Carol Macdonald thank you so much! I worked pretty hard on this video and am happy people like it so much. I believe that instructional videos should teach how to “do it” not just hint at how it “could” be done.

Goth Bae hahaha. Well mine was shorter and made of a softer wood. Walnut is a hard wood to work if it is not green. But that is still good for your first project! The next one will be easier and faster. 😁

Haha thank you! I still find it crazy how many people have gotten help from this video. I am happy I get to be here to help those just like you get started. Thank you for commenting!

@@GlennPArt_1 No worries 👍

Andrew W. That’s awesome! I hope she likes it! Have fun making the wand.

Witches of old made their own wands.

Awesome, I am happy it was helpful! if you end up with any questions after you start let me know and I can probably help.

That's AWESOME! I hope the best for you two!!

Glenn P Art, Thanks SO much for the support and the help you have given me.

@@powergryph4354 If you have questions that come up carving let me know and if I can help I will!

Wynter xx yeah you do! Lol.

Barely Millennial some times we just have to explore our thought to find those things out. :)

senta ukrai thank you. I’m glad it helped.

Thanks so much for your comment. I am about to make a video class. And that will be about an hour or so long and go even more in-depth then this one. Stay tuned to the channel for updates.

Thank you. If you have any questions feel free to ask.

Southbound Animations I’m happy it helped you.

That's awesome. Next time you should make a video! I am sure people would love to see it.

5D Reality thank you much for your kind words. Wood working offers so much I can’t wit to get back into making videos for you all.

You're welcome! I feel a video should cover everything from start to finish. It wouldn't help to leave out issue that could come up.

Thanks! Yeah, life got in the way of posting but I still like helping people. I am still hoping to get back into adding new videos... at some point lol.

Thanks. Happy you enjoyed the video!

That is awesome! I hope you make many more.

Thank you!

I am happy to hear it helped!

I'm glad this is you first one you watched too! thank you, and you're welcome!

That was the same with me. When I started back into carving, it was after hand surgery. And I could only carve for a little bit, and my hands would hurt all the next day. But it will stop after a while. Keep at it, and you will be able to carve all day.

Melissa Vega ohh thank you so much for your comment!

You're welcome. I think wands are great places to start and really get your carving technique down. You can always make that as intricate as you like also, so there is no end to the process.

fire 4kill I will add that to the video list. Once it gets warmer here I’ll start making videos again. Hard to make videos with fine motor skills when there is snow on the ground and I can’t feel my fingers. Lol.

Wow thank you so much for the suggestions. I will see what I can do. It is too cold to video outside for me right now. But once I get a chance I will try to get more videos up.

Jalenfry 18 that’s great to hear! I love hearing and reading about people’s wand carving adventures.

K O R N E L Haha thank you.

000 000 hahaha. Thanks for the sub!

KentLee Guihama only way to have a knife.

Dancinganimegirl23451 I had wanted to make a second video. But I have moved and now I am in a city. I will try to get away and make a video though. I’m glad you like the video!

Gab McNeillio that’s great to hear. And if you have any questions come up feel free to ask me here or on Facebook or Instagram.

I went and watched a clip of them for reference. Hearing them the first time I was like "hell no I don't sound like them!" then I listened to the video again, because it has been a while since I made.... You have a valid point... lol.

That's definitely the way to go to ensure you don't overcut.

if you end up with any questions let me know and I'll give you all the advice I can. :)

Glenn P Art omg thanks so much, did u ever try glossing your wands? If you did, please tell me what sort of gloss to use cuz I want to gloss my wand, thanksss 😄

@@iamnotniced2359 I haven't. but if you were to put a layer of acrylic paint and wanted to seal that (or just a clear layer anyway) with a clear gloss layer. I looked up a way to do that. Mod Podge gloss finish would be what I recommend. I went to school for painting. So once I read that I remembered hearing about it in school from some teachers as a good clear coat. hope this helps.

Glenn P Art ahhhh, thanks so much, I’m gonna try, thanks for all the help 🤩🤩🤩

Thats great! I love that knife. it is my go to knife for wood working.

HAHA thank you!

@@GlennPArt_1 No Prob!

Yeah, right after I finish the other videos I promised....

I was using Red Maple in this one I believe. I have also used Black Birch and Cherry. But if you have Tulip in the area that is really straight grained too and is easy to use. Most wood is also easier to cut if it is still green. So you can cut through some of the knots if you collect the wood fresh and work it right away. Hope this helps.

Thank you. Doing things by hand really has that sense of satisfaction and accomplishment once you are done. For sure

Aminul Islam thank you so much. It means a lot to me to get nice comments.

I do mean freshly harvested. I usually finish my projects to about 90% and then let them dry for a few days. Then I resharpen my knife and do the finishing work. That will leave the surface as smooth as possible. But after use and weathering it does end up being hard to tell the dried ones from the ones that were finished green. But also it depends on the wood you use. if it is a harder wood that can get a shine finish then waiting is a good idea but something like a birch of a pine will not hold the finish regardless of whether you wait or not. But a cherry will hold it for a while. I have noticed with my spoons that after 3 months of use all of them look the same regardless of how I finished them. So for things that will get constant use you dont get too much from waiting to finish them vs finishing them right away.

I am not too sure about this. I think the easiest way to set a crystal would be with a dermal and make a precise indent for the crystal then glue it. As for wrapping the handle it really depends on the material. What were you thinking?

Julian Leon about an hour. Probably would take about 30 mins if I wasn’t making a video too. Lol.

Cast spells, give them as gifts to my cos-playing friends, give them to my friend's kids for bday presents, use them as oversized chopsticks, make a few sharp for vampire prevention, hang them from stings as wind chimes, throw them in the wood stove if I get too cold and lazy, throw them at the ground and see if I can get then to stick in point first, use them as bad drumsticks, drill holes into flat pieces of wood and use them as short table legs, sell them, use them as emphasis pointers when teaching. There's a lot you can do with them.

What seem to be the hardest part? is it the cutting with the knife or the shaping with the cuts?

@@GlennPArt_1 Just getting the branch down to shape basically x.x I probably need a thicker knife or something

@@jedimastergarcia87 I did add a link to the knife I use in this video. that is always an option. also you want a blade that is at least 3 inches long but not much more than 5. at least for this kind of work. Also make sure it is sharp.

Sophia Susanne hey there. That knife would work just fine. When ever I use a folding knife I just tend to put less power when the knife gets stuck on things like knots or what have you. Also always double check that the safety is secured before doing any reinforced pull strokes so the blade doesn’t close on you. Otherwise wands are pretty forgiving with their knife requirements.

A spokeshave would work to take it down to size if you don’t have a lathe also.

A Mora Robust costs about 12 dollars, and it's a superb knife for this imho. It's on Amazon iirc.

Michael McClelland thanks. I’m sure you’re cool too.

It could be your skill level, but I would get a new knife

Erik Thierbach hello my friend. Of course there are ways to help prevent that. But it won’t guarantee that something won’t happen because each piece of wood acts a little different depending on how it grows and other factors. The first is the use latex or acrylic paint to cover the ends of the wood. That will help to slow the release of moisture from the wood. Then carve off the bark if the wood is less the 2 inches in diameter otherwise leave it on and let the wood dry for a month or so. Also checking usually only goes in about 2 inches into the wood. So if there is extra wood on the ends of your blank you can just carve that off when you are making the wand. Other then that just make sure it does not dry too fast or on one side only. Put it in a plastic bag to dry and change it 1 to 2 times a day until there is no condensation in the bag. I think that is all I know in the topic of drying wood. Maybe I should make a video on this topic. Hope this helps!

Quick reply! Thanx ^__^ ...Also, your advice echoes that of others here on U-Tube regarding sealing the ends and being patient. I can be patient, but I don't have to like it. The bark is very thin, there are many thorny little branches, and I was considering leaving some of the bark showing -- so I'm hesitant to shave it off. (It's not Hawthorn [long-spikey thorns], but I have no idea what kind of wood it is since it's winter... maybe it is a giant rose bush??) ~~ Thanx Muchly

Erik Thierbach if it is a rose they tend to dry a little wavy and if you leave them leaning against anything they will end up bowed. But that can be straightened out with steaming. I don’t think you have to worry too much about it. Especially if it is 1/2 inch or less in diameter. Good luck.

Mr. Smiley I think my husband got mine off Amazon. Pretty reasonable and wonderful quality!

No, I haven't found it easy to sell these online. Maybe if more people ask I could make a few available on my website.

the only thing you have to worry about with twisted wood is the grain. what I mean by that is if the grain of the wood twists at a different rate then the wood you might catch something and pull off a big chunk of wood if you go too fast. but if you go slower and use more control cuts and less power cuts it should be fine. Straight wood is easier to carve and makes for faster projects. that's the only thing to really think about.

@@GlennPArt_1 Hey, thanks!

Scotty Whitis I know right!

Rain I got it off amazon. And thank you.

Meow l I sharpen my knives before every session of carving. Either with a full prep of multiple grits of sandpaper then a strop or just a strop if I have been keeping up with it. I am using a mora 106 knife. You can get it on amazon.

maxtherebel425 _ yeah. Maples in general are pretty good. I don’t get much silver maple where I’m from but I believe they are on the harder density side of the maple. Which will make them last longer and smoother.

@@GlennPArt_1 Thanks for your help, i live in northern kentucky so they are everywhere for me

Golden Lion39 what’s this in regards to? This is a piece of red maple split right out from a branch.

odd burger 10th fry thank you. That’s what I try to do with my videos.

Seth Mendenhall after you carve it down of course.

@@GlennPArt_1 Ok! Thank you!

That does sound horrible. I have definitely learned the hard way how to carve safely lol. hope some of my advice helps you in the future.

@@GlennPArt_1 mhm, and my finger slice is nearly healed over, I'm surprised a cut that bled so much could heal over in just a week, I think by Christmas day it'll no longer need to be covered by a plaster.... But yeah I'll definitely take all the advice I find into account when wood carving again

@@LeonardoHamato Yeah the sharper the knife the faster the cut will heal. the body can basically just push everything back together and start healing right away. if it is jagged like with a saw or a dull knife the body has to make new connections or fill in gaps with new tissue. pretty crazy if you think about it!

Taylor Nezovich all you have to do is keep at it. Never be afraid to try something new. Never be afraid to potentially break a wand to see how far you can push the wood.

I really appreciate your feedback Sir. I have bad RA and I’m going to switch up my hands a tad per your recommendations. I’ll continue to keep at it. Thanks!