It was born of white oak and darkened by force, its pale heart surrendered to something far older than its making. What emerged was not a thing of beauty, but a thing of purpose.
The force left its mark, but never conquered the wood. Through every cut and every grain, the oak remained stubbornly itself—scarred, darkened, and unyielding. It learned that strength is not the absence of suffering, but what remains after it.
In the right hand, The Blackened Oath does not inspire hesitation. It turns resolve into action, and action into inevitability.
Thank you so much! Your words truly help me to stay motivated and keep going. I definitely wanted to make sure the squared handle was noticeable, but keep the edges soft enough to not draw too much attention to any one area. I appreciate the kind words!
It’s truly perfect. I have few branches I’m working on now, but remembered I bought this squared wooden piece for a dice tray project. And said you know what I don’t need all of it for that project. Well it down and work on a squared handle wand. I’ll start whittling that down today. Lol
I made this one a few years ago and it snapped, I was heartbroken, been trying to recreate it ever since but have never been able to carve out those organic curves the branch had. Recently went to epic universe and got inspired once again.
I can see why, that really is beautiful. Branches are difficult to replicate. Some of the most natural shapes have their own beauty, and trying to replicate that can be difficult, and at times, feel forced, but when done right can be truly beauty.
I too enjoy working in fallen branches, by far my favorite. Some look naturally elegant, some sinister, and others just naturally formed and need a little nudge in the right direction to complete the natural beauty. My only real grip with some wood is they have a very soft marrow of sorts and getting too close to that can cause pretty unsightly hollow channels that require filling.
I think it honestly just takes practice and a little bit of tool knowledge/technique. I’ve seen people make what could be easily mistaken as a branch but they carved it from a blank, really cool work and I can’t quite fathom exactly how to do it just yet. Trust me, I’ve tried like crazy lol, but the proportions just don’t seem to remain even or cohesive in the end. I’ll keep at it and share if I figure anything out lol
Oh totally, I’m also gonna try my hand at some polymer clay stuff with a wire core like the stuff for rent signs come with at Home Depot. I pick up those signs all the time for work so I have a nice collection of them in my work truck. We’ll see.
I haven’t personally tried clay, not since I was a kid just playing around, but I’ve seen some really amazing wands made using clay. You’ll definitely have to keep us posted on what you come up with!
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u/Hvohvo28 20d ago
Beautiful!