Make a Prop Witch's Spell Book From Scraps

Make a Prop Witch's Spell Book from Scrap - Halloween is coming!

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I was asked to make a durable "book" to be used as a prop in a witchcraft-themed live-action puzzle. I decided to use a reclaimed wood cutoff and some junk I had laying around my shop to make it. This Instructable will explain what I did, but the video offers more insight into my thoughts. have a gander!

Gathering Material

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I wanted something durable and warm, so this reclaimed wood cut-off was perfect. I love the lath marks on the edge as they look a bit like old binding, so I wanted to save the lines. I also found some old fabric from a wrecked chair, a used leather belt and some various bits of metal and brass tacks to use.

Making Wood Look Like a Book

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I cut the block of wood to my desired size and then routed a 1/4" deep channel around three edges to represent the slight indentation between a hard-cover book's cover and its pages. When doing the top and bottom, I didn't want to rout all the way through as a real book binding wouldn't look that way, so I set up a stop block on my router table to keep the binding the same length as the cover. I used a chisel to straighten out the corners.

Give It "the Look"

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I used a torch to burn the fresh-cut edges of wood (and other parts) to add to the "old" look of the book. I painted the part I just routed white to represent the pages, but i added a splash of yellow and brown accents to make the "pages" look older.

I then cut up the leather belt I found into 4 pieces: 2 run the vertical length of the book as binding and the part where it buckles I ran horizontally to look like a diary clasp. I used PVA glue (Elmer's) to adhere the leather to the wood and secured it with brass finish nails.

I also added some random bits of metal to appear as repairs added to the book over the centuries and I used "Modge Podge" to glue a piece of tattered fabric to the cover, to add to the aged appearance.

Make It "Wiccan"

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I used a Forstner bit to make a slight recess in the cover and carved a pentagram inside the carve to add depth and spookiness. A little red paint was used to fill the star and I added some "bloody" smudges to the corner just for fun.

And that's it! This was WAY more fun to make than I expected and I highly encourage you to create things from leftover scrap whenever you can; it really is fun. Check out the video for more in-depth info and thanks for checking this out.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZHcRKnOFsg4

Be good,

Tim