PULL OFF VANISH

PULL OFF VANISH By Richard Robinson The magician holds up his right hand to show a thimble on his first finger. His left fingers close around the thimble and pull it off the right finger. The close left hand is raised to shoulder height and with a tossing motion the fingers open. The thimble has vanished. The Pull Off Thimble Vanish is one of those sleights that isn't particularly easy to do and needs its angles watched, yet is quite useful as a convincer when a simpler sleight has been used several times in succession. Handling The open left hand moves behind the thimble on the right first finger. The left hand closes and rocks forward, apparently pivoting on the top of the thimble. The thimble and right first finger are momentarily blocked by the left hand. The partially closed left hand contracts to grasp the thimble in the left palm, allowing the right finger to come out of the thimble. The left hand rocks back, the right finger extends and the left fingers wrap around it hiding the fact there is no thimble. As this rocking forward and back takes place, the right thumb goes into the mouth of the thimble. A view of the right thumb engaging the thimble as the right first finger straightens out. To spectators it appears the left fingers are curled around the right first finger and thimble. The right thumb slides down to escape from the closed left hand. The closed left hand begins to slide up the right first finger as if tugging the thimble off the finger. The left hand continues moving up, the back of the right hand is kept towards the spectators, the thumb positioned so it is not visible. The left hand opens to show the thimble has vanished. Presentation The initial moves match those used in a thumb palm thimble vanish: the thimble is on the right first finger which points up, the other fingers and thumb of the right hand slightly curled down and relaxed. The back of the right hand is towards the spectators, the body turned slightly to the left. The left hand opens out, fingers apart, palm to the spectators, and moves up until the center of the palm is directly behind the thimble. The left hand moves against the thimble, so the top of the thimble contacts the center of the left palm. The left fingers curl in, covering the extended right finger and the thimble. This contraction of the left hand results in the thimble being gripped in the left palm. The closed left fist now rocks slightly forward. At the same time the right first finger curls down and the right thumb tip extends up. If the positioning is correct the right thumb tip will go directly into the mouth of the thimble. As soon as the thimble is on the right thumb tip, the left fist rocks back and at the same time the right first finger straightens so it is above the right thumb and under the curled in left fingers. At this point the right thumb with the thimble on it will be partially trapped inside the left hand under the extended right first finger. The right thumb swings down and out of the left palm, the second, third and fourth right fingers extend out and apart. The back of the right hand is towards the spectators, the right thumb moves in toward the palm and extends upstage to hide the thimble behind the right hand. The left fingers are curled around the extended right first finger. The right hand is held stationary, the left fingers move up the length of the right first finger as if pulling the the thimble off the finger and the closed left hand continues up until it is about shoulder height. The right arm relaxes down slightly, the focus moving to the left hand. The left hand makes a tossing motion and at the same time the left fingers open to show the left hand is empty, the thimble having vanished. As this tossing motion is made the right arm can relax and move down further, at the same time the right fingers curl in to remove the thimble from the right thumb and finger palm it.