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[Serpentium]

Can't wait.  Awesome is so . . . . . awesome.

[oldghost]

Calm down Drac you know what happens when you get excited , won't want you to have another accident  . That would be awesomely funny.

[Draconis Rex]

How very awesome of you to think of my welfare OG..... Thats awesome! 

[Edorion]

Four nights ago I harvested a piece of cedar for a wand. I cut it to length then removed the bark ct hand. I wanted to sand it but had no sand paper. I had a raw piece of calcite with a rough edge so I used that to sand it. I had considered carving on the wand and wrapping it with silver chain, but couldn't decide exactly what I wanted to do with out. I had read a suggestion about sleeping with a wand to bond with it. I decided that by sleeping with the wand I might learn what I needed to do with it. So two nights ago I slept with out under my pillow. This was one of my dreams that night:

I walked outside to check on my son. He was standing in the yard, a knife in one hand, my wand in the other. He had attempted carving the wand and had completely destroyed it. I was upset and tossed the wand into the forrest. I went inside to the place I used to keep the wand. It had reappeared. Uncarved. I was overjoyed.

I woke up and took the wand from under my pillow. Uncarved. Unadorned. Just the way it wants to be.

p.s. This was my "awesome" post from last night. Lol.

[Edorion]

::edit::

ct = by
out = it (in both places)

Stupid predictive text on my phone.

[oldghost]

What makes you think I was thinking about your welfare . Was thinking about amusement factor for others  .

[WhiteRaven]

Interesting dream. I also find it funny that when I make my wand I'm going to use cedar and silver wire as well. I read that the wire will hold better to the wood if you first carve the wood with a wood carver and inlay the silver into the carved area.

Only difference with mine and yours was mine will have turquoise stones.

[Edorion]

I have a silver chain that I've worn for the last couple years. Thinking of taking it apart and wrapping it around the wand at the base then linking it back to itself really tight. It will only cover about an inch of the length of the wand. Trying to work with things I already have. I'd like to put a piece of calcite at the tip. I just haven't decided how to attach it. Calcite is a brittle crystal.

[WhiteRaven]

Hm. How about tying it with leather or something?

[Draconis Rex]

I would suggest keeping the end of the wands diameter a little larger than the calcite, and carefully rebating the end to make a housing for the crystal to set into. To keep it natural you could use a tree sap to set it in with. After it has set then gently file, trim or sand a bevel so that the wood meets the calcite nicely.

[Edorion]

I thought about trying something like that Drac but calcite has a rhomboidal crystal structure so basically I'd need to carve out a square hole in the tip. Not sure how well that will work.

[Draconis Rex]

A slim, very sharp knife mate. Just has to be a shallow rebate to house the butt end of the crystal. Start with a round hole to the depth you would need, then gently square the edges with the slim blade. put as little pressure on the blade as you can afford.

Does it have to be calcite? could you not choose another? even after it has been secured, it may still be damaged. if you drop it, the laws of physics say it would land crystal end first and harm it.

[Serpentium]

Epoxy resin, with sawdust mixed into it. Add sawdust before you add the hardener, make a stiff mix.  Get a big blob on the end where the crystal wants to go, make sure that end's pointing downwards and stick the crystal to the blob . When it's gone off you can sand the epoxy smooth and it will look like wood.

[oldghost]

Here's one more thing you could do. Make a copper cage out of  the wires twist the wires together over the crystal and twist the four ends into a small shaft about and inch long and glue that into the end of the wand.

[Edorion]

No Drac, it doesn't have to be calcite. That's just what I have on hand. And yes, if it got dropped it would break. Very brittle for a crystal. I like the epoxy/sawdust method. Thanks Serp.