Dead Lock: Owners Manual

DEAD LOCK OWNERS MANUAL Routines, ideas & suggestions for owners of the ‘Dead Lock’ gimmick...

Copyright © 2019 by Michael Murray All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without written permission from the author. For television performance rights and further information, please contact - [email protected]

Contents Credits & Inspiration

Page 1

All About the Numbers

Page 8

General Advice Page 2 Trying Other Dates & Numbers

Page 12

Subtleties Page 19 Additional Routining Suggestions Page 23 Perfect Combinations

Page 31

Additional Videos Page 34

Dead Lock Owners Manual

Credits & Inspiration As an owner of many of the gimmicked padlock effects that are available on the market, many of these have helped to influence the ‘Dead Lock’ that I have created. As such, I must give full credit and thanks to those creations that have inspired this release •

Locked for Life - (Originator unknown)

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Pat Lock - Patrick Page

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Dream Lock - Alan Wong

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Larry Lock - Mago Larry

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Gleme - Patrick Redford

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Locked in Thought - Paul Brook

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Psycho Kinetic Lock - Tom Eurasians

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Sherlocked - Thaddius Barker

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Dead Lock Owners Manual

General Advice Choosing Your Participant: Before choosing to perform this effect, it is vital that you ensure that your participant will be able to read the numbers on the lock. No matter how old your participant appears to be, it is always worthwhile asking if they require glasses to read and if so, always ensure that they have their glasses upon their person before entering into the performance. Lighting is also an important factor too, always ensure that there is adequate lighting behind your participant too. Above all else, if in doubt, leave this routine out ;)

Preventing Premature Opening of the Lock: Although the lock itself is not spring loaded i.e. won’t ‘pop’ open when the correct combination has been entered, if there is any weight bearing on the top of the clasp (eg. heavy keys pulling it open if it is held in a position where the top of the clap is tilted towards the floor) then there is the possibility that the lock will open prematurely. To eliminate this problem completely you can do one of two things. Either (a) remove the keys from the lock prior to handing the lock over (so that there is no additional weight bearing down upon the clasp). Or (b), ensure that the participant is holding the lock in either a vertical or horizontal position and NOT one where the clasp is tilted towards the floor. It is also advisable that you only allow the participant to try to open the lock AFTER all four digits have been set into position too!

Forget What You Know: Magician’s and mentalists have a tendency to base their expectations upon what

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Dead Lock Owners Manual ‘we’ know rather than what our ‘lay audiences’ know. Please remember that they are not aware of the fact that gimmicked locks exist and as such it is illogical for them to imagine that a combination lock would open up on anything other than a singular four-digit combination. During our performance, it is vital that we do not suggest anything that could insinuate that this is not true. You will find most often that your participants do not want to try any other ‘random’ combinations, but instead opt to enter their thought of/intuited combination first. The reason for this is that they automatically assume that if their combination works then it could NOT have been anything else! Please take a moment to digest this before moving further...

Problem Solving - Can’t Open Your Lock: Should you struggle in opening your lock for any reason then it could be that the clasp wasn’t pushed down fully when setting the numbers. Also due to the ‘false gates’ that exist upon each of the wheels, it could be that when the lock was attempted/set that the other numbers weren’t lined up too (even though they don’t play a part in the routine, having these lined up should eliminate any issues that may occur during performance. In any event that your lock will not open, you only need to cycle the third dial (1st for owners of the US variant) through each of the ten possible numbers to find the one that opens it.

Intuition or Prediction?: It is very important to understand the difference between these two premises. If you are going to read the participants mind then you have a natural excuse to set/change the combination on the lock in performance (since you didn’t know what combination they would be thinking of until the moment you asked them). If you are performing a prediction effect then it is implied that you already knew what the participant would be thinking of beforehand. When performing

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Dead Lock Owners Manual routines of a ‘prediction’ nature it is important that you are seen to be committed from the off and don’t amend the numbers during the performance.

Turning the Routine into a Prediction Effect: During a recent conversation with Grant Willcox I suggested that it is entirely possible to perform ‘Dead Lock’ as a prediction effect. To do this we would only need to secretly change the third digit from a one to a zero whilst the lock is in our pocket (depending upon the participants answer to the first question). Check out the following link that details a one-handed method for doing this https://youtu.be/0BJXYtmipLI

What If?: So, you may be asking yourself, what if the participant guesses a combination that WILL open the lock from the very beginning? Fortunately, this is very easily addressed and is my prefered outcome during the effect. In essence, if this happens I act very surprised (which is very easy to do given the situation) and claim that they have indeed intuited the numbers correctly! I then write down which ever numbers they name before allowing them to try as many different four-digit combinations as they wish. After reiterating the impossibility of the situation (the fact that there are over 10,000 different combinations that could have been set) I then ask them to try the initial combination that they suggested (which will open the lock). Steve Dela suggests In the event that the participant names a combination where all four numbers are different, you can suggest “Now to make this even more random, mix up those four numbers and enter this new number into the lock, you now have a number, not even you knew you would be thinking of ”

Did You Know?:

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Dead Lock Owners Manual Although mentioned within the video instruction, it is worth reminding you that the gimmicked wheel can be set to ANY number you like (this isn’t limited to a zero and a one). With a little creative thinking, this can open the doors to a whole new world of routining possibilities! Aaron Smith suggests Although I think going with the date is better due to it being personal. I’d thought about setting the 3rd digit to a 7. Telling the spec that we’d make up a random pin code that isn’t a date or something simple like 1111 or 1234 and then ask them to name a number between 0-9. If the 7 hits first time ask them what position they think it’s in and you’d get the third most of the time. If they say second or fourth it’s easy enough to say they were one out and even if they say 1 you can still congratulate them for getting the right number just not in the right position. If they don’t mention 7 the first time you still have 3 more attempts for it to hit. And I think it’s good enough odds to take the risk. If they don’t mention a 7 just tell them they were close but they didn’t get the third digit right and ask them to change it a 7 and watch it open up. And you’d also have a chance of them saying a 6 or 8 and being out by one. Ross Bartel further suggests Another idea would be to set the 3rd position to 7, then get the participant to cycle round the lock positions in their mind using Pete Turner’s ‘snap change’ so that they settle on the 3rd position (but you supposedly have no idea). You would ‘then’ use the 7 force. Lastly, have them cycle around the other positions, using snaps to create the other numbers to be consistent and the lock will open! This would work equally as well as a mindreading effect as ur would a ‘spec-asmindreader’ effect.

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Dead Lock Owners Manual Why Use a Birthdate?: Ian ‘Rasp’ Cheetham’ suggests For those who constantly ask why we ask for someone to think of their birthdate and not just a random four-digit number, you might find this interesting. I personally find this explanation to be one of the best i have read. Written by Andy (The Jerx)......... “Think of a random four-digit number and I’ll read your mind.” That would be impressive, but because it’s kind of generic, it’s likely not going to stick with an audience in the long term. “Think of the passcode to your phone and I’ll read your mind.” Better. This has some stakes to it. But why the passcode to their phone as opposed to just a four-digit number? Is it just because it has some stakes to it? If that’s really the only reason it may seem unearned. But if we further explore why the passcode as opposed to a random set of four digits, we might steer ourselves into something more interesting.“ Think of the passcode to your phone and I’ll read your mind.“ You’d think a phone passcode or an ATM pin number or something like that would be the hardest thing to guess because it’s something we put the effort into keeping secret. But actually, the act of trying to keep things secret is what creates physical, emotional and psychic clues to information.“Think of it this way… If you’re cheating on your wife, she may find out about it because of the actions you take to keep it a secret. Maybe your behaviour or your attitude changes; you become overly complimentary and generous towards her. Maybe she finds one of those secret text apps on your phone. Maybe you’ve been showering at the hotel after your mid-day encounters and you smell different when you come home. Or whatever. It could be any number of things. But it’s evidence that exists because you were trying to keep something secret.“On the other hand, think about something you weren’t trying to keep secret. Say… what you had for lunch on the fifth of February. This is something you haven’t been trying to hide, so there are no residual clues from your deception. And therefore it would likely be very difficult for someone to learn that

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Dead Lock Owners Manual information.“This happens on the level of the mind as well. The information we’ve spent much of our life guarding becomes some of the easiest information for others to discern because we leave clues .” That’s written as a soliloquy, but you can imagine how it could easily be a conversation. And not only is it more interesting, conceptually, for someone to think about than a similar trick with no rationale, but it also naturally leads to some other demonstrations if you follow the logic presented in it. Note: For those that appreciate Andy’s way of thinking please head over to http://www.thejerx.com/ and support him and his work.

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Dead Lock Owners Manual

All About the Numbers Preventing the Participant from Entering another Date: To prevent the participant from trying another date (which could potentially open the lock prematurely) you may appreciate the following ideas One method to accomplish this is to hand the lock to a THIRD person (as an independent adjudicator of sorts). Since this person is not guessing anything they will only attempt numbers when specifically requested to do so (ie they won’t try any numbers prematurely). Another way is to have them announce the date to everyone and then write it down on a business card. When it comes to entering other numbers, I specifically ask if you could change the first digit to any other digit, what digit would you try? (this same process is then repeated for the three remaining digits). You could also suggest before any numbers are attempted that ‘hypothetically’ speaking, ANY four numbers could have been used to set the lock and as such if they were given the ‘FREEDOM’ to change each digit they are thinking of to anything ‘different’ what would those numbers be. If working for a larger group you can always have the four other people name four different digits and work with those numbers in various combinations (should the third person name a zero/one that would match the code then you will ask if any of the digits match first and this will force the participant to suggest that the third spectators guess is correct allowing you to request that they change that number. In this fashion, you can normally try the four named numbers in various combinations without running the risk that the lock will open. Another idea is to do what I did on the performance video and that is to ask the participant to wind the numbers without looking at them. Once they have done this I ask if any of the numbers match what they are thinking of. A no answer and you are good to let them test the combination. A yes answer and you simply

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Dead Lock Owners Manual instruct them to change ‘that’ number to something different. Note: Always ensure that they line up the numbers before testing if the lock will open too.

Discovering When the Participant was Born: Relish Rich Gerrish suggests Personally, I love the spectator as mind reader plot. One thing I’ve been doing is to say ‘now to make this a bit easier for you, we’ll break it down into steps. I’ve got to warn you that not many people get this on their first try. So we’ll start by breaking the year into quarters, jan Feb march are quarter 1, April may June are quarter 2, July August September are quarter 3 and October November December are quarter 4. Which quarter do you think the date is in?’ 75% of the time they’ll say 1,2 or 3 and then I’ll move on to get them to Ask them to name the month, whether it’s at the start, middle or end and finally the date itself.If they say quarter 4 I’ll say ‘not quite, have another go’ which is justified as you’ve said people don’t often get it on their first try. Then I can proceed as above. By the time the date is named, the changing of the quarter of the year seems unimportant as it’s followed by so many hits. Baptiste Clement suggests Arriving at a table I use an innocent sentence “I am often asked if mentalism works with everyone, it is a little related to your astrological sign. People born in autumn and winter are more complex. Who was born in autumn or winter?” I then perform another effect with one of these people (to show that I love the challenge). I now know that all of the others at the table were born in the spring or summer and have a month with a 0 as the third digit. Using the parenthesis of forgetfulness, I take out the padlock, 5-6 minutes later, and can perform Dead Lock for any of these people knowing that everyone will have forgotten my previous questioning.

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Dead Lock Owners Manual Olivier Dequin further suggests You can also lock by explaining at the beginning of your performance that people born in autumn are more sensitive to extrasensory perceptions. It allows you to sweep less widely whilst still allowing you to identify those that will have a 1 as the 3rd number of their birthday.

Controlling the Time: Michael Clark suggests Below is an idea where you could naturally eliminate the months October, November & December. If you hand someone a pocket diary and ask them to hold it in their right hand and flick through it and get a date in mind, they would start at the back, flip past Oct, Nov, Dec and stop towards the middle or front, then proceed with the effect.

Wedding Ring Routine: Martin Pearce suggests Just did some quick research that said that 19% of weddings in the UK take place from October to December. Perhaps there’s a routine to be had with a married couple where you lock one (or both) of their rings on the padlock and divine the date of their wedding anniversary. If you’re feeling bold then set the lock for zero before locking on the rings and then casually eliminating Oct-Dec as usual. If the stats are with you then there’s no need for adjustment - if not then just say you misread some of their signals and reset the lock to 1 before going back to divining the date.

Guided Intuition: Stephane Manisiet suggests Just a simple idea for the reverse/spectator intuition plot: You show the lock to your spectator, and tell him that the code is your D.O.B. then continue by

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Dead Lock Owners Manual suggesting “Let’s see if you can find it? First, do you think I’m born in spring, summer or maybe in autumn or winter?” If he answers spring or summer, it’s done. If he replies with winter or autumn just throw the line “ You have to trust your intuition on it. So the only clue that I’ll give you is, generally each year we eat BBQ for my Bday.” Now you’re good!!!

Doubling Up: Olivier Dequin suggests In order to avoid having a 0 in 3rd position, the simplest way would be to ask the participant to choose two 2-digit numbers. This locks without risk of giving the impression of a restriction of choice.

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Dead Lock Owners Manual

Tying Other Dates and Numbers Pre-Dating: Begin by setting the third digit to nine (in actuallity, any number bar zero or a one would do). Now you can hand the spectator the lock and have them try a series of random four-digit dates (including their own D.O.B. if they wish). This is all done without paying attention to them. After they have checked without success you NOW take the lock from them and ask them to think of their D.O.B. (working out what the third digit should be). You now seemingly set it and give it back to them. Note: If you wish they wish they can now try a series of non-date related numbers and it STILL won’t open. Now they can enter their four-digit D.OB. and it will open. Notice here that we can get them to try multiple dates without success at the beginning. Note: As a side thought, if you got them to try any other day with the month that they were born first you could peek that month via Barry Fazackerley’s idea (see Mirror Mirror featured later within this book). You now get them to try any other month and any other day. Now when you get to the end you can work out the day as per the method I taught on the instructional video and you can now reveal ALL four numbers before they put them in! Grant Mitchell suggests Just another option to drop into your routine as you see fit is to tell them the lock is actually set to open on their birth YEAR * ... they try it, doesn’t open. You then further suggest -

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Dead Lock Owners Manual “Of course it wouldn’t open, as amazing as that would be, It’s actually a lot more specific than that... it is actually set to your physical birthday.” - BOOM! Note: To perform this, your participant has to appear older than twenty years of age! Phill Evans suggests In every instance, you can request that the participant test the lock after first putting in the day (without the month) and the lock won’t open. This being done to highlight the fact all four digits need to be in the correct position before the lock will open! Note: I (Michael Murray) think this suggestion is PURE GOLD as it can be used with any numbers that the participant suggests even those that want to enter their date directly (without the need for them to try any another combination first).

Hidden in Plain Sight?: Sometimes the best ideas lie hidden in plain sight. Let me explain further... Whilst performing the spectator intuition routine (as per the demonstration) I perform the following steps Give the participant the lock with the third digit set to zero. The spectator/participant names a random four-digit number (and provided that the third digit is not a zero) and tries this in the lock without success. We tell them that the code pertains to a date that is important to us and ask them to look us in the eye and say whether they believe this is a date near the beginning, middle or end of the year. If they say end we suggest that they are wrong and talk them through the intuition exercise (clear their mind then allow the thought to manifest itself ) before continuing. Let’s pause on step four for a moment as we are missing a golden opportunity. If the participant does guess at the end of the year, rather than claiming they are

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Dead Lock Owners Manual wrong we should instead ask them to continue by guessing the month and year. The reason for this is that no matter what day and month they say here, we can allow them to try this date in the lock and it won’t open (as they will be trying a one in the third position). Only after doing this do we suggest that it didn’t take place towards the end of the year and then talk them through the intuition process. In short, rather than just saying they are wrong we can prove it by getting them to test the lock at this point. Michael Murray further suggests You can actually take this one step further by not even mentioning the time of the year at all. Instead, you will just ask them to look you in the eye and tell you the first date that pops into mind. If they name one towards the end of the year you allow them to try as above (without success). If they name any other date that works you can just ‘claim’ they are wrong followed by suggesting that this date took place earlier or a little later depending on their response and then guiding them through the intuition process. OR...You may wish to set the lock with a one in the third position so that the vast majority of first guesses would be wrong allowing them to try the date as initially mentioned. Then simply suggest it took place nearer the end of the year before teaching them the intuition process. All in all, it just allows them to try a date without it opening before they use their intuition which I think is a great step forward.”

Triple Threat: Take a bunch of business cards and mark the third one from the top. Set the lock so that the third digit is a one and you are good to go. Ask the participant to take the first card and write a date on it somewhere close to the beginning of the year. On the next one, they are asked to write a date from the middle of the year. On the last (the marked one) they write a date from the end of the year.

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Dead Lock Owners Manual The dates can all be written sight unseen if you wish. You now ask the participant to mix the three cards face down before placing them in a row across the table. You will now ask them to use their intuition to guide them and equivoque the end of year date via the marking. You will now suggest that you were born at the end of the year and have them turn over the two other cards giving you your first hit. They can try the other two dates in and the lock won’t open. Finally, they turn over the intuited card and when they reveal the date act amazed and have them try it in the lock and it opens. Another idea, take three business cards and upon them write the following •

Think of your birthday as a four digit number

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Think of the year you were born as a four digit number

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Think of a random four-digit number

Mark the birthday card with a small nick in the top right and bottom left corners. Place the lock onto the table (third digit set to zero). Hand the cards to the participant to mix and you are then going to force the birthday card in the following way. If it ends up on top after the mix, ask them to peek at what is written upon it before mixing them further. If the birthday card is not on top simply reach over and take the top two cards. If the birthday card is left on their hand (ie it was the bottom one) simply ask them to look at it and then place it into their pocket and drop the other two to the table. If the birthday card is not on their hand then it must be the bottom card of the pair of cards that you picked up. If that is the case simply tilt the two cards so the participant can remember what is written on the bottom card and then drop the two cards back onto the card in their hand asking them to shuffle once more. In essence, you have simply forced the birthday card. Now you will now look them up and down, seemingly sizing them up before suggesting -

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Dead Lock Owners Manual “I feel you look younger than you actually are. You weren’t born towards the very end of the year were you, like October, November, December? (allow the participant to answer) You also appear to be a creative person too so please just visualise for me the four digits that you have locked in your mind.” You will now seemingly set the lock accordingly. You will now take back the cards and hand the participant the lock. You will now flip over one of the other cards (NOT the birthday) let’s say it is the year card. You will show this card to the participant before claiming that this isn’t what they were thinking of and ask them to try the year they were born in the lock and it won’t open (providing they are older than 19). You now turn the birthday card over and claim that that is exactly what they were thinking of. Before they try that you flip the last card over (four random digits and ask them if they were to change the four digits they were thinking of to four ‘different’ random numbers what would they be. They can now try those numbers in and the lock won’t open. You now ask them to confirm that you were correct and that they were indeed thinking of their DOB, which they can then enter and the lock will open. Note: This routine has an extra reveal in that you can reveal which specific fourdigit combination they chose and it also nicely prevents the participant from trying another date too. You may also wish to use a simple equivoque with the three cards to replace the shuffle force. As a side note, the third card could say think of your PIN number which naturally they wouldn’t want to try anyway (so you could just ask them to name four different digits to what they are thinking of ). James Nichols further suggests Instead of the four random numbers option, I wonder how many people have a padlock at home (maybe for a gym) for which they know the combination, and they try that number in your lock. And instead of business cards, those keyfob id tags (that can be written on) could have the questions on them so that everything is carried on the padlock. Or business cards with a hole punched in the corner. But the main thing is that your idea of three options justifies perfectly the numbers that are tried in the lock.

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Dead Lock Owners Manual Michael Murray further suggests Regarding having a prediction ‘hole punched’ and clippe dto the lock, here is an expansion of that thought. You will create a bunch of prediction cards each card having a different popular occasion on them, for example•

My wife’s birthday

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My wedding anniversary

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Birth of my child

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The date of my engagement

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The date of my graduation

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The date of my operation

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Retirement day

Note: There are very few common occasions that people can think of. Check this site out for a list of suggestions - http://m.eichhornjewelry.com/site/new_ pages/Occasions.htm Now you clip the birthday one onto the lock (as this is the most popular choice) and then fold and index the rest. Having done that you can now perform the spectator as mind-reader and also ask the participant to tell you what they believe the occasion is. You then have ample time to steal the occasion from the index and switch it in at the conclusion of the effect (if they claim anything other than a Birthday). In this fashion, they are able to intuit the date and the occasion. As a side note, you could also do this with popular dates during the year eg Halloween, Christmas, Guyfawkes etc. Because the ‘prediction’ on the lock is correct, this also validates that the only date that would open it would have been the matching one too. So, as fortune would have it, I was looking at my private youtube videos today as I needed to download something from my account and found the following explanation of a switch I came up with many years ago which would be perfect

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Dead Lock Owners Manual for our needs. I originally filmed it to send to Elliott Bresler (of Switch Craft fame) who confirmed it was original and done nothing with it since. Anyway, since this would be perfect for switching the cards for the aforementioned idea I thought I would share it on here for you to enjoy. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AJWOII1vZug Note: For the sake of credit completion, this was influenced by a switch of Colin McLeods but mine is different in handling.

Using a Year (For Non-US Owners): So, after having a ‘year’ related discussion with my friend Mark Southworth a few minutes ago I came up with the following little idea. After the participant has tried multiple random numbers. As them to think of the year they were born then swap the first two digits with the last two. Provided that the participant is over 18yrs old (any younger and use a two)

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Subtleties Psychological Subtleties: Luca Volpe suggests Instead to ask the spectator to guess: beginning, middle or end of the year, start saying the opposite: end, middle or beginning of the year. I have noticed that when I ask three things in this way the people are more easy influenced to chose between the second and third option (middle or beginning). This is a classic NLP rule that works most of the time. Also, when the spectator is opening the lock, there is some good time and attention towards the lock that you can use to pocket write the numbers he said.

Perfect Opener: Rowland Valentine suggests Begin by setting the third digit as a three (so that the combination 1234 would work) alternatively you could set it as a one so that it would open on 1111. Now, when you begin your routine, don’t mention a date yet. Simply give them the lock and let them check it is closed. You will now ask them what four-digit number they believe will open the lock (and allow them to try it). So far nobody I have performed for has actually opened it but the nice thing about this is it doesn’t matter if they do. The first possibility is that the lock doesn’t open and if this happens I ask if they know why it didn’t open, and tell them that first of all, they chose the wrong combination and secondly, they just guessed at it and with over 10,000 possibilities the odds weren’t great. I tell them it is a brand new padlock and it is still set at the default 1234. They put the number in and it opens. I now take the lock off them and tell them that I am going to set it to a totally different combination will open it.

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Dead Lock Owners Manual I set it in the normal way and give it back to them. I tell them that this time instead of guessing they are to use their intuition to work out the combination but for this to work your brain needs more information so I tell them it is set to a date. The rest follows as per Michael’s routine. The other possibility is that somebody might guess 1234 it doesn’t matter. The lock will open, I just say that it was a good guess because it’s a new padlock still set at the default. I take the lock back set it in the normal way and say this time you will need to use your intuition to crack the code but again tell them that in order to do it your brain will need more information and continue as above.

All in the Details: Ben Allen suggests Below is a nice subtlety that you might like and find useful. So when I start to explain the lock I mention that it has a unique four-digit number to me, as per Michael’s original scripting. However, what I do next is tell them I’m putting in the code to show it unlocks but it FAILS to unlock. Now here is where I miss call the number and say “Oh hang on, I’ve put the first number in wrong. Sorry about that” I then change it and it opens. This just reconfirms in their minds that all four digits are just as important and to take care when entering them.

Mirror Mirror: Barry Fazackerley suggests When a number is entered into the lock, the number that shows from the back is always 5 off. For example, if it shows zero at the front then it will show a 5 from the back. Given that the standard date of birth routine means that we do not know what the last digit is we can at least pretend (and cement the idea that we really knew) that we knew by glimpsing the final digit from the back (they will, of course, be looking at the front). This gives us the month of birth.

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Dead Lock Owners Manual As we will know the date through Michael’s idea, knowing the month will allow us to throw out their star sign as some sort of extra confirmation. It would need to be well choreographed. The image of the lock below shows all 5’s from the back. Meaning the front is set to all zeros. This idea comes in strongest if, during the date guess, you are down to two possible dates and the one you throw out doesn’t get a reaction. Meaning it was the second option. At this point they won’t know that you know the date and if you can find a reason for them to start with the last digit first then you will have their star sign to reveal and then the date of birth. For those who like straight forward maths.Is you see a 0,1,2,3 or 4 just add 5.If you see 5,6,7,8,9 just subtract 5.It’s all the same.

Fond Farewell: A small subtlety that you may wish to add to your performances... To begin, remove your keys from the lock, then proceed with the performance. At the end, when they successfully open the lock you reach over and slip your keys back onto the lock before asking them to push the clasp closed and then wind on the combination. Once they have done this you quickly check that the third digit is not set to open before asking them to check the lock is closed. After they have done that you thank them and take the lock and keys back. This subtly affords you another opportunity to prove the lock is genuine without overstating the fact. Note: By removing the keys you remove the rare issue where the weight of the keys may pull the lock open prematurely (if the participant tilts the clasp towards the floor) and this also gives you a natural excuse to take the lock back from them at the end (if you are replacing the keys yourself ).

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Dead Lock Owners Manual The In-betweener’s: Paul Sunderland suggests I’ve also been thinking of how numbers can be tried whilst at the same time lowering the risk of a spectator choosing a 0 and the lock opening. A thought I had that will probably work better with a group of people but I’m sure with the right management will also work one on one is to ask each of them to name a number BETWEEN one and ten in order to create the four-digit number. By asking in this way the spectator will feel like they are getting a completely free choice of number but in reality, the chance of them saying zero would be very minimal.

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Additional Routining Suggestions Spectator as Mindreader Variant: When performing the spectator as mind reader routine set the third digit to a one rather than a zero. First, get them to guess the four-digit combination and allow them to try that and any combinations of those numbers where possible. After a few failed attempts, you mention that it is a special date that opens the lock. Now, you will suggest that this is a demonstration of intuition and rather than name the October, November or December using the original script, we will instead just openly ask them to look you in the eyes and name a date.Two things can happen If they name a date that includes October/November or December you are golden and after suggesting that this was the date, you can ask them to try a date from the beginning or middle of the year without success before entering the ‘intuited’ date which will open it. If they name a date near the beginning or middle of the year ask them to try it without success. You suggest to them that what they were doing was just guessing and that it didn’t take place at the X of the year (where X represents the beginning or middle according to their guess). You suggest that intuition is different to guesswork and that they have to clear their mind and slowly allow the date to manifest itself. If they now guess October, November or December month can ask them how different that felt to before congratulating them on their success (people will always remark how different it felt because you have told them to generate the numbers using a different mental process). They can now enter their date and open the lock. If they guessed wrong for the second time allow them to try the combination without success before suggesting that they were getting there. If you wish you

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Dead Lock Owners Manual could at this point suggest they have the right day but that they once again got the month wrong. You now suggest that these things take practice and allow them a third guess (at either the month or both the day and month) suggesting only that it didn’t take place at the beginning or middle of the year. All in all, this allows them to try a couple of other dates before the “intuited” one. If situation two happens I always comment that a guess is the first thing we throw out and that intuition is a completely different process which takes practice before asking them to guess again. This way the routine is more in keeping with the premise that we are teaching them how to tap into their intuition.

An Alternative Routine: Michael Clark suggests You show the spectator how to set your own combination into the lock and demonstrate by pre setting the lock to four zeros. You now close the lock turn the combination so all the numbers are different, then show how it’s locked.You now put in the four zero combination in opening the lock, then place it back into pre set mode and hand it back to the spectator ask them to put in their secret memorable code (Sight unseen) then they are to lock it so all the numbers are different, then hand the lock back to you. The 3rd tumbler is now going to be one of ten possible combinations. You now ask them to concentrate on their first number. You now act as if you’re turning the first tumbler, but really you set the third tumbler to one then two then three, each time gently pulling up on the lock to see if it opens. If it does you’re golden, you push the clasp back down again remember the number. If it doesn’t, not to worry. You now ask the spectator to concentrate on their second number, and try your next set of three numbers on tumbler three. By the time you have pretended to enter all four numbers, you would of cycled through all ten possible combinations.Finally put in the last number and pull up on the clasp to open the lock. You now continue with Michaels original routine where the spectator unlocks your unique combination.

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Dead Lock Owners Manual Ian Wragg suggests Here’s an idea I’m playing with which is a pin divination. After the prediction has been shown to match the thought of number or used simply instead of that. Show how the code is set. Get the muggle to set the code as their pin and mix up the numbers, again instructing them to check that another 4 different random digits don’t open it. You retrieve the lock and get them to think of their pin which you divine by opening the lock but state obviously for security you wont divulge or write down the numbers but if you open the lock then obviously you have done it. Once done state that for security you will reset the code (ensuring the vital number is different) and then get the muggle to try and open it with their number if they wish to verify that you have altered the code from their pin.

Perfect Pair: Bill Fritz suggests This idea would best be used for wedding situations or at least on a couple. For clarity sake let’s call them Phil and Jill. You show Phil and Jill the padlock with a ring locked on it. You explain that your wife has put you to the test. She locked your wedding ring and change the combination to an important date in our relationship that she says I should remember. You continue “It’s been two weeks and I haven’t been able to figure out the date that she set. I’ve tried our anniversary, I’ve tried our birthdays, I tried our daughter’s birthday. None of it has worked. Phil, Jill...I’m hoping that if your love is strong, by working together, maybe the two of you can help me get my wedding ring back, and get me off the couch!” I ask Phil to name a month and there are two scenarios. The optimal scenario is that he picks a month that begins with zero. When that happens, you simply turn to Jill and ask her for a date. The combination of the month that Phil selected and the date that Jill selected ends up opening up the lock. But what happens if Phil selects a month that begins with the number one?

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Dead Lock Owners Manual Here’s how that scenario plays out…Let’s say Phil selects November. If this happens I simply continue... “Since there are 10,000 possible combinations, I’m going to give you two shots to help me.” I turn to Jill and say “November is late in the year, let’s try to cover the full calendar, give me a month that’s earlier in the year. My birthday is in October, and I know that doesn’t work, so try something before that.” Jill says - “March”. Note: At the beginning of the presentation, I said that I would have the two of them “work together”, no one knows what that means yet, so I end up having them work together to create two different months and days. “So we have March and November as our two choices. Let’s pick a date for each month. I said I want you two to work together, so Phil, pick a date for Jill’s month, March.” Phil says - “The 23rd.” “OK, so we have March 23. Jill, it’s your turn. Pick a date for Phil’s month of November.” She says - “The 16th”. “Perfect, that gives us November 16th. Okay, with the two of you working together, we’ve come up with two random dates...March 23rd, so that’s 0323, and November 16th, that’s 1116.” As I say the above I write both numbers on the back of my business card. I stare at the two dates, racking my brain, trying to see if either one unlocks a memory… Finally, a smile appears on my face. “This is unbelievable. You two are amazing. My wife is very superstitious, and her favourite number is five. Our fifth date was on March 23!” Note: For time sake, I’m avoiding the description of having them test the lock with different numbers but before you move to the reveal, you would have them try several combinations to prove that the lock does not open.

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Dead Lock Owners Manual After they’re satisfied that the lock is indeed locked and there’s only one unique combination, you can have them first try 1116. It doesn’t work. Finally, they try 0323 and indeed it unlocks the lock, and happily returns your wedding ring to your finger! Final Notes: Again, if the first month selected begins with a zero, there’s no need to have them pick a second month. You’d get a date from the second person then go straight into the reveal. But like I said, the ambiguous language at the top justifies the times you need a second month.* I’m intrigued by this presentation because I like setting up scenarios where something is at stake. You can’t unlock your ring. That’s your problem. The spectators help you succeed in overcoming that problem, making them heroes! Finally, I like the idea of not knowing the combination myself. When it’s time for the reveal, the spectator can’t turn to me and say “Well you know the combination, so you tell me what it is!”

Locked Box Mystery: Abe Dunker suggests Those who work on stage or in parlour situations may wish to increase the perceived impact of this routine by using the Dead Lock to close a box which contains the final revelation or prediction for your show.

Wedding Fayres: Barry Fazackerley suggests Performers who attend Wedding Fayres etc should see the value of this lock and your potential clients’ future wedding date working together, culminating in a nice sales pitch.

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Dead Lock Owners Manual Wedding Day Surprise: Kris Whip suggests Take the lock out and ask to borrow a ring from the spectator (preferably a wedding or engagement ring) turn the wheels to open the lock (proves to the spectator(s) the lock opens) and ask the spectator to think of the date of their wedding or engagement (just the day and the month) ask them to repeat it in their mind, then say “I think I have it!” Turn away while you pretend to be setting a new unlock code, ask the spectator if they had an Autumn winter wedding, you could say “ You didn’t have an Autumn or Winter wedding in like October, November December did you?” If they say no then reply “Didn’t think so.” If they say yes then say something like “I thought so, I felt a chill in the air when I thought about your wedding.” Turn the third wheel to one and set it as the number. Turn back and put the spectators ring on the padlock and lock it, turn the wheels to random numbers and hand it to the spectator, and go on with the routine, you could use Michaels subtlety to guess the first two digits, and take a guess at the last digit, even if you get it wrong you can say “Glad I got the right one on the padlock.”

AACAAACA: Relish Rich Gerrish suggests AACAAAC(Almost any card at almost any combination). Thinking about using playing cards, if the participant names (or selects) any

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Dead Lock Owners Manual playing card other than the 10, Jack, Queen, King of spades, this will unlock the lock too. If hearts, diamonds or clubs is named, enter the value on the first two dials then the suit on the last two. Use alphabet positions for the suits •

Hearts = H = 08,

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Clubs = C = 03

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Diamonds = D = 04

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Spades = S = 19

So the 0 at the start of the suit will unlock the lock. If Ace to 9 of Spades is named, enter S = 19 on the first two dials and then the value on the last two. You would just need to linguistically steer them away from 10-King of spades by maybe using them as an example of obvious cards, or asking them to name a different one if you’re doing spectator as mind-reader. If they name the 10 of Spades, for example, you could say that they were very close, the value is right but they need to change the suit.

Word Smith: Abe Dunker suggests Taking things in a different direction now. Equate numbers to letters A=1, B=2 etc...The word ‘Dead’ opens Dead Lock.

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Dead Lock Owners Manual Food for Thought: How about having something engraved upon the head of the key or keys attached to the lock. Just a little food for thought!

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Dead Lock Owners Manual

Perfect Combinations Chronologue Combo: Justin Sider suggests I had the idea of combining this with chronologue. So you would place an envelope or wallet on the table to start. Go through the lock routine, then have them look up the date in the diary to find out the card/place etc. and take the prediction out! If you did it with places instead of cards the place could have some significance with the date in your presentation!

A Moment from a Memory In Time: Jean-Martin Savard-Demers suggests A quick idea here to those of you who know « A moment from a memory in time » from Peter Turner (Bigger Fish 2). I think the lock would be perfect for that routine. (Can’t say much without exposing Pete’s routine...).

Cal-Ender Combo: Ben Allen suggests If you have Micheal book ‘A Piece of My Mind’, you will know doubt have come across an effect called Cal-ender now if you mix this with ‘Dead Lock’ you have a very very powerful little performance! If you are not familiar get yourself a copy from Michael! In short, you can have them think of a random date (or a date that’s important to them) and then a four-digit number (I use pin card for a bank) then with one pump of what month they are thinking of reveal both! I’ve been doing this for a while now but it’s been so good I had to share!

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Dead Lock Owners Manual Hope you get as much use out of this I have!

The Mystery of Time: Matthew John Cope suggests I was playing with this last night, inputting the date as a time on my Turner watch when possible (obviously only up to the 23rd of the month). Gave the whole routine that second level of confirmation. I also played with the spectator choosing a date then a specific time on that date. Absolutely killed every time! Ryan Tricks further suggests - So you get them to think of a special date that means something, and a time, you take off your watch, you say you’re going to set it to a time. You then say, actually, I am going to turn the watch face down, I want you to turn the dial blah blah blah. You then go into the lock routine, their date opens it - BAM REACTION - you then say what was the time look at the watch (MIND IS BLOWN JUST WALK OFF).

‘Architect of Predictions’ IOS App: For those that own this amazing app, I have created a project that will allow you to reveal a photo of the padlock set at the participant’s chosen numbers as the last photograph in your mobiles camera roll. If you own this app and would like to download this project please use the following link https://boards.wetransfer.com/board/stcndrdzqht702v7j20190321192435/

Digital Prediction: Danny Marsh suggests Why not combine this with the ‘Digital Force Bag App’. I’m thinking that the lock should be used to seal a box (as suggested earlier) in the following way. You tell them you are visualising a special day out. A first date that meant something to you. A trip to the cinema. You ask them to think of a day and a month. You use Michael’s subtlety to eliminate Oct/Nov/Dec (you could

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Dead Lock Owners Manual mention a summer date at the start to gently guide them). You get them to write the date on the top of the card. You then use DFB to force a movie and then a snack. Both written on the same business card. They then use the dates to open the lock. Once removed the box is opened to reveal a bed of popcorn/malteasers/minstrels or whatever you want with a picture of the movie poster.

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Dead Lock Owners Manual

Additional Videos An Early Performance of Deadlock: Although I didn’t have a definitive routine at this time I thought you may appreciate the reaction from the young lady. https://youtu.be/Zu0sCPnZk7k Note: Notice how it is possible in some instances to allow the participant to rearrange the order of their numbers and test those in the lock first.

Thanh Long Bach Performance: Even if you can’t speak French you will still appreciate the reaction. https://youtu.be/hsOFAGZ_dXg

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