A Comparison of Vanishing Bird Cages
Copyright 2003 by James P. Riser
This page was assembled to acquaint magicians with
options for adding the Vanishing Bird Cage effect to an act. I
will be showing options for cages which are currently available
rather than making a record of various types of cages made over
the years.
The cage type most often seen is the flexible style
of cage from Abbotts Magic in Colon.
The cage is made from brass and covered with red ribbon.
This image illustrates a major problem with this type
of cage - it tends to collapse on its own.
These cages are probably the fastest vanishing, quietest
during the vanish, and least likely to hang up during the vanish.
The Blackstones chose this type of cage.
With careful reribboning of this type of cage, it can
easily be held by only one hand before the vanish and still retain
its shape. I have not shown the reribboning (gold) on my performance
cage.
The next most commonly seen cage is a Milson-Worth
style of cage. It is smaller than the typical flexible cage and
has no ribbon covering. A version of this cage is currently being
made in India. This is the style of cage shown in Tommy Wonder's
books.
A better cage would not have required all of the modifications
he had to make to his cage. This style of cage has a few drawbacks.
It was apparently designed for quick/easy construction
rather than as a tool to properly do a job.
The cage looks fakey and has overhangs which are all
snag spots during the actual vanish.
Have you ever seen a real cage that was built like
this? It just looks like it could and would collapse. Examine
the three images below and see if you can identify all of the
snag points.
I have indicated a few snag points in the two images
below. I would not recommend this type of cage to anyone for any
reason.
The Milson-Worth style of cage was a poor copy of the
Lindhorst style of cage - formerly marketed by Lindhorst himself.
This is an actual Lindhorst cage. These cages are sometimes
referred to as rigid cages as they easily stand without collapsing.
They are made from aluminum (dural?) framework with brass bars.
Notice that the ends of the cage are made to match
the front and back.
This design really looks like a bird cage.
Since Lindhorst passed on, this style of cage has continued
to be made by better cage makers.
A Lindhorst cage looks like a real cage, stands rigid,
holds up well for years, can easily be held in one hand, and collapses
small. Without a "bird" in the cage, the metal bars
of the cage will produce a slapping sound at the moment of the
vanish. You will want a good rubber bird in the cage - as with
any cage. Below are shown a few versions of the Lindhorst style
of cage.
This particular cage was made entirely from brass.
The bars and the frame are all brass.
This is another
version of the Lindhorst style of cage.
I know of only two cage makers today who make quality
Lindhorst style bird cages. Owen Magic Supreme in Azusa makes
a version. When I have time and the inclination, I make what I
term a "Baby Lindy" cage for close-up work.
This is an older Owen cage made from aluminum (dural?)
and plated brass bars.
Below are two views of my "Baby Lindy" cage.
This is my own cage made from stainless steel framework with brass
bars. The cages that I make for others are made with aluminum
framework and brass bars. You will notice that the cage looks
like it might be a real cage.
For size comparison....
Here is my "Baby Lindy" cage in front of
the Owen cage. 
Here are close-ups
of the cage corner loops. The Owen cage is on top.
Here is another view of how Owen and I solved possible
snag problems at the loop.
Here is a size comparison
of collapsed cages.
Sometimes the style of cage shown below will show up
on the used market. I'll term this cage a "European Style"
as I am not certain of the true maker. Such cages really offer
no advantages over a Lindhorst style cage.
I hope the above info will give some insight into the
cage options that professional magicians will want to consider.
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