Illusionist Locket - How to Make

For our first anniversary, I decided to gift my girlfriend the locket from "The Illusionist," one of my favorite childhood movies. The movie’s intriguing story and magic tricks captivated me as a child, sparking my imagination and inspiring me to mimic the illusions I had just witnessed.

I was amazed by the locket’s design and knew that one day I wanted to give it to someone special. After an initial attempt during my school days, which I’d rather forget, I worked on a much-improved second version. My goal was to create a functional locket with the right dimensions for everyday wear. While it doesn’t include space for a photo like the original, it features two engravings that remind us of the beautiful moments we’ve shared.

The supplies used:

1. Common pin
2. Super glue
3. Vinegar and sandpaper (to clean the surfaces)
4. Laser-cut MDF 3mm (file attached)

One of the challenges in making the locket functional is the size of its mechanism; it needs to be relatively thin compared to its other dimensions. Keeping this in mind, the final dimensions are 35 mm in height, 15 mm in width, and 5 mm in depth.

As for the mechanism: Internally, the rotation that allows the locket to transform into a heart is achieved using a press-fitted axle (the pin). Externally, a split axle enables the outer cover to move, revealing the hidden message.

I created the pieces in Adobe Illustrator, which were later laser-cut. I included different styles of external and internal covers so I could decide on the best one during assembly and have backups in case of mistakes.

The final designs chosen were as follows: a butterfly for the external covers, and for the internal covers, an outline of two hands holding each other and the number "04.04," representing our anniversary date.

After picking up the laser-cut MDF piece, I carefully removed the pieces from the sheet and organized them by category. I then cleaned them with white vinegar to remove the carbon residue left from the cutting process.

The axle that allows the rotation of the two pieces is press-fitted into the external covers. This axle is a small pin. The half of the pin with the head is inserted without adhesive, while the other half is bent and secured with instant glue. I recommend making some preliminary marks to ease the process with sandpaper and a rotary tool.

Once the first part is glued, the head of the pin is press-fitted with the internal covers, which are adhered together without the glue touching the pin; otherwise, the rotation will be hindered.

The external covers must be sanded down to a thickness of 1mm. Then, aligning with the semicircles on the internal covers, the half-axles are positioned.

The half-axles are glued to each half of the external covers, and finally, they are assembled into the complete mechanism.

After polishing the entire piece, a U-shaped wire is added. Attach the locket to a chain, place it in a box, wrap it up, and present it to someone special. Enjoy the look of amazement on their face as they watch the locket rotate and the lid slide open to reveal the hidden message.

Best of luck!