Assorted Bits and Bobs

Jarhyn · Feb 2, 2022

I am not exactly the most skilled when it comes to channeling creation at "stuff". More often I find success pointing it at "ideas". Even so, I do get the occasional "strange mood" (re: Dwarf Fortress) where some artifact tumbles out of the process.

So as to confine any "show and tell" impulses, I'm just going to post it here.

These three are the short ruby/wire wands I made, referenced in the thread on manifestation. The silver one and the one with the more "flowery" handle are the ones that the Nisse took.

Also included is the splash of gold that was made from the results.

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Incognitus · Feb 2, 2022

Very cool.

Jarhyn · Feb 2, 2022

This details the build process if anyone wants to make one, at least for the twist pattern.

Capturing the sphere requires making a larger loop at the "symmetric" end (hooray trial & error) holding the rod side, and twisting the opposite side down like a screw. This will cause the cage to wrap down onto the sphere.

I used 16ga copper wire for the actual wands.

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Incognitus · Feb 2, 2022

That is awesome, thanks for sharing the how to. I bet Jaide would be interested in making one of those.

Jarhyn · Feb 2, 2022

Incognitus said:
That is awesome, thanks for sharing the how to. I bet Jaide would be interested in making one of those.

I posted these originally on the Wandsmith subreddit, but those guys are all Pottermore muggles. I got guff from the owner of the sub over posting my staff because "staves aren't wands".

Seriously.

Jaide · Feb 2, 2022

Jarhyn said:
I posted these originally on the Wandsmith subreddit, but those guys are all Pottermore muggles. I got guff from the owner of the sub over posting my staff because "staves aren't wands".

Seriously.

…didn’t Dumbledore use a staff? Or am I confusing him with Gandalf again? I tend to do that.

Jarhyn · Feb 3, 2022

Jaide said:
…didn’t Dumbledore use a staff? Or am I confusing him with Gandalf again? I tend to do that.

Gandalf. Also, speaking of staves and wands

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Jarhyn · Feb 3, 2022

So, I don't generally make shit, but of someone wants a guide on how to make something, I can and will do that thing. Just FYI. I love teaching people how to make shit, even if I have to learn it myself first.

Jarhyn · Feb 3, 2022

Speaking of, the process to get the staff to look like that involved a SHOVEL rather than an axe.

It had to be dug up carefully and a long handled pruning shears had to be used to snip the larger root tendrils far from the "ball" and "taproot" at a decent length, with maybe 3-5 inches of root attached on each one.

Terminate the taproot where you feel is appropriate, for headpiece size, by snipping that off also with an extra few inches, and then keep the thing at least two hand lengths taller than yourself plus clearance for the headpiece.

Hack off all the limbs and branches similarly, with a bit of clearance on each.

This is because cut branches tend to split and check over the drying period but only at the very ends. By drying it with some extra on each the splits will be prevented for the most part.

Anyway, strip the bark once it has gotten just dry enough to separate easily (mine took a couple weeks to a month), then leave it to dry somewhere in place with "indoor" humidity for the next 6 months to a year.

Some small splits/checks will happen near knots, particularly near the roots. I filled these with a binary epoxy.

Once it has dried, saw off all excess except the distant ends, giving all knots about a quarter inch to a half inch more "extension" than they need to get your desired shape.
At this point I usually take a brick (yes a plain red clay brick) to the knot, carefully, until it's close to the right shape and then I get it the rest of the way round or flat as my intent demands with sandpaper.

When sanding, I usually do this by starting with two coats of drying oil, let those dry, then going in with mineral oil (yeah, it's messy AF but the wood gets smooth as silk) down to 600 grit.

This keeps the wood from soaking up all the mineral oil and getting heavier, but also keeps the wood oiled and lubricated while sanding it down, keeping the result smooth and shiny.

Jarhyn · Feb 5, 2022

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Recently, my spouse came to me with the suggestion of setting up a prosperity charm. The rub in it was that its central feature was a bowl of money.

Now, generally I'm not one far divorced from the idea of using magic to define intent but I have a particular issue I sofar as rejecting Mammon, and that means not including images of money in my workings.

The result of the intent in conflict seems to have manifested a second option in a crow's feather on the sidewalk outside my house a few days ago.

So as to fulfill the intent for fortune a red ruby set in silver, the gold splash, and the crow's feather set in copper.

Jarhyn · Feb 5, 2022

As always, wear proper safety eyewear when playing around with torches and glass!

The splash of gold was made by heating the gold of a ring in a glass jar similar to the one pictured until both were molten, and "dropped" into a tall glass of water.

First break up the gold (or silver, or whatever other metal that melts below the glass transition temperature) and put it in the jar. Hold the jar with a copper or steel wire, and heat it with a suitably hot torch, while holding over the glass

The weight of the gold will cause a bubble of all the gold, skinned with glass, to pull away from the small jar. Once this happened, I dropped the whole jar into the water.

Assuming the glass is not so hot as to stay molten for too long, it will instantly constrict, then shatter away from the molten gold, causing it to "splash around" as it freezes.

Yazata · Feb 6, 2022

Jarhyn said:
a bowl of money.

This one "grew" organically in my place. I have a small copper bowl on my living room table in which I placed a candle. One day I put some loose change in it as I was cleaning. Then my father made me a small piece of art with a fork and a coin which I added to the bowl.
I didn't intend for it to become a talisman but I do think if it as one.

I like your wirework by the way. Is a crow associated with prosperity?

Jarhyn · Feb 6, 2022

Yazata said:
This one "grew" organically in my place. I have a small copper bowl on my living room table in which I placed a candle. One day I put some loose change in it as I was cleaning. Then my father made me a small piece of art with a fork and a coin which I added to the bowl.
I didn't intend for it to become a talisman but I do think if it as one.

I like your wirework by the way. Is a crow associated with prosperity?

Crow feathers are associated with fate and fortune.

Crows are very mercantile birds: befriend one, often by giving them meat, and you will be occasionally gifted things, for example, as long as you share a give and take.

The red of the ruby is for the sake of attuning prosperity in particular.

Jarhyn · Feb 6, 2022

So, a couple more, these two I've had since about the time I made the twisted wire wands. The (rather ugly) solder work is electronics solder. I don't know if it's lead free but I used as little as I could get away with and still make sure it wouldn't unravel

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The pearl is based on a geometry from D&D, actually, insofar as a pearl is the material component for the "identification" spell. The pearl originally was acquired in one of those "open an oyster!" Stands at certain theme parks, the one in question being visited on my honeymoon.

It is mounted here, in this way, so as to avoid needing to drill it or glue it.

The key is... Honestly I don't even know why I made the image of a key or needed one.

It's probably the only thing I've made for which I didn't know the reason why I made it.

Jarhyn · Feb 7, 2022

Well, I made some changes to the prosperity charm, exchanging the splash for a different bit of gold, putting the gemstones I proposed with that and taking the rather ugly droplet that was in with them and melting it down to a bubble shape to be set in copper and hung from silver.

I was a little hesitant as that was the last of my gold but...

There was a 10k gold earring at the bus stop today that I found while breaking up the ice there.

Jarhyn · Feb 8, 2022

Jarhyn said:
Well, I made some changes to the prosperity charm, exchanging the splash for a different bit of gold, putting the gemstones I proposed with that and taking the rather ugly droplet that was in with them and melting it down to a bubble shape to be set in copper and hung from silver.

I was a little hesitant as that was the last of my gold but...

There was a 10k gold earring at the bus stop today that I found while breaking up the ice there.

So, I've finished beading up the gold under the torch, and hammered some fine silver wire out into a flat, and back over on itself, and welded down the overlap to produce a loop mount. I need to solder them next, but with only a mapp gas torch and not an oxy-propane, I don't know if I can control the heat well enough to get it done right. I'm not about to use electronic solder on such a thing, and I don't have any sterling.

I will probably repeat this pattern for mounting the gold of my own charm, as well

I took one of my smaller rubies, and flattened some silver wire to make a different kind of entrapment for the sphere. I will probably use this one with own charm, and pass along the larger one, which is better for who it is going to anyway.

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I also have no clue where I'm going to find another crow feather.

Edit: when welding, I do it in a steel bowl that is sitting on a steel block anvil. A fire clay brick would probably be better but I have none of those at this time.

Jarhyn · Feb 9, 2022

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Ok, v3 prosperity charm (v2 not pictured). I welded rather than soldering the silver backing. It's a little uglier than I would have liked on the back but the front is fucking choice. I could probably file that bit off, but I'll worry about that later.

Now just need to find another feather...

Who knew that crow feathers would be harder to find than "literally, gold?"

Jarhyn · Feb 23, 2022

Well, I managed to pass on the second charm to the prosperity shaman that I meant to deliver it to.

I didn't have a crow feather to add to the new one, but I assume he already has one somewhere. He'll have to find one on his own but he knows what he needs, regardless.

Part of magic is doing the work, after all.

-A piece of "red", carried for it's color.
-A piece of "precious", kept for it's rarity and auspiciousness found or freely given.
-A crow's feather, found in one's path, to attune project upon these power of fate.

Other geometries may work, but this is what worked for me.

Jarhyn · Mar 22, 2022

Husband found three crow feathers. Also, figured out how to use a thin wire for the bond on the fold-over of the quill end.

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Yazata · Mar 22, 2022

Jarhyn said:
thin wire for the bond on the fold-over o

That's a cool idea

Assorted Bits and Bobs

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