Trick #2: Cut & Restored String

A string or rope is cut into two pieces, and then magically restored into one piece!

REQUIREMENTS:
1.) One piece of heavy string or thin rope
2.) A piece of writing paper.
3.) A pair of good scissors.

The Cut-and-Restored rope effect is a classic of magic. Prefold a piece of paper before the show so it looks like the paper in Figure 1. When it's time to present the trick, pull out the paper and lay the string in it as shown. Fold the top of the paper (section A) down, then fold the bottom of the paper (section C) up.
Now for the secret move: When you fold section C up over section A, use your thumb to catch the string as demonstrated in Figure 2. When you prefold the paper before the show be certain that section A is not so long that it will cover the string. Securely grasp the package as in Figure 3, making sure that the view shown in the diagram is seen only by you. Cut through the paper, as shown in Figure 4. Cut completely through the paper, dividing it and, presumably, the rope in half. In reality, only the paper is cut in half, the rope is still intact. Crumple up the paper, and pull the rope out slowly. It is restored into one complete piece! The paper may be examined, and it will be seen to have been cleanly cut into two halves!