Stainless Steel Blindfold

Description

The Stainless Steel Blindfold

(Limited Release)

By James L. Clark

The Steel Blindfold was invented by my friend Glenn Falkenstein in the 1950s long before he passed away in 2010. In fact, he was so famous for using a curved steel blindfold that when he died, the LA Times stated that Glenn was, “A fast-paced, dynamic performer with crisp diction, [he] was known for his signature blindfold mind-reading act, which he performed around the world, including Las Vegas, and on The Tonight Show and other TV shows.” Anyone with an ounce of understanding of magic history, knows Glenn pioneered the use of a curved metal blindfold—despite what some revisionists would like you to believe in an effort to protect their financial interest in similar products. But make no mistake about it; using blindfolds, including this design, goes back far longer than that, as does the method of looking down the nose to glimpse things.

I got the idea to make a version from him and from a blindfold I purchased called the Deluxe Metal Blindfold by Dave Powell. I am also aware that Richard Osterlind has a stainless steel version on the market, but do not own it. The use of stainless steel, brushed steel, sheet metal, aluminum, and other similar metals are very logical choices for making anything that you want to last—least of all a blindfold. I’ve also considered making the curved blindfold out of wood, plastic, carbon fiber, and even Kydex (the thermo plastic I used to make holsters).

As it pertains to this particular product, it isn’t the first time people have ever seen a stainless steel blindfold. In fact, millions upon millions of people worldwide have seen one very similar to this version worn by Doc Brown in the rather larger than life movie Back to the Future II (notice the screen grab with a version of this on Doc’s forehead and the rounded nose section). Though, I should note that the nose section does not look exactly like the photo or the product image, mostly because I don’t want anyone to see the exact design.

As you already know, this product is made of steel—hence the name. It comes in two flavors, one made of 16 gauge blued/blacked steel and a 20 gauge stainless. The sell out quickly when released, so one never knows which version will be available and when. The former goes through a chemical bluing process that oxidizes the metal to give it a darker color, much like that of a firearm. The latter, is cut directly from a massive sheet of stainless steel. The blue version is slightly thicker than the stainless version, only because the density and strength of these two different metals vary a little. The stainless steel is also a very, very expensive product so the price tends to be a little higher.

When I first started thinking about making blindfolds like these, I decided to play around with the shape and how they might sit on the bridge of the nose, and even how one would peek things given that steel is solid. I tend to start with ideas on paper then progress to AutoCAD to get the basic design and measurements down. I did this entirely on my own, without the assistance of other products as models. Here’s some examples I created and then cut out on the waterjet before finally settling on two designs that I’d sell publicly.

Here’s the original video I released with this product some years back.