Easy Magic Trick: How to Bend a Spoon

how to bend a spoon
Project Overview
  • Total Time: 1 hr
  • Skill Level: Beginner

Here's an easy magic trick that every smart aleck needs to know. You grab any spoon, press down on it with your hands and appear to bend the spoon. As your stunned spectators register what you just did, you lift up the spoon and show that it is unbent, just as you found it.

Watch Now: The Quick and Easy Bend a Spoon Magic Trick

While it looks as if you bent the spoon with your bare hands, you actually haven’t harmed the spoon in any way. The secret's in how you hold the spoon—it will take practice to master but it's worth the effort. Below, learn the four simple steps it takes to learn the classic magic trick of bending a spoon.

What You'll Need

Materials

  • 1 Spoon

Instructions

  1. The Grip

    Using both of your hands, grasp the spoon and press the bowl of the spoon, open side up, onto a table. Don't let the top if the handle peek out over your thumbs.

  2. The Grip in Detail

    This image shows the location of the spoons handle in your hands. We've removed one hand to show you the positioning, which is crucial.

  3. The Bend

    As you appear to press down on the spoon’s handle towards the table, the handle of the spoon slides through your hands until it's at the base of your hands, nearest the table.

    This shot shows how the effect looks to spectators, the next image shows what is actually happening.

  4. What's Really Happening

    This image shows the position of the spoon's handle when it appears that you have bent the spoon. The arrow shows the circular path of the handle. Of course, this action is covered by your other hand that is gripping the spoon.

    This trick will take some practice to be convincing.

    When you're done, simply pick up the spoon off of the table with both hands and then show that the spoon is unbent.

Performance Options

Many magicians perform mentalism style effects where spoons are apparently bent by using the "power" of the mind. In these tricks, the spoons are actually bent and in many cases, destroyed.

In this spoon bending trick, the spoon isn't harmed in any way. You could present and perform this one as a destruction and restoration effect where you apparently bend and damage the spoon and then bring it back to its original state.

The other way to present this effect as a quick gag or bit. You, the trickster, simply grab a spoon from the table and then appear to bend it. And everyone has fun being fooled and looking at others' reactions to your little stunt.

Since you're not actually bending the spoon, this one can be particularly fun at a party where you take a host's spoon (the more expensive the better) and apparently bend it. It's a great piece of impromptu magic that can be done at any time you have a spoon.

For more guidance and tips, you can learn this spoon bending trick in this instructional video.