DIY Rusty Nails for Witch Bottles & Spells

Whether you plan to make a traditional European witch bottle for protection, or you want to make a charm to ward off icky vibes from the home, you’ve probably come across a spell or two that calls for “rusty nails.”

But chances are, unless you live in a decaying old Victorian (in which case, lucky you!), you don’t keep rusty nails just lying around the house.

Fortunately, it’s easy to make rusty nails from the ordinary, brand new nails you find at the hardware store.

Ideas for using rusty nails.

Rusty nails symbolize a particularly aggressive form of magical self-protection.  Bust these little buddies out for:

Witch bottles.    As early as the 1670s, archaeologists believe that European magical practitioners used witch bottles to protect the hearth & home.   

These glass jars contained some pretty gross stuff, including human urine.   But that’s not happening in this house.  Nope, nope, nope.  #sorrynotsorry.  

Fortunately, you can try some (slightly) less icky alternatives, like nail clippings or hair, to personalize your witch bottle.  Add some rusty nails and dried protection herbs and bury it near the threshold for protection of the household from negative energy.

Hang them over the door.  Along the same train of thought, hang a drawstring spell bag over the back door to prevent malevolence from entering covertly into the home.

Hoodoo petitions.  If you practice traditional hoodoo, you probably already know that rusty nails play a key component in many hoodoo spells & petitions.  

If this is your chosen path, learn about the traditional uses for nails & spikes in that discipline.

(And if you know some traditional uses for rusty nails in hoodoo, feel free to enlighten us in the comments!)

Mirror box spell.  A mirror box spell uses a container with a reflective interior (like a coffee can) to reverse the negative energy of someone in your life who means you ill.  

Contrary to popular belief, this spell is not a hex or curse.  It’s protective magic that works like a boomerang to return bad vibes to their sender.  

Place a photo of the target in a coffee can with protective herbs and 9 rusty nails.  

Bury it at the crossroads.

Choosing Nails

Many spells call for iron nails.  

You can even get fancy and stupid goth with coffin nails.

I personally think any nail works fine as a substitute.

Warning

–Don’t skip the protective gear.   It didn’t occur to me to wear any, but I wish it had once I saw the metallic flakes floating in the air.  Pretty sure it’s not good to breathe those in.

–Don’t mix anything in the solution except the listed ingredients.  Some additives (like bleach) react with the chemicals to create harmful fumes.

Things You Will Need

-nails 

-small, shallow, plastic bowl (food storage containers work well)

-coarse sandpaper or rough surface

-1/2 cup hydrogen peroxide (available in first aid section of any grocery store)

-1/2 cup vinegar

-1/5 cup salt

-gloves

-protective mask and eye protection

-paper towels/paper plate

Step 1

Put on protective mask and eye protection.  

Most store-bought nails have a protective, rust-proof coating.  You need to rough this up a little.  Coarse sandpaper works well, but I didn’t have any, so I used the concrete steps on my front porch.  

You want to scratch up all sides of the nail, as well as the head.  The more you scratch it up, the better the overall effect will be.

Step 2

Mix the hydrogen peroxide, vinegar and salt in the shallow plastic bowl.

Drop the roughed up nails into the solution.

Allow them to soak 3 hours to overnight.

Step 3

Line the paper plate with paper towels

Wearing gloves, carefully remove the nails and place them on the paper plate to dry for several hours.

And . . . you’re done!

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Sources & References

Claims Based on Documented Sources

• Rusty nails aggressive form magical self-protection: Documented in witchcraft tradition
• Witch bottles European magical practice 1670s hearth home protection: Documented in archaeological records/JSTOR research
• Witch bottles contained human urine glass jars: Documented in historical witch bottle artifacts/archaeology
• Witch bottles alternatives nail clippings hair personalize: Documented in modern witchcraft practice
• Rusty nails protection herbs buried threshold household: Documented in spell craft tradition
• Hoodoo spells nails key component traditional uses: Documented in Hoodoo/rootwork tradition
• Mirror box spell container reflective interior reverse negative energy: Documented in container spell craft
• Mirror box spell not hex/curse protective boomerang: Documented in spell craft tradition/protective magic
• Store-bought nails protective rust-proof coating scratch roughen: Documented in metal corrosion/rust chemistry
• Rusty nail DIY hydrogen peroxide vinegar salt solution: Documented in chemical corrosion/rust creation process

About the Authors

Written by Lumina Indigo (Moody Moons founder, 20+ years pagan community experience, professional tarot reader, kitchen witch). Reviewed by Tina Caro (10+ years witchcraft/spellcasting/crystal work/astrology/tarot/ritual practice, 1000+ private clients, Global Excellence Award in Witchcraft Education, Founder of Magickal Spot).

Note

Rusty nails aggressive self-protection magic. History: Witch bottles 1670s European archaeological evidence hearth home protection glass jars (originally human urine content), modern alternatives nail clippings/hair personalize. Uses: Witch bottles protection herbs buried threshold household negative energy, hang drawstring spell bag back door prevent malevolence, Hoodoo spells petitions traditional uses nails spikes, Mirror box spell coffee can reflective interior 9 rusty nails protective magic boomerang reverse negative energy crossroads. DIY process: Choose iron nails/coffin nails/any nail, rough protective coating coarse sandpaper concrete steps scratch all sides head, mix 1/2 cup hydrogen peroxide + 1/2 cup vinegar + 1/5 cup salt plastic bowl, soak 3 hours overnight, dry paper towels hours. Safety: Wear protective mask eye protection gloves avoid metallic flakes inhalation, no additives bleach harmful fumes.