This is the first time, the trick secret of the steel ball through glass revealed how it is done.
This steel ball through glass magic trick is not the 1930s rectangle flat wooden box version by John Snyder, Jr.
This vintage magic prop is also known as the “Steel Ball Through Glass“.
It was manufactured by Davenports Magic, and advertised as “The Miracle Steel Ball Thro’ Glass”.
The secret of this “The Miracle Steel Ball Thro’ Glass” is by using a false movable bottom.
The steel ball through glass trick revealed in this article is a small wooden box.
In fact, this steel ball through glass trick box is very similar to the Ching Ling Coin Box, as shown below.
I believe the method of the steel ball passes through glass trick is the same as the Ching Ling Coin Box.
How does this steel ball through glass trick work?
Before I explain the steel ball through glass revealed, let’s check out its effect.
The Effect:
The performer displays a small wooden box with holes on top and bottom.
Then he places a glass piece inside the box, so that it obstructs the hole at the bottom.
He closes the cover of the box, and drops a steel ball into the hole on top.
The steel ball seems to penetrate through the glass sheet and it drops out from the hole below.
This solid through solid magic trick is performed well, the penetration effect is very deceptive.
NOTE: The ‘glass piece‘ is actually a clear acrylic piece.
Here is one of the steel ball through glass trick videos:
To perform this steel ball through glass trick convincingly, you need a little help from misdirection, together with an appropriate patter.
A magician patter is dialogue use during a trick.
Magicians use patter to interact with his spectator as well as a misdirection.
FREE BOOKS: Real about magic misdirection in these free books below.
For magician who want to learn about scripting your act, patter and the art of magic, check out free books for guidance and reference below.
Steel Ball Through Glass Revealed
Now let’s see how this seemingly impossible penetration magic trick is done.
The Steel Ball Thru Glass trick was advertised as a special mechanical box.
From there, I assumed the secret is in the box.
The glass piece is solid and it uses only one steel ball, just like the U-235 Penetration Trick by Thayer.
So I focused my observations solely on the wooden box itself.
Ching Ling Coin Box Trick
In fact, this steel ball through glass trick box is very similar to the Ching Ling Coin Box, as shown below.
I believe the method of the steel ball passes through glass trick is the same as the Ching Ling Coin Box.
Ching Ling Coin Box Trick Explained
As I have mentioned above, the method of the trick is identical with the Ching Ling Coin Box.
The Ching Ling Coin Box secret is shown below:
It has a secret pivoted door on one side of the wooden box, like the Lippincott Box or the Watch Box.
The “Watch Box” is found in the Professor Hoffmann‘s book “Modern Magic: A Practical Treatise On The Art Of Conjuring“.
FREE BOOKS: Check out 21 free books by Professor Hoffmann.
Just before you pull down the cover to close the box, you press the top part of the door inwards.
Hence the door swivels in or it opens up.
Now it should look like the picture as shown below.
Tilt the box towards you, to let about half of the glass piece slips out through the bottom opening of the door.
Let it falls into the palm of your hand.
Now the glass piece is not blocking the two holes of the box.
Therefore, you can drop the coin through the unobstructed holes.
After the penetration act, tilt the box forward, to let the glass piece drop back into the wooden box and closed the pivoted door.
Now, let’s focus on the steel ball goes through glass trick.
Steel Ball Through Glass Trick Method
I though most probably, the method of the steel ball through glass should be the same as the Ching Ling Coin Box.
These two pictures below you can see the secret pivoted door opening at the side of the box.
Let’s go through some of these steel ball through glass trick demo video clips.
How To Do Steel Ball Through Glass Trick
At the onset he uses his left hand fingers to hide the gimmick side of the box.
Then when he is ready to perform, he turns the gimmick side of the box around, towards him.
With the closed box, at 0:27 to 0:32, his left middle finger opens the pivoted door on the side of the box.
Now you can see the red color table top through the opening as shown below.
Then he quickly turns the box around, and tilts the box, to let the glass piece drops into his right palm.
After the trick, at 0:43 to 0:44, his right palm pushes the glass piece back into the box.
Before he opens the box, at 0:46, his right thumb pushes the pivot door down to its original position.
The next video clip, at 0:58, the magician’s right index finger together with his thumb pushes down the pivoted door to open it, just before he closes the cover.
Then he tilts the box backward, before he clasps the cover.
Once the trick is over, at 1:26 he tilts the box forward to drop the glass back into the box.
Next his right thumb closes the pivot door.
He does this with one smooth move to get the glass piece safely drop back to bottom of the box.
At at 0:34, this performer uses his thumb to push down the pivot door, before closing the lid.
Then at 0:37, he tilts the box backward to drop the glass piece into the palm of his left hand.
At the end of the trick at 0:50, his right hand fingers closes up the pivoted door.
In this video, his index finger closes up the pivoted door and quickly turns the box around at 0:08.
As you can see from the picture below, the pivoted door is not properly closed back.
From this video, at 0:22, this performer places two fingers on the pivot door, turns it, as he closes the cover and followed with a quick tilt of the box.
Below this guy using his right thumb to press on the pivot door, closes the cover, and then tilts the box downwards to drop the glass onto the palm of his left hand at 1:14.
In fact, you can play around with this glass piece to make the penetration effect more magical, as shown by the Funtime Magic video below.
His handling is more like the what they perform with John Snyder Jr’s steel ball through glass version or the Cabala effect by Dave Powell Magic Company.
He makes the steel ball as if it slowly melts though the glass piece.
He plays around with the glass piece with his fingers.
His fingers of both hands press down on the edge of the glass piece, to lift it up, thus keeping the steel ball balancing in the hole.
Then he gingerly let down the glass piece, so the steel ball bearing will slip and falls through the hole below the box.
Watch carefully, you can see the lid moving slightly at 0:46, as as he plays with the glass piece.
To conclude his act, from 1:01, with one move, his left thumb pushes back the pivot door and the glass drops back into the box.
To distract your attention away from the box, he taps the steel ball a few times on the table, before he opens it.
Well, this is the steel ball through glass revealed how the penetration trick is done.
RELATED TRICKS: There is another magic prop by Viking Magic called “Marbo Card Penetration“.
Instead of a glass piece, this trick uses a piece of card or a playing card as an obstacle.
This is the Marbo Card Penetration secret.
In addition, check out how Pete Firman’s Ruler Through Ching Ling Coin Box Trick is done.
Free Sources:
Magic by Misdirection by Dariel Fitzkee
Click any of these: Link 1, Link 2, Link 3
The Book Of Wonder Vol. 1 by Tommy Wonder & Stephen Minch
Click on any of these: Link 1, Link 2
Encyclopedia Of Patter By Robert Orben
Click on any these: Link 1, Link 2
Bits Of Patter
Click on any of these: Link 1, Link 2
Scripting Magic By Pete McCabe And 26 Other Guys
Click on this: Link
Our Magic: The Art In Magic, The Theory Of Magic, The Practice Of Magic by Nevil Maskelyne And David Devant
Click on any of these: Link 1, Link 2
Impromptu Magic, With Patter by Geo (George) De Lawrence
Click on this: Link
Easy Magic With Patter by Will Goldston
Click on this: Link
The Book Of Magic: Being A Simple Description Of Some Good Tricks And How To Do Them, With Patter by A. Frederick Collins
Click on this: Link
Exposure Of Magic Tricks Book
Related: Talking about exposure in magic tricks, you should read this book by David Meyer.
This 196-page book filled with articles gathered from popular magazines of the 1890s through the 1930s (The Strand, The New Penny Magazine, The Windsor Magazine, etc.).
Find out how “The King Of Handcuffs” Houdini escaped from ropes and handcuffs, and also his card tricks secrets.
Learn the secrets of coin tricks by both “The Queen Of Coins” Talma and “The Man With The Wonderful Hands” T. Nelson Downs.
Howard “The King Of Cards” Thurston with his sleight of hand performing amazing card tricks.
Discover the scams of card-sharpers, race course swindles, and parlor seance by English David Devant.
Read the article of Professor Hoffmann and his conjuring tricks.
The Wizard Exposed: Magic Tricks, Interviews, And Experiences, Harry Houdini, Howard Thurston, Le Roy & Talma, Charles Bertram, David Devant, Horace Goldin, Professor Hoffmann, And A Host Of Other Past Masters Of Magic
Click on this: Link
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