the tear...

Now pull the corners outwards and downwards, while maintaining the pinch with your index fingers. This will cause the cover to rip first, then each of the pages, one after the other. The hardest part is the initial rip; after that tear in one motion for full effect!
Obviously, the thicker the phonebook, the more finger strength the trick requires. However, you can challenge your friends to do this: without the proper technique, it is practically impossible to achieve!

Warning though: there soon won't be any phonebooks left in your house if you enjoy this trick as much as I do. Thank god for the internet!

Comments

[PKTraceur]

Im sorry, you just made me have to impress a LOT of people. :) Im trying to find a book right now, do you have any tips on where to find free extras? -PKT

[krazykid7945]

princeton club has lots of free yellow pages

[Zaphod Beeblebrox]

mythbusters

[zascecs]

Don't ever call me weak again now.....
^lol

[cspannos]

oh, you have to post a video using a bigger phone book! it's hard bending the bigger ones in the proper way... any suggestions?

[sam noyoun]

hmmmm.... it is harder, but the principle is the same. You just require a little more grip strength.

[oinkoinkzoopals]

yeah i tried to tear a big phone book in half and i couldnt get anything but then again im only 14 years old and dont have the muscle mass maybe

[xalener]

Age means nothing. You don't get stronger from existing longer.

[Thelonelysandwitch]

im 14 and I got it, it is just really hard with the big ones

[milamber]

due i just turned 15 so i know were ya at i needed strong fingers for rock climing the answere? it easy stress balls and chunks o wax stretch bend squash and tear them (also if u do climb try smaler and smaler holds helps heaps)

[PKTraceur]

Bouldering is the best training for that. I can hang on one arm for literally 300 seconds, or more. (5 min or more) -PKT

[milamber]

very impresive lol haha i posted that coment just under 1 year ago i just turnied 16 know also does pk stand for parkour (talkin bout ya name) and r u realy a traceur

[PKTraceur]

Yes, you are correct on both.

[SketchBoard]

I learned this after watching some random youtube dreck...So far I have ripped over 30 phone books in half, just ask my roommate. hes amazed that i keep finding stashes of them.. great for taking out rage...oh key point...you must get the pinch and the fold just right or it will give you some trouble...also several failed attempts left my hands worn and inked from the cover...yes you must really grab it.HARD......also if you live in a building they probably deliver like 2doz. every few months. wait a day or so and take em...my superintendent thanked me

[damasta]

the video didn't work for me, but I managed to rip a phonebook successfully when I reached step 2 thanx for the instructable

[ckarkgriswald]

twenty years ago i did this for beers with a denver phonebook. Today I do it once or twice a year to impress young bucks. (with a Lake of the Ozarks book) Thanks for giving away the secret. Good I dont drink beer any more. PS I once taught a 50 y.o. woman to do it for everyones amazement.

[Gabba]

Oh man.............. I will try this until I get it right!!!!!!

[sam noyoun]

the hardest part is getting enough phonebooks to practice with in my opinion...

[Erik Andersen]

My school passes them out in our town for a fund raiser. I guess you know who (me!) will be asking for the usual about 400 left. This will impress the heck out of my friends at school! In fact, my teacher is always saying he can rip a phone book and just about no one else in my school knows how.(There is about 80 people in my school).

[codongolev]

i'm 14, and I did it about a year ago. so a 13 year old can do it, why can't you?

[chaire1]

hEY PPL IT IS THE YEAR 2008

[codongolev]

why yes.... yes it is.

[chetspencer]

I just did a 725 pager in about 1 min ;) first try. Thanks

[a_d777]

Hm...nice...but, try on this one...!

[sfl_strongman]

ummmm that not a phonebook its a microsoft book. the vid is how to tear a phone book not a microsoft book

[flio191]

you mean the snickers?, man ill... ill take that... from you.. and rip it with my teef.

[a_d777]

yeah...the snickers! That book behind is for comparison! And, why dont you just gimme that book?? uhh ill sell that in scrap-at least it'll be sold for some 2-3 $ lol!

[Bas]

Isn't it satisfying to tear up something so thick so useless and written by such thickheads? (:

[old_bass_masta]

ouch

[tallproducer]

thats a tiny phonebook....

[B-radical_pyro]

aha this is pretty cool. except it only works with actual paper, not the like, big sears magazines that have a glaze kinda thing on them. but still, pretty awesome

[GorillazMiko]

we tried doing this, it was way too hard though

[dlohnes]

Thanks for making me the office strong man.

[themasterpyro]

got ne advice for those realy thick ones?

[KillerRodent]

I actually did one almost twice as thick as the one he's using and it worked it just bent a little different and took a bit longer, but the front cover ripped off, also try ripping few of the thicker shiny ad pages out from the inside first the, there were around 4 in the one i was using.

[nagutron]

I guess it's all about getting the tear started at the top of the phone book pages, hm? Nice Instructable!

[oinkoinkzoopals]

thats where im having trouble

[sam noyoun]

yea, Once you've got the tear started, it's easy...

[frankrede]

Thanks man, I just impressed the shit out of my dad with this! Took me a little while but he couldn't do it and I could when I am only 15 years old

[sonicthechao]

that is 1 of the coolest things ever