Make a Harry Potter Wand

The biggest ambition of any young wizard is to get their own wand and go to Hogwarts. Still convinced that your owl must have lost its way? No matter! You can still have an incredible wand without traveling to Ollivander's. While it might not choose you, it makes the perfect prop for your newly purchased robes!

Steps

Using a Wooden Dowel or Stick

1. Get a wooden dowel that is between 10 and 13 inches (25.4 and 33.02 centimeters). You can find them at craft stores; they are usually sold in packs. You can also get a longer dowel and cut it down using a hacksaw.
   • You can also use a stick that you found outside. Make sure that it is no thicker than your finger, close to the length you want it, and fairly straight.
2. Sand down one end of the dowel so that it is rounded. This will make the tip. You can even sand the wand so that it tapers slightly, just like the wands in the movies. Start with a coarse-grit sandpaper and finish off with a finer grit.
   • If you are using a stick, you'll wand to sand down any sharp, pointy, or jagged ends. You can leave the bark and knobs on the stick, or you can cut/sand them off.
3. Use hot glue to build up the handle part, if desired. The handle part is usually about the length of your finger. Use the hot glue to cover the entire handle of your wand. Let the glue harden, and add 2 to 3 more layers, if desired.
   • Not all wands have to have a handle. For example, Hermione's wand did not have a handle on it.
   • Once the hot glue hardens, you can "carve" designs into it with the hot nozzle of the glue gun.
4. Consider hot gluing a bead or button to the base of your wand. Some wands have a knob at the end of the handle. You can make one by hot gluing a fancy button or bead to the end. Pick something that is about the same width as the base of your wand; you don't want it to be too big.
   • Don't worry about the color; you'll be painting it later.
5. Use a hot glue gun to draw designs on the rest of the wand, if desired. This is ideal for creating swirly designs on the wand, like Hermione Granger's. You can do this by twirling the wand between your fingers while drawing with the hot glue gun. Also, if you don't have hot glue you can use tape wrapped around it to make a handle or use clay to make a nice handle without a glue gun.
6. Paint your dowel with a base color using acrylic paint and let it dry. Most wands will be some shade of brown, but you can also make your wand black or white. To give it some extra texture, paint it several shades of the same color. For example, you can make your wand brown with light brown and dark brown streaks.
   • Consider using watered-down acrylic paint so that the wood's original texture shows through.
7. Add some weathering. Take a darker shade of your base color, and use it to fill in any nooks and crannies on your wand. Then, take a lighter shade of your base color, and use it to highlight any raised areas on your wand. Use a small, pointed brush to do this.
8. Let the paint dry, then seal the wand to make it last longer. Take your wand outside and set it down on a sheet of newspaper. Spray it with a clear, acrylic sealer and let it dry. Then, flip the wand over and spray the other side. Let the sealer dry and repeat if needed.
   • Sealing the wand is not absolutely necessary, but it will make the paint job last longer! You can use a glossy, satin, or matte finish.

Using a Chopstick

1. Get a chopstick. If you are making this for a child, a regular chopstick will work just fine. If you are making this for a teen or an adult, consider getting one of those 15-inch (38.1 centimeters) bamboo cooking chopsticks.
   • Don't worry about the color; you will be painting it later on!
   • Can't find a chopstick? You can try using a long, wooden paintbrush instead. Just snap the brush part off, just below the metal crimp. You can also saw it off using a hacksaw.
2. Use hot glue to build up the handle and wand. The handle should be about the length of your finger. Cover the handle area with hot glue let it harden. Add 2 to 3 more layers, if needed.
   • To create a wand like Harry's, draw vertical lines to make the handle. Make them thicker at the base of the wand and thinner towards the other end of the handle.
   • Some wands are plain but others, such as Hermione Granger's, have designs on the rest of the wand. You can use the hot glue to draw vines, squiggles, or spirals. You can create a neat design just by twirling your wand in your fingers while drawing a line.
3. Add a bead or button to the bottom of the wand. Some wands have a fancier handle base. If you'd like yours to have one too, you can hot glue a small bead or fancy button to the base of your wand. The bead or button should be the same width as your wand; it should not extend past the edges by much.
   • Think about the bead or button's design and don't worry about the color. You will be painting this.
   • You can always leave the bead or button unpainted, especially if it is a pretty crystal one!
4. Paint the wand a base color using acrylic paint. Most wants will be some shade of brown, but the Harry Potter movies also had wands that were white or black. You can even paint your want different shades of one color to make it look more like wood.
   • Consider using watered-down acrylic paints if your chopsticks are made out of bamboo. This way, the original texture still shows through.
5. Add some weathering using lighter and darker shades of your base color. Take the darker shade, and use it to fill in any nooks and crannies on your wand. You can use a q-tip or a pointy brush to get to those hard-to-reach areas. Then, take your lighter shade, and use it to highlight all of the raised areas.
   • If your wand is black, you will only need the highlights. If your wand is white, you will only need the shadows.
6. Seal the wand with a clear, acrylic sealer to make the paint last longer. Bring the wand outside and set it down on a sheet of paper. Spray it with some clear, acrylic sealer, and wait for it to dry. When the wand dries, turn it over, and spray the other side. Repeat this step, if necessary.
   • Sealing the wand is not absolutely necessary, but it can make the paint job last longer.
   • You can use a matte, satin, or glossy finish.

Making a Wand out of Paper

1. Start to roll a sheet of paper into a thin, tight stick. Start at the bottom left corner of the paper and roll it towards the upper right corner. Stop when you reach past the widest point of the paper.
2. Apply some liquid glue on the last third of the paper. To avoid making the paper too soggy, apply the glue in a thin layer with a brush. At this point, you can also add a core to your wand. Here are some options:
   • Phoenix feather: red, orange, or yellow feather.
   • Dragon heartstring: piece of red yarn.
   • Unicorn hair: silver or iridescent thread or tinsel.
3. Finish rolling the paper and hold it until the glue dries. This can take 20 to 30 minutes. If you do not wish to hold your wand for that long, you can secure it with some string or twist ties. The glue must be dry before you move on.
4. Trim the ends off. The tightly-rolled paper is probably very pointy at both ends. Use a pair of scissors or a craft knife to trim off both of the pointy ends. You will want to trim off one end more than the other. This will make the end wider, suitable for the base of your wand.
5. Apply some hot glue to both ends of the wand. This will seal the tube further, and prevent it from unraveling. For an extra touch, hot glue a small fancy bead or button to the bottom of your wand. Make sure that the bead or button is the same width as your wand; it shouldn't go past the edges.
6. Use hot glue to draw designs on your wand. You can use the hot glue to build up a handle for your wand; they are typically the length of your finger. You can also use the glue gun to draw swirly designs on the rest of the wand.
   • If you'd like, you can hot glue fancy beads or buttons to the handle to make fancy designs.
7. Seal the wand with some primer. You want using paint primer, gesso, or even decoupage glue (such as Mod Podge). Allow the primer to dry before continuing. This will prevent the paper from becoming too soggy while you paint it. If it becomes soggy, it can fall apart.
8. Paint the wand a base color using acrylic paint. Most wands will be some shade of brown, but there are wands in the movies that are also black or white. You can paint your wand a solid color, or different shades of the same color. For example, you could paint your wand brown, and add some lighter and darker brown streaks to it to make it look more like wood.
9. Add some weathering and let the wand dry. This will make the designs you drew stand out more. Take a color that's slightly darker than the one you used, and apply it with a paintbrush or q-tip to all of the nooks and crannies in your design. Next, take a lighter color, and apply some highlights to all of the raised edges.
   • If your wand is black, you only need the highlights. If your wand is white, you only need the shadows.
10. Seal the wand, if desired. This is not completely necessary, but it will help your wand last a little longer. Go to a well-ventilated area, and set the wand down on a sheet of newspaper. Spray the wand with a clear, acrylic sealer and let it dry. Turn the wand over and spray the other side as well. Repeat this step if necessary.
    • You can use a matte, satin, or glossy finish.

Tips

• Look at pictures of the wands from the Harry Potter movies for inspiration.
• Since you have now made a wand why not make a wand box? It's a great home for your new wand.
• You can also use paper clay to build the handle of your wand. Roll out a thin sheet of paper clay about the length of your finger, and wrap it around the base of your wand. Smooth the seams down with your fingers. You can carve designs into it with a blunt tool (like a pencil) or you can stamp designs into it using a fancy button.
• You can get hot glue guns at just about any arts and crafts store.
• Keep the wands between ¼ and ¾ inch (0.64 and 1.91 centimeters) thick. Something about the thickness of a pencil or your pinkie would be ideal.
• Once the hot glue hardens, you can use the hot nozzle of the glue gun to "carve" out designs. Don't squirt any glue out.
• You can add more designs onto the hot glue after it dries. This is great for making knobby designs.
• Let your hot glue gun heat up for a little before you use it. It will take about 5 minutes.
• Wands are usually between 9 and 14 inches in length. Any shorter and the wand will just look too short, and any longer will make it look more like a short staff than a wand.
• Once your wand is all done, you can add some final touches using gold or silver paint.
• A low-tempt hot glue gun will be enough for this project. A high-temp one will also work fine, but it is more likely to give you blisters.
• Make sure that you buy hot glue sticks that match the size and temperature of your hot glue gun. A small, low-temp hot glue gun will need small, low-temp hot glue sticks. Big, fat glue sticks won't fit, and high-temp ones won't melt!
• If you don't have a hot glue gun, you can make your designs using puff paint. They won't be as pronounced, but they will still have a slight raise to them.
• Embed fancy buttons or beads in the hot glue before it dries. This is great for making fancy handles.

Warnings

• Hot glue guns can still burn, even low-temp ones. Adult supervision is required for this.
• Children should not handle cutting wood. If the child would like to use a stick, trim it down for him or her.

Things You'll Need

Making a Wand out of a Stick or Dowel

• Short, thin dowel
• Hot glue gun
• Hot glue stick
• Paintbrushes or foam brushes
• Acrylic paint
• Small beads or fancy buttons (optional)
• Acrylic spray sealer (recommended)

Making a Wand out of a Chopstick

• Chop stick
• Hot glue gun
• Hot glue stick
• Paintbrushes or foam brushes
• Acrylic paint
• Small beads or fancy buttons (optional)
• Acrylic spray sealer (recommended)

Making a Wand out of Paper

• Sheet of printer paper
• White school glue
• Hot glue gun
• Hot glue stick
• Paintbrushes or foam brushes
• Acrylic paint
• Small beads or fancy buttons (optional)
• Acrylic spray sealer (recommended)

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Sources and Citations

• Videos provided by Screen Team

See also

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