Mahogany Nimbus 2000 and other HP stuff

[Someotherguy]

Hello All,
This is my first thread on The RPF. I've been making various Nimbus 2000's for a couple of years, and most of my inspiration/ideas came from various threads on this site, so I would like to begin by thanking those posters. This started because my daughter and I decided we should make a broom, so I figured we could just go to the woods, find some sticks and branches and go from there. Before doing that I searched online to look for ideas and came across a thread here that described using an axe handle as the shaft, so I decided to go that route.
This was the result:



Since that time I've made about a dozen. Basically every time one of her friends comes over and sees the broom, they ask for one and since I enjoy making them, I go ahead. I never sell them, as I have no interest in turning this into any sort of business, and I think it would take the enjoyment out of it.
Eventually I decided to go for it and make a more authentic broom. Note that I am not trying to make a screen accurate version, but rather a broom that I figure would be authentic to the spirit of the story. To that end I decided to carve the shaft from dark mahogany, use birch branches for the bristles (more on that later) and make the logo out of real gold.

I started with a 4'x6"x2" block of some kind of African mahogany, and using a form, cut out two blanks with a jigsaw. I was amazed at how easily the jigsaw cut through 2" thick mahogany:




At that point, I used a combination of spokeshaves, rasps and sanding to get my final shape:

 

[Someotherguy]

Re: Mahogany Nimubs 2000 and other HP stuff

In the past, I had stained the light wood and finished with a high gloss varathane, and while it looked nice and shiny, they didn't have the old, antique look I was going for. This time there was obviously no staining needed, and to finish the wood I used a hand rubbed oil and varnish finish (Tried and True brand) that gave the wood and very soft and lustrous finish. For the logo, in the past I had just used gold paint, but this time I applied gold leaf. It doesn't necessarily look any better, but for me it was important and gave them more "value":





For the bristles, the intention was to gather birch branches and use them, so we went to the woods and looked for something that would work. The problem I had was that being in the Pacific Northwest, we don't have the big birch forests that most of the rest of Canada has. I did get some reasonable birch branches, but when I started putting them on the broom, they looked like crap. I ended up buying some kind of decorative branch from Micheals that look pretty authentic. Once those were applied, I wrapped 12 Ga copper wire to hold the branches in place. The end of the broom is held together with cotton string that has been stained. I always cap the end of the bristles in thick leather because, although these brooms are meant for display, the kids inevitably end up "flying" with them, so I found the leather helps keep the end of the broom in good shape.





The finished product:

 

[Someotherguy]

Re: Mahogany Nimubs 2000 and other HP stuff

When I give them to the kids, I usually also wrap them to make them look like when Harry received his. I also include a Hogwarts acceptance letter which includes a Hogwarts Express ticket:




Lastly, I also made some wands to go with these brooms. The first one was my take on Hermione's wand, carved with a Dremel out of waste mahogany from the brooms. I also made a box to go with it:





My next wand is just one I'm making up, but I've included a secret compartment in it in which to hide the "core". My daughter wants the core to be some tail hair off our dog. He's notparticularly magical, but I suppose it will do:





Anyway, that's it. I hope you enjoy.

Art

 

[ultraman]

Re: Mahogany Nimubs 2000 and other HP stuff

doing a great job someotherguy!
keep them posts coming!
opcorn

 

[Funky]

Re: Mahogany Nimubs 2000 and other HP stuff

That is beautiful craftsmanship!!!

 

[LTsmash1200]

Re: Mahogany Nimubs 2000 and other HP stuff

http://i635.photobucket.com/albums/uu73/aceballo/Nimbus 2000/IMG_2732.jpg

Wow, that looks amazing! My fiancé wants one of these so bad...I guess I need to develop some woodworking skills.

 

[Bogleo]

Re: Mahogany Nimubs 2000 and other HP stuff

Nice work! You can edit the thread title, just edit the first post, and click More Reply Options.

 

[Someotherguy]

Thanks for the replies, I really appreciate it. I've already had a few requests for these brooms, but I have to re-iterate that I won't be selling anything. Aside from the reasons I listed above, I wouldn't want to run afoul of any licensing laws. I would be more than happy help others by describing what I did in more detail.

 

[ultraman]

actually i would like to see a deeper picture heavy tutorial on how you did the bristles!
just an idea if you ever build another one :cool

 

[shmartybird]

Beautiful work!! Love the brown paper and other additions too.

 

[Someotherguy]

actually i would like to see a deeper picture heavy tutorial on how you did the bristles!
just an idea if you ever build another one :cool

I'll get some more pictures of that part up in a few days. Putting on the bristles is definitely the most tedious part of the process. I have completed one of the brooms and the other one is just waiting for bristles, so I'll get a few more pictures of that one.

 

[geekswoodshop]

Your results are fantastic and so fun to have these be used by your kids. Nice job on carving the wands, I've turned some wands on the lathe, but carving those details is another level entirely.

 

[Someotherguy]

Your results are fantastic and so fun to have these be used by your kids. Nice job on carving the wands, I've turned some wands on the lathe, but carving those details is another level entirely.

Actually I don't have a lathe right now, but since I've started on wands, I figured this gives me the excuse I was looking for to buy one ...

 

[Cameron]

Fantastic job on all of it!

 

[sonicfreak04]

beautifully done, I was wondering if you'll ever do the firebolt?

 

[geekswoodshop]

Oh yes, reasons (cough, excuses) to buy tools are fantastic. And a lathe is super fun. Hope to see more from you soon then, good luck!

 

[Someotherguy]

beautifully done, I was wondering if you'll ever do the firebolt?

I've thought about it. Part of the reason I tried carving the wands is because a firebolt would require a lot of carving and shaping, so I wanted to get some practice in. Either way, my next project will likely be a golden snitch, so once I finish these brooms and a couple of wands, I'll concentrate on the snitch.

 

[Goachilles]

Loved the idea of hanging it to ceiling!

 

[Mxlplx]

Brilliant!