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Safety Pin-Trix by Jerry Andrus
One of the things Jerry Andrus is known for are his safety pin tricks. He has created a whole range of methods and moves and effects. Enjoy an array of truly bewildering effects with the lowly safety pin.
Safety Pin-Trix by Jerry Andrus is a foundational, highly influential text in close-up magic. It completely revitalized the concept of safety pin magic, transforming what had been a minor pocket trick into a visual, baffling masterpiece of sleight-of-hand. Contains over 40 distinct routines, moves, and flourishes, the book is famous for its meticulous detailing and 135 hand-drawn illustrations by Andrus himself.
1. The Core Philosophy & The "Key Pin"
Before Andrus, most safety pin magic was simplistic or heavily reliant on clumsy handkerchief covers. Andrus approached the prop with a mechanical engineer's mindset. He realized that because safety pins are everyday, unsuspicious items, performing magic with them *right under the spectator’s nose*—and often in their own hands—would feel like genuine sorcery.
The foundational secret introduced in the book revolves around the preparation and handling of a gaffed pin known as the **Key Pin**.
* **The Principle:** The cap of a standard large safety pin is precisely altered (or a specific hidden "soft spot" or opening is utilized) so that another pin can glide seamlessly into or out of it while appearing completely closed.
* **The Illusion:** Because the performer maintains perfect tension and precise finger placement, the pin can be shown "closed" from all angles, yet instantly open and re-lock during a "strike" or "tap" motion.
2. Key Moves and Penetrations
The book is heavily technical, breaking down specific utility sleights that form the building blocks for full routines:
* **Instantaneous Linking ("Strike" & "Tap" Linking):** Methods for visibly slamming two pins together, causing them to melt into a linked state instantly. This can be done off a tabletop or directly out of a spectator's open palm.
* **The Triple Link:** Techniques where three pins link simultaneously, or a third pin is cleanly added to a pair of already linked pins while held by the spectator.
* **Acrobatic & Magic Unlinking:** Seamlessly melting two linked pins apart without any visible opening or awkward fumbling.
* **The "Impossible" Snap Substitution:** A hyper-visual switch or transformation where a pin changes state or location under cover of a sudden "snap" flourish.
3. Ungaffed & Miscellaneous Material
Andrus didn't just rely on the gaffed Key Pin. A major strength of *Safety Pin-Trix* is its dedicated material for completely **ungaffed, regular safety pins**, ensuring the performer is never left empty-handed if handed ordinary pins.
* **Linking at the Curl End:** A brilliant method utilizing the wire coil at the base of ordinary, unprepared pins to create the illusion of a visual penetration.
* **The Escaping Pins:** A mechanical flourish where pins seemingly unlock themselves and spring apart due to spring tension alone.
* **Penetrations Through Objects:** Routines showcasing pins melting cleanly through fabric handkerchiefs, ribbons, or short pieces of string.
* **Vanishes and Transformations:** Minor close-up effects including *The Diminishing Pin*, *The Tube Vanish*, and *Silver to Gold* (color-changing finishes).
4. Structure of the Routines
The final section of the book synthesizes these individual moves into full, multi-phase performance routines. Andrus provides full scripts and structural tracking for two master routines, emphasizing pacing, misdirection, and clean resets.
A classic Andrus phase described in these routines involves placing two linked pins onto a spectator's outstretched fingers, pulling a third pin visibly through the metal of the others, and leaving them all with a completely clean, fully linked chain in their own hands.
**J.B. Bobo's Assessment:** In the book's foreword, legendary coin magician J.B. Bobo remarked that Andrus's handlings look like "real magic," largely because the most impossible moments happen directly in the spectator's hands.
*Safety Pin-Trix* remains required reading for any close-up worker looking to master the mechanics of everyday object manipulation and the psychology of close-up illusions.
**safety pins not included.