So I first made the hole on the lid using my bookbinder awl, then enlarged it with my potter’s hole cutter. Then I used my mini blow torch to get the burnt effect around the hole on the lid; outside and inside. Since the fire (and the heat) from the blow torch is much much more powerful than a lighter, I expected the lid to catch fire a bit – I was hoping for at least a small flame blazing on it. But guess what? The Havana box refused to catch fire! Once I turned off the blow torch, there was no flame on it at all – just flickers of embers that pretty quickly dissipated on their own. Wow. The whole box is somewhat fire retardant indeed! Very impressive – especially considering that it’s made from board covered with cloth and lined with paper! This makes Havana boxes perfect not just to keep your precious photos, but also anything else! Glad to know that my Dream Archives are in very safe hands .

Altered archival quality KOLO Havana Box Large (2.75” x 12.5” x 9.75”) and acrylic.