video clip, immediately after Rob Rand closes the door at 0:48, his left ring finger fiddles the lever under the cabinet.
After the trick, before he opens the cabinet door, at 2:59, he uses his left pinkie to turns the hidden lever to move the wooden doll back to the center.
At the onset of this Strange Cabinet Of Deodar video clip, the glass has already moved to the back right corner.
It is only at the end of the trick, you can see his right middle finger adjusting the hidden lever from 1:25 to 1:30, when he turns the prop around.
It is to move the glass back to the middle of the cabinet.
I think this is the Magic Wagon Mystic Bottle trick secret, together with the Strange Cabinet Of Deodar.
More Similar Magic Tricks And Stage Illusions
Here are a few more magic tricks and stage illusions which used the same method of achieving the penetration effect.
VOODOO BOX By Andrew Mayne Secret
This is an updated version of the classic Hindu Basket Trick; which uses a cardboard box and umbrellas.
This is how it looks like inside the box together with the umbrellas.
You can find the Voodoo Box among the free Andrew Mayne magic tricks and illusions books.
EXTREME BRAIN DAMAGE By Andrew Mayne
This is another one of Andrew Mayne penetration trick called Extreme Brain Damage.
It is inspired by the popular head dagger chest trick, or Chest of Nefertari found in Paul Osborne’s Haunted Illusion book.
I believe this is how Extreme Brain Damage illusion by Andrew Mayne is done as explained below.
Watch the promo video here.
Just like the Hindu Basket Trick, or spikes through box trick, none of the umbrella inserts directly right through his face or head.
Even the red color umbrella which seems to go right through his head, which actually is in front of his face.
This is the position of the red umbrella hole, as captured from the video.
Remember Andrew Mayne does not show the back view of the paper bag.
The specially-made bag is actually much deeper as it seen from this picture.
COMPRESSION SWORD BOX ILLUSION Revealed
The Compression Sword Box Illusion is pierced with four swords and slotted with a round tube in the middle.
Watch the demo video here.
I believe the secret of this box penetration illusion is by sitting up at the side of the box with her legs stretching out.
As you can see from the picture below, none of the four swords and the round tube touches her.
THE SWORD CABINET By Paul Osborne Revealed
Find out how the female assistant positioned inside the cabinet to avoid being stabbed by swords inserted through it.
It is found in this book:
Paul Osborne’s Haunted Illusions: Ideal For Theme Parks, Haunted Houses, Walk Throughs, Halloween Festivals And Stage Shows
Click on any of these: Link 1, Link 2, Link 3, Link 4, Link 5
*Here are more free Paul Osborne’s Illusion Plans.
LIGHT SPIKER ILLUSION By Sam Powers
This is a simplified version of the famous “Light Bulbs Through Girl” illusion aka “Baffling Bulbs” by Owen Magic Supreme (below).
Watch the “Baffling Bulbs” aka “Light Spiker” illusion performed by magician Russ Stevens and Baffling Bill.
This is “Light Spiker Illusion” by Sam Powers:
I think the secret of the “Light Spiker Illusion” by Sam Powers is, the female assistant hides in the compartment at the back of the cabinet.
From the front, this “Light Spiker Illusion” cabinet is rather shallow.
This is the interior width of the cabinet as seen from the front by the audience.
But the actual width of the cabinet is wider or deeper, as you can see from its side-view, when it is being spun around.
In other words, the interior wall as seen from the front is a false wall as indicated below.
In fact it is a doorway for the girl to sneak into the hidden compartment behind.
I believe this is the secret compartment where the female assistant hides inside as highlighted in the picture below.
When the panel is set up the second time, she quickly steps behind the false wall, getting ready to hide away completely, with her right hand finger tips still at the hole.
When the spikes are slammed onto the other side of the wall, her right arm is still stretched out with her finger tips at the hole.
As you can see from the picture below, the surrounding spikes are quite a distance away from her outstretched arm.
Just before the panel piece is removed, she has to quickly withdraws her right arm and hides herself behind the false wall.
I guess the secret door opens at the center of the cabinet, because Sam Powers uses the panel piece to block that part momentarily.
This is the precise movement at the end of the act from 1:06.
He pauses for a moment, lifts up the panel to his right side side, which is the center wall of the cabinet, then pauses again, just before the full reveal.
TARBELL COURSE IN MAGIC: Lesson 56
Find out more about the cabinet/box hole positions and where the person is hiding to avoid the spikes or swords from the original Tarbell Course In Magic.
It is found in Lessons 56 of the original course (1929): “The Sword Box“, “The Penetrative Steel Bars” and “The Indestructible Girl illusions“.
* Check out Magic Wagon Diamond Block Mystery Revealed.
New And Original Magic By Edward Morrell Massey
Click on this: Link
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