Before you interrupt me Kanye-style, just remember that I am the girl who got an incantation from the Harry Potter series tattooed on her skin for life. You live by the wand, you die by the wand....or something to that effect. In my younger and more vulnerable years, J.K. Rowling gave me some advice I've been turning over in my mind ever since...just kidding. Wrong book. But I was heavily influenced by Harry Potter throughout my whole life. Therefore, it's natural that I should want to bring to life one of the most iconic symbols of the series: the Elder Wand.
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| *Ooooooh, Ahhhh* |
Components and Materials
I intend to 3D-print the wand in its entirety, except for a small LED bulb at the end of it. I think that since my project will be primarily composed of 3D-printed material, it won't be complex by way of its components. However, since I want to go a step further and add the LED bulb, I think I'll need to create a component that will enable me to switch it on and off as desired. I will use Autodesk Inventor to create a scalable design, so that I can recreate the wand as necessary.
Visuals
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| An LED-bulb used in a similar way that I envision for this project. Threading it through the middle of the wand will probably be my best bet. |
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| Close-up illustration from the Harry Potter Wikia site - yeah. That's a real thing. |
Seeing as I'd never actually spend money on a regular wooden one from Universal Studios, I thought this would be the perfect time for the skills I've learned in this class to be put to use making something I've always wanted to have in my literary-nerd-collection.
**Update as of 12/1/2015**
I'd mocked up my original thought process for this project in CAD, before I'd thought about making this project an assembly, given the size limitations on the printers we are using.
Thoughts are always welcome. :)
I'd mocked up my original thought process for this project in CAD, before I'd thought about making this project an assembly, given the size limitations on the printers we are using.
Thoughts are always welcome. :)
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| The unblemished, undetailed, boring version. *yawn* |
The design itself is really cool with the led included. It would just be weird with the different colors that are available through 3d printing but it can of course be painted.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you! My plan is to print my components in the white color, and eventually paint them.
DeleteThe design you've chosen to mimic has a very interesting and unique design that I think will be a lot of fun to 3D model. I'd love to see you achieve the look in the first image you included of the wand, maybe painting it somehow to give it that rustic, wooden feel. Overall, I (Agree With) this proposal and expect a great project to come from it!
ReplyDeletePaige Ruka
(Agree With)
ReplyDeleteAs a Harry Potter fan myself, I am very excited to see how this one turns out. I don't really have any suggestions for improvement (Improve the Elder Wand? Blasphemy!), but I do have a question. How do you plan to power and trigger the LED? I'm assuming some kind of battery and switch, but I'm just curious how you plan to make that mechanism inconspicuous enough not to ruin the look of the wand.
I actually discussed it with Bryan after posting this - I plan to make the wand in three parts that screw together, so the wand itself will be relatively hollow, and have room for a tube that will trigger the LED at the end of the wand. Obviously, the way I design the end of the wand will depend on the size and shape of the LED. I'm thinking a button hidden in the thicker end of the wand will cause the LED to light up.
DeleteI love this idea! I am particularly interested in seeing your plans for "activating" the wand (turning the light on/off).
ReplyDeleteThere's many ways you might approach building this - I definately think some material testing is in order...
I agree with this idea. the end result will be very interesting and 3D printing it into 3 parts and have them screw on will very cool . i would recommend using that plastic technique so that you can make a case for your wand.
ReplyDeleteVince - I considered that after Bryan showed it to us, but I honestly would rather have a "stand" or something else to showcase the wand once it's done, rather than giving it that plastic packaged feel. Thanks for the input :)
DeleteAs someone who owns one of the wooden wands... good idea making your own. I honestly love the idea of incorporating an LED into this. I'll also be very interested to see how well you are able to recreate all the little nooks and crannies and craters and such on the wand. I'm super excited to see this and I definitely agree with your plan.
ReplyDeleteI think this can be super cool, especially if some ornamental details are added into the design. You could even make the base/grip part fit perfectly to the size of your hand. The light is a bonus. I Agree With the concept!
ReplyDeleteDUDE NERD TIME I LOVE THIS. Totally awesome idea and I am really excited to see how it turns out. How are you planning to color this, if at all?
ReplyDeleteI'm planning to paint it brown at first, and do some sanding where necessary. I think for the parts where it looks black at the bottom, I'll do the same but in black, depending on how well I'm able to bring this wand to life in all its plastic glory!
Delete(A) Agree with.Awesome idea I think. Bryan commented that he was excited to see how you turn on the wand. I think it would be cool if it was some how motion activated. The detail in the painting process will be what makes the project pop.
ReplyDeleteTeribbleeee.... JK i love it and Agree with it its a really cool idea that would work really well.
ReplyDeletethis looks like a great idea... could i have one too?? lol jk but i agree with the idea totally
ReplyDeleteI might not be the biggest fan of Harry Potter in the world, but with that said I love the idea and you could sell these EASSYY. Also, if you can get it to light up people will fangirl out so be prepared.
ReplyDelete