How to Make a Dove Pan

Even children can master the dove pan trick.

From the outside, a dove pan is just a basic metal pan with a lid. But in the hands of a magician this pan seems to produce live doves -- or just about anything else that will fit under the lid -- out of thin air. The secret is a second, smaller pan that fits under the lid and is held in place -- and out of sight -- with magnets.

Things You'll Need

• Large cake pan
• Metal bowl
• Smaller metal cake pan
• Drill
• Cabinet knob
• E6000 glue
• 3 magnets

Instructions

1. Find a metal cake pan, a metal bowl that fits on top of the cake pan as a lid and another smaller cake pan that fits inside the metal bowl. They should all fit inside each other snugly.

2. Drill a hole in the center of the bottom of the metal bowl (which will be the top of the lid). The size of the hole depends on the size of the cabinet knob you have. Screw the knob into the hole to create the handle for the dove pan lid.

3. Glue the three magnets on the inside of the lid at the right height to hold the smaller pan in place. Use E6000 or a similarly strong glue. Allow the glue as much time as it needs to dry.

4. Prepare the dove pan so you can perform the trick and make sure everything works. Put something inside the smaller pan. Something made of foam that can get squished under the lid and expand when it is revealed works well. Secure the smaller pan in place with the magnets.

5. Remove the lid to show your practice audience that the pan is empty. Hold the pan lid up to your chest so nobody can see what is underneath.

6. Place the lid back on the bottom of the dove pan. You will need to practice this part to get a feel for how hard you need to slam down the lid to release the smaller lid and its contents.

7. Remove the lid and reveal what was secretly under it all along.

References

• Metacafe: Dove Pan Magic Trick Revealed
• Harries Magic: Dove Pan deLuxe