Sands of the Nile
Encyclopedia
Sands of the Nile, also known as Hindu Sands, is a stage illusion
which was performed and made popular by Doug Henning
.
Henning would stand behind a small, high, table, bearing a large transparent bowl and three small piles of colored sand. He would begin by pouring ordinary-looking water into the bowl. As he began to tell a story about an ancient Egyptian ritual, he would stir the water with his bare hand, upon which it would turn black and opaque. As the story unfolded, he would then place a handful of each color of sand into the bowl of dark water, then extract them, one by one, dry and unmixed. Henning would then stir the water one last time, and it would again become completely clear, with a few stray grains of sand left in it.
There is a product called magic sand
(or "Wondersand" or "Space Sand"), that is, or at least was, available in almost any well-stocked toy store, science education supply house, and perhaps also in some science museum gift shops. It consists of dyed sand with a strongly hydrophobic coating. It may or may not have been originally developed as a way to sink oil spills; it is apparently also used to surround buried pipes in extremely cold climates; its water-repellent properties would allow the pipes to be dug up easily for maintenance. It was primarily marketed, though, as a children's toy, a material that could be poured into a container of water, and sculpted while underwater: once the water was poured off, the sculpture, held together by the surface tension
of the surrounding water, would collapse.
Darkening the water at the beginning of the trick, then clearing it at the end, could be accomplished by a variety of methods, involving either dyes and bleaches, or a reversible (or even timed) chemical reaction. By using "magic sand," each handful of sand would remain dry under water, and would be held in an easily-retrieved clump by surface tension, so long as it remained underwater.
Clearly, the hardest part of such a trick is the presentation.
Magic (illusion)
Magic is a performing art that entertains audiences by staging tricks or creating illusions of seemingly impossible or supernatural feats using natural means...
which was performed and made popular by Doug Henning
Doug Henning
Douglas James Henning was a Canadian magician, illusionist, escape artist and politician.-Early life:...
.
Henning would stand behind a small, high, table, bearing a large transparent bowl and three small piles of colored sand. He would begin by pouring ordinary-looking water into the bowl. As he began to tell a story about an ancient Egyptian ritual, he would stir the water with his bare hand, upon which it would turn black and opaque. As the story unfolded, he would then place a handful of each color of sand into the bowl of dark water, then extract them, one by one, dry and unmixed. Henning would then stir the water one last time, and it would again become completely clear, with a few stray grains of sand left in it.
Method
This is a classic item sold at magic shops. Here is one method that some have used to duplicate the magic shop item:There is a product called magic sand
Magic sand
Magic sand, Moon Sand, Mars Sand, Space Sand,Sqand or Aqua Sand is a toy made from sand coated with a hydrophobic compound. The presence of this hydrophobic compound causes the grains of sand to adhere to one another and form cylinders when exposed to water...
(or "Wondersand" or "Space Sand"), that is, or at least was, available in almost any well-stocked toy store, science education supply house, and perhaps also in some science museum gift shops. It consists of dyed sand with a strongly hydrophobic coating. It may or may not have been originally developed as a way to sink oil spills; it is apparently also used to surround buried pipes in extremely cold climates; its water-repellent properties would allow the pipes to be dug up easily for maintenance. It was primarily marketed, though, as a children's toy, a material that could be poured into a container of water, and sculpted while underwater: once the water was poured off, the sculpture, held together by the surface tension
Surface tension
Surface tension is a property of the surface of a liquid that allows it to resist an external force. It is revealed, for example, in floating of some objects on the surface of water, even though they are denser than water, and in the ability of some insects to run on the water surface...
of the surrounding water, would collapse.
Darkening the water at the beginning of the trick, then clearing it at the end, could be accomplished by a variety of methods, involving either dyes and bleaches, or a reversible (or even timed) chemical reaction. By using "magic sand," each handful of sand would remain dry under water, and would be held in an easily-retrieved clump by surface tension, so long as it remained underwater.
Clearly, the hardest part of such a trick is the presentation.