Disclaimer: I did not invent this. It is often attributed to be the brain child of paranormal investigator Joshua P. Warren. Google it.
(( UPDATE- instructions with pictures: http://bit.ly/OEFa1V ))
Also, I cannot guarantee that this won't cause crazy things to happen. This is a fairly new experiment, and no one really knows what it does. I have heard a lot of very odd noises that sound humanistic from various Devil's Toyboxes (DTs), but not all of them sound human.
The background on this idea is similar to Three Kings: mirrors have long been considered gateways into other dimensions. A lot of people today pass it off as superstitious nonsense, and in truth the idea that "the man in the mirror" is really a copy of you trapped in another dimension does seem silly. However, more modern research into the science behind why paranormal things happen begins to bleed into physics and quantum physics. The idea behind the Devil's Toybox is to use what we know about physics and manipulate energies in a way that becomes conducive to paranormal experience.
The "why": Light has waves. These waves can be manipulated to produce different results. A laser, for example, is a very high-energy light wave with a frequency manipulated to take a beam of light and super concentrate it. In this experiment, we're taking light and refracting it back on itself. Instead of speeding light up, we're slowing it down on an infinite loop. If you've ever held one mirror up to another, you can see an infinite number of reflections until it gets so dark that your eyes can't perceive any more. That doesn't mean they don't exist, you just can't detect them. Now, imagine if you had multiple mirrors that all faced inward, and you can see where this is going. We're taking light and bouncing it in six directions, in an endless loop, simultaneously. It is believed that when we combine the mirrors, it is like adding a signal booster to the reception on a different wavelength.
Construction:
You will need:
Six identical mirrors
An adhesive, such as caulk or duct tape.
A Telephone Pick-Up microphone
Clamps or some type of framework to hold mirrors, or a good squared edge
Flat, clean surface
Glass cleaner and paper towels
Materials can be pretty inexpensive if you shop around. The basic DT is simply six equally-sided mirrors, shaped into a cube, facing inward. Most big-box hardware stores sell mirror tiles on the cheap, about $10 for six (in the US). However, try to find plain-faced mirrors for the best results (instead of beveled). The beveled mirrors are going to reflect the light in even more directions, which may have unforseen results. It doesn't really matter on size, although that could be a variable to test if you have the time and money. Typically 12"x12" is good. Also, again it is important that they are all the same size. If you failed geometry, that's because mirrors of differing sizes won't produce an actual cube.
There are multiple ways to put your DT together, but duct tape and caulk are common. You should be able to find either at the hardware store. If you opt for caulk, the silicone base is nice because its flexible and not brittle. Some investigators go to the extent of wooden frames, etc. If you go on YouTube and search for "Devil's Toybox," there are a few videos on there with different instructions. One investigator built a hinged door into his so that he could test the DT with different supposedly haunted objects inside.
The most simple DT construction is to take two of your mirror tiles and prop them up, mirror sides facing inwards, so that they touch on one side (viewing from the top, in an 'L' shape). If you opt for caulk, you may want to use a few tape to temporarily hold the pieces in place while it dries, then remove the tape and finish the caulk job. Repeat this step, adding one tile each time, until you have a perfect cube with all of the mirrors facing inwards. Before adding the last mirror, I recommend using the glass cleaner to clean all of the tiles before you put the last one on. If the mirrors are dirty, it interferes with the reflections.
Next, I mentioned the Telephone Pick-Up microphone. Some Radio Shacks still sell these, or you can find them on Amazon.com. These are the old microphones that you attach to a landline telephone to record conversations. The microphone doesn't work the same way as a standard mic, instead, it picks up the electromagnetic fields in the phone and translates it into sound. The reason we use this type of microphone is that 1) It can suction cup directly to the box, after all we're trying to record noise inside, and 2) You can yell directly at the microphone and not get a peep, because it doesn't record sound waves.
From there, you just plug your Telephone Pick-Up mic into your recording device of choice (I use a Sony hand-held digital recorder, the audio quality is great for the price and they take abuse well).
There is no recommended time of day, no other instructions other than "experiment." We don't know exactly what will happen, but the results so far have been eerie. Other experiments I'd like to try is adding LED bulbs to the corners and using strobe effects to influence the amount of light and the speed of the light waves. The only issue would be EMF interference with the Telephone Pick Up Mic.
