MIMF

Well, I can't seem to finish a guitar, but I apparently have all sortsa time for making magic wands.

Actually, I bust these out pretty fast (no more than an hour-and-a-half of carving, plus another day or so for finishing). My 3rd grade daughter is a big Harry Potter fan - I read her the series - and she wanted a wand of her own. This first one is maple, just over 11 inches, with a "dragon heartstring" core. Carved with a spoke shave, rasps, and chisels, finished with Zinsser's shellac. This one I made for my wife. Oak, about 10", with "phoenix tailfeather" core. Once I had most of the meat shaved off this one, I chucked it up in the drill press on a low speed and lathed it with sandpaper to round it out and make it more symmetrical. The handle was stippled with an awl and dipped in ferric acetate. Finished with shellac. This last wand was a gift for some friends who are expecting a baby in the new year. They will present it to him/her when they start reading the Potter series. Maple again, as you can read on the tag. This was a very spontaneous carve, with spoke shave and chisels, to make it look very organic and mysterious. The handle was scorched with a propane torch, stained with the ferric acetate, and sanded back a little. Finished with shellac and rubbed out with 0000 steel wool. I know Chuck has made some sweet wands for his kids, so hopefully he'll be along to show them off, too.

Any other Olivanders out there?

Those are awesome. I just love the staining and organic look you have achieved. Mine are quite different.
And the card written in green ink - classic.
I may already have posted one here a while ago (before the new SW). I'll take a picture of the latest one tonight and add it here.

Abra ca pocus! I'm an umpire!

16 1/2 inches
Cocobolo stick
Ebony handle
Bone ring at the hilt

This is a really crappy picture, it is magical in person
The core is pure cocobolo blood.

I'd wanted to make an animated GIF so it would be like a real wizard's picture, but couldn't upload that anyway.

I'm sure some eyes are rolling (like this ) but the kids really get into this stuff and we parents can have a lot of fun playing along.

Cocobolo blood! No Rosewood Juice?

I like that one, Chuck. Very clean, and the bone ring is cool. Maybe dragon bone? At 16-1/2", I bet it has a little heft in the hand.

After my daughter's wand was dry, she went into her room with the light off to test it out: we could hear her muttering "lumos... nox... lumos... nox..."

Yes, it is a beast of a wand at 16 1/2 inch. But still very swift.
That is a very cute story - I wish it had worked for her.

Does the measurement include the handle or just the shaft? How about a bicycle grip and some way to change gears; kind of like setting your fazer on stun. Or, maybe it's time to move on to broomsticks!

Yes, there may be a market for that!
http://campusrecreation.ucdavis.edu/cms ... 70fadf517e

Nice work guys! My neice and nephew got some wands a few years ago (I wish I had taken some pictures). This thread has made me realize that it won't be long before my 5 year old is ready to get a wand. Then of course, our bun in the oven will need one some day too. Now I'm all excited!

I've been making wands for 3-4 years on the side. My wands go to the crystal surgery crowd which is growing daily. People send me their crystals and I build wands around them. These are tools and demand a descent price. I made a few wands for kids around the Potter thing but never did much with them. You might want to check with the crystal healing users around your area. I will share some of my designs with you if needed.

Please post pictures!