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Transfuze

Eggink, Peter

Empty Hand Productions

(Based on 3 reviews)
A card is selected and folded in half widthwise... a borrowed (signed) bill is folded in half lengthwise. Next, the bill is wrapped AROUND the folded card... in a FLASH the bill VISUALLY PENETRATES the card and is now clearly shown INSIDE!!!

Finally the bill "melts" right THROUGH THE FOLD of the card... HAUNTINGLY and MAGICALLY the bill starts to MOVE... SLOWLY the bill rises back up through the fold inside the card!!! Right after the animation both the bill and card are shown completely undamaged. Amazingly visual! EASY to do! FUN to perform! INSTANT reset! Penetrate the bill through the card INSIDE the spectator's hands!Comes complete with a hand build ready to go "Transfuze" gimmick on Bicycle stock plus all materials to easily construct your second gimmick. The accompanied full training DVD includes bonus handlings and performance tips.

Reviews

Elliott Smith

Official Reviewer

Jul 18, 2022

Wow, very visual, deceptive and looks like real magic. Lots to say here as there are many aspecs of Transfuse. Let’s start off by saying that it comes with a very well made gimmick (no surprise there is a gimmick as you know that from the ad), extra supplies to make more and a very well produced DVD, just over 30 minutes in length. The DVD is very explicit, shows close-up shots as well as over the shoulder shots. The DVD is divided nicely into many chapters allowing you to easily find what you need when going back to learn or search key points of the trick.

About Transfuse - as for the effect itself it is extremely visual and will take a bit of work to get it perfect like most tricks you buy to perform. You won’t be performing this out f the box. The angles are very good and you can perform it exceptionally close once you have it perfected. It is exactly like you see in the promo video - yes, what you see is exactly what you will be able to do for your spectators.

Peter goes into a few variations of performing this trick - 1. with a full deck in which you will have to force a card and then do a switch at the end if you would like to hand out the card. Peter demonstrates and explains all this very, very well. 2. a no deck, no force version, just the card itself in which you ‘can’ hand it out at the end, and 3. a version where the bill transposes from outside the card to the inside right in the spectator hand(s), really pretty awesome.

All in all, this is will be a great buy and addition to your repertoire for parlor and especially strolling as there is literally no reset required. A little pricey at $30 but if you check around, you will be able to find it a bit cheaper.
(Top ▲)

James Sanden

Official Reviewer

Jun 11, 2022

Peter Eggink’s “Transfuze” is an approach to the card through bill plot. In this particular handling a selected card is folded in half, top to bottom. A borrowed bill is folded lengthwise and wrapped around the outside of the card. In full view the bill then instantly penetrates the card and is shown to be clearly inside the folded card. Unfolding the bill so the ends extend from the sides of the folded card, one end of the bill slowly swivels down, penetrating through the fold of the card. Stopping halfway, the magician causes the bill to reverse direction, by itself, moving back inside the card. Removing the bill, the card is seen to be undamaged.

“Transfuze” comes with a DVD explaining the routine, a ready-to-use gimmicked card, two normal duplicates of the gimmick, as well as enough “special something” to construct several more gimmicks. The video was filmed in a studio with excellent camerawork and the instruction is clear and well thought out. While the gimmick is clever and appears as if it would be difficult to make on one’s own, the explanation for its construction makes it appear very doable and will only require simple tools for construction.

While “Transfuze” is clearly well suited for social media performances, the handling Mr. Eggink teaches for real world performances is very practical and deceptive. The approach he uses to ring the gimmick in and out will fly by anyone and will make it feel as though the spectator is really examining the card both before and after the performance, which makes it a very practical routine to perform with a shuffled deck in use. One caveat to keep in mind is that, when using this handling, you destroy a duplicate of the gimmick in every performance, so you’ll need to buy a force deck matching your gimmick to provide replacements. Alternatively, you could just introduce the gimmick on its own, perform the routine, then put the gimmick away. The routine would still appear very magical, but after the performance there is a lot of heat on the card, so if you put the card away without letting them see it, some spectators will likely assume the magic is the result of a “tricky card.” You may or may not care if that happens, but it’s worth keeping in mind.

My main complaint may seem minor and overly subtle, but I think it’s significant, which is, the moments of magic are counterintuitive. For example, the initial effect is that of a bill, wrapped around a folded card, penetrating from the outside to the inside of the card. In every other version of this plot I’ve seen, the object goes from the inside to the outside, not vice versa. Going from the inside to the outside just feels more logical. Also, in most other versions, the bill is the object being penetrated, not the card, which is inherently more interesting as money has value, whereas a card is just paper. Then the manner in which the bill is wrapped around the card at the beginning also makes it difficult to appreciate what happens at the moment of magic. The bill disappears, but where does it go? Behind the card? Inside the card? Does it vanish completely? Yes, the question is answered immediately when the ends of the bill are unfolded, but I think that lack of immediate clarity points to a flaw, which is this: I’m guessing the magical effects were determined as a function of what the method allows for, instead of taking the route of imagining a magical effect, then finding a method that would allow for that effect to happen. Further proof of this is the moment when the bill apparently floats back inside the card. While technically magical, it is a weird, unnecessary and confusing moment. The performer could just lift the bill back up, but because of the design of the gimmick, it’s possible to make the bill appear to float up, which is what Mr. Eggink does. First the bill instantly teleports inside the card, then it slowly penetrates the fold of the card, and then it floats back up into the card? What magical effect is being demonstrated? Teleportation, penetration or levitation? Just because an effect can be done doesn’t mean it should be done.

So yes, the effects are novel and different, and all utilize the same clever method, but it’s not really an improvement on the basic plot of a penetration. The plot of a card/bill penetrating another card/bill has been solved elegantly in many ways by many people. The bill penetration plot is actually a favorite of mine, beginning with when I saw David Copperfield put a pencil through a bill on television. (Misled by Timothy Wenk.) I’m also a big fan of the modern classic, John Cornelius’ Pen Through Anything. (Don’t buy a knockoff.) For putting a card through a bill I really like Matthew Johnson’s Melt 2.0. And if you like the idea of a bill penetrating another bill, check out Ghost Bills by Andrew Mayne or Clean Through/Clear Through by Lonnie Chevrie. All are excellent, magical, deceptive and logically consistent approaches to the plot. AND all of them have the bill be penetrated, placing the heat on what ends up being in every case an examinable object, which is another sign of better method design. However, if you like the effect as seen on the trailer, I will say the gimmick is clever, the effect is magical and the instruction is clear. I just think the plot is better served by the existing versions out there.
(Top ▲)

Doc Johnson

Official Reviewer

Jan 14, 2016

PROS

What a beautiful effect and routine! When card warp came out, it was a huge success. The idea of a card or bill twisting and fusing was very appealing. Since then, a lot of effects have been inspired by it. This has the feel of a card warp routine, but instead of the card twisting inside out, the bill fuzes through the card.

In the routine, a card is selected by a spectator. The card is folded in half. The spectator loans a bill to the performer. The bill is folded in half and wrapped around the outside of the folded bill. It is clearly shown wrapped around the outside. In a second, the bill penetrates the card and is now on the inside. The performer shows both sides. The bill is then pulled through the card. The bill magically levitates back into the fold of the card. The card is opened to show the bill inside. Finally, the bill is removed and both are examined.

The explanation is very clear and thorough. He shows a couple versions, one involving a force and a switch and another that does not require a force nor a switch. He also teaches a few different ways to switch the card.

The effect is true to the ad copy.

It is not too difficult to perform. You can have participants stand anywhere as long as they are not too far behind you. With a modified handling, you could perform surrounded. However, those behind you would not see some of the magic.

It comes with a well made gimmick and supplies to make at least one more gimmick. The DVD explains very well how to construct a replacement gimmick.

CONS

There is not a lot of downside. It does involve a gimmick and if you are going to have a card selected, you will do a force and you must do a switch to perform and another switch if you hand it out for examination. The force he teaches is pretty standard, but the switch is quite unique and very good. This switch alone is worth the price.

If you do the phase where you show the bill clearly inside the folded card, you will need to be careful of your angles. In the explanation, you could see something that you shouldn't see. However, it had to do with the explanation angle and the lighting in the studio. In performance, you will be holding the gimmick at a different angle. You should, however, be aware of how different lighting affects the gimmick and in certain circumstances, you may opt to not do that phase.

VERDICT

This is a really great variation of an effect reminiscent of the classic card warp. It has several phases, each one more powerful than the last. It is pretty easy to do and Peter explains it very well.

(Top ▲)