El Duco Swedish Reel

A large silk that visually penetrates a microphone stand, a ring or another silk, is a magic miracle. You don’t need to explain the impossible, the magic moment is that strong that it is self-explaining. It plays big and packs small, it could be the perfect opener or turned into an act of amusement. It is not complicated; it is just real (reel) magic.

The problem is the device needed to perfect the illusion. Christer Gustavsson (El Duco) took his idea for a perfect reel to a master engineer. After two years the engineer Bertil had created the optimal reel. It wasn’t designed as a regular reel, instead the construction was ground breaking – and complicated. El Duco passed in 2008 and Gay Ljungberg from Gycklaren Magic marketing took over the El Duco’s magic. Bertil continued to make the reels, but he also became older and in 2014 he also passed away. The reel disappeared from the market and could only be found on second hand shops and Ebay, often at prices around 400-600 dollars. The reel became a legend, and in the legends shadow, other reels tried to break ground. But no other reel had the qualifications to turn the penetrating silk into a miracle.

“I have had the chance to play with your reels and I love them”
-Michael Ammar

A few years ago, Gay Ljungberg asked me if I wanted to take over the El Duco’s Legacy when he decided to retire. Of course I would, it is a once in a life time opportunity. Along with the rights of many hundred magic effects, the one that I valued the most was the mythical Swedish Reel. The reel was so complicated and made with a stunning precision, that it was considered impossible to make. Besides that, there was a need for special made tools and jigs. None of these, or the knowledge of how the reel was made was left. Bertil took his secrets with him in the afterlife. But full of confidence I told Gay that I would make it, it is a reel – how hard could it be? It turned out to be almost impossible… Almost

I am very proud over the result and I have added a few improvements along the way. The original reel had a 0.25mm thick fishing line as a thread. Fishing line is not invisible on stage, a better solution is a darker thread. The breaking strength on the original line is 4.5 kg. That means that the thread would break if you extended and let go of the thread. Instead of a fishing line I added a black 0.14mm strong braid with a breaking strength of 12 kg. You will not break this thread. I also re-designed the spring. I wanted to have a reel with the same tension all the way. A normal spring doesn’t work in that way. But why not, lets add another challenge to the task of re-making a reel that couldn’t be made! The new spring design made a major difference and improved the reel to a new level. The spring itself builds the tension. Other reels will be stronger when you extend the thread and weaker when the thread rolls back. The Swedish reel have the same torque which will give a smooth movement of the silk all the way.

The original reel had a piece of white cloth tied to the end of the thread. The cloth was also a weak point and if you extend the thread and let it go, it would break in that spot. I decided to go for another solution and instead I added a thin black rubber disc. This will never break and prevent the “rookie mistake”. You can still fold the silk around the rubber and sew it in place, I added two holes for easy sewing, or cut it off and sew with the end of the thread. Finally, after consideration from both Jeff McBride and Michael Ammar, I decided to paint the reel in flesh color instead of the original black. Besides this, I have kept the original design and the unique construction.

So, for the first time since 2014 The Swedish Reel is back on the market. Still, it is handmade and I make all of the reels in my workshop. It is a complicated and time-consuming process, and the demand is higher than the quantities I can produce. This means that the reel sometimes will be out of stock, but I will continuously make them. If it is out of stock, send me a message and I will tell you when it will be available again.

“The Swedish Reel is back on the throne as the best in the world!”
-Axel Adler

In the set you will get:

• The El Duco Swedish Reel
• A 60x60cm (24×24 inch) red silk
• The original Instructions
• Video instructions