This is an incomprehensible penetration of a heavy piece of glass 1/4 inch thick by a steel ball bearing.

Two metal tubes are stacked with the glass separating them and all placed on a clear saucer. The steel ball bearing is held above the top tube and dropped and heard to hit the glass.

A split second passes and the steel ball drops to the glass plate below where it is seen to arrive between the legs of the lower most tube.

This is a Thayer Magic Manufacturing original and a creation devised by the legendary S.H. Sharpe. Includes instructions.

Reprint from The Magic Collector:

One tends to think of Thayer Magic Manufacturing in Los Angeles California as a company whose production entailed beautifully painted wood props and very special items involving meticulous wood turning and any departure from this might not readily be recognizable as Thayer.

In the mid 1940’s Thayer Manufacturing would engage the talents of manufacturing from others to produce items exclusively as Thayer Products and one such individual was Harold Mayer working in metal. The metal described in the advertising as Dural was actually Duralumin, a light weight and strong alloy of Aluminum with Copper, Manganese, Magnesium and Silicon. U-235 arrived in an ad of November 1946 stating, “Over the counter sales have been big and every sale brings others.” Credit to its creation is given to Sam H. Sharpe, noted literary great and inventor from Great Britain whose works are much in demand to fill conjuring libraries around the world.

The effect makes use of a thick piece of glass, two Duralumin tubes, a steel ball bearing and a saucer of your own provision as Thayer stated, “We don’t supply the saucer as anyone will do.” At first the saucer is shown and placed upon the table and then the first tube is shown to have three short legs and this tube is placed upon the saucer.

The heavy and very solid piece of glass is placed over the tube with legs and last the second tube which is shown to be plain and also without preparation is positioned in alignment with the lower tube and rested upon the glass.

The magician would hold up the steel ball bearing stating, “In my hand I hold the only piece of Uranium now available in this Country. To split this element into molecules, and even into atoms, would cause no wonderment in this age of scientific advancement. To divide the atoms themselves is, however, much more difficult.”

The magician goes on to say, “In lieu of more costly scientific and laboratory equipment I’ll use this saucer and these two tubes. One tube goes here then we’ll separate it from the other tube by placing a sheet of solid glass between them. Glass, as you know, is made from a certain type of sand and is, in itself, nothing but a group of molecules held together by a physical cohesive force. So here’s our picture, one tube above, one below separated from each other by a sheet of glass and now to break of the atoms watch, watch and listen!”

At this point the magician holds the steel ball bearing dead center above the uppermost tube and lets go stating, “Ready Go!” The ball is let go of and heard to strike the glass and a second later falls to the bottom of the lower tube where it is seen to arrive!

The magician goes on to say, “You see, the ball struck the glass and broke into molecules, the molecules then separated into atoms, the atoms broke up and passed right through the molecular construction of the glass, then, as it fell to the saucer everything went right back into place and here it is.” The magician reaches for the ball bearing and removes it handing it to spectator for examination.

Enhancements to the effect are the marking by a spectator of the steel ball with a soft crayon prior to the penetration and for the laying of a borrowed dollar bill atop the glass between the tubes so the ball appears to penetrate both the glass and the bill.

Subsequent ads for Crash U-235 were ones of praise from magicians that had seen and bought the effect and those from mail order sales enthusiastic over the impact on their audience. One comment in particular was from a magician that said he had a little show before the Physics and Chemistry Classes of the High School in his area saying it really went over as a serious effect and the workmanship is beyond compare.

If you are fortunate enough to acquire one of these space age little miracles made by Mayer and sold by Thayer you too will sit as I have dropping the steel ball repeatedly hearing the first crash and the second crash as it fall to the saucer coming into view between the legs of the bottom tube. In the minds of the spectators it is just not possible that such a penetration could happen and we only have Mr. Sam Sharpe the great theorist, inventor and philosopher on magic to thank for devising such an effect.