In _Volo's Guide to Monsters_, on page 81, the following section is included under the Mind Flayer sub-chapter:

> ###[Mind Flayer Magic Items][1]
> Some mind flayer colonies have developed the ability to create or modify certain kinds of gear, imbuing them with psionic energy. Mind flayers craft magic items that only they or their thralls can use–a sensible security measure to keep enemies from turning the illithids' own creations against them.

It then goes on to list a few such magic items on page 82, such as the [_mind blade_][2], but it doesn't seem to go into any further detail on how such items are created/modified, or how long it would take.

My question is: **How long does it take for a mind flayer to create such a magic item?** If you handed an agreeable mind flayer a non-magical sword, how quickly would the mind flayer be able to hand you back a _mind blade_?

I'm primarily interested in 5e information, but if there's any information about this from previous editions of D&D, I'll happily accept that as well. Any additional information about _how_ such items are created/modified is welcome, but not necessary (since I'm mainly interested in how long it will take).


  [1]: https://www.dndbeyond.com/compendium/rules/vgtm/monster-lore#MindFlayerMagicItems
  [2]: https://www.dndbeyond.com/compendium/rules/vgtm/monster-lore#MindBlade