December 5, 1999
Color-Changing Knives
Robin Robertson
Set-up: Start with a Black/White (B/W) knife in your right pocket, a B/B knife in the right pocket in the middle of a folded (opening up) handkerchief, and a B/Rainbow knife in the left pocket outside the handkerchief. Throughout this description, B/R for example, means black side showing, rainbow side hidden.
1. Take out the W/B from the right pocket, the B/B from the left pocket. Display both sides of each, using paddle move with right knife. Ask spectator to pick either the black or the white. Whichever he picks, magician-choice it to put the B/B away in the left pocket. Casually let them see both sides as you put in away. Once in the pocket, place it back in the fold of the handkerchief, then close the fold as you remove your hand.
2. Paddle as you move the W/B upwards and open the knife blade. Comment about it being sharp and you touch the blade with your left thumb. "The tip's sharp, too," as you touch it with your left forefinger. Close the blade and paddle as you place the knife onto your left fingertips.
3. Do the Ascanio/Johnny Thompson bit of passing the knife through your fist three times (left fist, right fist, left fist). The 3rd time it changes to Black, but you say that it's changed places with the black knife in your pocket.
4. Do the pivot change to change it back to White again.
5. Take the B/R out of your left pocket, black side showing. Paddle move with both hands. Leave B/R on display in your left palm. Place W/B at base of left fingers. Hold both knives in place with left thumb. Close fingers as you turn palm down.
6. Left thumb pushes B/W out of little finger end of fist, where it is gripped by right fingers and thumb and displayed on right fingers. Close hands and ask what you have in your right hand. They say Black. "You'd think so, wouldn't you." Open your hand and show W/B. Then open your left fingers and show B/R. Paddle with both hands, the put W/B away in your right pocket, ready for a repeat.
7. Take B/R into right hand, then paddle upwards so you can open blade. Paddle down, then back up with blade out, then close blade. Paddle as you place onto palm of left hand.
8. Again the Ascanio/Johnnie Thompson sequence of passing through the two fists three times. The third time, ask what color the knife is. You'll probably hear White or Black or maybe some other colors from wise-ass spectators. The Rainbow emerges from your left fist. Take into right hand to display, naming the colors. Paddle to display both sides, then transfer to left hand, which places it into left pocket outside of handkerchief. You're now set-up to repeat routine.
