"Take the right or left hand of a felon who is hanging from a gibbet beside a highway; wrap it in part of a funeral pall and so wrapped squeeze it well [In order to get the blood and fluids out]. Then put it into an earthenware vessel with zimat, nitre, salt, and long peppers, the whole well powdered. Leave it in this vessel for a fortnight, then take it out and expose it to full sunlight during the dog-days until it becomes quite dry. If the sun is not strong enough put it in an oven heated with fern and vervain. Next make it a kind of candle with the fat of a gibbeted felon, virgin wax, sesame, and ponie, and use the Hand of Glory as a candlestick to hold this candle when lighted."

In a museum there is a preserved Hand of Glory, being preserved with Saltpetre, and Lepland sesame after having the blood drained and the tissue dried. In essence it's rudimentary taxidermy. The Hand's use was usually for burglary and was used by thieves, putting the entire household to sleep or simply too paralyzed to move (but if one of the candles doesn't light or goes out that means one of the household is awake, or unable to be enchanted); the candles were placed either on the fingertips, the hand moved to become a candle-holder, or between the fingers themselves. Once lit, it could only be extinguished by skim milk, holy water, or blood.