Silk Tunnel by El Duco’s Magic

Now available at www.magiciansmagicshop.com 

Effect: This is a beautiful effect for both parlour and close-up. You introduce a tunnel or small cabinet, wide open on both sides so you can see right through it. It’s empty. It has a small hole on each end and looks like a miniature Silk Cabby, but there is more to it than that!

A spectator chooses two cards from a deck. Let’s assume the Queen of Hearts and Five of Spades. These cards are now used as doors to close the cabinet or tunnel with cards facing inside as seen in the image.

You show the spectators two BLANK CARD silks. You push the silks through the holes at the ends of the cabinet as a demonstration. Of course they come out at the other end as blank as they were before.
After this first demonstration you now push one BLANK CARD silk at a time through the cabinet with a wand — and the magic happens:

WHEN THE SILKS COME OUT AT THE OTHER END THEY HAVE THE SELECTED CARDS PRINTED ON THEM!

But wait: You remove the cards from the openings.THE CARDS ARE NOW BLANK AND THE CABINET IS EMPTY!!

El Duco’s SILK-TUNNEL is a beautiful prop made in the high quality you can expect from us. SILK-TUNNEL is very easy to do. The cabinet is made from metal and wood and black with red base. The size is 4 x 2,5 x 1,5 inches.

Includes:

• The custom made Silk Tunnel
• 4 Silks
• Blank Cards

 

Dorothy Dietrich Defies Death in Historic Bullet-Catch Performance

 Few illusions in the history of magic carry a reputation as terrifying as the bullet catch. The stunt has injured performers, claimed lives and earned a reputation as one of magic’s most dangerous feats.

One magician willing to accept that challenge was Dorothy Dietrich.

An archival video titled Dorothy Dietrich Bullet Catch News Covered Worldwide revisits the extraordinary performance that helped establish Dietrich as one of the most daring escape artists in magic history. She is widely credited as the first woman to perform a bullet catch in which the projectile was apparently caught in a small metal cup held in her mouth.

The footage captures more than a magic trick. It preserves a groundbreaking moment in which a female magician stepped into an area of the profession traditionally dominated by men and attempted a stunt that even Harry Houdini ultimately decided was too dangerous.

The Stunt That Frightened Houdini

Houdini reportedly considered adding the bullet catch to his repertoire, but his friend and fellow magician Harry Kellar strongly advised him against it. Kellar feared that even if the method worked perfectly, an equipment failure or deliberate interference could prove fatal.

Houdini listened to the warning and abandoned his plans.

Dietrich, however, went forward with her own presentation of the stunt. Her performances were staged under strict test conditions intended to make the challenge appear as controlled and legitimate as possible. An outside committee was responsible for purchasing and guarding the ammunition before the event. Bullets were then selected for the performance, with one fired into a solid backstop before another was used for the actual catch.

An independent marksman fired as Dietrich stood in position with the metal container held in her mouth. The presentation created an unforgettable image: a magician willingly facing a firearm while the audience waited to discover whether she would successfully complete the stunt.

Dietrich survived and produced the bullet, accomplishing a feat no woman was known to have presented in that fashion before her.

A Performance Seen Around the World

Dietrich performed versions of the bullet catch for television audiences and major public events. One notable presentation took place during the 10th-anniversary celebration of Resorts International in Atlantic City. Her bullet catch also received coverage through programs including Evening Magazine and The New You Asked for It.

The video demonstrates how quickly the story captured international attention. The combination of genuine suspense, apparent danger and Dietrich’s place in magic history made the performance irresistible to television news outlets.

The stunt also helped Dietrich earn the nickname the “Female Houdini,” although her career extended far beyond recreating Houdini’s accomplishments. She performed magic, escapes and large-scale stunts while opening doors for future generations of female magicians.

Among her other signature feats was a straitjacket escape performed while she was suspended high above the ground from a burning rope. Dietrich also became closely involved with preserving Houdini’s history through her work with the Houdini Museum in Scranton, Pennsylvania.

More Than a Dangerous Trick

The bullet catch will always generate debate. Some viewers see it as the ultimate demonstration of courage and showmanship, while others believe the possible consequences make it too dangerous to perform.

Regardless of that debate, Dietrich’s achievement holds an important place in magic history.

Her performance challenged assumptions about which roles women could occupy within the magic profession. She was not presented as an assistant standing safely away from the danger. She was the magician, the escape artist and the person accepting the risk.

The surviving video allows modern audiences to experience the suspense surrounding this historic performance without revealing the closely guarded secrets behind it.

Dorothy Dietrich did more than apparently catch a bullet. She shattered a barrier, created an unforgettable moment and secured her place among the boldest performers in the history of magic.

Safety note: The bullet catch is an extremely dangerous professional stunt and should never be attempted.

AGT Runner-Up Geno Ploeger Sets His Sights on Hosting and a Las Vegas Magic Residency

 Magician Geno Ploeger may have finished second on Season 21 of America’s Got Talent, but his journey in entertainment appears to be just beginning.

According to an exclusive interview published by TV Insider, Ploeger is already considering several possibilities for his future—including performing for larger audiences, becoming a television host and eventually earning his own Las Vegas residency. The original interview was written by Alyssa Norwin, with reporting by Michael Maloney.

Ploeger finished as the runner-up behind Season 21 winner Nene Royal. Although he did not take home the show’s top prize, his performances introduced him to a much larger audience and generated feedback that may lead him in an unexpected direction.

Ploeger told TV Insider that viewers have approached him and suggested that he could become a host. It is an idea he now appears interested in exploring alongside his career in magic.

Hosting could be a natural extension of what Ploeger demonstrated during his time on AGT. A successful host must be comfortable in front of an audience, respond naturally to unexpected situations and keep a show moving—all qualities that are also valuable to a working magician.

Before pursuing those opportunities, however, Ploeger has another major goal to complete. He is currently a senior at Arizona State University and expects to graduate in December with a double major in acting and marketing.

That combination could prove especially valuable in the modern entertainment industry. Acting provides the performance skills necessary to connect with an audience, while marketing can help an entertainer build a recognizable brand and create opportunities beyond individual performances.

Magic will remain central to Ploeger’s plans. He wants to share his performances with “as many people as I can” and hopes to one day headline his own Las Vegas residency.

Las Vegas has become an important destination for many successful television magicians. Performers including Mat Franco, Shin Lim, Piff the Magic Dragon and multiple America’s Got Talent alumni have used the exposure from television to establish long-running shows in the city.

Franco holds a particularly important place in Ploeger’s story. Ploeger was inspired to audition for America’s Got Talent after watching Franco win the competition in 2014. That inspiration came full circle when the two magicians performed together during the second night of the Season 21 finale on September 23.

Ploeger also leaves the competition with friendships that may last far beyond the television season. He explained that although he originally expected the contestants to remain intensely focused on the competition, many of them became close while preparing their performances.

That experience represents one of the hidden benefits of a program like America’s Got Talent. Winning can provide an enormous career boost, but simply reaching the finals gives performers national exposure, industry connections and an audience that can continue following their work after the competition ends.

Ploeger now has several possible paths ahead of him. He could continue developing his magic, pursue television hosting, use his acting experience in other areas of entertainment or combine all three into a career uniquely his own.

Finishing second on AGT may not have been the ending Ploeger originally imagined, but it could become the beginning of something even larger.

Source: “AGT Runner-Up Geno Ploeger Reveals New Career Aspiration Outside of Magic” by Alyssa Norwin, with reporting by Michael Maloney — TV Insider

Shin Lim Turns 35: How the Two-Time AGT Winner Changed Modern Card Magic

 On September 25, 1991, Liang-Shun Lim—better known to audiences around the world as Shin Lim—was born in Vancouver, Canada. Thirty-five years later, he has become one of the most recognizable and influential sleight-of-hand artists of his generation.

Lim’s performances helped introduce millions of viewers to a more theatrical style of card magic. Instead of relying heavily on jokes or spoken instructions, he frequently performs in silence, allowing music, lighting and carefully choreographed movements to tell the story.

Playing cards appear, vanish and transform in his hands. Smoke drifts across the table as objects seemingly dissolve into thin air. Every movement is planned to create the feeling that the audience is watching a piece of visual theater rather than a traditional card trick.

That distinctive approach can be traced partly to Lim’s early training as a pianist. Music was his original passion, but after being diagnosed with carpal tunnel syndrome, he faced a difficult decision about his future. Magic eventually became his primary creative outlet, and he brought the discipline, rhythm and emotional presentation of music into his sleight of hand.

From Magic Videos to World Champion

Lim developed many of his early skills by studying magic videos online and dedicating countless hours to practice. Long before television made him a household name, his visual routines were already gaining attention throughout the international magic community.

His career reached an important milestone in 2015 when he became the FISM World Champion in close-up card magic. Often described as the “Olympics of Magic,” the FISM World Championships bring together many of the finest magicians from around the world. Winning the close-up card magic category established Lim as one of the leading sleight-of-hand artists of his generation.

Lim also made memorable appearances on Penn & Teller: Fool Us. His elegant routines impressed Penn Jillette and Teller while introducing his work to a much larger television audience.

However, his biggest mainstream breakthrough was still to come.

Making America Believe in Magic

In 2018, Lim competed on the 13th season of America’s Got Talent. Week after week, he presented increasingly ambitious routines involving playing cards, disappearing objects and his signature clouds of smoke.

His performances proved that close-up card magic could command the same attention as singers, dancers and large-scale stage productions. Lim ultimately won the season, earning the support of viewers across the country.

He returned the following year for America’s Got Talent: The Champions, where previous winners and standout contestants from around the world competed against one another. Lim won that competition as well, making him the only performer to be voted the winner of America’s Got Talent twice.

Those victories represented more than personal accomplishments. They demonstrated that a magician could captivate a massive television audience without presenting enormous illusions or dangerous escapes. A deck of cards, imaginative staging and extraordinary skill were enough.

Celebrating His Birthday on the Las Vegas Stage

Today, Lim headlines LIMITLESS at The Palazzo Theatre inside The Venetian Resort Las Vegas. His production combines the intimate card magic that made him famous with mentalism, comedy and larger theatrical elements.

There is also an appropriate bit of magic surrounding today’s birthday celebration: Lim is scheduled to perform at The Palazzo tonight, meaning he will spend his 35th birthday doing exactly what transformed his life—creating impossible moments for a live audience.

At only 35, Shin Lim has already achieved accomplishments that most performers spend an entire career pursuing. He is a world champion, a successful Las Vegas headliner, a Fool Us favorite and the only two-time winner in America’s Got Talent history.

Perhaps his greatest contribution, however, is the way he helped change public perceptions of card magic. In Lim’s hands, a deck of cards is not merely a collection of props. It becomes part of an elegant visual performance filled with music, movement, mystery and emotion.

On this day in magic history, we celebrate the birth of Shin Lim—and the remarkable influence he continues to have on the art of modern magic.

Happy 35th birthday, Shin Lim!

Matt Johnson’s Terrifying Water-Tank Escape Leaves Penn & Teller Holding Their Breath

 Escape artist Matt Johnson brought genuine danger to the Penn & Teller: Fool Us stage with a suspenseful underwater challenge inspired by Harry Houdini’s legendary Water Torture Cell.

Johnson’s performance originally appeared during Season 4 of Fool Us and was recently shared again by The CW, giving a new audience the opportunity to experience the nerve-racking escape.

Before entering the tank, Johnson explained that he would attempt to free himself from handcuffs and a lock secured around his neck while holding his breath. However, one final padlock presented an even greater challenge: it could only be opened by a single key hidden among 20 nearly identical keys.

Host Alyson Hannigan helped verify the conditions by testing several keys that did not open the lock. The one working key was then mixed with all the others before the entire collection was placed inside the water tank.

Once Johnson was shackled and the lid was locked, the escape began.

With the audience watching through the transparent tank, Johnson worked underwater to release his restraints before searching through the collection of keys. The longer the escape continued, the more uncomfortable the atmosphere became. Every passing second served as a reminder that, regardless of the method behind the locks, Johnson was genuinely holding his breath.

The performance also carried a deeply personal meaning. Johnson dedicated the escape to his brother, Jonathan, whose medical condition causes seizures and periods when he cannot breathe. Johnson explained that thinking about his brother’s courage gives him the strength to continue when his lungs begin burning and his body is demanding oxygen.

Johnson eventually located the correct key, opened the final lock and climbed safely from the tank as the audience erupted in applause.

Penn Jillette praised both the construction of the performance and the reality behind its danger. He emphasized that Johnson was truly underwater, genuinely holding his breath and working inside a legitimate locked box. Penn also complimented the way Johnson transformed a familiar “one key among many” premise into something far more dramatic by making the stakes his own freedom.

Although Johnson did not fool Penn and Teller, the duo clearly respected the skill, training and nerve required to present such an escape successfully. After Penn asked whether the keys inside the tank could be examined, Johnson jokingly admitted that he would rather they were not—effectively confirming that the legendary team had uncovered the secret.

The performance is an excellent reminder that an appearance on Fool Us is not defined solely by winning the trophy. Johnson created a memorable piece of television by combining magic, escapology, real physical endurance and a powerful personal story.

Sometimes the greatest accomplishment is not fooling Penn and Teller—it is making them, and everyone watching, hold their breath along with you.

New Max Maven Portrait Earns Praise From His Estate

 

 

 A new fine-art portrait honoring legendary magician and mentalist Max Maven has joined the Jay Fortune Conjuring Archive.

Created by British fine artist Jay Fortune, the estate-authorized portrait took more than a year to complete, with painting sessions taking place from 2025 through the summer of 2026.

The finished work was made available to collectors on September 18 following a private viewing for members of the archive’s Collector Circle.

The Estate of Max Maven has warmly endorsed the portrait, describing it as “magnificent” and saying that it “really captures Max.”

That is no small compliment when the subject is a performer with such a distinctive appearance and personality.

Max Maven, who died in 2022, was one of the most recognizable and influential figures in modern mentalism. His commanding presence, sharply defined visual style and intelligent approach to mystery helped distinguish him from generations of other performers.

Fortune’s portrait attempts to capture more than Maven’s physical likeness. The artist created the work with an ethereal quality intended to reflect Maven’s mysterious and almost otherworldly stage presence. Its surrounding textures blur the boundary between the subject and the atmosphere, echoing the themes of perception, imagination and uncertainty that Maven explored throughout his career.

The portrait is available in two editions. A 22-by-22-inch hand-embellished edition is limited to only 15 copies worldwide. Each is individually worked, signed and numbered by Fortune and includes a certificate of authenticity. At the time of publication, the artist’s website reported that 12 of the 15 had already been placed with collectors.

A smaller 12-by-12-inch edition, limited to 250 copies, is also available.

The portrait is part of the ongoing Jay Fortune Conjuring Archive, a collection of fine art created to document the people, personalities and history of modern magic. Previous works have helped demonstrate how portraiture can preserve something that photographs and written biographies do not always capture—the feeling of encountering a legendary performer.

Max Maven spent his career using mystery as his artistic medium. This new portrait offers another way for that mystery, influence and unmistakable presence to be remembered by future generations of magicians and collectors.

Did You Know? René Lavand Turned One-Handed Card Magic Into an Art Form

 On September 24, 1928, one of close-up magic’s most distinctive and influential performers was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

René Lavand became internationally known for creating beautiful card magic with only his left hand. However, it was not simply his remarkable technique that made him unforgettable. Lavand combined carefully chosen words, dramatic pauses and deliberate movements to transform card tricks into miniature theatrical experiences.

At the age of nine, Lavand lost his right hand in a car accident. Because nearly every magic book and established technique had been written for performers using two hands, he could not simply copy the methods of other magicians. Instead, he taught himself and developed original techniques that worked specifically for him.

That limitation ultimately helped create a style unlike anyone else’s.

Lavand referred to his approach as “lentidigitation,” or sleight of hand performed slowly. While many magicians use speed to disguise a secret move, Lavand appeared to do the opposite. He performed with such patience and clarity that audiences felt they could see everything—and yet the magic still happened.

His most famous phrase, “It can’t be done any slower,” perfectly captured that philosophy.

Before becoming a professional magician, Lavand worked as a bank cashier. His career began gaining momentum when he appeared at Buenos Aires’ Tabarís Theatre at the age of 32. He eventually toured internationally, performed at Hollywood’s Magic Castle and appeared on television programs hosted by Ed Sullivan and Johnny Carson.

Among his best-known presentations were his versions of “Oil and Water,” “Cutting the Aces,” “Old Man River” and “The Three Breadcrumbs.” Each routine demonstrated that his real gift went far beyond technical skill. Lavand used cards, words, poetry and symbolism to create an emotional connection with his audience.

René Lavand died in 2015 at the age of 86, but his influence remains strong. Magicians continue to study not only his methods, but also his ability to slow down, hold an audience’s attention and add beauty to a moment of astonishment.

Today marks 98 years since his birth and offers the perfect opportunity to remember a performer who proved that unforgettable magic is not always about doing more. Sometimes, it is about doing something so carefully and beautifully that—as Lavand famously reminded us—it cannot be done any slower.