Making Talismans, Do-It-Yourself Methods Options

I will describe two ways to produce magical talismans from metal, having used both ways numerous times and having found them satisfactory. The first we will call the "cheap" method, and the second we will call the "laborious" method. I will leave the process of enchantment up to your own ingenium: this will detail the manufacture alone.

The Cheap Method

Get a piece of the sort of metal you want, about the right thickness, and cut it to a convenient shape using metal shears or a coping saw. Copper, tin, silver, and gold can usually be purchased in sheets, and this may save you some time. If you have something like a copper pipe for a start, simply lay it against a hard surface and bash away at it using a hammer. A nice 8 lb. sledge with a short handle proves most effective.

When you have the flattened sheet, engrave your design. You can use an engraving tool or even a nail. if you can do it carefully, and have no engraver, try tapping the design in as little pinpricks with the nail and hammer. This method requires very little skill, very limited resources, and can produce aesthetically pleasing talismans given a good starting material or a very thorough working.

The Laborious Method

You can do this with a whole set of professional equipment for an expense of anywhere from three to ten thousand dollars. What follows will keep your work in the "under $500" range: still expensive if you have a low budget, but not out of reach for someone who really wants to make these things.

1. Begin by carving a sheet of wax into the shape of your finished talisman. Decide whether to engrave the design, or to have it raised. I like to use the latter way, and to this end affix wax wires to the original wax plate by melting them along the edges with a hot needle.

2. Fix your wax design to a small cone of yet more wax, slightly at an angle. If one side has no features, let that side face downward.

3. Mix a batch of plaster. For lead and tin talismans, you can simply use plaster of paris, but for anything else you will ant to use a hardening silicate called "investment plaster." I like to mix this stuff in a box with a plastic viewscreen and arm holes to avoid inhaling any of the dry particles. Make sure you stir it well to remove bubbles. Paint the wet plaster all over the wax design and base, using a fine brush. You might even want to use a second coating.

4. Once dried, cover the entire wax mould setup with a tube of paper, tin foil, or anything that seals at the sides and bottom with an opening at the top. Let the base rest at the bottom, and the top of the tube (called a flask) sit at least half an inch above the highest part of the wax design. Duct tape can help you here, so can plastic wrap. Mix more plaster, and fill the whole tube, trying to get the bubbles out by pouring slowly and tapping the side as it dries.

5. Let it dry for a full day. Do not rush this step, it will lead to certain failure. When fully dried, heat the whole flask until it melts out all the wax and the plaster shines white. A burnout kiln is helpful here, but you can manage with a small fire-grill, especially if you have some sort of covering for the same.

6. Remove the hot flask using tongs, and place it into a "casting sling." By this I mean a small basket affixed either to an actual casting centrifuge or to a long chain. Any sort of apparatus whereby the flask may be spun around very rapidly at short notice will suffice. A typical casting arm has a spring-loaded arm with the flask dangling from one side and a weight on the other, allowing you to wind it up and affix it with a pin until you want it to 'let go' and spin. Do this step quickly, but not in haste.

7. Melt the metal in a crucible. A steel cooking pan, previously prepared, will work for lead or tin. Just heat up some fishing weights or an old lunchbox, and wait for it to melt. For precious metals, use a torch with oxygen and propane available at hardware stores. For a crucible, get one from a dental or jewelry supplier, it should cost around ten dollars. A firebrick worked out to have a divet and a pourig lip will also suffice. While the metal melts, it is helpful to add a pinch of boric acid to ease the flow of heat and to remove impurities.

8. When the metal looks like a shiny rolling ball or similar lump, immediately pour it into the flask. Be sure to use a red-hot flask. if you are not using a casting arm, have an assistant bring you the flask right when the metal is going into it, fresh from the oven. Handle the flask carefully, as the design is held along the interior and is fragile.

9. Immediately let the casting centrifuge go. If you are using a chain, spin it around in a circle, so the metal goes to the interior of the mould. Practice this beforehand, and make sure the flask will not disintegrate or bump anything.

10. Dunk the whole flask in water. Wait for the debris to settle, then extract it and brush off the remaining plaster.

11. Cut away the base and stem with a saw or file. Polish the talisman with a file, sandpaper, and finally polishing cloths. If the metal looks blackened, it needs only to soak in a weak acidic solution, and for this hot water and muratic acid are most common. Buffing wheels and compounds can be used to add final lustre if desired, and the talisman can also be cleaned by steam or ultrasonic devices.

This is how you can do it. I suggest practicing with simple designs first, and then adapting that to rings, pendants, adornments for weaponry of art, and so forth. If you had wanted to do this, you will eventually want to upgrade your equipment, and there are many catalogues for these tools.

This is avery great resource post, thanks!

The only thing I feel should be mentioned is that working with lead is HIGHLY TOXIC. Inhaleing lead fumes(or any metalic fumes for that matter....but keep in mind the high toxity of lead) from incineration is dangerous and should be approached with serious caution.