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1 week ago

In between my stint at the woodworking school (Marc Adams School of Woodworking) and the trip I am making to Italy – to attend the FISM Magic Convention and visit family – I had exactly one week to catch up.One of the little projects I worked on was in making the Nielsen-Thompson “Flower to Silk”. This is a little utility gimmick that holds an 18” silk shaped as a lapel flower. When the silk is needed, the magician pulls it out of the holder.This is also called a “spider gimmick” and the design I am making was created by Norm Nielsen and Johnny Thompson in the early 1960s.Each time I make a batch of these, I remember Norm. He made thousands of these and it was the item that he made with ease. Whenever we were out of stock I would say: “Norm! We are out of Flower to Silks!” He would then take an afternoon, cut all the wire, solder it and shape it. He was a wiz at this simple task.Now, it is up to me to make it, while grumbling to myself and thinking… “Where are you, Norm, when I need you? Why did you have to die?” 😢Grief affects us in so many ways. After five years, I am still trying to recover. This year has been quite a lonely one. All the travel and all the work does help though, and I am grateful for that.I am now sitting at the DFW Airport waiting for a delayed flight. God willing, I will be in Italy tomorrow.#nielsenmagic #utilitymagicitem #flowertosilk #magicprops #grief #imissmyhusband #lifegoeson … See MoreSee Less

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3 weeks ago

Proof of Life…Greetings from Franklin, Indiana!I am currently in my yearly pilgrimage attending the Marc Adams School of Woodworking. This school is the largest school of its kind in North America, where 80% of the curriculum is woodworking, while the other 20% is in arts and crafts – from everything like painting, metalworking, glasswork, etc. This year alone they are offering 270 classes.For the last week I have been learning about Trompe L’Oeil furniture. This class was taught by one of my favorite teachers in the school: Mr. Stephen Proctor. In the mid-seventies and eighties, Stephen was the foreman for the legendary furniture designer Wendell Castle, and director of Mr. Castle’s school.The term Trompe L’Oeil means “to deceive the eye”. The project for this class is to carve wood in the shape of a draped tabletop. Although the top looks draped with cloth, the entire piece is a wood sculpture.With this class I have learned about stacked lamination, wood carving, grain and material orientation, along with very interesting techniques for handling power carvers and grinders.The project is quite involved and complex. After 40 hours of instruction, we did not finish the project, but we do have homework to do. Upon my return home, I predict that it will take me around 30 more hours to carve and sand the piece along with 20 hours to make a proper base for the table. It will be an ongoing project for me.I do love this part of the country. People are hard-working salt of the earth types. It has been great to meet new people and visit with old friends. I am in awe at the amount of talent that comes to the school.This two and a half minute video is the summary of my forty-hour week. It has been a wonderful experience.You can check the school at www.marcadams.com … See MoreSee Less

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Nielsen Magic

2 months ago

Attending and setting up my little booth at the Magic Collector Expo in Las Vegas, Nevada.Guess who is scheduled to speak on Wednesday afternoon? 😂I think I will cure everyone’s insomnia. 😜PS: I’ll be reporting from the convention when I get a chance. … See MoreSee Less

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Nielsen Magic

3 months ago

Norm passed away exactly five years ago. How time flies…I think of him daily. He was one of the purest souls I have met, and I was a blessed that he was part of and gave meaning to my life. I don't think that one truly recovers from such a loss.May God bless you always, Norm Nielsen!(Photo credit: Kari Hendler) … See MoreSee Less

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Nielsen Magic

3 months ago

I have been busy making and restocking “Nielsen Latex Doves”.For the non-magicians, a Latex Dove is a utility item used by conjurers around world. It can be used within dove magic routines, or as a gag. There is material in the literature that calls for this item. The inventor of the Rubber Dove was Carlo Sommers from Toledo, Ohio. Johnny Thompson picked up on the idea and asked Norm to make this item in the 1960s. Since then, Nielsen Magic has been making what we call the “Living Latex Dove”.IMHO, we make the best dove in the market.The two and a half minute video shows you what I have been doing for the past three weeks. I have been making the molds, pouring latex in them and producing the doves. But, can you believe it? I took all this footage and forgot to make a video of me pouring the latex into the molds! Lol! 😂 Oh well… It will be another time… You get the idea of the process. 😜Hope all of you are having a good and productive week. ❤️☺️🙏🏼 … See MoreSee Less

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4 months ago

Close-up Magic Table – Finished ProjectThroughout the last couple of weeks I have been posting videos documenting this furniture build. It is now official: This is my latest furniture project, that is now officially completed.Name of Project: Close-up Magic TableMaterial: WalnutDimensions: 48” long, 22” wide, 30” highFinish: Danish Oil, followed by a Maloof formula finish (a mixture of Linseed, Tung and Polyurethane) all followed by wax.Close-up Mat: Pattrick Przysiecki (Patt’s Mats)The client commissioned a table with the following requirements:– To make a table on which to perform close-up magic.– The table should be a piece of fine furniture, made out of a beautiful hardwood like cherry or walnut.– Although the table will live at the client’s theater, it has to be made so that it can easily be broken down for transportation. This will allow her to have a beautiful performing setting for high end private shows.– The table must have a servante.– The client also requested a performing surface ideal for card magic.Initially, she provided me with a drawing with all her requirements. After looking at it, I refined the design in order to facilitate the ease of break down and transportation. I went with a trestle table design that offers cleaner lines and makes the legs easy to attach using knock down bolt hardware. I also added gentle curves to the entire profile of the legs and table top. Curves are friendlier, inviting, and pleasant to the touch.The material of choice was walnut. Walnut has a tight grain, and it is really enhanced when it is oiled. The mat was custom made for us by Pattrick Przysiecki of www.pattricksmagic.com/magical-mats IMHO, Patt makes the best and most durable mats for close-up magic.And there you have it! Another piece for the books!Thank you so much for following the process. It was a joy to work on this project.#nielsenmagic #handcrafted #ilovewoodworking #closeupmagictable #finefurniture #trestletable … See MoreSee Less

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