Harry Potter Quidditch Broom (Hardware Build)
- Thread starter Trooper_trent
- Start date
Re: Hardware Build - Harry Potter Quidditch Broom for my Son
Wow! That is all kinds of awesome. I just called my son in here and showed him and he said, "that guy made that for me? Wow, THANK YOU guy!" :lol
2.5 X 1.25 inches Nimbus 2011
Got it a bit smaller by tightening it up
Wow! That is all kinds of awesome. I just called my son in here and showed him and he said, "that guy made that for me? Wow, THANK YOU guy!" :lol
TheSt.LouisKid
Sr Member
Re: Hardware Build - Harry Potter Quidditch Broom for my Son
Awesome build and a wonderful show of support on the markings.
Wonderful overall.
Awesome build and a wonderful show of support on the markings.
Wonderful overall.
Re: Hardware Build - Harry Potter Quidditch Broom for my Son
I would love to find a clean sweep logo, that would be cool. The broom I was working on was going to be a clean sweep I got screen shots of Ron on one but the bristles I couldnt find but now I can from this thread (haha)
I would love to find a clean sweep logo, that would be cool. The broom I was working on was going to be a clean sweep I got screen shots of Ron on one but the bristles I couldnt find but now I can from this thread (haha)
Re: Hardware Build - Harry Potter Quidditch Broom for my Son
Thats cool, I put them in the post today so you should have them soon, send me some pictures when its done.
Mike
PS: Tell your son i get to ride it at least twice.........
Thats cool, I put them in the post today so you should have them soon, send me some pictures when its done.
Mike
PS: Tell your son i get to ride it at least twice.........
Re: Hardware Build - Harry Potter Quidditch Broom for my Son
Thanks Mike!
Everyone, I'd like to officially announce my induction of eviltig into my personal list of "you're alright by me" members. The guy wouldn't even let me pay him for his time! Absolute stand up guy on all accounts. I'm not worth a lot in most areas but if you ever need any help with a music, sound design, or computer related project, just let me know!
Thanks Mike!
Everyone, I'd like to officially announce my induction of eviltig into my personal list of "you're alright by me" members. The guy wouldn't even let me pay him for his time! Absolute stand up guy on all accounts. I'm not worth a lot in most areas but if you ever need any help with a music, sound design, or computer related project, just let me know!
AdamNightmare
Well-Known Member
Re: Hardware Build - Harry Potter Quidditch Broom for my Son
Trent, you've done plenty already, just by filling us all in on this project! I don't have a kid to build this for, but I certainly have a ME to build this for, and I'm planning to start my own as soon as I leave work tonight!
Trent, you've done plenty already, just by filling us all in on this project! I don't have a kid to build this for, but I certainly have a ME to build this for, and I'm planning to start my own as soon as I leave work tonight!
Re: Hardware Build - Harry Potter Quidditch Broom for my Son
Agreed!! Just you sharing your knowledge and your process for this build is a lot. You as well as many other talents on this board, continue to amaze and inspire all of us. There has been a spike in ax handle sales across the world this week, and the hardware industry owes you a big thank you:lol
Agreed!! Just you sharing your knowledge and your process for this build is a lot. You as well as many other talents on this board, continue to amaze and inspire all of us. There has been a spike in ax handle sales across the world this week, and the hardware industry owes you a big thank you:lol
Re: Hardware Build - Harry Potter Quidditch Broom for my Son
Sweet! Post pictures! I'd like to see this thread full of other people's ideas and progress as well.
Sweet! Post pictures! I'd like to see this thread full of other people's ideas and progress as well.
Re: Hardware Build - Harry Potter Quidditch Broom for my Son
How did you attach the curtain hook/ extender to the 2" pipe bracket? I see you wrote "JB weld", but I am so unfamiliar with weld terms. What exactly us that? I am building one right now and will up to that stage shortly.
Thanks
How did you attach the curtain hook/ extender to the 2" pipe bracket? I see you wrote "JB weld", but I am so unfamiliar with weld terms. What exactly us that? I am building one right now and will up to that stage shortly.
Thanks
For the foot peg, I got a set of these.
Levolor Universal Holdback - 65926.790 at The Home Depot
and a set of these.
Levolor 3/4 in. Decorative Cafe Bracket - 77800.012 at The Home Depot
I straightened the curved part of the bracket and wedged that inbetween the straps of the 2" bracket holding the bristles. I JB welded these to the bracket.
I then just bent and adjusted the length of the brackets and bolted on the curtain hooks with washer, nut, and bolt.
That's it!
Re: Hardware Build - Harry Potter Quidditch Broom for my Son
I bent the extender bracket as such:
I bent straight, the portion marked in red to approximately the angle specified.
I then bent the portion marked in green to the approximate angle specified.
Then, I loosened the hold screw and extended the bracket approximately half way out and re-tightened the screw.
I then bolted the curtain hooks on using washers and the holes already existing in both the extender bracket and the hooks as shown:
I then slid the part that USED to be curved, up in between the bracket straps and the corrugated metal ban attached to them to test fit and position them.
Finally, using J-B weld, which is a two part epoxy that bonds anything you can think of and is harder than concrete when dry (it's used to repair engine blocks), I slid the extender brackets back out from between the straps just a bit in order to apply some J-B weld under them, and slid them back into place. I also put some J-B weld on the nuts and bolts to keep them from loosening and to permanently bond everything together.
This is J-B Weld. (Home Depot in the glue section)
I bent the extender bracket as such:
I bent straight, the portion marked in red to approximately the angle specified.
I then bent the portion marked in green to the approximate angle specified.
Then, I loosened the hold screw and extended the bracket approximately half way out and re-tightened the screw.
I then bolted the curtain hooks on using washers and the holes already existing in both the extender bracket and the hooks as shown:
I then slid the part that USED to be curved, up in between the bracket straps and the corrugated metal ban attached to them to test fit and position them.
Finally, using J-B weld, which is a two part epoxy that bonds anything you can think of and is harder than concrete when dry (it's used to repair engine blocks), I slid the extender brackets back out from between the straps just a bit in order to apply some J-B weld under them, and slid them back into place. I also put some J-B weld on the nuts and bolts to keep them from loosening and to permanently bond everything together.
This is J-B Weld. (Home Depot in the glue section)
Re: Hardware Build - Harry Potter Quidditch Broom for my Son
Thank you so much!! I appreciate the advice. And again, thanks for starting this thread, it has truly been an inspiration!!
Rich
Thank you so much!! I appreciate the advice. And again, thanks for starting this thread, it has truly been an inspiration!!
Rich
Re: Hardware Build - Harry Potter Quidditch Broom for my Son
Uuggghhhh! I've got a bit of bad news, some pretty good news, and then some really great news!
First the bad news. And I really hope anyone else trying this doesn't have the same thing happen to them and can learn from my mistakes.
I originally soaked the grass so that it would be more flexible and less proned to break. Unfortunately, it ALSO causes it to swell. Putting the grass into the clamp wet and then tightening it down as tight as it would go, worked for about a week until the grass (which was evidently still wet on the inside) fully dried. I had been hanging the broom by one of the foot pegs so the varnish could fully cure. Today I walked into the office to find the grass had shrunk so much that the clamp was now loose enough for the whole bristle section to fall out, which meant the handle also then fell out. I walked in and the handle and all the bristles were on the floor and the only thing left hanging was the clamp and foot pegs.
lolcry
SO, if you're trying this, either DON'T soak the grass first, or make sure that every day or so, you continue to tighten the clamp until it's dry.
Now for the pretty good news. I ran up to home depot and grabbed a new clamp and a 3/16" x 36" threaded rod, then I ran to hobby lobby and grabbed a new bundle of the same kind of grass.
This time, I stuffed as much grass as I possibly could, packing it in as tight as it would go until I couldn't get one more blade in.
Then I pushed the threaded rod down into and all the way through the styrofoam cone and ball. The axe handle already has a hole drilled in the head end of it (where the axe head would go) so that you can hammer a pin in and separate the two wood halves, locking the axe head in place. I hammered the threaded rod down into this hole, giving the styrofoam form a lot of extra support. I then used a dremel to cut off the extra bit of rod.
Next, I pushed the ball and cone down into the grass, fanning it out until it was in the right position and sprayed the inside with spray adhesive and then bunched the grass around and re-wrapped it with bronsed copper wire and superglued it down.
I then wedged the footpegs INSIDE the clamp this time, instead of inbetween the clamp straps and the band. This hides the bracket portion a lot better and just looks a lot cleaner. I then took a ratchet screw driver and tightened the clamp down as tight as it would possibly go.
and Finally, I drilled a small hole in the side of the clamp belt and drove a wood screw all the way down and into the axe handle inside the grass to keep it from ever sliding off again.
Needless to say, it now looks exactly the same or even better and is now a hundred times more sturdy.
and Finally for the really great news. Mike, I got the logo decals in the mail and they're absolutely PERFECT! I can't thank you enough. That was truly an awesome gesture and my little boy flipped his lid when I showed him.
What do you think?
And here's the new clamp. I just need to wait for the glue to dry and I can give it a hair cut and paint!
Uuggghhhh! I've got a bit of bad news, some pretty good news, and then some really great news!
First the bad news. And I really hope anyone else trying this doesn't have the same thing happen to them and can learn from my mistakes.
I originally soaked the grass so that it would be more flexible and less proned to break. Unfortunately, it ALSO causes it to swell. Putting the grass into the clamp wet and then tightening it down as tight as it would go, worked for about a week until the grass (which was evidently still wet on the inside) fully dried. I had been hanging the broom by one of the foot pegs so the varnish could fully cure. Today I walked into the office to find the grass had shrunk so much that the clamp was now loose enough for the whole bristle section to fall out, which meant the handle also then fell out. I walked in and the handle and all the bristles were on the floor and the only thing left hanging was the clamp and foot pegs.
lolcrySO, if you're trying this, either DON'T soak the grass first, or make sure that every day or so, you continue to tighten the clamp until it's dry.
Now for the pretty good news. I ran up to home depot and grabbed a new clamp and a 3/16" x 36" threaded rod, then I ran to hobby lobby and grabbed a new bundle of the same kind of grass.
This time, I stuffed as much grass as I possibly could, packing it in as tight as it would go until I couldn't get one more blade in.
Then I pushed the threaded rod down into and all the way through the styrofoam cone and ball. The axe handle already has a hole drilled in the head end of it (where the axe head would go) so that you can hammer a pin in and separate the two wood halves, locking the axe head in place. I hammered the threaded rod down into this hole, giving the styrofoam form a lot of extra support. I then used a dremel to cut off the extra bit of rod.
Next, I pushed the ball and cone down into the grass, fanning it out until it was in the right position and sprayed the inside with spray adhesive and then bunched the grass around and re-wrapped it with bronsed copper wire and superglued it down.
I then wedged the footpegs INSIDE the clamp this time, instead of inbetween the clamp straps and the band. This hides the bracket portion a lot better and just looks a lot cleaner. I then took a ratchet screw driver and tightened the clamp down as tight as it would possibly go.
and Finally, I drilled a small hole in the side of the clamp belt and drove a wood screw all the way down and into the axe handle inside the grass to keep it from ever sliding off again.
Needless to say, it now looks exactly the same or even better and is now a hundred times more sturdy.
and Finally for the really great news. Mike, I got the logo decals in the mail and they're absolutely PERFECT! I can't thank you enough. That was truly an awesome gesture and my little boy flipped his lid when I showed him.
What do you think?
And here's the new clamp. I just need to wait for the glue to dry and I can give it a hair cut and paint!
Last edited:
Re: Hardware Build - Harry Potter Quidditch Broom for my Son
Wow, glad I read this tonight. I was going to start on the grass tomorrow. Luckily, that was the clamp I bought, so I will just have to make sure I don't wet the grass. Thanks for the update.
Wow, glad I read this tonight. I was going to start on the grass tomorrow. Luckily, that was the clamp I bought, so I will just have to make sure I don't wet the grass. Thanks for the update.
