Thornfield Handcrafted Wands

Sofia Meaden

“Handcrafted unique wood wands made deep in the heart of England. Natural Magick.”

Shop Announcement:

As of 12/5 I have re-opened the shop, as sending parcels is viable again. Please note that even though it's 1st class post within the UK, parcels might still take up to 3 weeks to arrive depending on where you are ordering from.

This shop is currently empty. Please check back when we've restocked.


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About Thornfield Handcrafted Wands

Thornfield Handcrafted Wands

By cutting a tree down to size in the garden and not wanting to waste the wood, a wandmaker was born and a passion for woodwork ignited.

Unless you count bouts of whittling twigs for fun when I was a child, I started making wands properly in 2008, when I had to cut back a self-planted ash tree in the garden. I thought it was a shame to just throw such beautiful wood away, and decided to make a wand for a friend and fellow Harry Potter nerd. That way, I discovered it was actually a lot of fun making wands, and made a few more, and since then, I've come across more wood and haven't been able to stop!

Aside from being into Harry Potter, I'm also a big Jane Eyre fan, hence the name Thornfield. I class myself as a Pagan, although when asked which Path, my response is invariably "erm ... sort of ... secular?" I'm very passionate about nature and care deeply about the environment (it's a Swedish thing), but the whole religion thing just doesn't sit right with me. However, my general beliefs slot in under the big umbrella of Neo-Paganism more than anything else.

My grandmother was big on embroidery and sewing, and my mother followed in her footsteps and started knitting at a very early age. My two older sisters both do that sort of handicraft, and ... I've never taken to it. I know how to knit, crochet, sew and embroider, but I've always had more fun doing woodwork. Mum insists handicrafts are "good for the soul", and as long as I get to do it with a stick of wood, a knife and some sandpaper, I couldn't agree more.

THE WOOD

All wood used for wandmaking has been ethically sourced. Ever since I decided to take up wandmaking as an actual proper handcrafting hobby, no tree or shrub has been cut for the purpose of making wands. (I sincerely HOPE that when I'm given twigs by friends, they've not gone and cut them just to please me, but because the trees could do with a trim anyway.) This means that the twigs and branches used have either been gathered from where they’ve fallen on the ground (e.g. through storms, etc.) or they were taken from general maintenance off-cuts that would otherwise have been thrown away.

I do this because I love trees and I love to see them grow and prosper, cheesy as that may sound. A fallen branch is a gift to be cherished, and if it’s cut off to give the tree or shrub new life, light and space to breathe and grow, that’s also a positive. Cutting a tree down just to satisfy a crafting desire feels wrong to me.

THE WANDS

Wood
All whittled wands are made from natural branches and twigs, so the shape, size and colour of every wand will vary – and no two wands will ever be exactly the same.

Decorations
Most of the wands I create have some sort of pattern burned into them. This is because I like to use the natural properties of the wood rather than adding something synthetic. There are exceptions, of course, as I like to experiment. :) I tend to use a lacquer to coat the bark, because it brings out the colours more.

The patterns or symbols I use are either made up on the spot depending on what feels right, or I trace it with a pencil first before burning, if it's something that requires a bit of planning.

All wands are burned at the bottom end, as I like to think it "ties the wand together nicely", but also because it would be very difficult get smooth with just sandpaper. And besides, it's sort of become "my thing" now.

Free customisations available on request: Oiled wands can be burned with e.g. a name or a symbol, and/or they can even be lacquered. Customisations might mean a couple of days delay in shipping, as they need some time to do. I don't offer carvings, or replicas of wands from the Wizarding World/Harry Potter franchise.

Finish
Most of them are finished with a coat of linseed oil, but I used to use a paraffin-based furniture oil in the past. The lacquer is a water-based half-matt lacquer. For painted or woodstained wands, I’ve used acrylic paint, a water-based woodstain or India ink, unless otherwise specified. Please note that all my wands are vegan friendly.

Tools
The tools I use are a knife, some sandpaper, a multitool for basic sanding (I find the tips and "twig knots" get a nicer finish if I use that at the beginning), and a wood burning (pyrography) tool.

As of 8 September 2013 I have a woodturning lathe. I thought it would be fun to have one and experiment with. Using a lathe definitely isn't as relaxing as a bit of quiet whittling in front of the telly of an evening! For turned wands I've had to buy in sustainably sourced woodturning blanks, as the twigs I have for other wands aren't suitable for turning.