Tenyo Magic Forum

Name: Midas Machine

T-Number: T-109

Inventor: Hiroshi Kondo

Year: 1981


PICTURES of T-109 Midas Machine




VIDEO of T-109 Midas Machine



T-109 Midas Machine on PLANET TENYO

This was one of the first Tenyo tricks I ever bought and it is still one of my favorites. The illusion looks so perfect and spectators are surprised when you just hand them the bill and there doesn't appear to be anything else to see.

On the downside the imprint is that of the old $10 bill which are pretty hard to come by. You could use a copy but it's more impressive when hand a real bill to your spectator that you have just printed yourself.

I think the way that you can slide the tray out at your own speed and stop and start makes it cool as well.

Back in 1981 this was amazing but now with today's technology there are actual printers the size of Midas Machine.

The older bills are very hard to find but they can be gotten. The problem is that if you find one it will be worn and if you are printing a new bill it makes no sense that it comes out worn. So a scan and print of the proper bill is better. Most printers and graphic software have built in controls to make it impossible to print certain currency. For some reason the older $10 bill is not detected and it can be printed, at least with my software and printer. If you do print it make the other side blank or put something non-currency on it. It is illegal to print even one side but you would have a better legal defense if you get caught. Since printing even one side of a bill is prohibited in the US, I stopped making and selling the Tenyo Tens that I made for Midas Machine and Soft Coins.

JohnM wrote:I think the way that you can slide the tray out at your own speed and stop and start makes it cool as well.

Back in 1981 this was amazing but now with today's technology there are actual printers the size of Midas Machine.

The older bills are very hard to find but they can be gotten. The problem is that if you find one it will be worn and if you are printing a new bill it makes no sense that it comes out worn. So a scan and print of the proper bill is better. Most printers and graphic software have built in controls to make it impossible to print certain currency. For some reason the older $10 bill is not detected and it can be printed, at least with my software and printer. If you do print it make the other side blank or put something non-currency on it. It is illegal to print even one side but you would have a better legal defense if you get caught. Since printing even one side of a bill is prohibited in the US, I stopped making and selling the Tenyo Tens that I made for Midas Machine and Soft Coins.

Interesting story John, thanks for that and for the advices and thanks also for fulfilling my request on "Focus on Tenyo"

I am just wondering that Mr. Hiroshi Kondo came up already with this brilliant idea when I was 1 year old. He is truly a very clever guy. All the detail constructions, selection of material, the deceptive switch and a very visual transposition make this prop so special. As John mentioned, I would rather see this as one of an excellent collector`s item because our technology is so sophisticated nowadays comparing to the technology 30 years ago.

John shared his Disney version of Midas Machine which produce a great animation.
http://funstuffonly.com/tenyo/disney/#midas
It is really2 great and it`s like watching a special effect of the television. I would love to this in actual. John, would be awesome if you make a video for this version

Despite of all weaknesses on this prop, I rated it quite high because of the excellence of the prop.

Wow all these Disney versions are soo cool!
Midas Machine is a great one, and I could easily obtain an old 10 dollar bill at a GWK office.They took the trouble to find one for me
Really like the design an the sturdiness of this prop.
The idea of John M to make some copies of the 10 $ bill is good to keep the original fresh.

I would say also the Midas Maschine is eldest brother of Tenyo Tricky Business. They have a same father, Mr.Kondo.

Don't foget about their two younger siblings - Mobile Illusion and 4d Printer!

I LOVE this one! I feel that it helps define the "Golden Age" of Tenyo as well as any.

I understand the comments on technology obsolescence, but "first to market" still makes a strong statement.

The earliest known surviving photograph made in a camera, was taken by Joseph Nicéphore Niépce in 1826 or 1827. The image depicts the view from an upstairs window at Niépce's estate.

That Photograph wasn't much compared to today's composition/tonal range/technology standards, but it is still one of the most important Photographs ever made.

The Midas Touch is one of those effects which serves to remind me to try to maintain a high degree of excellence, and intensity, when participating in a passionate pursuit of creativity.

I like this effect, but not as much as others seem to do. The main reason why this isn't a real 'winner' for me is because the gimmick tends to be quite 'fiddly', it doesn't always 'catch' properly. I have done several attempts to make it work 100% but for some reason there is always that (although small) chance the secret is revealed when performing the illusion ... . I have tried with two Midas Machines; a brown and a purple one, but there is no difference.
Perhaps I'm doing something wrong? I should get this thing out of the display cabinet and try it again a few times perhaps (it has been a while), perhaps paste a small piece of double stick tape on the inside so the blank paper doesn't come out ... .
If it would work everytime I would give this one a big fat 8, but for now it is a 6.

By the way, thanks to Rob I was able to get a very nice old 10 USD bill, which of course is a huge plus when performing (thanks again Rob!)

David DeTenyo wrote:I like this effect, but not as much as others seem to do. The main reason why this isn't a real 'winner' for me is because the gimmick tends to be quite 'fiddly', it doesn't always 'catch' properly.

Great that you mentioned this David. I thought I`m the one who has only this problem. All I have done is following the instruction and always perform it with a new flat bill and paper to avoid any error happens. But I`m still not sure about this also because sometimes it happens again. The frequency of the error is about 2 out of 10. Actually I`m still exploring how the case/ printer "catches" the gimmick. Somehow the case could not "catch" the gimmick properly, well although not every time. Unfortunately it is not something that easy to see and it is too dark inside the case.

By the way, I came up with 2 alternative handling during the transformation:
1. Hold the case with left hand and pull out the frame slowly with right hand (as written in the instruction)
or
2. Hold the frame with right hand and pull out slowly the case with the left finger.
Both looks similar to the audience but the movement is actually different. By doing the option no. 2 movement, I`m hoping that the case will always hold the gimmick until the frame releases completely.

Well as i said, I`m still exploring it. Maybe someone here in the forum can give better solution for this.

Thanks David for mentioning this

Vic

I`m also curious if the Midas Machine with japanese yen is wider than the dollar version ? I never compare the bills but seems that the japanese yen is wider than the US dollar. Thanks.

Thanks for the reply and suggestions Victor. Also happy (or not so happy as a matter of fact ) I'm not the only one who has this problem. It seems very delicate to perform because of the 'catching' of the blank paper (which sometimes slides out when you open the case if I remember correctly)). Very curious somebody will eventually come up with a fireproof solution.

I had that trouble too ... at first.

The "catch" seems to engage at the rear of the effect.
(the end opposite the end which the carrier is pulled out)

What did I do?

Applying a little extra pressure with the LEFT thumb, and forefinger, at the back-end of the Midas Machine AS I PULL THE CARRIER OUT, FIXES THE PROBLEM FOR ME. You may have to actually experiment a bit to find the "sweet spot" on your unit but it is there.

Good luck,
Bob~

Thanks Bob! I will try this out for sure

Oh yes....thanks Bob for the idea

I always liked this effect....classic Tenyo at its best.
I just got it out this evening for the first time in years. I read through the instructions and demonstrated the trick for my wife. A big smile of surprise and amazement came across her face. I felt like a kid again...the same feeling I used to get so many years ago when I would fool the pants off family and friends.
I wish Tenyo would return to thier roots and start releasing quality effects like this again! :-/

I forgot to mention one other tip.

As you hold MT with right hand, and apply a little extra pressure with fight thumb, and forefinger, tilt the unit slightly toward you a bit as you begin to pull the slide/carrier, just to make sure that the "catch" is fully engaged. Then tilt the unit away from you as you finish pulling the slide/carrier out of the left side.

BluBob wrote:I forgot to mention one other tip.

As you hold MT with right hand, and apply a little extra pressure with fight thumb, and forefinger, tilt the unit slightly toward you a bit as you begin to pull the slide/carrier, just to make sure that the "catch" is fully engaged. Then tilt the unit away from you as you finish pulling the slide/carrier out of the left side.

Nice tip Bob. Thanks so much

I tried to play around with my MM again yesterday in order to figure out how the case hold the gimmick. If you put your MM in front of you with the frame located on your right side, the stopper located in the printer case bottom left near the hole. It is difficult to describe but you will get my point if you try out. So I change my handling as following : After I`m ready to take the frame out to create the effect, I put my MM still on the table and I slide the frame out slowly but I stop halfway. At certain point you can feel the "click". It is a warning for us to stop. If we do more , it will expose the secret. Note : by doing this, I was quite confident that the gimmick was held by the stopper properly. Because the position is still flat, the possibility that the paper slip out from the clip is smaller than I hold it on my hands. Then I continue to lift my MM and do the tilt move until the frame release completely.

The second thing I figured out was the thickness of the blank paper. It should have suitable thickness in order to clip it to the gimmick properly. If you see the instruction Fig. 10, this is a crucial point. So if the paper is too thin, it will slide out from the clip and if it`s to thick, it will not fit into the clip. I`m currently using a standard 80 gr white paper which can work properly but maybe I should try out with other type of paper.

Hope this will help

Wonderful thinking, and fine illustrations, Victor.

This just goes to show that many of what we think of as issues can be worked through with a high degree of success. When I first encountered the problems which Midas Machine presented, I thought of them as challenges.

Thrilled to share my findings, and even more thrilled that Victor would take the torch and run with it.

Thanks Victor, the thickness of the paper is very important. Learning exactly where the "catch" is located is another brilliant addition to the Midas Machine tips. That point of the MM is exactly where I applied a little more pressure to ensure that the slide/carrier was properly engaged.

Working with these tips should make working with the Midas Machine pretty much bulletproof. It still takes "getting the feel" through repetition to build complete confidence.

Great effect!

Besides, who doesn't like a machine which will print an extra ten-spot?

BluBob wrote:Wonderful thinking, and fine illustrations, Victor.

This just goes to show that many of what we think of as issues can be worked through with a high degree of success. When I first encountered the problems which Midas Machine presented, I thought of them as challenges.

Thrilled to share my findings, and even more thrilled that Victor would take the torch and run with it.

Thanks for the nice words Bob I believe it was part our JohnM`s noble mission, why he created this forum. To create a peaceful place to share the fun and to help each other. This community has become my 2nd home and I feel honored to be part of people with great minds

I big thank you to everyone who contributed giving solutions for this great trick! I played around with mine on Saturday and it worked everytime!

In the evening I did a little demo for a visitor and the darn white paper released when doing the trick - however I must admit I forgot to follow some of the advice you guys gave in this thread, which probably had something to do with the glass of Pastis I had beforehand Alcohol and doing magic just isn't a good combination
By the way, I also performed Tiny Plunger and boy, this is a reputation maker, so funny and great - people love it!

absolute gem of a trick I too wish tenyo would return to this kind of quality of prop and effect. iam sodissapointed with the last few years tricks, everything seems to be done on the cheap now.

Good point Gaz,

I will probably get myself in tons of trouble with this reply.

In years past the Tenyo goal of keeping tricks $25.00 or under was wonderful on many levels.

It seems to me that $25.00 in, 1980 stretched so much further than it does today. Is $25.00 still the limit imposed by Tenyo? If so, should that limit be re-thought so as to enable Tenyo effects return to the higher quality levels of the past?

Please be gentile here. I can see (for quality sake) Tenyo re-thinking the price restriction/limits.

Hi there having trouble getting the right $10 bill,any thoughts.Pete

When I saw the ad for Midas Machine, it really blew my mind, and when I saw it performed, I was absolutely astounded. It is one of those tricks, in my opinion, that is even more impressive once you know the method. To me, this effect is quintessential Tenyo - great effect, diabolical method, and great packaging.