18 replies to this topic

[fred67]

Having recently finished putting together Diagon Alley, I'm reminded of the disappointing use of 4L bars to represent wands.  They don't even use 3L, which would be a great start if they didn't want to come up with a new part.  Anyway, I took a couple of extra bars (unfortunately, I didn't have any in brown - I'll have to order some) and whittled them down with a utility knife.  I held it in place with a pair of pliers and just carefully whittled it down.  Here's the result:

  

I decided that whittling wasn't enough - these are still too big, so I clipped the end:



If you want to try this, whittle it first before clipping, it's easier to hold onto.  Just leave enough to grip after it's been cut.

[pompommini]

This look very accurate! I personaly would use the bar from the Series 2 minifigure weightlifter though

Pompommini out

[fred67]

Yup... it's hard to get a good angle with the blade when you're holding it with pliers, so it was easier to start with a 4L.  On top of that, they're more common and therefore cheaper on BL.... also no brown.

Edited by fred67, 22 January 2011 - 08:22 PM.

[buddy]

Great work! These wands look more accurate than just a standard 4L bar.  
Very well done.  

~buddy~

[pompommini]

fred67, on 22 January 2011 - 08:18 PM, said:

Yup... it's hard to get a good angle with the blade when you're holding it with pliers, so it was easier to start with a 4L.  On top of that, they're more common and therefore cheaper on BL.... also no brown.

I meant that I just use the bar and don't wittle it. I do think the idea of whittling them ,however is more accurate

Pompommini out

[lightningtiger]

Though I'm not one for butchering Lego pieces, your handy work is quite realistic to the wands used in the movie....now if only Brickarms or a like would produce these - man, they would sell like hotcakes !
Brick On 'fred67' !

[fred67]

lightningtiger, on 22 January 2011 - 09:16 PM, said:

Though I'm not one for butchering Lego pieces,

D'oh!    I prefer, rather, "enhancing."

If you read between the lines you see that I said I had no brown when, quite clearly, Harry and Hermione are holding brown bars... because I don't want to enhance the pieces that came with the set, I'm just weird that way... but I will order (likely used) ones and butche.. uh, enhance away.

Quote

your handy work is quite realistic to the wands used in the movie....now if only Brickarms or a like would produce these - man, they would sell like hotcakes !

Thanks; I've been thinking that for quite some time... and got tired of waiting.  I suppose I should participate more on their forums, but this is such an easy thing to do, and each one ends up being unique... I wouldn't pay $1.00 or even $0.50 for one, which probably makes it not worth their while.

[Internets]

Awesome!  Now make the Elder Wand ; )

[KielDaMan]

Nicely done fred, those 'enhanced' wands are extremely accurate with the real wizard's wands used in HP, good work. While the pointy finish of this custom wand is more accurate, it's quite understandable TLG's choice of using the standard bar considering the priority they put on kids' safety.

[CorneliusMurdock]

These are awesome.  In brown, they could also double as stakes for a vampire hunter.  
I would try this myself but knives and I don't like each other.  I would probably end up in the emergency room with a finger in a plastic baggy full of ice.

[Kyp]

the big Wands of the whole Harry Potter Series bothered me for years, and yours are really freaking awesome, i have to try this on my own! although i am not realy a handyman and i think i am going to cut off my fingers, its still worth it :D

[Admiral Croissant]

They look very realistic. I'm surprised that nobody has tried this before. It seems quite easy but it makes them look a lot better.
I understand that TLG didn't make them though. Their design can be used for many more things than just a wand.
On the other hand, the custome one can also be used for icicles (white version) or as a toothpick...
Or perhaps child safety was the main reason. Anyway, nice job

[Masked Builder]

Not a bad idea at all.  As I believe everyone would like new wand molds (though I'm fine with what we've got) these will substitute perfectly for now.

[Sandy]

They look great, but I don't think I could do something like that to my precious bricks. Maybe if I bought some extras from Bricklink...

[fred67]

Sandy, on 24 January 2011 - 04:20 PM, said:

They look great, but I don't think I could do something like that to my precious bricks. Maybe if I bought some extras from Bricklink...

I feel the same way - the only reason I didn't do brown is because I didn't have extra brown ones, I'm not going to "enhance" what came with the set (even though I could just order replacements... it's just not the same in my head).

I also think I will try to make them even smaller.

[ybmagpye]

I bow before, and admire your brilliance! I am stunned that this fix for more accurate wands didn't occur to ME. Why can't I be the brainy one for a change? Uh... right. Must have brain in the first place.

But seriously, the rustic look of the carved wands is great. As soon as I saw your work I started to wonder how difficult, or not, it would be to not only carve a wand, but to make it unique from other wands. Could such eensie wands be carved to a degree that they can closely resemble wands from the movies (or one's imagination via canon)?

You have inspired me. I will probably wind up with so many bandages on my fingers I will look like Dobby after speaking ill of his family. Now! Where the HELL did I put that jack knive???

Edited by ybmagpye, 24 January 2011 - 05:31 PM.

[ybmagpye]

Me again! I gave carving a wand a try and failed dismally. I used pliers to hold the rod, and carved with a new razor blade. The rods are amazingly tough & it was rough going. What is the best method and tools for whittlin' a wand?  

Thanks  

[fred67]

I imagine holding a blade would be very difficult.

I have needle nose pliers; I wrapped the very end of the bar in a torn bit of an index card so that it wouldn't get roughed up, but since I clipped the end anyway, that's a waste of time and makes it harder to hold.

Then I used a utility knife - you really need something to hold the blade.

Then I whittled - you can't do it all at once, you have to sheer off little bits at a time.  I'd do a couple of cuts, then twist the bar in the pliers to get it at a different angle.

You also want to make sure you're using a sharp blade.

Each wand will be unique.  I simply didn't try at all to make the cuts straight because I wanted it to look like twisted wood and I wanted them to be unique - how to make them look like each wizard's wand from the movies?  Don't know if I'd try, but I think I'd start with what I did and then use a smaller xacto knife to try to customize.

I've got a bunch of bars on order, including brown and tan, and I think I'd actually like them to be a bit smaller still, so I'll post more when I make them.

Edited by fred67, 26 January 2011 - 06:56 PM.

[Tom Bricks]

Im not one for modifying Lego but i will admit these look pretty well done, and more accurate to the movie. And am i the only one that thinks the title sounds a little dirty?