People get confused by pendulums. The symptoms of this confusion are glassy eyes and a nervous uncertain twitch at the corner of their mouth. We want to stop the hurting...and that's what this page is all about. This is our "Pirate's Treasure" pendulum with the main parts labelled...and one MISSING from the list...just to keep you on your toes.
Usually the heavy part of the pendulum is called the BOB or MASS. In the image, it's that Spanish looking window thingie at the bottom. The Bob is the business end of the pendulum -- the part that swings over top of...well...whatever you're swinging it over top of.
The Adornment (in this case the delicate gold filigree leaves) serves only the function of "looking cool and/or pretty." These add a spiffy little tinkling sound as the pendulum moves...but there's no actual purpose for them.
The Break is the part of the pendulum that ISN'T in the picture. (What do you want for free, HUH?) It would go somewhere on the chain between the Adornment and where the word "CHAIN" is printed. The BREAK is a feature on many of our pendulums. Typically, it's a crystal bead, placed at the middle point on a chain.
"What does a 'break' do?" you ask. (Great question, by the way.)
There are TWO places you can hold a pendulum: at the BREAK or by the HOLD. (The Hold, in this case, is the Skull. Y'know...the one with the big red letters and the arrow. But you already knew that, right?) You may also choose to hold the pendulum by the BREAK to shorten the chain.
"Why would I want to do that?" you ask insightfully.
A shorter chain usually means a more responsive pendulum. The kinetic energy has a much shorter distance to travel. If you (or more likely your SPECTATOR) is having problems getting the pendulum to move, hold it by the break and watch the pendulum become instantly more responsive.
"So how come ALL of your pendulums aren't short?" you ask...again.
A longer pendulum can be seen from a much greater distance. In close up...and even some parlor magic settings, your audience will have a very hard time seeing a short chained pendulum move. A longer chain means more people can see the magic. While it's easy to shorten the chain by using a BREAK or simply holding it lower, you can't lengthen that sucker. The vast majority of our pendulums are designed to give you the option.
The longer chains respond very well. It just takes a little bit longer.