That ebonizing solution trick is a godsend! I make wand with nothing but a box cutter, a drill with a sander, and sandpaper, and I really wand to avoid paint or artificial stain. I’m still a novice, but this trick is great!
Glad it's working for you. My first wands were done with nothing but flap wheels on a drill press. I think heat is my next "go to" after ebonizer. Getting contrast in designs with a wood burner is nice, and using it to sever wood grain helps control how the ebonizing solution moves up the fibers; at least for designs I don't totally ebonize. On the lathe I can just use a wire friction burn, but I've used a wood burner for more intricate line work. Best of luck and thanks so much for watching!
I am currently making wands by hand with whittling tools and a rotary for finer details as I cannot afford a lathe. Do you have any tips for how I can get that nice shine that I only seem to see on these types of videos?
Sanding is the biggest part, but it can depend on the wood as well. Softer woods tend to be harder to get a fine sanding grit to be worthwhile. And the finish is the final step. For a natural looking finish, you get the best shine using a harder wood with a fine grain. I usually start at a 220 grit and depending on the type of wood can go up to 1000 grit, then I seal it with boiled linseed oil and polish with a wood finishing wax. The wand in this video was done using this method. For softer woods going much past a 340 grit doesn't seem to make a lot of difference. But you can experiment with burnishing as well. I use a scrap piece of maple which seems to burnish many woods nicely. The other option is to use a spray or brush on finish. For those you can usually get away with sanding to 220 or 340 grit. I've used a clear acrylic spray and polyurethane, both of which had a nice shine, but were a bit plastic looking to me due to the thick coating. I've found I like a good lacquer best for a spray finish. It can be applied in thinner coats. You can also check out Kivox Enders's channel: www.youtube.com/@KivoxEnder He does a lot more dremel work and makes fantastic wands as well. He's been setting up a new workshop and recently did a vid of him working on some of his wands. I believe he was thinking about doing more "work in progress" vids in the future, so keep an eye on his channel. Hope that helps and best of luck.
That ebonizing solution trick is a godsend! I make wand with nothing but a box cutter, a drill with a sander, and sandpaper, and I really wand to avoid paint or artificial stain. I’m still a novice, but this trick is great!
Glad it's working for you. My first wands were done with nothing but flap wheels on a drill press. I think heat is my next "go to" after ebonizer. Getting contrast in designs with a wood burner is nice, and using it to sever wood grain helps control how the ebonizing solution moves up the fibers; at least for designs I don't totally ebonize. On the lathe I can just use a wire friction burn, but I've used a wood burner for more intricate line work. Best of luck and thanks so much for watching!
I am currently making wands by hand with whittling tools and a rotary for finer details as I cannot afford a lathe. Do you have any tips for how I can get that nice shine that I only seem to see on these types of videos?
Sanding is the biggest part, but it can depend on the wood as well. Softer woods tend to be harder to get a fine sanding grit to be worthwhile. And the finish is the final step. For a natural looking finish, you get the best shine using a harder wood with a fine grain. I usually start at a 220 grit and depending on the type of wood can go up to 1000 grit, then I seal it with boiled linseed oil and polish with a wood finishing wax. The wand in this video was done using this method. For softer woods going much past a 340 grit doesn't seem to make a lot of difference. But you can experiment with burnishing as well. I use a scrap piece of maple which seems to burnish many woods nicely. The other option is to use a spray or brush on finish. For those you can usually get away with sanding to 220 or 340 grit. I've used a clear acrylic spray and polyurethane, both of which had a nice shine, but were a bit plastic looking to me due to the thick coating. I've found I like a good lacquer best for a spray finish. It can be applied in thinner coats. You can also check out Kivox Enders's channel: www.youtube.com/@KivoxEnder He does a lot more dremel work and makes fantastic wands as well. He's been setting up a new workshop and recently did a vid of him working on some of his wands. I believe he was thinking about doing more "work in progress" vids in the future, so keep an eye on his channel. Hope that helps and best of luck.