Now, I am sure we all can attest to how expensive it is to buy wand replicas from Harry Potter World, or even online. Also, none of these wands are unique, and therefore can never truly be your wand. The best solution to both problems, then, it to make a wand yourself, and I am here to inform you how to do so.

Step 1:

This project is very simple, and only requires a few mandatory materials: A suitable stick, a whittling knife, sand paper, at least one choice color of wood stain, and a paint brush. Depending on your skill level, you may wish to acquire any number of other woodworking tools, but this instructable will stick to the basics.

Step 2:

The most important element of your wand is the stick that you choose. When searching for the perfect candidate, keep in mind the following criteria: the stick should be between 9 and 15 inches long, one to two centimeters in diameter, be made out of a sturdy type of wood, and have no visible cracks or signs of decay. Try to avoid any stick that is brittle or decomposing, as these are likely to break later in carving.

Step 3:

Now that you have chosen your perfect stick (or perhaps it chose you, for, as we all know, the wand chooses the wizard), it is time to start carving. First, use your whittling knife to take all the bark off the outside of the stick, as shown.

Step 4:

Next, pick where you want the handle of the wand to end and carve the rest of the stick narrower starting at that point. Also, shape the tip of the wand to a curve to avoid stabbing anyone in the eye with a sharp point!

Step 5:

Finally, you are ready to stain your wand! Most hardware stores sell small, sample-sized wood stains that shouldn’t cost more than five dollars, so you don’t have to shell out tons of money to get the perfect color. Carefully brush and even coat of your chosen stain over your wand, then set it in a place where it is touching the least amount of surface possible, in order to insure that it can dry properly. 24 hours later, you can apply a second coat. If you wish to make the handle a different shade than the wand, simply tape off the handle to paint the wand, then, when the wand is dry, tape off the wand to apply the second color to the handle.

Step 6:

2 days after the second coat is applied, your wand is dry enough to cast spells with to your heart’s content! Enjoy, and remember, it leviOsa, not levioSA.