Tying the Knot

by Jim Gerrish

Effect:

The magician or Wizard shows a small red heart-shaped wooden box which has two grooves cut into the sides, but is otherwise empty. A spectator is asked to remove her ring and place it into the box for “safe-keeping.”

Now a ribbon (or rope) is displayed and cut exactly in half. The ribbon pieces are tied together. The box is opened up and the ring is removed and placed under a handkerchief temporarily, while the wizard places the knotted center of the ribbon in the box, with the ends of the ribbon coming out of the grooves on either side. Two spectators hold the ends of the ribbon with the box suspended in the center.

The Wizard grabs the handkerchief and whips it out of the ring owner’s hand. The ring has vanished. Now the box is slid back and forth along the ribbon. Either the knot is being forced to move from side to side… or… the Wizard opens the box and shows the ribbon completely restored… with the missing ring on the ribbon.

A variation of this trick, "Do as I Do Cut and Restored Rope" and "Dance, Ropeworms, Dance" can be seen in Jim's Wiz Kid Rope Magic Video/DVD.

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