Houdini’s Haunted Padlock (Dr. Faust’s Padlock) (1 of 12) by Jim Sommers

This beautiful looking padlock was created by Jim Sommers c. 1989.  Jim was trying to reproduce a reliable version of the prop made famous by Karl Germain and called Dr. Faust’s Padlock.  In the Germain routine, the performer hung a large padlock on a wand or rod and went into the audience. The performer handed the wand to a spectator and told the tale of Dr. Faust’s escape from prison. As the story reaches a climax, the lock mysteriously opens.

One of the problems with similar clockwork versions of this padlock is the timing mechanism.  The time of release could be easily out by a few seconds depending on how tight you wound them up.  To perform the original Germain routine effectively it is important to know precisely when it will open, and even being out by a few seconds can make a difference. Jim created his own custom mechanism that is very reliable. I have just tried it four times in a row and each full cycle took 39 seconds to complete.  That is one reliable clockwork mechanism 🙂

Jim Sommers is most well know for the design and creation of high quality illusions and smaller props for over fifty years through his company Magic Innovations of Illinois, his  popular and useful book about building smaller illusions and stage sized props, Build Your Own Illusions c. 1974 Magic Inc., and the Harbin Zig-Zag Controversy  (it is detailed in Genii, February, 1969) .

Although, the timing and look of this lock are perfect, it is not a lock I would hand to the spectator.  It can be handled briefly without suspicion, but the one thing I noticed immediately on receiving it was how light it was compared with the size of the lock.  It is 13oz so is not actually light, but compared with what you would expect for a lock of this size, it feels light.  There is no reason for the spectator to hold the lock in either the Faust presentation or my presentation below.  So this is not an issue for most routines you would use it for.

Also, the key winds up the mechanism which locks the clasp, and with minimal acting ability you could convince the spectators you used the key to lock it. However, I prefer to start with the padlock locked.  The key can be present, but I just don’t think it is necessary to “lock” the padlock in their presence.

The routine I will be performing for my Speed Demo appears below.  I think you will really like this padlock and with only 12 created it is something the other guy will not have seen 🙂

Includes:

• Padlock & Key.
• Glass Dome ($53 retail bonus).
• Instructions created by Gary Frank.

Effect: The performed introduces a padlock hanging closed and suspended inside a glass dome. He removes the dome and shows the apparatus all around.  There is nothing suspicious to see, a large vintage padlock, hanging from a brass rod,  on a thin base covered by a glass dome.  With the dome on the padlock is isolated from outside events.  The magician states that the padlock used to belong to the famous escapologist Harry Houdini.

Now you may have see other padlocks supposedly belonging to Houdini but how do I know this one really was?  Well every night at 7:36pm (the time of Harry’s Death) the lock utters one last gasp and opens even though it is completely isolated.

The magician asks the spectators to watch the padlock under the glass, and counts down on his watch at the seconds approach 7:36pm.  On the dot of 7:36 the magician points to the dome and off pops the lock falling down to the base.

A gasp of amazement is heard throughout the audience, and is that Harry laughing in the distance … 🙂

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