Illusionist locket: A how to.

Last Christmas, I decided to make my girlfriend the locket from the Illusionist ..For those of you who haven't seen exactly what this locket is, here is a scene from the movie http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nvKWNyp5bbI ... As far as i know, in the movie, they used two lockets and didn't actually make a working one.
As you can imagine, after some people saw this cool locket, they wanted to make a working one, myself included.
The first thing I did after I decided to make the locket was to have a quick google search.
one of the most usefull links I found was http://cranitorium.com/aneurysm/index.php?Itemid=50&id=20&option=com_content&task=view..... and from instructales user Pushan Panda (http://www.instructables.com/id/Illusionist-Heart-Locket/).

I wanted to make it more than a plain locket, to have some detail in the front and back surface so that it was visually more appealing.
With this in mind, I started looking up veneers. I then had the idea of making the front and back surface from two separate materials so there was a full depth inlay.

I came up with a few designs for the front, from the butterfly seen in the movie to stars and horse shoes. In the end, I decided to go with a stylised A (her first initial) and used a Celtic script ( I'm Irish :P )

If you like this instructable, please vote for it in the holiday gift competition and in the instructable design contest. Thank you!! :D

Here is a video of my locket:

Note: I have made two of these now. A replacement was made and some of the things learned from the first attempt were applied here. This means that images from both lockets are used, but they were the exact same so no biggie. Thanks to Anna for recording the video.

Step 1: Bill of materials and equipment

So, when I made the locket, I had access to a laser cutter in a local school. This doesn't mean this can't be done without one though!!!! If you have a scroll saw, you could manage this project with some patience and some fresh blades. I used a scroll saw to make a larger scale one before I made the actual one and it should be no problem to do.
Anyway, here is the list of equipment:

• Sand paper ( some fine, medium and coarse grades)
• Laser cutter or Scroll saw,
• Scalper with good blades,
• Good tweezers,
• Glue ( I used super thin model aircraft super-glue but regular super-glue will do too..any strong glue that adheres well to wood and acrylic should do)
• Glue remover( for your fingers :P)
• Fine drill bit(same diameter as magnets)
• Pin vice for drill bit ( can use drill but be carefull!!!)
• Table saw or bandsaw
• Needle nose pliers
• Drill or lathe( wood lathe is fine)
• Fret saw (makes life easier)
• Jewelers files (optional)

Warning!!!
Please, do not use any tools that you are unfamiliar with!! Ask for help!! Some of these tools can be very dangerous and should be treated with care. I take no responsibilities for any injuries sustained in the process manufacturing this locket. You've been warned....

Materials:

• 3mm Arcylic( don't need much but may need to make a few test pieces, 100mm x 100mm should be enough)
• Your wood of choice. Pick one that'll look good and has a nice grain. I used walnut. (again, you may need bits for testing so minimum 40mm x 40 mm x 100mm block
• Wooden dowel for the split pin approx 10mm diameter but it'll be reduced later.
• Varnish + brush( I used Ronseal Ultra Tough Satin Coat, Clear)
• Some strong wire to make the loop to attach the chain ( I used some AL brazing wire)
• Small magnets( to keep the locket locked in either configuration, improves rigidity) mine were 1.5mm neodymium cubes .....you need around a dozen
• A dress maker pin with a small round ball at one end(around 2-3mm diameter) use a good one

Comments

[dermord]

can you label the layer in the pictures? (or tell me which they are?)I got 8 layer but don't know which are....by the way, excellent job!

[nazdreg2007]

Do you want me to label the exploded drawing?? or do you just mean what "top" or "upper" is??

[dermord]

like this?

[nazdreg2007]

The parts on the left side of the picture, if you glue the top three pieces together (red), and on the right hand side glue the three bottom pieces (green). Just make sure to install the rotating pin before it's all glued

[dermord]

ahhh i get it , i have to glue the all the parts from the red and the green rectangle. thank you! and yes i´m working on the spin right now !thanks !!!!

[nazdreg2007]

No bother!! Good luck and make sure to send a pic of the completed locket :)

[dermord]

or the glued ones are the layer 1 lower with layer 2 solid and layer 3 solid with layer 4 upper, and layer 3 lower with layer 1upper, and layer 4 lower with layer 2 lower?

[dermord]

to label the exploded drawing :) heheheh by the way, im having some glue issues....the layer 1 lower its glued with the the layer 2 solid? and the the layer 4 lower with the layer 3 solid? sorry I really don't understand which parts should be glued. and what is the fuction of the magnets? sorry for so many question´s but i´m stuck (and sorry about my english too heh

[BigCountry]

That's a pretty neat deal! I have no laser, and my scrollsaw was stolen last year, but I am printing this one out and putting it in my "things to do when I have the tools/materials/time " file. I really like it. Thanks, great Instructable, you have my vote!!

[Madrigorne]

make it out of cardboard as a mockup.

[sabu.dawdy]

crdboard was also the idea which came up to my mind

[nazdreg2007]

Thanks...that's a shame about your equipment :(

[jeasterl]

wow i'm going to try this in a while it will be mostly made with hand tools jewelers saws and dremel type tools i hope with care i can make something similar. suggestion if you make one again skip the varnish and use walnut oil it takes longer but it does not change the size

[nazdreg2007]

Yeah, i had thought about using an oil but i wanted a hard coating to protect if from any small damage, though the oil would prob work just as well. Good luck with it :)

[brenkert]

You are so Bad Ass! This is so Bad Ass! ;D Thank you! I remember when I first watched that movie, I looked endlessly for anything on how to make it or at least something similar..nothing! Years later I find how to make it! Thank you! I'm very psyched to find this & give it a try, or 2, or 3! Ha, ha :D

[nazdreg2007]

Haha,Cheers :)

[static]

Nice craftspersonship, and a good instructable. While I really don't care, but say no to vertical videos :)

[nazdreg2007]

Hahaha :) cheers

[sabu.dawdy]

thank you thank you thank you i soo wanted to make this locket for my crush hehehee :D

[nazdreg2007]

Awesome :) lemme know how it goes :)

[sabu.dawdy]

actually .. i am trying not to use wood :S .. i will make it from another material.. hope for the best..

[kage_no_mozaiku]

lol this is in*sane*! impressive job, especially for it to work as it should.

[nazdreg2007]

Thanks :)

[MicioGatta]

This is wonderful.... and I'll never be able to do it >=_=<. But congratulations! >*.*<

[nazdreg2007]

Cheers :)

[nflemming2004]

I really like the idea. if you ever re-do it though, you might consider making the "A" upside-down on one side. That way when you swivel the piece into its heart shape, it forms symmetric patterns on both sides

[grndnl]

what exactly do you mean by this? are you talking about drawing the A so that it looks like an A when in the heart position?

[nflemming2004]

no... if you look at the film clip from "The Illusionist", the butterfly is upside down on one side of the pendant. That way, when in the "heart" configuration, the pattern, while not a butterfly, is at least symmetric.

[nazdreg2007]

Yeah, not a bad idea......never really thought of that....

[kage_no_mozaiku]

please forgive me for sounding nit-picky mate...but at the end of #1 you rather spelled rod "rob". a minor slip of the keys i thought i'd point out.

[Bobblehead Einstein]

(O_o).......(o_O).........Cant wait to start building it! =)

[nazdreg2007]

Lemme know how it goes!!

[Bobblehead Einstein]

I will :D

[tech dawg]

This is awesome I wish I could make this! But I'm not very skilled with saws and we don't have a laser cutter but anyway congrats this is great!

[nazdreg2007]

Cheers :) you could try use one of the laser services like ponko too

[tech dawg]

ah ok thanks man!

[Dr.Cnet]

Greaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat :)

[nazdreg2007]

Cheers :)

[awesomeguy1235]

i'm... just going to skip the opening part or now... it broke my brain

[nazdreg2007]

Hahah cheers :)