How To Make A Harry Potter Inspired Wand
Start writing a post
Entertainment

How To Make A Harry Potter Inspired Wand

Make your own Harry Potter inspired wizarding wand just in time for Halloween!

382
How To Make A Harry Potter Inspired Wand
fichron.com

It’s Halloween time again! What better costume could there be than to dress up as a witch or wizard from the world of Harry Potter? But no witch or wizard would be complete without their wand! Rather than spend upwards of $50 for an authentic, licensed Harry Potter wand, or a ridiculous fat and glowing plastic thing, craft your own!

A few years ago, my kids were nuts about Harry Potter, and the costume for that years Halloween had to be Hogwarts students! Rather than buy expensive, ready-made costumes or those cheap slip on type with Velcro in the back, we opted to make the costumes ourselves. My wife sewed cloaks, bought and added House patches, bought the correct ties and used their black and white dress clothes underneath. One critical element was left, the wand!

Not being one to shell out $100 or so for two young boys to have authentic Harry Potter wands that likely wouldn’t survive Halloween night, and my own fandom being insulted by the silly, glowing plastic things they sold for costumes, I decided to make my own. I knew that if I were to be as authentic as possible, I’d likely need a wood lathe and wood turning skills. Wasn’t going to happen. I studied wand pics and found many that had an uneven, found in the woods, real tree branch look to them. I liked that a lot, and decided to mimic that design.

What I came up with ended up being very inexpensive, fairly simple to make, and lots of wizarding fun for the kids. They kept and played with these wands for years! A happier Dad I could not have been.

Below is a picture tutorial for crafting your own Harry Potter inspired wands. Remember, safety first! This craft involves sharp objects and slivers of wood. If you’re younger, ask a grownup for help, and everyone please be careful and wear safety glasses!


Harry Potter Inspired Wand Craft Tutorial

Step 1: Tools and Supplies You Will Need

A small hand saw

A sharp carving knife

Sandpaper

Paint Brush

Safety Glasses

Craft wood dowel

Craft paint

Polyurethane Finish


Step 2: The Wood

Head to your local craft store and look for the wood dowels in the craft wood section. A dowel is a long, straight and round length of wood. Choose one that’s diameter feels comfortable to grip in your hand. Roughly 1/2 to 3/4 of an inch. This type of wood is important, because it is soft and easy to work, and very lightweight. It should only cost a few dollars.


Step 3: Cut to Length

Take your wood dowel home and decide how long you’d like your wand to be. This is a fun step, and completely up to you! Do you prefer a shorter wand, 9 ½in. perhaps? Or a longer, imposing wand at 15in.? Whichever you choose, use your hand saw and cut the dowel to length.


Step 4: Whittling and Shaping

This is where your wand takes shape! Hold the dowel in your hand in a comfortable position. This section you are holding now will become your grip. Using your carving knife held at a shallow angle to the wood, ALWAYS cutting in a direction away from any part of your body, carefully begin to shave off pieces of the dowel. This wood is very soft, and should carve easily. Turn it slightly for each carve, going around it’s circumference. Continue to whittle away the wood, careful to leave your grip section alone and to taper the wand to a narrower point. The wand will be rough, and that’s ok. There’s no wrong look to this, make it as craggy or as smooth as you like!




Step 5: Sanding

When you are happy with your wands shape and design, give the whole thing a light sanding to smooth out the edges and remove any possible burrs. Sand the hard edges at the end of your grip section smooth and more rounded, too. Again, this wood is soft so it won’t take much. If you’re really hoping for a smoother, rounder style wand, the sandpaper will help you get there. It will just take a lot more sanding.



Step 6: Paint

Using a craft paint, which you can also get at the local craft store for a few dollars, you’re going to paint your wand. Choose whichever color you want, but think browns and earth tones. It’s supposed to have come from a real tree, right? Holding it at one end, paint your wand, leaving the area you’re holding unpainted. Prop it up on something using the unpainted end to dry. When it’s dry, flip it around and paint the part you left last time. Let dry again. Repeat the paint for 2 to 3 coats, until you have full coverage and a nice, even paint. If you wish to be extra creative, hand paint other designs or patterns on the wand in a contrast color like black or even gold. It’s entirely up to you, and should reflect your personality!



Step 7: Sealing

You don’t necessarily have to do this step, but it will protect your wand and its paintjob. Using polyurethane or a similar product like polycryllic, brush on a couple coats over the whole wand, allowing to dry between coats. These products come in different finishes, either flat, satin or shiny gloss. This is your choice, however you wish your wand to look!

That’s all there is to it! I realize the knife carving aspect can be intimidating or not for everyone. That’s ok! It is much easier than it sounds, but if you aren’t comfortable with it, you could alternatively hand sand the dowel into the tapered shape. It will take a fair amount of time and elbow grease, and creates a lot of dust. But eventually will yield a nice looking wand.

With your awesome wizarding wand in hand, made yourself for only a few dollars, you’re ready for Halloween, a cosplay event, or any time you're feeling magical! Cast some spells and have a great time!

Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
Student Life

Waitlisted for a College Class? Here's What to Do!

Dealing with the inevitable realities of college life.

38494
college students waiting in a long line in the hallway
StableDiffusion

Course registration at college can be a big hassle and is almost never talked about. Classes you want to take fill up before you get a chance to register. You might change your mind about a class you want to take and must struggle to find another class to fit in the same time period. You also have to make sure no classes clash by time. Like I said, it's a big hassle.

This semester, I was waitlisted for two classes. Most people in this situation, especially first years, freak out because they don't know what to do. Here is what you should do when this happens.

Keep Reading...Show less
a man and a woman sitting on the beach in front of the sunset

Whether you met your new love interest online, through mutual friends, or another way entirely, you'll definitely want to know what you're getting into. I mean, really, what's the point in entering a relationship with someone if you don't know whether or not you're compatible on a very basic level?

Consider these 21 questions to ask in the talking stage when getting to know that new guy or girl you just started talking to:

Keep Reading...Show less
Lifestyle

Challah vs. Easter Bread: A Delicious Dilemma

Is there really such a difference in Challah bread or Easter Bread?

22787
loaves of challah and easter bread stacked up aside each other, an abundance of food in baskets
StableDiffusion

Ever since I could remember, it was a treat to receive Easter Bread made by my grandmother. We would only have it once a year and the wait was excruciating. Now that my grandmother has gotten older, she has stopped baking a lot of her recipes that require a lot of hand usage--her traditional Italian baking means no machines. So for the past few years, I have missed enjoying my Easter Bread.

Keep Reading...Show less
Adulting

Unlocking Lake People's Secrets: 15 Must-Knows!

There's no other place you'd rather be in the summer.

949309
Group of joyful friends sitting in a boat
Haley Harvey

The people that spend their summers at the lake are a unique group of people.

Whether you grew up going to the lake, have only recently started going, or have only been once or twice, you know it takes a certain kind of person to be a lake person. To the long-time lake people, the lake holds a special place in your heart, no matter how dirty the water may look.

Keep Reading...Show less
Student Life

Top 10 Reasons My School Rocks!

Why I Chose a Small School Over a Big University.

126353
man in black long sleeve shirt and black pants walking on white concrete pathway

I was asked so many times why I wanted to go to a small school when a big university is so much better. Don't get me wrong, I'm sure a big university is great but I absolutely love going to a small school. I know that I miss out on big sporting events and having people actually know where it is. I can't even count how many times I've been asked where it is and I know they won't know so I just say "somewhere in the middle of Wisconsin." But, I get to know most people at my school and I know my professors very well. Not to mention, being able to walk to the other side of campus in 5 minutes at a casual walking pace. I am so happy I made the decision to go to school where I did. I love my school and these are just a few reasons why.

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments