Ring in Ball of Wool (Nest of Boxes) by Dave Powell

This effect—an object appearing wrapped in the middle of a ball of wool—goes back at least to 1843, with The Worsted Trick in the Crambrook Catalogue. Many variations have appeared since, all relying on the same basic method. Dave Powell’s version is genuinely beautiful, and unlike the early models, the gimmick here is larger, allowing you to vanish much bigger rings. He’s clearly thought through the handling: everything stays in view, the load happens under cover yet openly, and the heavy canvas bag is a smart addition. The main drawback is the time it takes to unwind the wool. The moment the ball appears, the audience already knows where this is heading, so the unspooling becomes dead time. On top of that, the box and gimmick can “talk,” so you have to manage the acoustics carefully to avoid tipping the method too early. _EF A black cloth bag tied with cord on both ends is seen resting on a table or can be hanging in full view. The performer places a wine glass on the table and borrows a finger ring from any spectator. The ring is placed in the folds of a handkerchief and given to the spectator to hold over the mouth of the wine glass. He can actually feel the ring through the handkerchief and is told to hold onto it tight. The performer opens the bag and removes a beautiful walnut box and sets it in full view of the audience. The spectator is asked to drop the ring into the glass. The spectator lets go of the ring and it clinks as it falls into the glass. The performer immediately whisks away the handkerchief from the glass and it has vanished! The spectator is then handed a key to the box, he unlocks it and opens the box himself. Inside he finds a ball of yarn, which he unrolls to discover another box which is held closed by several rubber bands. The spectator removes the rubber bands and opens the box himself which to his surprise contains his borrowed ring. All Handmade Custom Designed Hardware ! Spectator does everything himself – unlocks outer box, unrolls ball of yarn, opens inner box and finds borrowed ring inside. The beautifully hand-crafted walnut (5 1/2 X 5 1/2 inch) outer box and (2 ½ X 2 ½) inch inner box with solid pewter hand cast and hand polished solid pewter hardware hides the secret even upon close inspection from magicians. Includes: Cloth Bag, 2 Walnut Boxess ring vanishing handkerchief secret gimmick