Camouflage Bands

There’s more to this kind of camouflage. More than just color and shape.

Duran Duran, “The Chauffeur”

Dan Harlan’s Camouflage principle is great. It allows you to do all sorts of impossible things, like Joe Rindfleisch’s Rubber Deception, which recently got popular on Penguin Magic.

But a lot of people are uneasy with leaving a few rubber bands on their wrist. It looks unnatural, they say.

I can understand the unease here. But if that’s the only thing stopping you, I’m here to tell you that more people than you might expect have justifications for having a bunch of rubber bands on their wrist, magicians or not. Including you.

First off, it’s less of a big deal than you think. Let’s say someone asks why you have several technicolor rubber bands on your wrist. Guess what? You can just tell the truth, or near enough to it. “Oh, I’ve been practicing some rubber band magic, so I can entertain kids with something quick and visual since I can’t do anything more… esoteric with them. Wanna see?” Easy. No one will find that weird if they already know you as someone who dabbles in magic.

But you know the biggest reason this is way more justifiable than you think? Look, as you’re soon going to discover if you start carrying them around, they’re just damn useful!

Think of all the times you’ve wanted a rubber band, and then triple it. When you actually have them at your disposal, it’s amazing the number of times you’ll find a reason to bind something with a rubber band, especially the standard size #19.

You could lose the box for a deck of cards. You could also just open a chip bag.

Papers, decks, chip bags, deck cases that fly open, the uses are countless.

All you have to do is have someone witness you using a rubber band for a non-magical purpose, and they won’t think any more of it. I don’t mean that you should start doing rubber band magic often, unless you want to. But whenever you don’t really have anything else quick and visual ready to go and somebody wants to see a trick, you have freedom of method, even if that method includes Harlan’s Camouflage principle.

And if someone asks why you’re wearing these rubber bands, just say they’re useful, and add that you’ve been practicing rubber band magic. Don’t hide it, but don’t present it as the only reason.

Now remember, there has to be congruency, as mentioned in Unworking Wallets. If you do choose to wear rubber bands around your wrist (And I do!) then you have to usually wear them. It can be discreet, just three or four of them above your watch band, but don’t only wear them when you’re doing magic. I highly recommend Rindfleisch’s Rainbow Rubber Bands, available on Penguin and Vanishing Inc. Cheaper on Vanishing Inc. That special coating makes them incredibly resilient, and tricks a lot easier.

And of course, if you do, then learn some rubber band tricks that don’t use Camouflage. Casshan Wallace’s Melting Point is a great if complex one. There is of course the classic Crazy Man’s Handcuffs, and though size 19 isn’t as ideal for CMH as size 16, it’ll still do more than fine.

Who would ever suspect this young man of anything?

Aaany color…

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