John Kennedy – Hummingbird Reel

Hummingbird Reel by John Kennedy Magic

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ongratulations on your purchase of the Hummingbird Reel. It’s the perfect tool to make a silk, dollar bill, or other small object fly through the air and into your hand. The Hummingbird Reel is made from solid brass. As you handle it the brass will tarnish naturally and become less shiny. This will make it easier to conceal in your hand. Inside is a low-noise electric motor and battery(s). The black button on one end of the reel is the momentary on/off switch (fig 1). When you press it the motor will spin quickly. Release it and the motor will stop. E Q U I P M E N T: Yo u h a v e r e c e i v e d t h e Hummingbird Reel with thread and battery inside. You have also received a second supply of thread for the reel. THE THREAD: The Hummingbird Reel is designed to use nylon monofilament thread. This type of thread is much stronger than “invisible thread,” but it’s also more visible. The reel will hold 16' (5 meters) of our premium quality nylon thread. You can use any nylon monofilament sewing thread found in fabric shops. However most brands are much thicker than our premium brand and a shorter length will fit on the spool. SPOOL BATTERY HOLE +-

BLACK BUTTON

MOTOR

FIG 1

BATTERY TAB

FIG 2 - EXPLODED VIEW

THREADING THE REEL: Open the reel by pulling it apart. Fig 2 shows an exploded view. Take one of the thread packets and pull the loose end of thread from the tape. Run it through the hole (fig 3). Pull a couple feet of the thread through the hole and tie a slip knot (fig 4). Put the slip knot around the spool and pull the thread so that it tightens around the spool. NOTE: The slip knot should go around the spool only, NOT the battery tab.

FIG 3

FIG 4

Keep pulling until the end of the thread goes down small; about 1/16 of an inch or so. Put the reel back together, keeping the thread taut so that you don't pinch it between both halves of the reel. The battery tab should be opposite the hole so it doesn’t block it. NOTE: The battery must be installed with its negative terminal facing up against the battery tab. If the battery is installed upside-down the reel will not work at all. Hold down the switch and wind in all the thread, letting the packet drop down and spin freely as the thread winds in. The other end of the thread is taped to the card; pull it off and then tie a loop (fig 5). Attach a silk or other object as shown in fig 6. FIG. 5 Tie a loop

FIG. 6 ATTACHING A SILK Feed some thread through the loop, then pass a corner of the silk through. Pull the thread down to lock the silk in place.

Fold over the end of the thread.

Tie a single knot to form a loop.

Pull the knot tight and trim the loose end.

ATTACHING A BILL OR OTHER OBJECT

exposed tape

Fold a strip of Scotch tape over the loop. The exposed tape can be stuck to dollar bills or other objects.

MAKE A SILK FLY AROUND by first pulling out several feet of thread. When you're ready to make the object fly into your hand just pick up the reel and hold it in finger palm position as shown in figure 7. Press the black button with your middle finger to reel in the thread. You can tap the switch to make the silk (or other object) jump or hold down the switch to make it fly all the way into your hand! You can go around a smooth object such as a lamp, microphone stand, etc. (see figure 8). Walk back with the reel in one hand and the silk in the other; the thread will unwind automatically. Toss the silk into the air and then press the switch. The silk will fly away from you, go around the lamp, and then fly back into your hand! It’s possible to go around a single smooth object such as a microphone

FIG 7

PALMING THE REEL

FIG. 8

BIRD’S EYE VIEW

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stand, but the tiny motor doesn’t have enough power to pull the thread around more than one object. TANGLE MANAGEMENT: Because this is a high speed, long distance reel there is always the risk of tangling the thread inside the reel. Learning the proper handling will reduce tangling and increase your enjoyment of the Hummingbird Reel. The greatest risk of tangling is during the first few hours after the reel has been loaded with new thread. This is because the thread needs a few hours to “memorize” the shape of the spool. It’s OK to use it right after you thread it as long as you’re careful. Don’t use the reel with nothing attached to the thread. The silk (or other object) provides resistance as it flies through the air, helping the thread to wind smoothly around the spool. Don’t jerk the thread when you pull it out of the reel. This can cause the spool to backlash and possibly tangle the thread. It’s OK to pull the thread out quickly as long as you pull it smoothly. Avoid snagging the object when you reel it in. If the object snags on something, the spool will come to an abrupt stop and might backlash. If this happens, pull out a few feet of thread before reeling more in. It’s OK to start and stop using the switch because the motor will have time to wind down properly. FIXING TANGLED THREAD: If the thread tangles, pull apart the reel and see if you can untangle it. Sometimes the thread winds underneath the spool and can be fixed by pulling off the spool (if it’s too tight you can pry it off with a screwdriver). If it’s hopelessly tangled you must cut it off the spool with a sharp knife or razor blade and then install new thread. When using other brands of thread be careful not to over fill the spool. You can usually only fit about 10' (3 meters) of most other brands. REPLACEMENT PARTS: Replace the battery with a 3 volt CR-1/3N battery. The outside of the battery must be bare metal to work in the reel. Some batteries have plastic shrink tubing on them. Just cut off the plastic with a razor blade or exacto knife and the battery will be ready to use in the reel. Additional thread and spools can be purchased from John Kennedy Magic.

www.johnkennedymagic.com

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