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Copyright 2010 - B. de Corbin and Splendid Fish Studio

What's new, Bill?

Last update 4/16/2010

Michigan Witches Ball 2010

I am very excited to be a sponsor for this great event! To find out more about one of Michigan's best parties, click the link above.

All sales are now being handled through my Etsy shop: www.splendidfish.etsy.com
Click on the link above to see what is currently available.
Don't worry, friends, it's still me behind the scenes!

I've added a new section called

Gods, Heroes, and a Couple of Regular Guys:
Corbin's Tall Tales

When I create a new piece
of design work, it often happens that they come, much like a baby with a silver spoon in it's mouth, bearing a story. Unfortunately, when I sell a piece, the story is sometimes lost with it. I've decided to collect these stories into a section all
their own, for your enjoyment.

Enjoy them!

Don't forget to click on the BLUE WORDS anywhere on this site to enter
new worlds of mythic imagination.

The Sorcerer's Book of Fun Things
to Make and Do

Project 3:
An Etched Metal Amulet or Talisman
Page 3

Back to Page 2

Go to Page 4

Step two - Prepare the Amulet for Etching:

Cover the back of the amulet with duct tape. Also, cover the sides with duct tape. Whatever you cover with duct tape WONT be etched. Cover the tab with duct tape, but leave the far end (with the hole) uncovered. You’ll need to to attach an electrical wire to this later (see picture).

Being careful not to touch the surface of the amulet, use the red marker to draw or write the appropriate symbols and/or letters on the amulet. Make sure that the lines are heavy and solid. You may need to go over them twice. As you are doing this, you might be required to burn incense, chant sutras, dance naked, or sacrifice a small animal. See your Grimoire for more specific details.

Step three - Etch the Amulet

Take the wire attached to the negative (flat) end of the battery, and thread it through the hole you drilled in the scrap alloy. Twist the wire around to make a good electrical connection. Attach the wire from the positive (nubbed) end of the battery, and thread it through the hole you drilled in the tab of your amulet. Twist it around to make a good electrical connection. Be careful not to let the two wires or the two pieces of metal touch or you’ll suffer from premature discharge!

Fill the container you are using for an etching tank with your salt water solution. Submerge the two pieces of metal (scrap and amulet) in the salt water. Make sure that the side of the amulet to be etched is facing the piece of scrap, and is roughly parallel to it. The closer you can get them without letting them touch, the faster the etching will take place.

I have them set up in a large tank here because I sometimes etch large pieces of metal, and generally don't mind running things over night. The etching would be much quicker if the two pieces of metal were about an inch or so apart. In fact, I later moved them much closer together...

If everything is working, you notice, almost immediately, that there are thousands of tiny bubbles rising from the SCRAP piece of metal. They’ll be so tiny that they look like smoke in the water. If the bubbles are coming from the amulet, you have your electrical connections mixed up, and need to reverse them.

I realize that you can't tell from the picture what is happening, but, once you have it set up you''l see the bubbles - and it will look just like this picture. Weird how that happens...