It's Magic!

I've realised I may not be brilliant at writing a regular blog, but it doesn't hurt to update when I have the energy. Work has been pretty busy of late and I've been trying to manage my daily pain, which usually ends up with me being in bed by 7.30pm, this doesn't leave me a great deal of time during the week to blog or create. But, I was recently inspired to carve a magic wand. A number of things I make begin with the words "Sam, can you make a [insert item here]?" and a wand was one of these, I really liked the thought, but hadn't had that flash of inspiration for a design. A weeks ago, Woodcarving Illustrated sent out an email for a book about carving wands, along with a free pattern... perfect start, I loved the twisty look of the wand. 

I excitedly made a start, although me being me, the design changed slightly as I went along, with a more pronounced edge on the spiral, rather than the more rounded look of the original design. I was close to the finish and gave it a rinse before final sanding, to raise the grain for a smooth finish, when disaster struck! The. Wand. Snapped. 

I'll admit this left me dejected, so much work goes into creating something and a small part of yourself each time. So I left it for the day, and Jon suggested gluing back together the following day. He did, it worked, he's wonderful :) fortunately the glue is even stronger than the wood, so I was confident the fix was sound, but there was a slightly visible join, so, how to finish? I've been working on combining my crafts and recently forayed into painting my carved creations, so it seemed the perfect way to complete the wand, going with a dramatic black handle, flecked with gold, to give an almost old metal sort of look. I finished the handle with lacquer and oiled the rest, for a contrast between gloss and matt, and to keep the beautiful wood showing for the shaft of the wand. 

I'm very happy with the finished article! Any budding wizards or witches need a wand?