Coin Bend

[worldwideme]

hey guys.

i've performed a very basic coin bend utilizing a shuttle pass. and got somewhat stellar reactions when performed for complete non-skeptics. (in some circles their called stupid). but most people see right through it.

i did it right after a bunch of friends and i ordered pizza and this one girl sat there and worked out all kinds of possible methods (EVEN CHECKED MY SLEEVES!!!) but she eventually got it


and i like the concept. it has potential to work well for me. and i know there are stronger coin bends out there. Routines that are jam packed with stronger convincers and a bit more visual impact. so my question is. where can i find some?

 

[r.zhang]

Try Skin by Benjamin Earl or Quantum Bender 2.0.
My coin bend uses a shuttle pass too but I also add some misdirection and convincers such as noting the year which I think makes up for the coin not being signed. I think you can make your current routine better by focusing on the presentation of it all. If you don't want to, then the above options have gotten amazing reviews.

 

[i.am.infamous]

A few of my favorites and a few suggestions:

BISON by Braden Wolf

BENZ by Sean Fields

SKIN by Benjamin Earl - Although, this a "Psychological strategy and design for the coin bend" rather than just a coin bend, but IMHO, THIS IS A MUST HAVE!

PSYCHE by Andrew Gerard - combine this with SKIN [by Benjamin Earl], and you'll have a mean-bending routine.

There's also Dee Christopher's : SYN and ALTERED from his 23:23 collection.

Also, there's Morgan Strebler : THE CLOSER and SPUN.

SUPERMAN by Roy Kueppers

COINVEXED (Sharpie Edition) by David Penn

And last, but not least (for this list) : QUANTUM BENDER 2.0 by John T. Sheets

Hope this list helps!

 

[joshrobarts]

hey guys.

i've performed a very basic coin bend utilizing a shuttle pass. and got somewhat stellar reactions when performed for complete non-skeptics. (in some circles their called stupid). but most people see right through it.

i did it right after a bunch of friends and i ordered pizza and this one girl sat there and worked out all kinds of possible methods (EVEN CHECKED MY SLEEVES!!!) but she eventually got it


and i like the concept. it has potential to work well for me. and i know there are stronger coin bends out there. Routines that are jam packed with stronger convincers and a bit more visual impact. so my question is. where can i find some?

two of my personal favorites are using the SuperMan coin bender and Torque from David Harkey's Book A HA!

maybe dan white will chime in and let us know what he used for the Fountain Bleu Video with the models. i know id love to know

 

[chriswiehl]

the absolute coin bender is cheap and i hear its pretty good.
give that a gander.
but deff get skin if you want a good psych view on it

 

[i.am.infamous]

the absolute coin bender is cheap and i hear its pretty good.
give that a gander.
but deff get skin if you want a good psych view on it

From what I heard, the Absolute Coin Bender was, in the words of those who had purchased it, "Yuck!"... and with that, it was NOT RECOMMENDED by many.

 

[worldwideme]

THanks for all th pointers guys.

but what i'm trying to acheive is more of a story line where i was doing coin magic (this usually follows a coins across in the spectators hands). and the spectator squeezed to hard. causing... a bent coin. thats the presentation i use currently with my shuttle pass.

but this is an easily adaptable presentation.

if that hleps you guys in your recommendations.

 

[Reapx]

i know for sure BISON by Braden Wolf is my favorite coin bend to perform. its simple east to do and hard hitting.

 

[D ICE R]

Doing coin magic with a coin bend might possibly be one of the stupidest things you can do. PK is meant to be raw and powerful, but most importantly real. If you have been tricking people with a coins across more often than not they will believe in the simplest method. That is you switched the coin.

 

[worldwideme]

Doing coin magic with a coin bend might possibly be one of the stupidest things you can do. PK is meant to be raw and powerful, but most importantly real. If you have been tricking people with a coins across more often than not they will believe in the simplest method. That is you switched the coin.

i wasnt planning to present it in a pk context. more of a story effect.

 

[D ICE R]

Then it will be a simple trick one where ther simplest answer is the method. That you have switched a coin for a bent one.

 

[worldwideme]

even if the coins arent switched? thats what i'm asking for. effects that have strong convincerrs and are more visual.

 

[praetoritevong]

What I believe D ICE R is getting at, is this - the problem isn't that you don't have strong convincers. It's that you're performing a coin bend in the wrong context. Believe it or not, you actually pinpointed the problem yourself in your original post - when you performed for people who were complete non-skeptics, then you were fine. Otherwise, you weren't.

What is a coin bend? It's a manifestation of some invisible power causing some strong physical item to bend. This contrasts strongly with normal coin magic, which is inherently deceptive, and beautiful - but on a completely different wavelength.

Performing a coin bend thus creates skeptics out of your audience. You are presenting PK in a story, and because this is not congruent with the idea of the effect, your spectators therefore think of it as a trick, and look for a solution.

If it helps, think of it using an analogy:

Derren Brown performs psychological effects in his specials. He has even professional magicians and mentalists scrambling for books on psychology, on NLP, and other bogus explanations. Truth is, half his show is in Annemann. Why then, is he so convincing to laymen and magicians? Because he's believable. His explanations are congruent with who he is, and what he performs.

If you had a 15 year old wearing denim come up to you making cards fly into the air, twirl, spin and dance - and then "read your mind", would you go to the bookstore and ask for the psychology section? No, because you know that it is a trick - and therefore, you know that there is some sort of explanation. Because this kid is not convincing as a mind reader. He performs fancy cuts, and obviously shows off his dexterity.

I hope this makes sense - I'm extremely tired and rambling slightly, and it's almost 4 AM. Going to bed.

Taking a PK effect out of context will result in what you've been experiencing. Even if the coins aren't switched, they'll still think it is - spectators are irrational that way. No amount of physical method will help, because your problem is in presentation.

 

[worldwideme]

What I believe D ICE R is getting at, is this - the problem isn't that you don't have strong convincers. It's that you're performing a coin bend in the wrong context. Believe it or not, you actually pinpointed the problem yourself in your original post - when you performed for people who were complete non-skeptics, then you were fine. Otherwise, you weren't.

What is a coin bend? It's a manifestation of some invisible power causing some strong physical item to bend. This contrasts strongly with normal coin magic, which is inherently deceptive, and beautiful - but on a completely different wavelength.

Performing a coin bend thus creates skeptics out of your audience. You are presenting PK in a story, and because this is not congruent with the idea of the effect, your spectators therefore think of it as a trick, and look for a solution.

If it helps, think of it using an analogy:

Derren Brown performs psychological effects in his specials. He has even professional magicians and mentalists scrambling for books on psychology, on NLP, and other bogus explanations. Truth is, half his show is in Annemann. Why then, is he so convincing to laymen and magicians? Because he's believable. His explanations are congruent with who he is, and what he performs.

If you had a 15 year old wearing denim come up to you making cards fly into the air, twirl, spin and dance - and then "read your mind", would you go to the bookstore and ask for the psychology section? No, because you know that it is a trick - and therefore, you know that there is some sort of explanation. Because this kid is not convincing as a mind reader. He performs fancy cuts, and obviously shows off his dexterity.

I hope this makes sense - I'm extremely tired and rambling slightly, and it's almost 4 AM. Going to bed.

Taking a PK effect out of context will result in what you've been experiencing. Even if the coins aren't switched, they'll still think it is - spectators are irrational that way. No amount of physical method will help, because your problem is in presentation.

i understand all this. its about my character fitting the effect. but why can't a coin effect be seen in context of it not being mind power bending the coin but an extremely strong spectator squeezing too hard so that i can't get to the coin in their hand?


the idea came about when i was performing a coins across for a girl and her brother (at least i think they're siblings) and at one point she had to hold a coin in her hand and not let me get to it. the girl squeezed that coin so hard it hurt her palm and turned her knuckles white.

and i said "don't squeeze too hard you might bend it!"

then it hit me

"i could do my coin bend right now!"

so i did. and it killed. the girl even said to me something like "that wasnt a trick was it? that was real right?"

thats where i got the idea for the story aspect, of course i wouldnt say a 14 year old girl bent a quarter but a fairly massive man.

 

[D ICE R]

Prae explained exactly what I was trying to but was ultimatly to lazy to.

Do you know how hard it is to really bend a coin? How much force needs to be localized for it to occur. Many coin across routines use an extra coin or a shell (before I get flamed I said many) so the idea of finishing with a coin bend is kind of counter intuitive. You are either going to go with one of the handlings that require you to constantly hide the bent coin or worse hide an extra coin and be very careful of the amount of the bent coin is visible.

My rule on PK is (outside of my stage show) give it so much space. I may be working a close up function and do a few small thugs with IP and cards for a group throughout the night. But if I want to leave an impression I do either a small 3 bend max fork bending routine or a variation of Skin and that is all I will do afterwards.

I mave sat with CEOs of companies for upwards of half an hour talking with them about what they experienced after a 3 minute no move routine.

 

[worldwideme]

sorry my post wasnt clear. i dont plan to follow my coins across routine (no shell no dupe. all sleight of hand) with a coin bend i just planned on doing telling the story of a coins across (or any coin effect) where that happened.

but in that context i guess it does eliminate a sense of realism that it could have. but at the same time. i think it may work.

and my character isnt a mentalist/uri-gellar combo. it wouldnt work for me in that context.

 

[praetoritevong]

sorry my post wasnt clear. i dont plan to follow my coins across routine (no shell no dupe. all sleight of hand) with a coin bend i just planned on doing telling the story of a coins across (or any coin effect) where that happened.

but in that context i guess it does eliminate a sense of realism that it could have. but at the same time. i think it may work.

and my character isnt a mentalist/uri-gellar combo. it wouldnt work for me in that context.

PK - realism = trick. Therefore your spectators, bar a small minority, will ALWAYS be looking for an explanation. No matter what techniques you use.

If an effect doesn't fit your character, then it shouldn't be performed. This is especially true of anything that even remotely resembles mentalism.

 

[worldwideme]

PK - realism = trick. Therefore your spectators, bar a small minority, will ALWAYS be looking for an explanation. No matter what techniques you use.

If an effect doesn't fit your character, then it shouldn't be performed. This is especially true of anything that even remotely resembles mentalism.

yeah you guys are right. thanks for talking me out of this.

i'm kinda proud of myself for realizing that it didnt fit my character. this is the first effect i've cut for that reason. moving towards stronger magic!

 

[Mat La Vore]

Unless that coin is signed, intelligent people will always come to the conclusion that "somehow" the coin was switched--no matter how clean your switching technique is.

Quantum Bender 2.0 is the only way to go on this if a convincing coin bend is what you're after. Expensive? Yes. Worth it? Absolutely yes.

 

[D ICE R]

Whilst QB2 is a very good but the idea of the coin having to be signed is not essential. I am not saying it does not help but you don't need to have the coin signed.