I'm assuming that part of lab upkeep is obtaining a variety of magical materials. This presumably includes reasonably common items, and probably a few rare ones, though nothing too out there or expensive. I can't expect to have a pile of diamonds or powdered dragon's tooth lying around. But some beech wood to make a staff, iron and brass to cap the ends, a magnet, a few drops of mercury in a glass ampule, and a piece of quartz seem like the sorts of materials that could be either be expected to be found in a lab or would be easy (and cheap enough) to acquire.
As for the actual construction of a talisman I assume that some is done by skilled craftsmen in the covenant. For example, capping one end of a staff in lead and making a brass fitting on the other end to hold a piece of quartz crystal seems like the sort of thing a blacksmith could do. Embedding a magnet and an ampule of mercury in the staff would require some minor woodworking, but nothing too sophisticated. Carving arcane symbols on the staff - probably the magus.
The core rulebook notes the following in its Laboratory chapter:
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[size=150]Shape and Material[/size]
The first thing you must do for any magical device is choose the physical shape of the item you wish to enchant — both the shape of the item and the item’s material. Look at the Shape and Material Bonuses table to see what sorts of items have bonuses relevant to the types of enchantments you wish to place. You should also pay attention to mundane criteria as well as magical. Enchanting a gold sword might appeal to you, but such an item would be too heavy and soft to use in combat. And while a diamond might be perfect for your ring, do you have a diamond? You might have to go out into the dangerous world to find your materials, especially if your covenant is poor.
Before you begin the process of enchantment, you must acquire the item you will enchant, and note its size and composition.
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From this I take it that a lot depends on how poor your covenant is (i.e., how much they can afford to spend on upkeep for your lab). You might have to adventure to get a diamond. But it seems like getting a stash of brass would be relatively straightforward.
Then I looked at the Covenants book. It has this to say about lab equipment:
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[size=150]Laboratory Equipment[/size]
There are several types of mundane equipment that are found in a standard laboratory. Heating sources — including candles, lamps, and braziers — are used when the maga needs to distill or calcine a compound. Receptacles such as pots, bowls, and crucibles may be made from pottery, stone, or metal. Storage containers are also a must, and include bags, baskets, boxes, jars, and sealed pots. Other basic equipment includes spatulas or spoons to measure out and stir compounds, weighing scales, tongs to move heated containers, and tables. Basic ingredients include sand; charcoal; a small quantity of silver; numerous liquids including water, distilled alcohol (used as a solvent), and oil; as well as various powders and pastes.
(emphasis mine)
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Covenants also has the following virtues and flaws for labs:
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Extensive Stores: The lab’s large stores mean that it can withstand shortages better. In the case of a lack of funds, the lab can last six seasons before a Flaw must be selected to lower the Upkeep, instead of the usual two. However, a one-time payment of a number of pounds equal to the lab’s yearly maintenance cost must be made when this Virtue is added, to stock up the stores in the first place. Vis and dangerous materials can also be stored more safely. +2 Safety.
Precious Ingredients: The lab is supplied with more expensive ingredients than a typical covenant can afford. +1 General Quality, +2 Upkeep; +1 Longevity Rituals.
Priceless Ingredients: The lab is supplied with the kind of things that most people can only dream of, such as copious quantities of gold and gems. +2 General Quality, +4 Upkeep; +2 Longevity Rituals.
Lousy Ingredients: The lab is supplied with dirty, impure, or poor-quality ingredients. It does not take a season to remove this Flaw, if sufficient funds are available to increase the Upkeep. –1 General Quality, –1 Upkeep.
Missing Ingredients*: Due to a lack of certain ingredients, lab work involving either one specific Technique or two specific Forms is severely hampered — relevant Lab Totals are halved. For example, the lab might contain no silver, in which case Terram and Vim Lab Totals are halved. It does not take a season to remove this Flaw, if sufficient funds are available to increase the Upkeep. –1 Upkeep.
Faerie Ingredients: Some of the lab’s stores are supplied by faeries, and have beneficial (if sometimes unpredictable) properties. For example, faerie silver is used in place of real silver. +1 General Quality, -1 Upkeep, +1 Warping; +1 Experimentation, 1 point on an appropriate Specialization.
Inexhaustible Supplies: The lab is blessed with magically replenishing ingredients and consumables, which never run out. –3 Upkeep, +1 Warping.
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It never specifically says what a basic lab has. But based on these flaws and virtues, I think we can assume that a regular lab has more than Lousy or Missing Ingredients, but less than Precious Ingredients. Where does the line fall with respect to various ingredients? Well, that's ultimately up to the SG. But I think it's likely to be pretty obvious on its face what is "too much" to expect to be in a lab and what's okay.
In any case, those are my thoughts,
I'm also counting on the fact that population density is much less in Mythic Europe as compared to today, so there should be more isolated areas to set down.
I'd be happy to talk through creating some effects involving Muto to help solve some if you are open to that. Not that I've crunched numbers at all, but it can't be too large a spell to do some cool muto stuff to the ship.