There are various side show gimmicks each burn artist works.

One of the burn artist's tricks is to take your money, tell you to wait and split with your dough.

Explosion in Basement Burns Artist and Wife, Los Angeles Times September 10, 1948 (News Clipping)

"After that first meeting, I wrote this description of him in my notes: The Burn Artist drapes over his seat like a casually tossed leather jacket, other places to be," he writes of a software salesman.