Spiraled by Jimmy Strange is a twisted Sharpie effect in which you have a spectator write using the Sharpie and hand it back to the performer. Then, in an instant of magic, the Sharpie has incredible been deformed into a twisted shape as seen in the pictures below.
This trick comes with the specially deformed pen (no, it does not change shape or form) and some supplied needed to use the gaffed pen. There is a link to downloadable and streaming instructions that will get you a 27 minute instructional video taught by Strange.
The instructional video has a very tight hands only camera shot, which is a negative. It was likely self-shot by Strange. There are no live or studio performances to any spectators which is a notable omission. Because Strange is seated behind the table for the entirety of the video you don’t really get to see how the effect looks when it is actually performed. Strange teaches how to do the 1 minute of arts-and-crafts, which is very easy, and how to get set up for the trick. Once set-up, the reset is instant. Although the angles are very good, there are some angles that you would want to protect against, but it is very minimal. To perform Spiraled you will need to wear a sports coat. The move required to do the trick is very easy and won’t take more than a few practice tries.
There are four routines taught in which you apparently twist a regular and normal looking Sharpie as if it were a piece of licorice. The first routine’s plot involves writing the word “twist” on a piece of paper and then using that paper to twist the marker. The other routine involve using a lighter, flash paper and a Lubor lens, which is not included.
I like this trick because it is quick and impactful. You can easily use this in strolling gigs because it almost literally takes up no space aside from the size of a Sharpie marker. For the right performers their spectators will be tickled by the magic. With all that being said, this is not an opener or a closer, but more of a transition piece of magic. It is quick and done and then onto the next trick. The trick costs $15.95 so it won’t break the bank and you can use this over and over.
Spiraled is available at any Murphy’s Magic dealer.