[Guide] Wand Making

[zabazor]

sorry guys, thats all i got. I will go to the tree tomoro and see, but it had no leaves on it, and i dont exacly remember what tree it was from. I shall do my best to help in this instance but i have shown you all the clues i have. Se how come i am so lost?  

[Lysine]

Hey all. Sorry I've been so flakey...I said the next technique would be up long before now but stuff happened - including a three-day blackout - and I didn't get to it. Stuff is really busy lately, but I'll try and get it up sometime in February, March at the latest. Again, sorry!
Oh! And I changed my name from chilecavy~guineapig to Lysine, so if that's confusing anyone, yeah, it's still me! ^__^;

Ciele Fu

Question.

What's the best way to attach crystal to ribbon (or just crystal to wood with something floaty inbetween)?

I found my huge eucalyptus branch again and suddenly I want this one to be decorative, crazy things like hanging crystals and ribbon from it and carving things into it. Maybe runes. No, Ogham. No ignore that, I don't know a damn thing about Ogham.

Arrrgh.

Beads, strung on, I would think. If you can't find beads you could just drill holes...I don't know much about drilling crystals, though. But that sounds really pretty, I think you should do it. :3
And you can always learn about Ogham. Here are some pretty good websites:
http://www.omniglot.com/writing/ogham.htm
http://ogham.lyberty.com/
http://www.uponreflection.co.uk/ogham/
I think I saw a book about Ogham at a library recently, but I forget what it was called.

And @ Fleur_de_Nuit and zabazor: Staves, athames, and wands are pretty much interchangeable, and which one you use is really up to you and what you're most comfortable with. Staves/wands and athames are governed by different elements though (usually fire and air respectively, although opinions differ), so you might want to keep that in mind.
Or you can have all three - even multiples of each (I collect energy-direction-tools xD); again, its really up to you.

 

[Funa Spectrum]

Hee I'll check out Ogham properly, chars. I've been getting into Celtic recon recently, but I'll wait until I know whether I'm carving my doom onto wood. :/

Drilling sounds like a plan if I found a proper drill. I once managed to get a hole into rhodochrosite with a little screwdriver, but it took about half an hour for the tiny piece and rhodochrosite is softer than quartzes.

Once (if) I'm done, I'll get pictures. :3  

[zabazor]

so if i read that corecty an anthum is ruled by the element air
and a staf/wand if ruled by fire
orr which one is ruled by which
i wasnt quite sure
also i finally gor my points in so i can add them to my wand
and hopefully sinish the thing
woot woot  

[Lysine]

@Ciele Fu: Wow. A screwdriver? I'm sure I wouldn't have the patience. xD

@zabazor: Yup, it's usually athame = air and staff/wand = fire. But I've seen people say the opposite, or wand = earth. Whatever feels right to you.  

[TH4T PR3TTY R4V3 GIRL]

If you take a stick off of a tree, will it work better/worse then one you find on the ground? Will it work differently in any way? I live where there is a lot of snow, so I have to wait until the spring to make a wand. stare I used to have a wand, but somehow, something happened to it.

On my new wand, I am thinking about using Ash wood, because on this site it says that it is good for me because my element is water. (The Ash is the tree of sea power) Or I may go with Maple, because it is so much easier to find maple trees where I live.

does anyone know about Lilac wood?  

[zabazor]

dance4eva009

If you take a stick off of a tree, will it work better/worse then one you find on the ground? Will it work differently in any way? I live where there is a lot of snow, so I have to wait until the spring to make a wand. stare I used to have a wand, but somehow, something happened to it.

On my new wand, I am thinking about using Ash wood, because on this site it says that it is good for me because my element is water. (The Ash is the tree of sea power) Or I may go with Maple, because it is so much easier to find maple trees where I live.

does anyone know about Lilac wood?

i think the stick choses you, you shouldnt look for a type
or close your mind to the posibilities
it just happens
and once u find it
you know it is right, it just feels right  

[TH4T PR3TTY R4V3 GIRL]

zabazor

dance4eva009

If you take a stick off of a tree, will it work better/worse then one you find on the ground? Will it work differently in any way? I live where there is a lot of snow, so I have to wait until the spring to make a wand. stare I used to have a wand, but somehow, something happened to it.

On my new wand, I am thinking about using Ash wood, because on this site it says that it is good for me because my element is water. (The Ash is the tree of sea power) Or I may go with Maple, because it is so much easier to find maple trees where I live.

does anyone know about Lilac wood?

i think the stick choses you, you shouldnt look for a type
or close your mind to the posibilities
it just happens
and once u find it
you know it is right, it just feels right

Thanks! smile  

[Lysine]

...

Hey everyone....
I'm so so sorry the 2nd technique isn't up yet! Suddenly I was caught in a whirlwind of irl stuff and haven't had much time. I think of the guide nearly every day but haven't been able to make time to work on it. Tomorrow I'm going to brainstorm for the 2nd technique - anyone have suggestions on different techniques for attaching crystals to wands, which will be one of the main focuses of the technique?
Anyway, it's really hard for me to make deadlines with everything in an uproar, and I've flaked out so many times...but I'm going to try and make a major update of some sort before Beltane.

Missing the guild and this guide,
- Lys (previously chilecavy)

...

 

[Lysine]

zabazor

dance4eva009

If you take a stick off of a tree, will it work better/worse then one you find on the ground? Will it work differently in any way? I live where there is a lot of snow, so I have to wait until the spring to make a wand. stare I used to have a wand, but somehow, something happened to it.

On my new wand, I am thinking about using Ash wood, because on this site it says that it is good for me because my element is water. (The Ash is the tree of sea power) Or I may go with Maple, because it is so much easier to find maple trees where I live.

does anyone know about Lilac wood?

i think the stick choses you, you shouldnt look for a type
or close your mind to the posibilities
it just happens
and once u find it
you know it is right, it just feels right

Very true. When I find a new branch that will work well for a wand, I can generally feel an...aura of sorts, coming off of it, just generally "good vibes", positive energy that I think will blend well with mine. Incidentally, that's another reason making your own wands is much more satisfying - going through every process, from the stickhunting to the purification, really helps you to properly connect with the wand. Plus, you know exactly where it came from - sometimes right down to the tree - so you can pay your respects now and then.


(This is for the Lammas puzzle. Please don't remove).  

[yashaki]

What do you guys think about using dogwood for a wand? I live across the street from a cemetery filled with 47 white dogwoods and one pink one..and I found a branch that would be the perfect length for a wand. I am very attached to all of the cemetery, and the branch that fell from the tree I feel REALLY attached to.  

[Eddie-Ka]

Ive got a few questions about a wand i started making. Does anyone known if silver maple has any special properties. and does you wand have to be perfectly straight, cause mine is rather crooked, but this stick called out to me.

it sat there on the ground for months till one day I heard it call loud and clear and i grabbed it without even thinking. At that time i wasnt even considering making a wand, i just felt i was supposed to have that stick. I thanked the tree ( im pretty sure i know which it was) and went home.  

[Reivyn-chan]

@yashaki
I think dogwood would make an excellent wand, especially one from a place like a cemetery. They seem to be associated with wishes and protection, from what info I could find.

@onichigo
I wasn't able to come up with anything for silver maple specifically, but maple in general is associated with love, longevity, and money. As for the wand being crooked, think of it as added personality. wink  

[Lysine]

...

The new update is... nearly ready...
*drowns in work*
I'm so sorry about how long it's taken me to update.

onichigo: Personally, I love crooked wands. One could argue that since the wand is a tool for channeling energy, it should be straight, but honestly, I think that because pure energy is intangible with any of the five senses, shape isn't particularly important, so one could even have a circular wand, and use it by visualizing the energy spreading from the outer edge into the middle and down or up or at an angle in a single ray in the direction you want it to go.
So, for a crooked wand, you would just visualize the energy following the form of the wand.
Maple is often used as a symbol of any or all of the following: travelling, healing, intellect, knowledge, communication, art, love, prosperity. Wonderful wood, especially for receptive spells.
I don't know about Silver Maple specifically, but the colour silver represents the moon, and is good for spells and rituals working with meditation, peace, healing, emotion, intuition, dreams, and psychic work.
The fact that the wand called to you is a definite sign that it's the right wand for you. : ) It sounds perfect!


The coming update will include, hopefully, more information on wood properties, and on using your wand. :3

...

 

[The Spam Fairy]

Great stuff so far...
As far as putting a stone in the tip (or other parts of the wand) is there a good way to do it, have it quite secure but not use glue or anything? Sorry if this has been answered before - I honestly didn't read the other 4 pages, but I did have a quick ctrl+f search of them. I just don't like the idea of using glue or anything... I do know that it helps to make the space in the wand very snug, but... hmm sweatdrop

Good luck with the work load!~