The Real Secrets of the Chinese Linking Rings

Chapter Seven:
Linking Finger Rings

190

The Real Secrets of the Chinese Linking Rings

The Real Himber Linking Finger Ring Story

n addition to the traditional Linking Ring routines there has been a vast amount of work done
with finger rings.
Various finger rings have been marketed, from
simple cheapies with a cut slit, a la the classic
Linking Rings, to a very clever, locking key finger
ring, popularly called the Himber Ring.
The original rings sold by the well-known bandleader and magician Richard Himber came in
three styles, the most popular being the mans
signet ring. Originally it was marketed under the
name StaggeRING. Two versions were made, one
with and the other without a stone. The ring was
made to open with a hinge, hidden by the platform
for the stone (or initials on the plain version).
Another variation, called ToweRING was a Gold
wedding band with a uniform circumference. The
ring was segmented with one of the segments pivoted to open. It locked in the closed position.
The original rings were, in fact, invented in
1959 by Persi Diaconis, who at the time was working for Himber at something like a dollar an hour.
Persi would run around New York getting various
suppliers to manufacture things, have instructions
printed, and most important, worked at inventing
tricks for Himber.
he solution came to him one day while riding
a bus. He had gotten a letter from Fawcett
Ross suggesting the effect as a challenge. It
was known that a member of the Bamberg Family
had, in the past, linked borrowed (switched) rings
onto the Linking Rings, and that European artiste
Freddy Fah had done something like this performing on ice skates!
Manufacture of the rings was handled by the
well-known magician/jeweler Willy Schneider.
Schneider was one of the inner-circle magicians in
New York and for years brought top lecturers into
the area. He was kind enough to hire this writer on
several occasions.
Much has been written on the various methods
of performing the Linking Finger Rings. Ron
Wilson, in his book The Uncanny Scot, has a number of good ideas. Richard Osterlind published a

manuscript well worth looking at, but the best,

most practical handling I have yet to see is in a
Billy McComb video tape that is part of the
Greater Magic Series produced by Joe Stevens.
McCombs idea to show the gaffed ring to the
very spectator that loaned you a ring is genius. The
way he handles it makes it the first practical no
switching (at the crucial moment) routines extant.
everal, including Wilson, suggest routines
where the gaffed ring is on a volunteer in the
audience. You can't really say he is a stooge,
as he does not know the ring is gaffed. The handling is that you loan a ring to him saying, I
need several people to loan me rings, but they are
always slow to get started. I would like you wear
this ring and when I ask for rings, jump up and say,
Here, use mine. He just thinks he is helping to
get the show rolling and does not know the ring
you gave him is actually a trick ring.
My suggested handling for this version is, at the
end of the trick, when you return the rings, do the
other two first and when you get to your helper, do
a false transfer, and hand him nothing, with a wink
and a thanks. That way you don't have to worry
about finding him and your expensive ring later!
Evidence of how good the Linking Finger Ring
effect can be was proven to me one night at a college campus show performed by the Amazing
Kreskin. Amazing (as far as I know Amazing is
his first name) received three standing ovations that
night. One was for his version of the Dr. Q (fake)
hypnotic act, the other at the end of his show, but
the biggest reaction came at the conclusion of his
presentation of the Linking Finger Rings.
What amazed me was that Kreskin (George
Kresge) in no way tried to be clever. He did not do
any wonderful moves, he was in fact, ham fisted.
He hid the rings in his hands, switched the rings in
and out and did it in a way a sleight-of-hand critic
that was knowledgeable to the handling possibilities, would have puked at!
But it was his presentation, his sell, that overcame his lack of being clever.
Much like Uri Geller when he misses, he

191

The Real Secrets of the Chinese Linking Rings

becomes all the more convincing to the believers.
More than thirty years ago, working on the
Linking Finger Rings with the late Fred Kaps at
the Claremont Hotel, in Oakland Calif., I revealed
to Kaps an effect I created, worked up in my notes,
but had yet to perform.
hen I told him about my premise, Kaps
went crazy. So much did he like it, he featured it two times (that I know of) on television specials. One on the FRED KAPS MAGIC
SHOW, produced by John Fisher, with technical
advisor and assistant Robert Swadling.
The way I described my idea to Fred was this. I
said, Fred, the only real way to find a vanished,
borrowed ring is to have it appear on the stem of a
beautiful crystal champagne glass. And the only
way to give it back is to have to break the glass.
The ring, I explained, must be ungimmicked, borrowed in fact.
When I said this, it was all over. Fred could only
ask, You can really do this?
The tone in his voice was incredible. It was like
I had just told him I knew the secret to walking on
water. I had to be honest and tell him that I had not
actually done it, but that the handling was in my
mind and that I was waiting to see him personally
to discuss it. He couldnt wait to hear.
I told him that the lead in was not critical, the
ring vanish could be done in any way, but the part
that I had to do a little more work on was how to
get the ring on the glass. I told him he would have
to find the right shaped glass, go to a glass repair
man (they are often found at antique glass shows)
and have the stems cut off at a decorative knob or
joint. Then rig a holder in your close up case, or
behind a bar, if you are working behind one, that
would hold the base and the top of the glass in
alignment. You slip the ring onto the stem, hit it
with a drop of crazy glue, then push the two parts
of the glass together.
If you saw Fred Kaps do this routine on one of
the aforementioned TV specials, you saw real
magic. (You can find it on You Tube).
On his own special he had a beautifully
designed bar, one like you would find in a modern
home, not in a commercial public bar. Fred began

with two spectators seated at either end. In his

opening sequence he borrowed the ring, tied it onto
a length of rope (very convincing handling from
Scotty York) and then he slipped a ring box over
the ring while it hung in view. The ends of the cord
were held by the two spectators.
To conclude, Fred removed the box, leaving the
rope sans ring. He asked one of the spectators to
open the box. Expecting to see the ring in the box,
thinking the trick was getting the ring off the rope,
the spectator showed a bit of shock when the ring
was not there. There was however, a small folded
piece of paper in the ring box. Fred asked him to
open the paper. It read, Don't forget the drinks.
Earlier in the show he offered to pour each of
them a drink, but forgot to, once he got into the
magic.
After the reading of the note, Kaps brought
forth a glass of sherry for the woman, then set an
empty glass in front of the gentleman, bringing out
a decanter, as he said, You wanted, what, port?
Before he started to pour, he looked at the glass and
the mans ring was around the stem.
ords at my disposal cant describe the
effect this had on the spectators. Fred
brought out a cloth serviette, covered the
glass and shattered it with a small hammer to give
the ring back to the gentleman that was kind
enough to loan it to him.
Paul Gertner later worked out a variation on
the ring on the stem of a glass, using an hour glass
and a handling for the switch he got from Scotty
Yorks yet unpublished effect The Sands of
Time, that won Gertner the top prize at the Desert
Magic Seminar some years back.
In fact, the original fabrication of the gaffed
glasses that Kaps used was done by York. The fit
was so good that the crazy glue was not necessary.
York did a lot of behind the scenes work for Kaps
and in fact one of Kaps TV specials featured five
effects, four of which were invented by York, the
fifth was Robert Harbins Zig Zag.
So grateful was Kaps to York that when he died
he left his own (Hans Trixer-made) personal
Himber Linking Finger Ring set to Scotty.
Not one to be content when working on an

192

The Real Secrets of the Chinese Linking Rings

effect, Kaps had done additional research and
experimentation with this effect. A letter from the
well-known Welsh magician, Trevor Lewis, shows
how various minds can be working the same path.
ewis writes, I guess great minds think alike,
because I thought the idea (ring on stem of
glass) was original with me. Roy Roth also
claimed originality in Abra about three years ago
(Kaps had been dead for over ten years). Im certain that like so many other ideas in magic we must
have thought of the idea independently.
Here's my side of the story. Just after the 1976
FISM, I enjoyed two weeks with Kaps, Frank
Garcia, Dick Koornwinder, and others at
Philippe Fialhos home in Nice, France. Several
ideas were kicked around in that exalted company,
some good, some brilliant, some impossible.
Amongst the ideas that found favor were finding a
borrowed ring on the stem of a glass and producing
liquid as a final load from a Chop Cup.
The problem with finding a ring on the stem of
the glass is of course... the stem has to be broken to
retrieve it. It was suggested that a marked chinese
coin with a hole could be used for table hopping.
Obviously not as good, but less costly and workable. There was another problem. Getting someone
to make the goblets and the stems.
I discussed the wine glass idea with Frans
Biemans at the British Ring Convention. Biemans
told me he had a friend who owned a glass factory
in Holland who could make the glasses. A year later
at the next convention Biemans called me into his
room and handed me a parcel. I eagerly opened it
and unwrapped one bowl and two stems. He said
his friend had made six and since I'd thought of the
idea, it was mine to keep. I kept the pieces safely
locked away as they were really to precious to use.
I had no idea who had the other ones, but obviously Biemens and Kaps had one or two each.
Lewis went on to explain that a few years later
Biemans gave him an additional bowl (which,
unfortunately was chipped) and a few extra stems.
One complete set will be donated to the Magic
Circle for their museum.
In a letter from Kaps, dated 8 August, 1978,
Kaps mentioned taping his special for the BBC and

he used a glass given to him by Biemens.

The following item, also devised by me for
Kaps, has seen print, but I wish to include it here
for completeness.
A very nice way to finish any Linking Finger
Ring routine is to display the final two rings on the
end of a pencil, one hanging below the other, and
have them visibly unlink themselves.
There is a marketed routine using a small hook
on a pencil to make it look like the rings are linked,
but you had to physically take the ring off the hook
to unlink it. One like this was made for Robert
Harbin by Billy McComb. Nice. Very good as a
matter of fact. But, how would you like to have the
ring just melt away and visibly unlink itself, dropping into the spectators outstretched hand?
All you need is a full-size regular wooden pencil with a rubber eraser on the end and a bit of
invisible thread.
ith a razor blade, cut a slit in the eraser,
from the end to the heel. Then, take a
short length of invisible thread, a little
less than the length of the pencil, tie a knot on
either end and thread this through the eraser so it
hangs down, with the knot at one end, keeping it
from slipping out.
Slide the rings onto the pencil from the end
opposite the eraser. You are at the point where you
have two rings on the pencil. One can be the gaff;
it depends on your routine. Arrange it so you have
the thread gripped back along the opposite end of
the pencil, with the slack taken up. Slide the
ungaffed ring off the end so it is held only by the
thread. Position the rings so the one on the thread
looks like it is hanging, linked to the one on the
pencil.

This shows the rings hanging on the thread. Use invisible

thread, this white thread was use for illustration only.

193

The Real Secrets of the Chinese Linking Rings

All you have to do is let your grip on the thread
go and the ring magically drops, seemingly unlinking itself, visibly!
he final item of this chapter produces the
same effect, but was accomplished with a
beautiful gold mechanical pencil. Within the
innards of the pencil is a sliding piece of spring
steel. This piece, operated by your thumb via a little knob, would stick out, and retract into the barrel
of the pen. You could hold the unlinked ring in
place on the wire, and with an indetectable move,
the rings would visibly unlink.
ho did this? It was a well-guarded secret
of the late Al Koran. Koran tipped this to
me backstage one night and said, Some
day, long down the road, you can do what you want
with this. But wait til the right time.
Many thanks, Al. It is now the right time, and the
one item that makes this book well worth having.
The first performer I showed this to was Bruce
Cervon, who used it, and made the conclusion of
his routine a miracle.
It was then decided to make these up, and working with Joe Porper we came up with a beautiful
version.

Finger Ring.
When he saw it, Billy McComb said, This
is the way the Himber Ring should have been
designed in the first place.
The finest handling the Ghostly Linking
Finger Ring can be seen on You Tube being
performed by Taiwanese magician, Lu Chen.

Borrowed
ring at top.

The Al Koran mechanical pencil, made by Joe Porper,

rigged to display two rings, as if linked. An internal spring
retracts allowing one ring to drop into the spectators
waiting hand.

t the same time I was not happy with the

way the original Himber Rings were
opened and closed and designed a new type
of ring. Again, Joe Porper brought this new design
to fruition and we named it the Ghostly Linking

194

Himber
Ring

This should be
very easy to figure
out how to do.
Borrow a couple
of rings, switch one
for a Himber Ring
(or AmaZeRING),
tie it onto a cord,
then slip a group of
chinese coins on,
followed by one of
the borrowed rings.
All you need to
do is have a spectator hold the knotted end, as you use
your hands to open
the gimmicked ring
and slip off all the
coins and ring.

The Real Secrets of the Chinese Linking Rings

Simple Linking Finger Routines

t often said, If you find one trick in a book,
its worth the price of the book. Well,
believe me, this is the one!
Etienne Lorenceau is here in Los Angeles,
having flown in from Paris, to visit his son that
lives here going to USC.
I showed him a draft of this book, and he
said, You need to include my handling with a
Himber Ring. There is no switch, no moves,
its so easy. You can do it with two or three, or
maybe even four borrowed rings.
This really got me going, as you know, with
Joe Porper, we market the Ghostly Linking
Finger Ring.
Heres the work.
With the gimmicked ring in a finger
palm (if you have the
Ghostly ring use the
opening linking move)
you walk to the left
part of your audience
to borrow a ring. When
you get it, as you start Simply slip the two rings
to walk to another onto the hidden gimmicked
area, just link that ring ring. (Exposed view).
onto the gimmicked ring.
Borrow a second ring and link it onto the
gimmicked ring.
With the two rings now on the gimmicked
ring, you walk over to ring owner #1, and hiding ring two in your fingers, you display their
linked ring hanging on the gimmicked ring.
This person thinks it is hanging on the other
persons ring.
he key here are your questions. You ask,
Do you see your ring? Are you sure it is
your ring? Is it linked to the other ring?
They will answer, Yes, to each question.
You then change hands as you walk over to
the person that loaned you the second ring so
you can display their ring hanging to the gimmicked ring.
Ask the same questions again.

This is simplicity in itself. Many magicians

have the gimmicked ring and feel the routines
they have studied are to complex and difficult.
This, again, is so easy.
e visited Dean Dill and showed it to
him. He said, I dont own a Himber
ring, can it be done with this kind of
ring? He had a ring that had a slit cut into it,
like a standard linking ring. Etienne took the
ring and did the routine with it.
So, if you have a gimmicked ring, fine, if
not, just get a cheap ring a cut a slit in it.

A Foxy Routine with the

Linking Finger Rings
By Karrell Fox
To my knowledge Al Koran started the effect
of linking borrowed finger rings together. Al used
a slit ring, much like a key ring from a linking ring
set and a wire gimmick built into a mechanical pencil in his method. Bandleader/magician Richard
Himber had a mechanical locking finger ring
developed and put it on the market as the Himber
Linking Finger Rings.
imber and I were good friends, so when he
flew into Detroit to attend my twenty-first
birthday party, he brought me one of the
rings for a present. I put it aside thinking that someday I would use it as a close-up trick, as it was
obviously too small to be used on stage. Boy WAS
I WRONG!
Quite a few years later, child-bride and I went
on a Caribbean cruise (not working it - just enjoying it). Who should be the featured entertainer on
the cruise but Al Koran? Al was then using the
Himber locking finger ring, and when he performed it for an audience of around two hundred, I
was very impressed.
I was even more impressed about a month later,
back home, when I saw my favorite mentalist
Kreskin perform it at a concert before an audience
of over two thousand. By this time I was convinced
that this was a stage trick that was dynamite. Even

195

The Real Secrets of the Chinese Linking Rings

though half of the audience couldnt even see it.
They were entertained just by Kreskins description
of it as he did it.
decided it was time to re-evaluate the trick, so
out of the drawer it came. Thinking back over
the routines I had seen, and those in print, all of
them required two switches, and some of them
even three switches. Having always been a firm
believer that some magicians get so involved with
the method that they forget the effect, I set about to
simplify it. My routine uses no switches at all, and
cuts the performing time of the original trick to
about half, which is better for the way I work.
To begin, the ring (in the unlocked, open position) is in your left coat pocket. Casually place your
hands in your pockets, and when you remove them,
you have the ring concealed in your left hand (not
palmed, just concealed).
For my next effect, I would like to borrow
some finger rings from several trusting people in
the audience. So, please bear with me while I go
jewelry shopping.
Step into the right hand third of your audience.
Comment to several of the people how nice their
rings look. Finally ask one person, May I borrow
yours? Fine. (Editors note: For safety reasons, it
is best to use mens wedding bands without any
stones). When they hand you the ring, hook it right
onto the open ring in your left hand as you walk to
the middle third of the audience, remarking, Still
looking.
gain comment on several rings and borrow
one. Hook it onto the gimmicked ring in
your left hand and snap it shut as you walk
to the third of the audience on your left remarking,
Lets see what I can borrow over here.
In this section of the audience, again comment
on how nice several of the rings are. Lean close to
one of the men and softly say, May I borrow your
pencil or a pen. When he gives it to you, hold it
low, in your right hand, and visibly slip the three
rings onto the end of the pen. Walk back to the
stage, shaking the pen. Everything looks right, and
at this point the audience cannot tell that the rings
are linked together.
Well I didnt do badly, in fact if I ever get tired
of this business, I think Ill become a pawn broker.

I thank you loaners for your vote of confidence,

and I would like to mention that IF I get enough
applause at the end of this miracle, I might even
give the rings back.
old the pen horizontally and with your left
forefinger, push one of the rings off the pen,
allowing it to dangle. Then do the same
thing with the second ring. Ladies and Gentlemen,
a perfect illusion that the three rings are linked
together. Dump the linked rings off of the pen and
into your left hand. Hand them to the person nearest you saying, Does the illusion that they are
linked together look as good to you sir as it does to
me? Get the rings back and slip the end one back
on the pen (leaving the other two dangling).
Lets let the owners take a closer look. Step
quickly to the person in the right third of the audience, point to their ring and say (emphatically) Is
this yours? Then quickly to the person in the center third of the audience, point to their ring and
repeat, Is this yours? Quickly again, to the gentleman in the left third of the audience (remember,
he loaned you the PEN) And you sir is this
yours? Point to the pen as you say this. He will,
of course (like the others) say, Yes.
Step back to center stage, dump the rings off the
pen into your left hand. The hardest part of this
whole trick is to separate them without damaging
them. Under cover of this laugh, your right hand
(still holding the pen) quickly unhooks the rings,
snaps the gimmick closed and threads the rings
(gimmicked one first) back onto the pen. The rings
will still look linked to the spectators.
olding the pen in your right hand, you say,
Heres the big finish, watch. Remove the
top ring with your left hand, handing it back
to the loaner on your right saying, This is yours.
Remove the second ring, return it, saying, This is
yours, and now that weve returned the good stuff
... whats left is yours. As you walk toward the
loaner to your left, the left hand removes the pen
from the right hand leaving the gimmicked ring
concealed there, and hands him back his pen.
Return to center stage and take your applause.

196

The Real Secrets of the Chinese Linking Rings

A New Way to Secretly Link Finger Rings

he late Tommy Wonder devised a very

clever way to keep a Linking Finger Ring
gimmick open and ready to go, by machining a mechanical pencil. The details can be found
in his Books of Wonder.
I loved the idea, but dont have the necessary
skill or machine shop tools to make what he
described.
Fooling around with an ordinary pencil I came
up with the following idea.
The illustrations, above, show how you can use
adhesive tape to attach the gimmicked ring, in the
open position, to the end of a pencil (Photo 1). I
also used a rubber band to hold the ring in the same
position. Either way worked fine.
The handling is simple. With the ring attached,
as you borrow rings from the audience, you just

slide them onto the pencil, keeping the gimmicked

ring hidden in your hand (Photo 2), and as you
walk to your work area, after collecting the rings,
you let them slide into the open gimmicked ring
(Photo 3).
ou now have the rings within the gimmicked ring, and then its a simple matter
to grip the ring and pull it off the pencil and
snap it shut.
This will work with any type of linking finger
ring. The gimmicked ring shown is the Ghostly
Linking Finger Ring from Joe Porper.
The handling described, with two rings linked is
good for Etienne Lorenceaus no-switch routine,
or a routine where you dont link a third ring until
later in the routine, much like the original handling
from Al Koran.

197

The Real Secrets of the Chinese Linking Rings

Was Orson Welles the First to Link Borrowed Rings?

In the 1940s Orson Welles, in his Mercury
Wonder Show, may have been the first to link borrowed finger rings.
Hed have one of his assistants go to the audience and borrow about a dozen military rings,
collecting them on a tray. They all looked much
alike. Welles would toss all the rings in the air and
they came down all linked in a chain. (Thanks to a
Thayer switch tray).
Hed display them and put them back onto the
tray and (after switching back) the assistant would
then return all the rings from those she had earlier
borrowed them from.

Welles presenting Where to the Ducks Go. He recruited

starlets from the movies like Rita Hayworth as his assistants for his shows, much to the delight of the troops.

Members of the military head to the Mercury Wonder

Show, presented by Orson Welles, on Hollywood Blvd.

198

The Real Secrets of the Chinese Linking Rings

Another Letter from Trevor Lewis
Dear Pete:
egarding the Himber Ring. The best routine
I've ever seen was performed by the late,
and sadly missed, Albert Le Bas. He hailed
from Dublin, Ireland, and performed there nightly
at Jurys Hotel. For the record Albert performed
Misers Dream (Charlie Miller mentioned his routine in Genii), the Himber Ring routine, Whiskey
Glass and Bag (now performed by Billy McComb
and myself, with different patter) and the Martin
Rising Cards.
By day, Albert was the sales manager of a
garage in Dun Laoghaire (near Dublin) and, as I
was a ships engineer who visited the port every
other day, we enjoyed many magical sessions at his
office.
Albert taught me his routines, so his Himber
routine lives on. Over the years I have added lines,
bits and pieces to the original, but as yet it is not in
print. I will include it in my soon to be published
book, Routine Matters.

Christopher Woodward was also a close

friend of Albert's and is familiar with the routine.
For the record Steve Walker has my routine filed,
and there is a draft copy on disk.
Le Bas performed once in America, probably in
the late 60s, but I don't recall the exact time or the
place.
I feel you should mention his name in conjunction with the Himber Ring for the record.
Basically his routine consisted of borrowing
two rings which both penetrated a steel rod. It came
as a complete surprise when the rings were unexpectedly found to be linked!
his follows Fred Kaps premise that the best
magic occurs when the magician appears to
be in trouble. Think of his presentation of the
Chinese Sticks and the Homing Card.
Sincerely, (signed) Trevor Lewis
Note: This routine could be worked out from the
routine on page 204 by George Blake, where two
spectators rings are put on and off a long knitting
needle. P.B.)

Hand painted
canvas banner
from a carnivals
Ten-in-One show.

199

The Real Secrets of the Chinese Linking Rings

The Ring on Wineglass Details

hen Fred Kaps came to Northern find the right shaped glass, go to a glass repair man
California, in 1970 to do a series of (they are often found at antique glass shows) and
shows for the Dutch Clubs in the area, I have the stems cut off at a decorative knob or joint.
was working on various ideas with the Linking Then you would have to rig a holder in your close
Finger Rings and revealed to Kaps
up case, or behind a bar (if you are
an effect I had created, but had yet
working behind one) that would
to perform. When I came up with
hold the base and the top of the
this concept I immediately thought
glass in alignment. You slip the
of Kaps because whenever he did
ring onto the stem, hit it with a
anything he did it better than anydrop of CRAZY GLUE, and then
one else, and I felt, at the time, he
push the two parts of the glass
was the only person that could pull
together.
this off the way I felt it should be
If you saw Fred Kaps do this
done.
routine on one of the aforemenWhen I told him about my
tioned TV specials, you saw real
premise, Kaps went crazy. So
magic.
much did he like it, he featured it
On the BBC special he had a
two times (that I know of) on telebeautifully designed bar, one like
vision specials. One on the FRED
you would find in a modern home,
KAPS MAGIC SHOW, produced
not a commercial public bar. Fred
by John Fisher for the BBC, with Considered the best all-around
began with two spectators seated
technical
advisor
Robert magician of our time, Fred Kaps.
at either end. In his opening
Swadling.
sequence he borrowed the ring, tied it onto a length
The way I described my idea to Fred was this. I of cord (very convincing handling-from Scotty
said, Fred, I have worked out a way to find a van- York) and then he slipped a ring box over the ring
ished, borrowed ring on the stem of a beautiful while it hung on the cord in full view. The ends of
crystal champagne glass. And to give the ring back the cord were held by the two spectators.
you have to break the glass. The ring, I explained,
o conclude, Fred removed the box, leaving
is ungimmicked, borrowed in fact.
the rope sans ring, and handed the box to the
When I said this, it was all over. Fred answered,
woman on his left. He asked her to open the
You can do this?
box. Expecting to see the ring in the box, thinking
The tone in his voice was incredible. It was like the trick was getting the ring off the rope, she
I had just told him I knew the secret to walking on showed more than just a bit of shock when the ring
water. I had to be honest and tell him that I had not was not there.
actually done it, but that the handling was worked
Kaps the consummate actor, acted like someout and that I was waiting to see him personally to thing had gone wrong, and he looked around for the
discuss it.
ring to no avail.
He couldn't wait to hear the explanation.
There was, however, a small folded piece of
I told him that the lead in was not critical, the paper in the ring box. Fred asked her to open the
ring vanish could be done in any way, but the part paper. It read, Don't forget the drinks.
that I had to do a little more work on was how to
(Note: Earlier in the show he offered to pour
put the glass back together after the ring was each of them a drink, but forgot to once he got into
slipped on the stem. I told him he would have to the magic).

200

The Real Secrets of the Chinese Linking Rings

After the reading of the note, Kaps poured a
glass of Sherry for the woman, and then started to
set an empty glass in front of the gentleman.
Bringing out a decanter, Kaps said, You wanted,
what, Port? Before he started to pour, he looked at
the glass and the man's ring was seen around the
stem. To return the ring Kaps brought out a small
hammer, put a serviette over the glass and struck it
with the hammer, breaking the stem. He then
returned the ring to the gentleman he had borrowed
it from.
Words at my disposal can't describe the effect
this had on the couple, and the TV audience.
he way Kaps did this for his special
was simple. He had English magician
Bob Swadling as an assistant, who was
hidden under the bar. Kaps dropped the ring
through a trap in the bar to Swadling who put
it onto the stem of the glass and assembled
the pieces for Fred to finish the routine.
There was one problem to solve before he could
do this. He needed to have the glasses made. The
first prototypes Kaps got were made for him by
Scotty York. Later, Frans. Biemans, a Dutch magician friend of Kaps told him he knew a man that
owned a glass factory in Holland who could make
the glasses.
At Phillipe Fialho's home in the South of France,
Kaps talked to Trevor Lewis about this, and Lewis
later discussed this with Biemens, and a year later at a
convention Biemans gave Lewis one bowl and two
stems. Lewis kept the pieces safely locked away as felt
they were really to precious to use.
ewis went on to explain that later Biemans
gave him an additional bowl and a few extra
stems. One complete unit will be donated to
the Magic Circle for their museum.
In a letter I received from Kaps, dated 8 August
1978, he mentioned taping another special and he
used a glass given to him by Biemans.
It should be noted here that Paul Gertner's
award-winning ring found on an hourglass was
inspired by the Ring on Wineglass following Kaps'
TV special. In addition, Bruce Kalvar marketed a
similar effect using a Brandy Snifter and a different
approach.

My One Man Ring on Wineglass

Following Kalvar, and others, putting the effect
on the market, I was a little miffed. But, I can't
blame anyone really I should have marketed or
published it myself to get proper credit for the concept. I did, however have this published (finally) in
Genii Magazine, in the August, 2007 issue.
So, how do I get my credit, and how do I get my
trick back?
The answer? Improve it.
Here is what I have developed. It can be done as
I will describe it, if (and I emphasize if) you are
a really good performer and have the chops, and
guts it takes to do the very bold, necessary moves.
The preparation:
Go to a shop that sells wine glasses. Get cheap,
short-stemmed Brandy Snifters. Buy half-a-dozen
so you will have
enough to make the
gimmicks and practice
with.
Take a small file
and nick the stem
about half way down.
Then cover this with a
cloth and tap it at the
file mark with a hammer, breaking the
glass into two pieces.
(See the photos). The
break does not have to
be square, just clean.
From a hardware
store buy some clear
neoprene hosing, the
diameter that will just
fit, snugly, over the
stem of the glass. Cut
this to the length
shown in the accompanying photo.
Stick the stem and
glass together, held
together by the tubing.
(This was Kalvar's
idea, but he had you

201

The Real Secrets of the Chinese Linking Rings

go under the table, or
out of sight with the
glass to do the work).
Now, what I wanted to have was a
stand-up routine, no
going south, no hiding
the glass, nothing
phony, nothing covered.
ssemble the
gimmicked
glass and hold
it by the stem in your
right hand. Walk into
the audience and borrow two men's wedding bands. Don't borrow women's rings as
you don't want any
trouble losing a stone,
or doing any damage.
Keep them to simple
men's wedding bands.
As you borrow
them have them
dropped into the glass
(the gimmick is hidden by your right hand
holding the glass).
Swirl the rings in
the glass and as you
walk back to your
working position you
take the upper half of
the glass away in your
left hand, and edge
palm the base with the
stem sticking up in
your right hand. (This
is where your level of
skill, practice and
good handling comes
in.)
While you are
walking, you pour the

rings from the bowl of the glass into your right

hand onto the stem (which is hidden in your hand
and it should just appear as if you are pouring the
rings into your empty hand).
Now you bring the base up to the stem and stick
them back together.
ct as if you are sticking the rings onto the
stem. Once everything is back together you
grip the glass from above and show the
rings on the stem. The rings hide the tubing.
Sell this. Sell it big time.
After showing the rings on the stem of the glass
you place the glass on its side on a tray, cover it
with a handkerchief or a napkin and bring out a
small hammer and break the glass. Really break it
for the best effect. And then lift the handkerchief
and remove the two borrowed rings and return
them to the loanees.
Alternate Handling for a no assistant variation
S t e v e
Cohen, The
Millionaire's
Magician,
called me from
New York to
discuss handling for this
effect. He suggested what I
think makes
this a really
practical one
man handling.
It is so simple I
think this is
what I will use
myself.
Prepare a
silk handkerchief (I like
P a i s l e y Steve Cohen performs at the Waldorf
designs) with a Hotel, New York.
cheap
ring
hanging from the center of the handkerchief on a
thread. Have this on the inside as you fold the
handkerchief and place it into your jacket's breast

202

The Real Secrets of the Chinese Linking Rings

pocket (or have it on a table, etc.)
The gimmicked glass is on your table behind
something or out of sight inside the table, however
your working conditions allow you to have the
glass handy, but not seen.
sk to borrow a ring from a gentleman. A
unique wedding band would be fine, you
say. Have him take the ring off, take it in
your right hand, examine it, etc. Bring out the
handkerchief. Now you to the old dodge of apparently placing the ring under the handkerchief and
having the spectator hold the ring through the
cloth.
What you actually do is let them hold the duplicate through the cloth while you palm out the borrowed ring and bring out the wineglass. Keep the
split section hidden by holding it by the stem.
With both hands you bring the glass under the
handkerchief, pull off the base, put the ring onto
the stem, then push the base back onto the bowl.
You now hold the glass under the handkerchief
and ask the spectator to let go of the ring, to Drop
it into the glass, where something UNUSUAL will
happen.
They hear the ring drop into the glass.
ause. Lift the handkerchief away and show
the glass does not contain the ring. It has vanished. You hold the glass so the ring is not
visible at this point. Put the handkerchief away.
Actually, you say, It really hasn't vanished
look it's here on the stem of the glass. Show the
ring, ask him to identify it, etc.
You say, The only way to release your ring is
to break the glass.
You now can put the glass into a paper bag, or
cover it with a napkin, whatever fits your routine,
as you bring out a mallet and give the glass a
whack separating the two pieces.
You could have some broken pieces in the bag,
dump all out onto a tray and then carefully pick the
ring up and have the spectator identify it and thank
him for his help. When you finish make sure to ask,
Is your ring in the same condition as it was when
you gave it to me?
Take your well-earned applause.

For the Balloonatics

While rummaging
through volumes of
notes and scraps of
paper, I came across
something created by
Bob McAllister.
Those of you that
dont know this nifty
guy must have missed
the popular TV Series
Wonderama. He was
the main man on this
show for years and
performed much cre- TV Magician Bob McAllister.
ative and original
magic throughout the years of his tenure.
One of his creations is the dreaded(!)...Linking
Balloons.
I have not tried this, but for those of you wont
to do such routines (balloon twisting makes a noise
that sends me away) might want to experiment with
Bob's wacky premise.
He used the thin pencil balloons, popular for
twisting into shapes many try to tell us resemble
animals.
You need to make a key balloon. To do this you
require two balloons of the same size and color.
Blow them up, then take a twist about half way
down one balloon, pull out some length and cut off
half the balloon and tie this end off. Do the same
with one other balloon.
ith these two half-balloons you tie them
together at the regular (where you blow
the air in) ends. This will look like a couple of sausages that are still connected. You must
hold the balloon thus formed concealing the cut
ends, or the KEY opening in your hand.
Depending on what kind of routine you wish to
do you can blow up a few other balloons and tie off
into rings.
It probably won't set the world on fire, but if
you are doing a balloon act it is just one more item
to add to your repertoire.
Hey, this is supposed to be an encyclopedia.

203

The Real Secrets of the Chinese Linking Rings

Himbers BewildeRING
Routined by George Blake
hen Richard Himber first put out
Staggering he included a routine,
which was very difficult to follow.
Firstly, it was crowded on to one small
page, and in the cause of brevity the explanation suffered to the extent that it
was difficult to know what was
intended.
However, taking out the main
points of the routine, I was able to
piece together a routine which I
know from experience is really
bewildering.
In addition to the Himber Ring
you need a Chinese Chopstick, the
longer the better, or even better a
slender wand. On one occasion I
used a number 0 knitting needle. George Blake
This is made of light-colored
wood, and is 15-inches long and 3/16ths of-aninch thick, pointed at one end, and with a knob
at the other, it is ideal for the purpose in mind.
These are available in most craft supply shops,
and can also be obtained in aluminum.
ne thing you must ascertain, that is that
there are two gentlemen in the audience
who are wearing signet rings, or wedding bands (this depends on the style Himber
Ring you use). As you approach one gentleman, maybe to choose a card, or shuffle the
deck for you, remark, Thats a nice ring
youre wearing, Sir. Then, looking around
you, comment, We seem to have a well-to-do
audience here this evening, Any other gentleman wearing a nice ring? You make no further
comments, no promises, for, if you are NOT
lucky enough to have two spectators wearing
rings, you cannot proceed with the ring effect
but, having promised nothing, no one will be
the wiser and your comments will be taken as
just comments. If you aRe lucky, then bear in
mind where the spectators are seated and as

soon as you are ready for BewildeRING, ask

them to come forward and assist you, By the
way, have the Himber ring in your right coat
pocket, and the chop stick, wand or knitting
needle handy on the table.
eat one gentleman on
your right and the other
on your left, each about a
yard from you, that is, so they
themselves are well apart, you
will see the reason for this
shortly. Now, where did I put
. . . (here you dive your hands
into both coat pockets, securing the ring in the right hand
and finger-palming it). Ah,
there we are, and you reach
for the chop stick from the
table. This gets a laugh, for it is
ludicrous to expect anyone to carry such an
article in a coat pocket, more especially with
the knitting needle, which comment will
maybe persuade you to obtain one of the needles forthwith!
Lets assume its a needle. Hand it to the
gent on your LEFT, and then, turning to the
gentleman on your right, May I borrow your
ring, Sir? and as he removes it and hands it to
you, accept it in your LEFT hand. Bear in mind
that there, the gentleman on your left will not
see the ring, your back screening the other
spectator from view, and the same will apply
when dealing with the gent on your left. He on
the right will not see what is going on, hence
the reason for keeping them well spaced and
you standing between them as they sit.
hank him and then, turning to the gent on
your LEFT, ask the same question, but,
as he is obliging you by holding the needle, take it from him in your right hand, and
hold it there until he has removed his ring.
Then, in order that you can take it, place the

204

The Real Secrets of the Chinese Linking Rings

needle into the left fist and right through the
borrowed ring there, holding the needle by its
center in your closed fist. Take his ring in the
right fingers, and then step forward a couple of
paces and open the right hand so that the audience sees two rings on your open palm.
Two borrowed rings. Neither of your
helpers can see the rings, hence the reason for
stepping forward! Resume your stance
between the two gents and turning to the one
on your LEFT, ask him to hold the needle firmly by its ends.
Watch the rings, Sir, and here you place
the two rings UP into the left fist, the Himber
Ring going in last. But your fingers mask it as
it enters the fist.
Are you watching closely, Sir? Not quite
close enough I fear, for look, there on the needle is a ring. Is it yours? No? Then it must
belong to this gentleman here.
ou have withdrawn the left hand from
the needle to show a borrowed ring
spinning thereon, and when it is disowned by the gent on your left you make a turn
to your right and the spectator lets go of the
needle. The gent on the right will agree that it
is his ring, and you ask him to kindly hold the
needle, by the ends.
Look closely at your ring, Sir. Do you
think it possible to remove it while you hold
the ends? And while thus addressing him you
bring the Himber ring to the tips of the left
hand, keeping the other one concealed. Undo
the clasp of the ring, but dont open it fully, letting the circular part of the ring rest against the
catch on the head of the ring, It may be briefly
shown thus, the ring appearing to be normal,
Forefinger rests on the head and the thumb on
the lower part of the ring, as it is taken in the
right hand, Do you mind closing your eyes,
Sir? I dont want you to see how this is done!
And you bring the left hand over his ring on the
needle, cupping it so that it covers the ring.
But do make sure you never let go of the ends
of the needle. (He expects you are going to
remove his ring) This brings a laugh, but

whether he closes his eyes or not, doesnt matter, Under cover of the left hand, the right passes the Himber ring on to the needle and then
closes it, on the left of the ring already there.
Now you may look, Sir, Your ring isnt off,
but this other gentlemans ring is on as well as
yours. Is that right? and he agrees.
f you have followed this routine so far and,
better still, if you have tried it out in private,
you will realize that the knob of the needle
is to your right, and this makes the following
moves quite easy.
Please remove your ring,Sir, and you
point with the right hand to the end on your
right, the one with the knob on. As you say this
you also reach for the left hand end of the needle with the left hand, and the right holds the
Himber ring in the center, This gives you the
opportunity to slip the needle through the ring
palmed in the left hand, and as the gent
removes his ring, the left hand slides, with its
ring, to the center and meets the right hand.
With the borrowed ring removed by the gent
on the right, turn to the left to show the needle
to the gent on your left. The right hand slides
towards the knob of the needle, taking with it
the Himber ring, and concealing it, and as the
needle comes in front of the gent on your left,
the left hand is removed to show a ring spinning on the needle.
Please hold your hand out, Sir. You then
tip the needle so that the ring slides off and into
his hand. The left then takes the needle, leaving the Himber ring palmed in the right, and
reaching into the right coat pocket, you remove
a handkerchief and proceed to polish the needle. Ready for next time, you say.
ouve guessed it; the right ditches the
Himber ring in the pocket as it removes the
hanky. And thats it. Both spectators have
seen two rings, their own and what they believe to
be the other gents, both have actually seen their
own rings impaled upon the needle.
What more can one want?
Note: Using Joe Porpers AmaZeRING, this
routine could be modified and simplified.

205

The Real Secrets of the Chinese Linking Rings

Al Koran's Original Linking Finger Ring Routine

Many consider Ken Brooke
one of the best
ever at writing
instructions.
Read the following very carefully, every point is
covered, and his
way of emphasizing the important
points
should be studied
well.
E F F E C T.
Three rings are
BORROWED
from members of
the audience. The
rings are seen to
be linked in a chain of three. EACH ring being
IDENTIFIED by its OWNER, LINKED on the
chain. The rings are SEPARATED INDIVIDUALLY and returned, unharmed to their original owners.
This routine is exactly as performed by AL
KORAN, and is the high talking point of his act,
having a terrific impact on the audience.
APPARATUS. You are supplied with a Finger
Ring, which is faked by having a SLIT cut in it,
and a Pencil with a small HOOK near one end.
(Note: the marketed version did NOT INCLUDE
the Mechanical Pencil). The Pencil is placed in
your outside breast pocket, with the hook end
uppermost. The faked ring is placed in the left
trouser pocket.
THE ROUTINE. Take the pencil from your
pocket with the thumb and forefinger of right hand,
and hold it horizontally, with the palm of your hand
facing audience. Place left hand CASUALLY into
your trouser pocket as you say, Have you ever
seen a miracle? Take hold of the ring in the
CURLED SECOND FINGER, with the square

signet part at the point where the base of your finger meets the palm, with the slit FACING towards
you.
(See Figure-1).
This
starting
position IS MOST
IMPORTANT,
so
make sure you get
this right.
Now, place the pencil into the left hand
THROUGH the ring
with the point of the
pencil going about an
INCH BELOW THE
RING. (See Figure-2).
Continue speaking.
If I can borrow three
gentlemen's
gold
signet rings, I will
show you something
the like of which you
have
never
seen
before, you will say
that you have witnessed a veritable miracle.
ow you start the business of borrowing the
three gold signet rings from three different
men. This may sound difficult to do, but in
the hundreds of shows I have done, I have never
failed, I do NOT recommend that you use ladies
rings, but; if worst comes to worst, use ONE ladies
ring, not more, and if this happens, make sure that
it is the SECOND ring you borrow. ALSO, try and
get one ring from the extreme left of your audience
one from the center, and the other from the extreme
right. This enables you to swing from side to side
and allows you ample time for misdirection for the
few moves required. As your right hand threads the
first borrowed ring onto the pencil, the left thumb
presses the fake ring AGAINST the pencil, the slit
being on top and to the LEFT of the pencil

206

The Real Secrets of the Chinese Linking Rings

(See Figure 3).
The
ring
is
passed
straight
through the slit.
Take the second borrowed
ring
and
thread this on the
ring also passing it
through the slit. The
third ring is threaded on the pencil but
it comes to rest on
side of the first finger. As you swing
around to go to your working position. The
right hand takes hold of the ring resting on
your fingers, AND the pencil, holding it in a
HORIZONTAL position. Almost simultaneously the left hand releases its hold on the
pencil, thus revealing three rings threaded on
the pencil (the extra one, of course, is unbeknown to the audience, concealed in right
hand). Holding the pencil, you say, Now for
the first part of our miracle. Watch. Hold the
palm of your left hand, fingers spread apart.
Facing the audience and then place first finger BEHIND and ON the ring NEAREST
THE RIGHT HAND
and retaining hold
on that ring, counting l-2-3, you PUSH
the other two rings
to the LEFT off the
pencil, and you have
a chain of three rings
hanging on a pencil.
(See figure 4).
This is a really startling effect, make the most
of it.
Point to the first man saying, You gave me a
ring, is that correct? Will you please step forward
and identify it yourself, otherwise you, and our
audience, simply won't believe it. As he comes
forward, the. left thumb and first finger take hold of
the center (faked ring) and covering its slit, hold the
rings up, saying, Does one of these rings belong to

you? It does? Is it
linked to the other
two? It is? . Thank
you. Please return to
your seat and relax.
(See Figure 5).
You
continue.
Someone else gave
me a ring, who was
it? As you say this,
your LEFT hand takes
hold of the rings AND
the pencil with the fingers concealing the
rings from the front,
the slit in the center
ring is facing you. (See
Figure 6).
he right hand
(with the ring
concealed in fingers) approaches the
left hand, and behind
the cover of the left fingers REMOVES THE BOTTOM ring and puts the one concealed in your right
hand on, through the slit. Do this quite DELIBERATELY. Right hand now takes the loose ring and
allows it to drop into the cupped fingers, which
then take hold of the end of the pencil (the end with
the hook) and displays the rings hanging in a
chain on the pencil.
This CHANGE of the bottom ring should only
take a matter of seconds,
REMEMBER, the attention of the audience is
mainly directed to the man who just identified his
own ring. They also only know of the existence of
THREE RINGS, so this little maneuver will go
unnoticed.
he situation now is, you have the first man's
ring (which he just saw on the chain of three)
CONCEALED in your right hand. The second man is now invited to step forward and identify his ring, and as he does this, slip the left forefinger through the center ring at the point of the slit
and. hold the rings towards him saying, Does one
of these rings belong to you? He must say, Yes.

207

The Real Secrets of the Chinese Linking Rings

Are the three rings linked together? He must
agree. Thank you, please return to your seat and
relax.
You now invite the third person to come forward to look at the rings. Holding the rings
towards him in the same way as before, you say, Is
your ring here? Is it linked to the other two?
AT THIS POINT. IT IS AS WELL TO
REMIND YOU OF THE PSYCHOLOGY OF
THIS TRICK. REMEMBER EACH PERSON
HELPING WITH THE TRICK IS INTERESTED
ONLY IN THEIR OWN RING. They do not bother
about the others you borrowed.
ontinue, saying, Do you think you could
get those three rings apart? BEFORE he
can answer, say, LOUDLY, Neither can I.
He returns to his seat. Now take hold of the bottom
ring and link it up on to the pencil. AT THE SAME
TIME, push the palmed ring, in the right hand,
OVER and ON to the right end of the pencil, dropping it on to the other rings, as the left hand holds
the pencil in a VERTICAL position. You will find
that the slit of the faked ring is now FACING you.
The only ring hanging down, and not on the pencil
is the fake ring. Believe me, they NEVER NOTICE
that there are four rings on the pencil, you now say,
There is always a weak link in every chain. I think
that it is this one. The right hand takes the faked
ring and unthreads it from the other two, Hold it
high in the air, saying, I thought that was the weak
one, place it back IMMEDIATELY on the pencil.
Looking at the first man say I think it belongs to
you. AS YOU SAY THIS, the right hand comes
over the front of the pencil and removes TWO
rings, the faked one AND the one next to it (this is
the first man's ring), Allow the faked ring to drop
into the finger palm position, Hand the other ring to
the first man saying, I think THIS belongs to
you. Your right hand now comes casually back to
the body and drops the fake ring into the side jacket pocket.
REMEMBER, ALL THE ATTENTION IS ON
THE MAN WITH HIS RING. Say to him, Any
cracks? Is your ring in good condition? Thank
you.
While the man is examining his ring and you

were talking to him you take off the next ring and
place it on the HOOK under the pencil and allow
the other ring to slide down the pencil on to it. The
ring will not come off the hook because you tip the
pencil downward towards the ring on the hook.
This helps to keep it in position This gives the illusion that the rings are LINKED together. Stand a
few feet away from a mirror and convince yourself
that the illusion is perfect. I have done this trick literally hundreds of times and this has NEVER been
challenged.
Holding the pencil high, in your left hand
(remember the pencil is tipped downward) go to
the second person and say, One ring belongs to
you, is that correct? Watch. Take hold of the bottom of the ring (on the hook) and apparently unlink
them. You actually take the ring off with a TWISTING action. AS YOU DO THIS, THE LEFT
HAND BRINGS THE PENCIL INTO A VERTICAL POSITION. The ring still on the pencil will
slide down to the fingers. This action turns the
hook towards you. Hand the second man his ring.
Right hand now takes the pencil with the thumb
and first finger in a HORIZONTAL position with
the palms of BOTH hands facing the audience, fingers wide open. You say, There is one ring left.
Looking at the last person, say, It must belong to
you. Allow the ring to slide off the pencil and drop
into his hand. Replace the pencil in your breast
pocket and take your well-deserved applause.
The routine originally published by Harry Stanley's
Unique Studio is reproduced by kind permission of the copyright owner, Martin Breese of Martin Breese International, 10
Hanover Crescent, Brighton, East Sussex BN2 9SB, UK.
Email: Mbreese99@aol.com

208

The late Al Koran was one

the first to perform the
linking finger rings and
created one of the most
popular, copied effects in
magic, The Flying Ring.

The Real Secrets of the Chinese Linking Rings

A Devilishly Simple Routine by U.F. Grant

With New Handling by Dean Dill
he performer offers his finger ring to a spectator to examine and is instructed to thread
the ring onto a cord and to hold both ends.
(Two spectators may be used, one holding each end
of the cord.) The performer drapes a pocket handkerchief over the ring. Borrowing a finger ring
from a spectator, the performer places it up under
the handkerchief.
The person or persons holding the cord are cautioned not to let go of their ends. The performer
removes his ring from under the handkerchief, and
the spectator's ring is seen to be linked onto the performer's ring! The rings are off the cord and the
performer walks among the spectators, giving them
a close look so that they can clearly see that the two
rings are, in fact, linked together.
The performer now places the linked rings back
under the handkerchief, and suddenly removes the
spectators ring and returns it to its owner.
or a surprising climax, he whips the handkerchief off the cord and on the cord is seen the
magician's ring.
Cord and ring may be examined.
SECRET: Two rings, identical in appearance,
are used. One of them has a slit cut ala linking
rings, Fig. 1. Have the cut ring in your pocket and
wear the other one. You are all set.
Have a spectator step forward. Remove your
ring, have him examine it thoroughly, and then
have him thread it on the cord, Fig. 2. He holds
both ends of the cord. As you reach into your pocket for a handkerchief, secretly get the cut ring.
Cover the ring on the cord with the handkerchief.
Borrow a spectators ring and place it up under the
handkerchief with the hand that has the cut ring
palmed. Under the hank you link the spectators
ring onto the cut ring. Now, with the finger and
thumb over the slit in the ring, bring your ring out
from under the handkerchief.
They see that their ring is linked to your ring.
Show it so that all can see the two rings linked
together, Fig.3. Keep the slit covered.

The handkerchief is still hanging over the center of the cord, hiding your unprepared ring, which
is still on the cord.
ow the linked rings are put up under the
center of the handkerchief again, separated,
and the spectators ring brought out and
handed back to him.
The handkerchief is whipped away, carrying the
cut ring with it, showing your ring is back on the
cord. All can be examined, (Fig. 4).

209

1
3
2