The original version for this visual type of Silk on Candle where the silk appears instantly and without any cover seems to have been invented by the American magician and author Theo Doré (Theodore T. Levy) as described in the Christmas edition of Abracadabra 1947.
El Duco released his manual version of this effect c. 1983 and he has reintroduced that version with the electronic sound activated mechanism he has used successfully in his Silk in Glass and Plexi-Card.
The key thing with this electronic version is you have to use the right sized silk and a 9″ silk appears to be the best size which is perfect because that is also the best size for a silk pistol such as this one 🙂
If you set this up correctly you have a truly beautiful and instant effect. The sound activation can also be activated with a solid clap of the hands too, but it looks most impressive when the silk pistol is shot and the silk appears tied around the candle. Remember the silk is actually tied around the candle and is ungimmicked – it can even be untied and used in another effect.
This is unfortunately unreliable and unless I learn something new it is unlikely to be used in performance.
Click here for more information.