Timeline for Why are wands so cheap compared to their materials in Harry Potter?
Current License: CC BY-SA 4.0
22 events
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| Sep 4, 2020 at 23:09 | comment | added | computercarguy | @eps, thanks for that. I forgot about the zoo scene before Harry gets a wand. | |
| Sep 4, 2020 at 23:04 | comment | added | eps | @computercarguy they are a conduit, purposeful magic without wands is possible for gifted wizards/witches. In first movie you can recall harry removing the glass panel in the zoo in the first movie which lets the snake out (and in the first book it states that young wizards and witches occasionally accidentally making magic happen is a normal part of growing up). It's kinda like Cyclops in the first X-Men movie, the eyes are the source of the power but without the glasses it isn't very useful. | |
| Sep 3, 2020 at 20:45 | comment | added | computercarguy | @Valorum, sure sounds like there could be at least another question to be had here. "Can you make a wand/magically infused items with your wand?" "Are wands the source or conduit of magic?" "How is a wand actually made?" Maybe some others. I haven't actually read the books, so I don't have the relevant info to ask. I'm commenting based on knowledge of wood and metal working, having watched the 8 HP movies once each, and some internet research. | |
| Sep 3, 2020 at 20:36 | comment | added | Valorum | @computercarguy - Worthy of its own question, perhaps? | |
| Sep 3, 2020 at 20:33 | comment | added | Valorum | @AncientSwordRage - JKR said you can use a stick, but a wand is better. So you could use a stick to craft a wand to craft a better wand | |
| Sep 3, 2020 at 20:32 | comment | added | Valorum | @computercarguy - I guess you just wave your wand. Why would you need tools other than magic if you can bake an elaborate pie by swishing-and-flicking? | |
| Sep 3, 2020 at 20:30 | comment | added | computercarguy | Evidently Ollivander made a wand while at the Weasley children's great-aunt Muriel's place, so evidently (specialty) tools aren't a requirement, but it begs the question of where he got the materials. harrypotter.fandom.com/wiki/Ollivanders | |
| Sep 3, 2020 at 20:30 | comment | added | AncientSwordRage♦ | @Valorum someone had to make the first wand though... | |
| Sep 3, 2020 at 20:27 | comment | added | Valorum | For all we know, the wands are made in the same fashion as other magically created items, near-instantly by waving a wand; youtu.be/qxSbgO2eBvY?t=127 | |
| Sep 3, 2020 at 20:21 | comment | added | AncientSwordRage♦ | @computercarguy I don't think all of them are made by Ollivander, and even then I'm sure some are custom made and therefore are the exception. Also 2hrs is the lowest estimate I have. | |
| Sep 3, 2020 at 20:14 | comment | added | computercarguy | @AncientSwordRage afer looking closer at the HP wands, there's no way these are being handcrafted in under 2 hours without magic. Most of these are extremely detailed, while a few look like they were cut off a plant, washed (and maybe lightly sanded), then lacquered. fandomtrain.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/… | |
| Sep 3, 2020 at 20:02 | comment | added | AncientSwordRage♦ | I was literally going to say magic. | |
| Sep 3, 2020 at 20:01 | comment | added | computercarguy | @AncientSwordRage, true, but to make a tapered cylinder like most wands are, I can't think of too many things that would be a better/faster way to make them than a lathe. Without magic, that is. | |
| Sep 3, 2020 at 19:58 | comment | added | AncientSwordRage♦ | @computercarguy, I'm sure by batching a bunch he can save time. Also we have no canon source on how labour intensive wand making is, so even assuming he uses a lathe is a stretch. | |
| Sep 3, 2020 at 19:49 | comment | added | computercarguy | Even without waiting for the glue and finish to dry, those steps can easily total up to +2 hours to accomplish. And that's without embellishments of inlays or other design elements. | |
| Sep 3, 2020 at 19:49 | comment | added | computercarguy | @WayneConrad, that depends entirely on what you are starting with. If you have a fairly cylindrical piece of wood to start with, then it's not so bad, but if you are starting with a branch, you have to cut that down to approx wand size, then clamp it and remove the edges. This also assumes none of them break in the lathe. A branch doesn't have a straight grain, like a dowel does. It would also have knots, which could catch on a tool. You also still have to break open and and hollow the wand to insert the "whatever", then glue it back together, sand, and finish. | |
| Sep 3, 2020 at 19:43 | comment | added | Wayne Conrad | @computercarguy Wouldn't forming a wand be pretty quick work on a lathe? | |
| Sep 3, 2020 at 19:27 | comment | added | AncientSwordRage♦ | @computercarguy I don't know the minimum requirements for shaping a wand, but I've done some woodworking and I can't imagine it's more than 20hs/wand for a standard wand. The main point is that so long as he has a rolling stock of wands, the pressure/time sink to make ~100 wands a year in a batch is not that great. | |
| Sep 3, 2020 at 18:34 | comment | added | computercarguy | You are drastically underestimating the time it takes to make a wand, since you have to include the time it takes to locate the materials, which might be weeks for a rare plant or months for an animal. This is especially relevant, given he collects the materials himself. Also, are the wands created using standard woodworking techniques or magic? If it's woodworking, then 2 hours still isn't enough time to just form the shape, let alone do the detail and finishing work. As someone who has a day job and a business on the side, I know how little time there is to get all that accomplished. | |
| Sep 3, 2020 at 11:40 | history | edited | AncientSwordRage♦ | CC BY-SA 4.0 |
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| Sep 3, 2020 at 11:23 | history | edited | AncientSwordRage♦ | CC BY-SA 4.0 |
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| Sep 3, 2020 at 10:55 | history | answered | AncientSwordRage♦ | CC BY-SA 4.0 |
