Your spectator signs a selected card and it is lost in the deck. After the spectator shuffles the deck, the performer dribbles the entire deck on the floor and when the cards are all on the floor, you see that signed and selected card has been “stabbed” by the showlace. You pull the card off the lace and it is indeed the signed card.
This is a very impressive trick. It is as cool as it sounds. Sans Minds says that it requires a 3 out of 5 skill level and a 2 out of 5 Audience Management skills. They prepare you for 15 minutes of D.I.Y. work, which is an accurate estimate. Let’s break this down.
For your $59 purchase you get shoelaces, a gimmick that powers the effect and a 35 minute DVD that contains a live performance and instructional video by Jason. The DVD consists mainly of the DIY construction being taught, also by Jason. You will be able to order either a white or black set of shoelaces. The instructions are easy to follow and is presented in a clear and cogent fashion. The DVD is fine, not superb (maybe a step below some other SansMinds DVD’s) and the sound in the last few seconds on the DVD is missing. The DIY work is not too difficult and is a one-time set-up.
You will need to have a dedicated set of shoes (or most likely sneakers). You will need to do some work with a needle and the shoe/sneaker should have a tongue that is sift enough that a needle can go through it. You will also need to place the gimmick that makes the card appear in your sneaker. The gimmick itself is the size of a small stack of quarters so you need to have sneakers that are loose or will accommodate a foreign object in addition to your foot. You will also need to wear some dark clothing.
Since I have performed this trick a few times, I can tell you that it is very impressive, but you need to be in the right environment. I do not know how long the gimmick will last that powers the magic, but it seems to be well made.
Very bright lit rooms are not optimal, but can work. You cannot be surrounded and there are some serious angle issues. You wants your spectators standing right in front of you. You will need to do some “more than casual” work to get the signed card ready to appear and you need to do it in front of the spectator as you are performing. It is not difficult but it requires solid audience management/distraction. You also need to feel comfortable removing a card from a deck using some basic sleights.
The ad copy states:
“Swordlace is a classic card effect that has stood the test of time.
Not only is the effect strong and direct, but having the cards spring up into the air and shower to the ground as the effect happens psychologically signifies the finale and wraps the entire performance.
It’s a beautiful plot used by many of the greatest in our business. The only problem is, who uses a sword anymore?
Here at the SansMinds Creative Lab in collaboration with Guillermo Dech and Yuji Enei, we have taken all the elements of Swordlace, and reinvented it to our taste. The result? Check this out.
What you receive:
• 1 pack of gimmick supplies (black or white shoelace option available)
• 1 instructional DVD “
Although some of the promotional pictures show a photo of Chuck Taylor All-Star sneakers with a card on the laces, you cannot do it with laces like that. In other promotional pictures you see a 3 of Diamonds on a white and yellow sneaker and that is an actual photo of the white shoelaces. I should mention that you can use your own laces to match what is currently on your sneakers if you buy a duplicate pair of laces.
This is a solid effect that people will remember. This is a card trick that does not seem like one. It is a miracle using a deck of cards and your feet! It will impress everyone!
This stellar trick can be purchased at any Murphy’s Magic online retailer.