The MInd Razor

Bob Cassidy’s

All contents Copyright©2003 by Robert E Cassidy

All rights reserved

“The Mind Razor” is a Limited Release from Bob Cassidy’s Exclusively Mental. Only fifty copies will
be sold in order to preserve the value of the effects and principles to the professional mentalist and
psychic entertainer. Copying or reselling this document is not only a violation of copyright law but
diminishes the value of the material to you. Too many of the secrets of our art have become useless
because of widespread exposure in the media. It is only via Limited Releases that I feel I can
contribute to the art while not unwittingly prostituting it.
I ask, therefore, that any instances of piracy or copyright violation be reported to the author at
webmaster@mastermindreader.com so that appropriate action may be taken and the offender
prohibited from purchasing any future releases.

THE EFFECT:

A spectator writes a word, a question, or draws a picture on a cardstock billet. (No

impression device is used and the mentalist's back may be turned while the spectator
writes her thought.)

She drops the billet into an ordinary sugar bowl, or similar container, where the spectator
herself burns it.

The mentalist already knows her thought, though AT NO TIME HAS HE TOUCHED
THE BILLET. (That is correct - after he hands the blank billet to the spectator, he never touches it
again.)

The container requires no special preparation. If you are the type who insists that props be
examined, the bowl can be inspected forever after you've performed the effect. There is

http://mastermindreader.com/mindrazor.html (1 of 13) [5/26/2003 8:34:11 AM]

 The MInd Razor

nothing to find. (Like I said, it's just an ordinary sugar bowl! You can probably use the one
you have in your kitchen right now - as long as it is completely opaque and your wife
doesn't mind.)

The mentalist never peeks into the bowl to glimpse the billet, nor are any reflection
principles involved. I seriously doubt that you have seen anything quite like this before. It
has been completely inexplicable to those who have witnessed it (including magicians and
mentalists), yet you will be amazed at its simplicity.

The basic effect was designed to be used primarily in a one-on one-situation, as in a

reading. Burning the billet in the bowl is presented as a requirement of the particular
“system” used by the operator. I use it myself before giving a short reading with the
“Hoodoo Cards” described in Hoodoo Brew. There is no reason, however, why the effect
cannot be performed before a group. The angle problems are minimal and, in any event,
the actual “read” takes place under the very strong cover provided by a sudden flash of fire
in the bowl.

THE METHOD:

Before getting into the details of the method, review the filmstrip on
the left. It shows every move as it looks to the participant. She has
just written her thought on a 2” X 2” square billet cut from opaque
card stock. The billet isn’t folded, she simply turns it face down.

FRAME 1: Removing the lid with his right hand, the performer
extends the bowl to the participant with his left. She drops the billet,
writing side down, into the bowl.

FRAME 2: The performer replaces the lid.

FRAME 3: The performer emphasizes that the participant must focus

all of her concentration on the thought contained within the bowl.
He asks her to remove a match from the matchbox on the table and
to light it. Once more, he removes the lid from the bowl, extends it
to her, and asks her to drop the match inside.

http://mastermindreader.com/mindrazor.html (2 of 13) [5/26/2003 8:34:11 AM]

 The MInd Razor

FRAMES 4 and 5: There is a large burst of flame in the bowl and the performer quickly
replaces the lid.

The lid may be removed later in the routine. Inside the bowl is nothing but ashes.

The performer secretly reads the spectator’s writing at the moment the flash of fire occurs –
caused by a wad of Pro-Glo flash paper – bursts from the bowl. Look at FRAME 4 and you
will notice that the inside of the lid has been tilted toward the performer. This tilt does not
take place until the match is dropped into the bowl. Note that during the entire sequence,
the performer is standing and the spectator is seated. Thus, the bowl is always at or above
her eye level, preventing her from seeing into it.

Of course, you are wondering how the billet got into the lid in the first place. The answer
is in the title of the effect. There is a razor blade inside the billet and a neodymium boron
magnet is stuck to the inside of the lid with a pellet of magician’s wax or poster putty. You
can, if you wish, permanently attach the magnet to the inside of the lid, but this would
prevent you from easily removing it later should you wish to leave the bowl laying around
afterward for examination by the curious. (The best magicians’ wax I’ve ever used, by the
way, can be purchased at Office Max. It is called “Sticky Wax”. Neodymium magnets,
which are extremely powerful and should be handled with care, are very easy to obtain.
Simply type “neodymium magnet” into the search box on your web browser and you will
find all sizes and types from tiny sewing magnets to a dangerous monster called “The
Crusher”- two of which will pulverize a finger caught between them. They are also
available from several “magnet merchants” who regularly sell their wares on eBay.)

TIP: Never sit on a metal folding chair if you have a “Crusher”

magnet
in your back pocket.

Here are the details of preparing and handling the billet and the bowl:

Look carefully at the bottom of the sugar bowl. You will notice that it has a narrow circular
base. There is a depression on the inside bottom of the bowl that corresponds to the base.

http://mastermindreader.com/mindrazor.html (3 of 13) [5/26/2003 8:34:11 AM]

 The MInd Razor

This is where the ashes of a previously burnt

piece of cardstock and a ball of flashpaper
reside. You put them their prior to the
performance. Since the spectator’s billet is 2” X
2”, its corners will catch the sides of the bowl
where they taper inwards, leaving a distance of
almost an inch between the card and the
bottom of the depression. Thus, the billet lies
flat and covers the ash and flash paper beneath.
This prevents the ball of flash paper from interfering with the billet when it leaps to the
magnet inside the lid. (Note that the ‘fire’ in the bowl is fake. I apologize for this minor
misrepresentation, but did you every try to photograph fire with a flash camera? What they
actually see is an explosion of flash paper.

The magnet is the size of a U.S. quarter and is

about ¼ of an inch thick. Note the rectangle
drawn on the billet within which the spectator
writes her word or thought. There is another
square on the other side of the card in which
the spectator puts her initials. The only purpose
of the rectangle is to hide any faint edges of the
razor blade inside the card that may show
through if the cardstock you use is not as
opaque as you would like it to be.

The picture is self-explanatory. Do not use the

massive amount of wax that you see here,
(anything less would not have been visible in
the picture) if you wish to leave the bowl for
examination afterwards. If you use poster putty
instead of wax, you will find it breaks away
much more cleanly from the surface of the lid,
but it is not quite as secure as the wax. Try
both and use what you are more comfortable
with. I should note that my magnet is glued into the lid. I haven’t let anyone examine

http://mastermindreader.com/mindrazor.html (4 of 13) [5/26/2003 8:34:11 AM]

 The MInd Razor

anything I use for over twenty years – why should I, I don’t use any gimmicks (!) – and I
see no reason to start now.

WilkinsonSword razor blades are the only ones

I can find regularly nowadays. I am afraid that
with the universality of the disposable razor,
that double-edge blades may eventually
become an historical artifact, and cocaine users
will have to revert to using playing cards.
Stock up while you can!

I make the cards twenty at a time, gluing them

between two sheets of 8 ½ by 11-inch card
stock which I then cut into billets with a paper cutter. I then draw rectangles on each side
with a Sharpie Marker.

Here is FRAME 3 from the sequence shown above. The billet

has just been dropped into the bowl and the lid replaced. The
slightest up and down shake of the bowl will cause the billet
to leap upward to the magnet. The shake is covered because
you use the hand movement as a gesture to emphasize your
words as you say,

“Your thought is securely trapped in the bowl.” (Or words to that effect.)
You could also simply turn the bowl upside down and point out that there is no way that
anyone could see into it, but I think that looks a little too magicky, if you know what I
mean.

You will be able to feel the billet hit the magnet, so you needn’t worry about whether the
card has made the jump or not.
Ask the spectator to light a match. I use long wooden kitchen matches. They just seem a
bit more formal and, since I often use the effect in conjunction with the Hoodoo Brew
routine, I need to use the matchbox anyway. Paper matches are fine, though.

Here is how to handle the peek so that it will never be noticed. Read this very carefully:

http://mastermindreader.com/mindrazor.html (5 of 13) [5/26/2003 8:34:11 AM]

 The MInd Razor

After she lights the match, extend the bowl to the spectator ABOVE HER EYE LEVEL. Turn
your head away so that it is obvious that you are not trying to peek into the bowl. Then
remove the lid with your right hand and bring it towards your body. Keep it parallel to the
floor, though – do not tilt it toward yourself yet.

Tell her to drop the match into the bowl. Be sure that you can see her out of the corner of
your eye as she does so – you don’t want her to get burned and you must move the bowl
away from her and toward yourself as the flash goes off.
At that moment – which is about a second if you are using the slower burning Pro-Glo
type of flash paper – you will also turn your head back toward the spectator and tilt the
inside of the lid toward yourself as in FRAME 4:

Since you had earlier asked the spectator to print her thought
with a black Sharpie marker, you should have no trouble
reading it in an instant. If it is upside down or a bit illegible,
don’t worry about it. Whether you have been able to read the
thought or not, quickly place the lid onto the bowl as if to
extinguish the fire – which will have surprised everyone since
no one will have anticipated that the billet would explode into
flame when the match was dropped into the bowl. To explain this unexpected, and rather
odd, occurrence, I say, “Oh, I should have told you there was a bit of gasoline in there.
Sorry about that. I just wanted to be sure your paper was totally destroyed.”

At this point, all that remains in the bowl proper are the ashes from the card you burned
previously, and the burned match. Give the spectator a brief cold reading and then ask her
to hold out her hand. Briefly, comment on the significance of the lines on her palm. Then
remove the lid from the bowl and place it aside. (THIS IS WHERE YOU WILL GET A
GLIMPSE OF HER CARD IF YOU WERE UNABLE TO DO SO EARLIER.) Dip your finger
into the bowl and put a spot of ashes on her palm. Ask her to gaze at the spot and
imagine her thought, which you then dramatically reveal.

The Psychic Touch

The idea of using a razor blade sandwiched between the layers of a business card, billet,
or playing card isn’t new, of course. What is different about the The Mind Razor routine
is the way the billet is never handled by the performer and how it leaps out of harms way
prior to its apparent immolation.

http://mastermindreader.com/mindrazor.html (6 of 13) [5/26/2003 8:34:11 AM]

 The MInd Razor

The neodymium magnets, however, are so small and powerful that effects that would not
have been practical with the magnets available years ago, can now be accomplished quite
easily. Here is a little stunner I call “The Psychic Touch.” You’ll need: a paper sack; a
neodymium magnet similar to the one used in The Mind Razor; a pack of cards
containing a “shim” card; a Canadian dime or a similar size coin which will react to the
magnet; a Sharpie Marker, and a glove. (I use a cloth gray formal glove with a wrist button.
It not only looks good, but it is so light that it can be dropped to the table without making
a sound, thus “proving” there is nothing hidden inside.) The shim card is easily made by
rubber-cementing a razor blade between two cards. I use the two jokers, thus leaving the
rest of the pack intact and unprepared. (Which it must be, since the pack is given away
after the performance - minus the joker, of course.)

The magnet is in your left outside jacket pocket. The shimmed Joker is at the face of the
cased pack of cards, which is in your right outside jacket pocket along with the rolled up
glove. The dime is in the forefinger of the glove.

Hand the marker and the paper sack to a spectator and ask her to name any card in a pack
of playing cards.

“Don’t pick an obvious one like the Ace of Spades or the Joker, but imagine that you see a
pack of cards in your mind’s eye. Look them over carefully and then call out the name of
one of them. The Four of Diamonds? Good.

“I will now attempt to locate the Four of Diamonds. There are two ways this can be done.
The first is by using the power of my physical senses – which is to say I will simply look
for it!”

So saying, reach into your left jacket pocket as if to remove a pack of cards. Actually
finger palm the magnet. Put your right hand into your right jacket pocket and grab the
deck. Remove both hands from your pockets, remove the cards from the case, toss the
case aside and hold the deck face up in your left hand, concealing the magnet.

Run through the pack, find the Four of Diamonds, remove it and hand it to the spectator.
Tell her to sign her name across the face of the card with the marker. (Be sure to keep the
Joker at the face of the pack.) When she is finished, retrieve the card with your right hand
and place it at the face of the pack – over the shimmed joker.

http://mastermindreader.com/mindrazor.html (7 of 13) [5/26/2003 8:34:11 AM]

 The MInd Razor

Ask the spectator to stand and to open the paper sack. “I want you to mix these up
thoroughly – and I really mean thoroughly. I’ll cut your card to the center for starters and
the whole pack goes into the bag.”

Cut the pack by removing half of the cards from the face of the pack with your right hand
and placing them under the cards in your left, thus sandwiching the Four of Diamonds
between the shim card and the magnet. The thickness of the magnet, of course, leaves a
monstrous break in the deck, but no one has a chance to see it, since you drop the cards
into the paper sack and ask the spectator to twist it shut.

“Shake them up, really good. You see, when you mix them this way, they are really and
truly mixed. Some of them will be upside down and some right side up. Since they are
inside the sack and no one can see them, there is no way that even someone with the
sharpest eye could follow the positiion of the Four of Diamonds.

“But once again I will try to find it. This time with the sense I call ‘the psychic touch.’ Since
some people seem to think that it is possible to feel the card that has the ink on it – the
Four of Diamonds on which she signed her name – I am going to wear this glove.”

Put on the glove and, if possible, refrain from making any outdated Michael Jackson jokes.
Ask the spectator to open the sack and to hold it, with both hands, at arms length in front
of her.
Approach her and turn your head away as you put your gloved hand into the bag

The rest is virtually automatic. Just mix the cards around with your hand and suddenly the
spectator’s card, sandwiched between the shimmed Joker and the magnet, will attach itself
to your forefinger. It is an easy matter to slide the selected card out from between. Don’t
let go of it! Drop the magnet and shim and remove the selected card from the sack.

Exhibit the signed card to the audience and accept your applause as your remove the
glove and hand the card to the volunteer to keep as a souvenir. Retrieve the sack and
return to the front. Dump the cards from the bag, holding back the magnet and shim card.
Fold and pocket the sack and gather the cards, put them in their case, and give them to the
volunteer as well.

Note: You can easily perform the effect without the glove simply by wearing a magnetic ring on
your hand. If, however, the magnetic part of the ring is on the back of the fingers, as it would be if
it were a magnetic stone in a signet ring, be sure to casually turn the stone to the inside of the
fingers well before you reach into the sack.

http://mastermindreader.com/mindrazor.html (8 of 13) [5/26/2003 8:34:11 AM]

 The MInd Razor

The Impossible Delivery

“This evening I will attempt to demonstrate for you what is possibly the most difficult test a
mentalist can perform. The detection and delivery of a secret message under the strictest
test conditions.”

Thus begins the presentation of one of the strongest effects in my current repertoire. The
Impossible Delivery was inspired by an effect which was featured by the great German
mentalist, Erik Jan Hanussen.

THE EFFECT:

The mentalist hands a sheet of paper, an envelope, and a pen to a volunteer seated near
the front of the room. We will assume her hame is Joanne.

“Joanne, you will write the secret message. You’ll provide the secret part, but I’ll dictate the
rest of it to you.. Write this down –

‘Dear Joanne,
‘There is a place you once visited as a child. It was a very special place and a
very special time. The place was ________________’

“And right there, Joanne, I would like you to provide the secret part of the message. Write
the name of a place you actually visited as a child or a place that, in your dreams, you
always wanted to see. There is no way that anyone here could know the name of that
place, but you will now write it down in this letter you have written to yourself. Don’t let
anyone see what you are writing and when you are finished, fold the letter into thirds, and
seal it into the envelope, just as if you were going to mail it.

“While you are doing that, I am going to ask nine members of the audience to stand.”

The mentalist selects nine spectators and asks them to stand. He gives a packet of
envelopes and a stack of paper to another audience member, we’ll call him Paul, who is
asked to give an envelope and paper to each of the people who are standing.

“I would like each of you, when you receive an envelope and a piece of stationery, to fold
the paper into thirds and seal it into your envelope. We’ll then have nine envelopes
containing blank sheets of paper and one containing the name of Joanne’s secret place.”

http://mastermindreader.com/mindrazor.html (9 of 13) [5/26/2003 8:34:11 AM]

 The MInd Razor

Paul is asked to return any envelopes and papers that are left over, and then to collect all
of the sealed envelopes, including Joanne’s. The nine standing spectators are thanked for
helping and allowed to sit down.

“Paul, why don’t you hand the envelopes to anyone at all in the room who looks
reasonably honest. That lady there? Yes, she looks pretty honest to me. What is your name
please? Ellen. Do you know Paul or Joanne? No? Okay, Ellen, I want you to mix those
envelopes up thoroughly. And Paul , if you’ll just come back to me, I’d like to give you ten
more envelopes. As you can see, these are bigger than the other ones. Take these back to
Ellen and, if you would, I’d like you both – and the people who are sitting near Ellen can
help as well – to seal each of the smaller envelopes into a larger one. While you are doing
that I’ll explain what’s going on and why.

“The envelopes have been mixed and then sealed into larger envelopes to make it
absolutely impossible for anyone, myself and Joanne included, to know which envelope
contains her secret message. Even if she were to have inadvertently bent the corner of her
envelope or accidentally marked it with her pen, that envelope can no longer be seen
because it has be sealed into another envelope by people who had no idea where the
secret message was in the first place.

“Have all of the envelopes been sealed into larger ones? Good. Paul would you please
bring all of the envelopes to me and mix them up just one more time. How about a nice
round of applause for Paul and Ellen and the nine people who helped seal up the blank
messages?”

While this might seem a bit complex, it isn’t really. There is a bit of byplay going on at all
times and the bit about finding someone who looks reasonable honest always gets a good
laugh, which helps the routine to maintain a brisk, yet light, pace. It is undeniable to
anyone in the audience that it would be impossible for anyone to know the location of the
secret message, much less its contents. The performer emphasizes this to the audience and
then asks Joanne to stand and concentrate intently on the name of the special place
contained in her secret message.

As he looks at her, the mentalist casually mixes the envelopes. Speaking to Joanne, and
slowly describing the place that she is thinking of, he allows envelopes to begin falling to
the floor – he never looks at them though, he keeps his eyes fixed on Joanne at all times
and acts almost as if he is in a trance.

Finally, all of the envelopes except for one, have fallen to the stage. At the same time the

http://mastermindreader.com/mindrazor.html (10 of 13) [5/26/2003 8:34:11 AM]

 The MInd Razor

performer says,

“Joanne, don’t tell me yet if I am right or wrong. Try not to react at all to what I am about
to say. I have the very strong feeling that you are thinking of a place in New Jersey, a city
near the ocean… a city named Bradley Beach.

“Let’s look inside the envelope that remains in my hands.”

The performer tears open the outer envelope and removes the smaller envelope within. He
tears this open and removes the folded paper which he hands to Joanne.

“Open the paper, Joanne. Is that your secret message? It is? And what is the name of the
place you were thinking about.”

She answers, “Bradley Beach.”

The Method:

Two principles are involved in creating this truly inexplicable effect – the razor and
magnet, of course (of there would be no reason for me to includes this effect in The Mind
Razor), and an impression device. I personally use the “Challenger Clipboard” (once
again available through my website) but any instant-access board would work just as well.

If you read through the presentation once again, you should be able to spot the place in
the routine where the performer secretly reads the impression. It is done under the perfect
cover provided when “Paul” returned extra envelopes and papers to the performer after
distributing them to the nine standing volunteers. The clipboard is already in the
performer’s briefcase, where he tossed it after retrieving it from Joanne. When he returns
the extra envelopes (and there WILL BE extras because he gave Paul twelve) to the
briefcase he pulls out the impression sheet and reads it. (I know I’ve jumped ahead of
myself here, but I just wanted you to see how the routine naturally covers all of the
necessary secret maneuvers involved.)

Joanne’s envelope and paper are attached to the clipboard as the routine begins. As he
hands the board and the pen to her, the performer casually removes the envelope and tells
her to place it on her lap for a moment – she will need it in just a bit. The envelope, like
all of the envelopes used in the routine, is constructed from Manila paper. It is business
size. The ones I use are manufactured by Columbian and are available in office supply and

http://mastermindreader.com/mindrazor.html (11 of 13) [5/26/2003 8:34:11 AM]

 The MInd Razor

department stores.

The envelope given to Joanne is actually a double envelope, but it’s an unusual variety
since there is no access to the secret compartment. To prepare the gimmicked envelope
cut the address side and flap from an identical envelope and rubber cement a razor blade
to the center of the outer address side of this extra piece. This is now cemented to the
inside address side and flap of a regular envelope. The result is an envelope whose
address side is double-thick with a razor blade sandwiched between the extra address side
and the envelope proper.

Due to the thickness of the manila envelopes, this preparation is not detectable during
casual handling. (Actually, the only ways the razor could be discovered would be by
holding the envelope up to a strong light or by attempting to fold it in half. Neither have
ever happened to me nor are likely to happen, since the envelopes are not treated as if
they are anything “special”.)

The larger envelopes are also manila. Any size big enough to accommodate the business
envelopes will do, but do not use envelopes with metal clasps as they can seriously
complicate the handling of the magnet near the end of the routine.

The magnet is in the performer’s left trousers pocket and is finger palmed just before Paul
brings the large envelopes containing the smaller ones to the stage. (A small neodymium
magnet mounted into a finger ring or inside a thumb or finger tip may also be used here if
it makes you feel more comfortable. As you mix them around near the end of the routine,
just be sure to keep the magnet near the centers of the envelopes.

This is a very powerful routine and well worth all of your efforts to perfect.

In response to some of the indignant phone calls I have received, I wish to inform
everyone that no living human brain was used to create the banner ad and title graphic for
The Mental Razor. (How could it be living? It’s got a knife in it!)

Thank you and good night.

Bob Cassidy
May 23, 2003
Seattle, Washington

http://mastermindreader.com/mindrazor.html (12 of 13) [5/26/2003 8:34:11 AM]

The MInd Razor

http://mastermindreader.com/mindrazor.html (13 of 13) [5/26/2003 8:34:11 AM]