L i t - M a t c h P r o d u c e r

Effect:
This utility gimmick enables you to produce a lit match.

Materials:
 One new box of matches
 One playing card.
 One pair of scissors.
 Safety pins.
 Black electrical tape.
 A jacket or vest.

Construction:
1) Remove the draw from the matchbox (Fig. 7a, #1). (Put the matches somewhere safe, and
discard the drawer.)
2) Cut off the two striking surfaces from the sides of the matchbox (Fig. 7a, #2).
3) Trim around the striking surfaces. (Put one of them aside for future use.)
4) Cut a half-inch strip from the end of a playing card (Fig. 7a, #3).

Fig. 7a

5) Trim the card strip to the same dimensions as the striking strip.
6) Fold the card strip in half.
7) Fold the striking strip in half with its abrasive surface on the inside.
8) Nestle the folded striking strip within the folded card strip (Fig. 7b, #1).
9) Hook the nestled strips onto a safety pin (Fig. 7b, #2).
10) Cut a two-inch length of electrical tape and temporarily stick it to the edge of your table. It
will soon be used.
11) Sandwich one wooden match between the two, face-to-face, abrasive surfaces.
12) Make sure the wooden match is centred and its head is right up near the pin (Fig. 7b, #2).

Fig. 7b

13) Firmly (but not too tightly) wind the electrical tape around the nestled strips: perpendicular to
the wooden match.
14) Make sure the electrical tape does not impede the wooden match. (Fig. 7b, #3).
15) The wooden match should be nestled snugly between two striking surfaces, with its end
sticking out the bottom.
16) Pin the gimmick behind the lapel of your jacket: making sure it cannot be seen.
17) You could pin it inside your waistcoat — under its hem or behind its lapel.
18) The lit-match producer should be pinned within easy reach, and have sufficient clearance to
pull out a lit match, quickly, without fumbling.

Method:
When you need a lit match, grab the protruding end of the wooden match, and pull it straight
down, briskly, out of the gimmick. The inward pressure of the striking surfaces against the
match-head, as it is quickly withdrawn, creates the necessary friction to ignite the match.

To reload the gimmick:

1) Carefully unwind the electrical tape.
2) Insert a fresh wooden match.
3) Reapply the electrical tape.
Important:
 Check the physical integrity of each new match before inserting it into the gimmick.
 Replace the striking surface after five uses.
You will need two lit-match producers for “Cigarette Routine” (explained in the next
chapter).

* * *