Make: Technology on Your Time Volume 13

Uncle Bill’s Magic Tricks

Revive five captivating classics. by dan weiss

Photography by Dan Weiss (left) and David Torrence (right)

My father was a professional magician and a maker, among many other things. His stage name was Uncle Bill and his business card was Uncle Bill play money (get it?). He’s been dead for nearly 20 years now (don’t worry — he was born in 1909) and I fondly remember the tricks he built. Here are five of his “gadget tricks,” ...