Hi All:

This may be the wrong serving station, but let me try and if need be perhaps some one can point to wear I should go to find the red wine to go with my create stew(ing).

Anyone know of a trick/illusion -- historical or contemporary -- where writing/symbols materialize etched in stone (a boulder, etc?).

Been considering some delayed acid reaction as a starting point, but wanted to see if theree's some precedent. So far my research has not yielded anything, but I'm still trying.

Any help would be appreciated. One part of me says I'll have to work this out from scratch while another keeps bringing up footnotes to Plato. Meanwhile I have a fiction protagonist who was mentored by Houdini and Conan Doyle, among others, stuck in Nazi Germany and the clock is ticking.

Thanks much for any direction pointing!

Yours In Magic!

gf kriss

I have created special effects in the theater before. Were it me, I would make the stone of plaster, complete with the runes/symbols you want to reveal. Paint the entire "stone" with a faux stone finish (preferably a white marble) and once dry, coat it with a water proofing finish. Crush up some alka seltzer and pack it into the "carved" runes. Lightly go over it with thick, water based paint, dry brushing it to blend. For the reveal, pour water over the area.

I have not actually tried this effect, but in theory, it should work. At least it will give you a place to start. The key would be to not use thin enough paint for the blending that you will set off the seltzer. Better put down some plastic...