The Effect
A tower of three rings is shown. The top ring is black and the bottom two are white. The performer covers the rings with a tube. When the tube is removed the middle ring has changed to red. The tube is placed over the rings once more. When lifted the top and bottom rings appear to have changed places because the top ring is now white and the bottom ring is black. Finally, the tube is placed over the rings once more. When lifted the top ring is still white, the middle one is white and the bottom one is black.
Preparation
The apparatus consists of three Colour Changing Rings set one on top of the other along the length of a vertical rod. The middle ring of the three is at right angles to the other two (10). You also need a tube large enough to cover the rings.
The rings are painted half and half as per the Colour Changing Rings. The top ring of the set up is half black and half white. The middle ring is half white and half red. The bottom ring is half white and half black (10).
The rings are fixed to one another so that by turning one you turn them all around the central rod which spears them. The routine is simple to perform. Every time you cover the rings with the tube you give the rings a secret turn to bring new surfaces into view and affect new changes. A quarter turn is enough to make a change to at least one of the rings. Play with different colour combinations and moves and you can create your own effects. The apparatus would also make an intriguing illusion for inclusion in a magic den.
And yes, the three rings can be transformed into a multi-coloured oblong. If you want to include the transformation finale you should refer to the construction details for The Magic Oblong. You can reverse engineer the three-ring set up in order to discover how to colour the oblong before folding it into the three rings. I'll leave that for you to discover.
Notes
I've not included presentation details as that was not the intention. Instead, I've tried to illustrate a train of thought showing how one idea can affect another and another until a new effect with new possibilities is born. I hope I've succeeded.
Addendum
Just before we were about to go to press with this book Max Maven very kindly offered to provide us with an Introduction. A surprise further bonus was his inspired additional ideas on Terri's 'Gemini Factor' which we include here. We would like to thank Max Maven for his enthusiasm and constant willingness to allow us to draw on his phenomenal knowledge of our art. Now here is Max Maven's expanded routine for this 'Gemini factor'.
I was particularly taken with Terri's 'Gemini Factor' and its applications. 'Mind Game' immediately reminded me of a wonderful early Bob Hummer item, first marketed as 'Hummer's Great Mystery' in 1939 and later revised as 'It's Murder'. (The details can be found in Bob Hummer's Collected Secrets, published by Karl Fulves in 1980.) That effect also involves five pairs of mated names in a circular layout, but for a different effect.
Thus, it could be combined with Terri's trick for an intriguing expanded routine.
The two effects do not employ identical arrangements, but that problem can be easily overcome: instead of having the layout printed on a board, individual chips can be used, dealt out into the required circle, then rearranged as needed for the subsequent phase.
The Hummer effect has long been a source of vexation for me, in that I felt that it would be better if it could be altered to work with twelve items. This would make it easier for the performer to keep track of the positions (as they would conform to the established clockface pattern). In addition, it would allow for a presentational tie-in with another fa-miliar twelve-item set, the signs of the Zodiac.
Happily enough, Terri's 'Gemini Factor' does lend itself to a twelve-item format. The layout is this:
The calculation follows the same format as in Terri's original, but the numbers are increased appropriately. The participant places two tokens onto the layout. Add the values of those positions together (if the total is over 13, subtract 12). Now, subtract this number from 13. Add 12 to that to arrive at the number of moves that the person is told to make, moving the tokens clockwise. The result will be a pair of mates. To take advantage of the astrological tie-in, you'll need to define six celebrity teams whose birth signs cover the full range of twelve. Thus, for example, if you were going to include Fred Astaire (Taurus) and Ginger Rogers (Cancer), none of the other names could go with those signs.
Prepare a dozen chips, each with an astrological sign on one side and the corresponding celebrity name on the other. These are dealt out into a circle, zodiac-side-up, with the positions determined according to the layout shown above.
After introductory patter concerning the 'mysterious influence of the stars,' bring out two suitable tokens, and have them placed and moved around as per the 'Gemini Factor' formula. When this has been done, enthusiastically congratulate the participant, proclaiming that the experiment has been an obvious success, as it is well known among astrologers that (for example) Taurus and Cancer link together as ideal mates.
The audience will express some scepticism, presuming that you could make such a pronouncement about any random pair of signs. Insist that the outcome has proven the 'mysterious influence of the stars,' adding, 'and here are the very stars who influenced you!' Turn over the chips in the designated positions, revealing (in our example) the 'star' team of Astaire and Rogers, to conclude.