Give Me That Old Time Escape Artistry!
A New Old Time Barrel Escape. This idea is one that I think has the spirit of the golden age of escapes. It has mystery and it is unique. It is a new old time behind the curtain act. I should say out of sight act because the act includes a cabinet or many other ways of blocking view.
One thing that I stay consistent about is that audiences love props and like to see unusual escape situations. I created this for fun and fully believe I could present this in the modern age.
Sketch A is a barrel on a cart. It should be on casters.
Sketch B is a large common utility clamp. It should probably be made from aluminum. It is stationary. In sketch C we have a barrel on a rolling cart with locking casters lined up in the clamp.
Sketch D shows a barrel cover. There is one for each end. They have air holes which also are used as finger holes to get the covers in place. These covers set inside the barrel against a rim inside each end. This would leave the boards with about an inch overhang on each end of this wood barrel.
The artist is placed in the barrel. One end of the barrel is placed on and the barrel is push up against the stationary end of the clamp. Next the opposite end of the barrel is put in place and the clamp is tightened to seal both ends tight.
Note sketch E. This pad that pushes up against the barrel is concave. Now for the sake of making this simple I will say this concave piece is held on by a hex head bolt. If I actually did this I would change that and I will explain that after.
Use a T handle socket wrench to fit on that hex head bolt. The holes in the end of the barrel have no pattern or design except for one. One must line up with the hex head bolt.
The T handle wrench will be used to turn the big bolt on the clamp in reverse. Just a few inches could free the barrel end to make the escape.
Now with that said in the final product I was not going to use a hex head bolt. I was going to have my friend make something special. It might be an area of weld that had some holes or ridges and grooves that a special tool could be made to turn it and no other tool would. Or it might be a special machined bolt unlike any other with a corresponding special socket type wrench to turn it. It also might be possible to make a solid barrel ends with no air holes but rather a very clever small trap that allows a tool to fit through the center area and turn. It doesn't have to be big just clever. And now the concept is here there may be many ideas that come along by other thinkers. No one has seen a barrel escape quite like this one and that is a powerful attraction point.
-N. Bigelow
