Lesson 2: Tools of the Trade
Chapter 2
Protective Particulars:
~dragonhide gloves
~earmuffs
~wand
~closed-toe shoes
~apron
~mask (if dangerous fumes or scents will be present)
~Do not have to wear your cloak nor your tie
~In an alarming statistic, over thirty thousand witches and wizards around the world have had preventable accidents in the past year, and 61% of those mishaps involved forgetting or neglecting to put on dragonhide gloves. (Herbology Today)
~Follow sensible rules to avoid incidents and be calm in all situations; do not panic.
Tools Tending:
~Dragon dung:
-fertilizer for soil
-delicate organic fertilizer(mixed with compost)
-works so well is due to the acids(breakdown material) found in dragons’ stomachs
-scentless because dragons use all odorous gases in the production of their fire
~Mooncalf dung:
-fertilizer
-gentler
-preferred for planting and caring for more sensitive or fragile plants
-If the soil is worn down, or stripped of vitamins and minerals, Mooncalf dung may not be powerful enough to compensate for the lack of these nutrients and to contribute what the plant requires to grow strong.
~Centaur tears
-favourite drink for most plants
-More vitamin-rich than regular water, are capable of reviving a plant moments from death.
-some plants(plant which grows in salt water) find them toxic
-Centaurs are actually equally as intelligent as humans, if not moreso.
-take very good care of the land
-some witches and wizards will try to obtain centaur tears by nefarious means too.
-some vendors could potentially slip through the cracks and are not as reputable as others.
-These ethical issues are still being dealt with by the Ministry, as well as commonly debated at herbological meetings.
~There are far more potions, lotions, tinctures, mixtures, and sprays to aid the growth of your plants.
Cauldrons:
Pewter
Best for beginning potions work, as it is the slowest and least expensive standard cauldron. Pewter is a metal alloy that is traditionally at least 85% tin with copper, bismuth, antimony, and occasionally lead making up the rest of its composition.
Brass
Brews potions at a medium level speed, and is slightly more expensive than pewter. Potions brewed with brass tend to brew approximately 10% faster than those brewed with pewter. Brass is also a metal alloy composed mostly of the metals zinc and copper.
Copper
Fastest brewing cauldron material, and as a rule of thumb, tends to brew potions approximately 10% faster than brass cauldrons. Copper is not an alloy, but rather a pure chemical element containing atoms of all one type.
Gold
~Interacts well with all plants.
~Melting Point: 1,064 degree celcius
~Resists acids
~These heavily discounted cauldrons almost always include pyrite(banned by Ministry of Magic) or “fool’s gold.”
~It reacts with not only plants, but also with heat and water, which is not ideal at all for potion making!
Silver
~Suits Nocturnal plants
~Ability to be used alongside certain phases of the Moon to amplify properties.
~Melting Point: Between 780 and 962 degrees Celsius.
~Overestimating your melting point and heating the cauldron higher than it will result in your cauldron and potion mixing.
~If your potion involves particularly reactive plants, this fusing may cause a bit of a boom!
