Diagram of an Invisible Thread Reel
Among the magician's tools, few things are more astounding than the effect of floating an object in plain air in front of the spectator with no visible means of support. The tool to accomplish this is the invisible thread reel.
Instructions
Separating the Thread
1. As you look at your spool of woolly nylon, it is anything but invisible. It is made from a bunch of smaller threads that can be carefully separated out. This takes a little time and practice; you will tangle up your thread on your first few tries, so don't get discouraged. An easy way to do this is to feed out approximately 4 to 6 feet of thread and cut it off the spool. Now you have two loose ends to separate in a manageable length.
2. Carefully tease out the fine single thread, then tape the end of it to a drinking straw and begin to wind the string onto the straw, forming a new spool. Try to keep the thread within a 1/2-inch area. This will be your internal reel.
3. When you have wound the entire length on the straw, place a small glob of soft wax on the end of the thread so it is easy to find, and set the straw aside.
4. Cut the ends of the pen body carefully with a heated knife, the soldering pen or a small hacksaw. This will be the outside body of the reel; the drinking straw with the wound-up thread should fit loosely inside. If it does not, you must find larger tubing that will allow the straw to freely spin inside. The outer tubing must be at least 2 inches in length.
5. Take your soldering pen and burn 2 holes halfway down the length of this tube on opposite sides. Now using the soldering pen make two notches in the ends of the tube; your match sticks should lay across the tube ends and not spin.
6. Take a small rubber band that will just fit the length of the outer tube and thread it through the center of your inner tube (the drinking straw). Anchor the rubber band inside the straw with hot glue. Be careful not to get any on your thread. Now you have an inner reel with invisible thread wrapped on it and the loop of a rubber band sticking out of either end.
7. To assemble your device, bend the paper clip straight and put a small hook in the end of it. Carefully lower the ball of soft wax on the end of the thread through the outer tube; when it comes to the holes you melted in the center of the tube take the paperclip and fish the wax and thread out through it. Leave some slack in the thread and stick the wax to the outside of the outer tube for safekeeping.
8. Now carefully reach through the outer tube with the paperclip and catch one of the rubber band loops on the inner reel; start threading it through the outer tube. When you have the inner tube inside, put a match stick through the trailing rubber band loop and set it into the notches in the end of the outer tube to stop the inner reel from going any further.
9. On the other end, when you have pulled the loop out far enough, place a match stick through it also and place it in the notches on this end of the outer tube. You now have the inner tube in place inside the outer tube. The rubber band acts as an axle for the drinking straw to turn around.
10. Hot glue 2 safety pins to the outside of your reel so you can attach it inside your jacket where you can reach it easily.
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