Date: Wed, 28 Aug 96 09:54 PDT
To: balloon <balloon@fooledya.com>
Subject: Balloon Trick
From: Norm Carpenter <norm@isc-br.isc-br.com>

Hi,

I came up with an idea the other day and had some fun with it so I'll
pass it along to you. This has probably been invented a hundred
times already, but I hadn't read it before.

After performing the amazing heart from a round balloon trick I
continue
to amaze with the "donut balloon from a 260" trick. I just wrap a 260
around my finger and apply a little heat by rubbing my palms together
and Viola (or violin for those of you with smaller hands) when I
inflate
the 260 it becomes a perfect donut shape.

Procedure (don't read if you still want to be amazed):

You will need a 260Q and a GEO (or GEO blossom) of the same color.
Scrunch the GEO up into a small ball and place it in the fleshy part
of
your pinkie and ring fingers of your right hand. {note: I am right
handed
and to be politically correct I should use either hand, or one hand
only,
or no hands, but please forgive me as I describe the trick the way I
do it. For those of you who do not feel comfortable with the right
hand
mode, I leave the modification of the trick up to you.} Crimp your
little fingers
just enough to hold the scrunched up GEO. Relax you hand. Walk around
this way for a week or two until you get comfortable having a GEO
scrunched
up in your hand while still using your hand to do normal things.You
want to hold
onto the balloon, don't let anyone see it, and appear that you have
an empty hand.
A week or two may seem like a long time, but what I am really saying
here is that if
you spend some time to practice making that hand look natural it
will look
natural to your audience even when you are under the anxiety of
performing.

By the way, the above is known in magic circles as a finger palm.

Now that you are an expert in finger palming a GEO balloon in your
hand the
fun can begin. With the GEO finger palmed (you may not want to use
the same
one you practiced with for a week as it might break when inflated)
select a 260Q
of the same color as the GEO.  Wrap the 260Q starting with the tip
of the
balloon around the end of your left index finger. You want to
overlap the balloon
so that you just have a small circle of balloon around your finger
with a bit of the
nozzle sticking out. Now remove the 260Q from you finger and place
it into the 
palm of your right hand. As you do so, swap the palmed GEO for the
260Q finger
palming the 260Q (more practice is a good idea here). Rub your hands
together
to "generate the heat" required to melt the balloon. Or you could
hold a match or
lighter under you hand for heat (this may not be the best idea
considering your
audience and the fact that you probably don't want them playing with
matches.
Now just take the GEO from you right hand leaving it scrunched up.
The 260Q
remains finger palmed in your right hand. Bring the GEO nozzle to
your mouth and
as you start to inflate let the balloon unscrunch. Inflate the
balloon quickly all the 
way and tie off. Hand the balloon to someone to hold and with your
right hand
reach into your 260Q supply to get another balloon ditch the palmed
260Q at the
same time.

There you have it, a minor miracle right in the palm of your hand.

Norm
	the
		balloonian