BOFA/FOTR Gandalf staff modifications

1
As Soon I got my hands this staff I knew I was going to make it as close to the FOTR one as I could. Kit and UC did a very good job straight out of the box and only a few things needed to be done. Mostly the rune carved on the side and the hole going all the way through for the leather strap.

Here is a photo from FOTR for reference.

Image


Here is it straight out of the box.

Image

Image

Image

Image

Re: BOFA/FOTR Gandalf staff modifications

2
First I started on making a new spike. The one it comes with is resin, I wanted one made out of metal. I started out with a 1/2x 3inch bolt

almost 3 hours of grinding, sanding and filing. I burnt my hand many times from the metal heating up. Dunked it in water to cool it down so I could keep going. Here is the before,
Image


and after, with comparison to the resin one that comes with the staff. Darkened with brass darkening solution and rusted with hydrogen peroxide and salt.

Image
[/QUOTE]

I don't have any photos of the drilling, carving or painting, just the finished piece.

I also was able to use my wooden Gandalf pipe a made over 2 years ago (and actually fits into the staff and is almost the exact same length as the resin one!)
Image

Image

Image

Re: BOFA/FOTR Gandalf staff modifications

6
As always, that looks fantastic! I wish I was brave enough to take a drill to my staff for a proper modification. But... no way, no how. I may try my hand at making a leather strap, but if I do it will have to wrap aroind instead of through the staff.

"If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world."

~~ Thorin Oakenshield

Re: BOFA/FOTR Gandalf staff modifications

9
Valkrist wrote:It looks like the strap is only tied around N2's staff. He's a brave craftsman but I don't know if even he is daring enough to drill a UC replica and risk damaging it.
Look again Val, and read my post. I indeed drilled the hole and it was a fair amount of work. The drilling was easy, but widening it the the knot opening was a hassel.

And yes I can provide a leather strap in your box. :thumbs_up

Re: BOFA/FOTR Gandalf staff modifications

10
Valkrist wrote:It looks like the strap is only tied around N2's staff. He's a brave craftsman but I don't know if even he is daring enough to drill a UC replica and risk damaging it.
I beg to differ. In the third pic down in his last set of pics you can see the leather thong passes through the center of the staff.

N2, would you be willing to share some details about the leather? I'm curious about the thickness of the strip as well as its pre-looped and tied length. Any other tips regarding how you configured it would be much appreciated.

"If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world."

~~ Thorin Oakenshield

Re: BOFA/FOTR Gandalf staff modifications

14
N2 , the added rune looks amazing as well , as always , and I feel like a broken record , very well done ! ! ! :thumbs_up I don't think I would have the courage to try and carve the rune into the staff , drilling the hole maybe . But As of now i will be happy to order and have the staff and hope Kit is right that they will make the next staff with the crystal , light up or not , just want that Moria staff :D

Re: BOFA/FOTR Gandalf staff modifications

15
Buckeye wrote:
Valkrist wrote:It looks like the strap is only tied around N2's staff. He's a brave craftsman but I don't know if even he is daring enough to drill a UC replica and risk damaging it.
I beg to differ. In the third pic down in his last set of pics you can see the leather thong passes through the center of the staff.

N2, would you be willing to share some details about the leather? I'm curious about the thickness of the strip as well as its pre-looped and tied length. Any other tips regarding how you configured it would be much appreciated.

Thanks everyone!

Here is the leather strip that I bought from Michael's. I bought both, but the lighter one on the right was too thick. I measured the loop I made and it measures 13 inches and has about 2 to 3 inches of overlap, so about 29 inches should do you. If you go back to the photos Kit posted he said it hangs down 27 cm.

Image

Re: BOFA/FOTR Gandalf staff modifications

17
Looks really good Andrew. It's great that your wood pipe fits perfectly.

I had a go at carving the hole and rune in my staff a few days ago. I have some leather saddle strap I'm going to use for the wrist strap, whenever I can dig through my mess of a workshop and find it. I may make a steel spike, but i think I have some old iron nails spikes that I may be able to mod. I have one I use as a tobacco tamper when I smoke too, but it's a bit too thin for the hole.

Image

Image
KRDS

Re: BOFA/FOTR Gandalf staff modifications

19
The strap looks good to me. The one on the prop is more of a dark brown color, but in some images it looks light brown, so who knows. Good work on the spike too.

Here is the nail spike I use for smoking. These are on ebay all the time, sold under various names - antique or vintage iron nail, antique square cut or square head nail, square cut raisin head nail, rose head nail, antique horse shoe nail...but just searching antique nail should bring them up. Anything that looks like this in a 3 1/2" to 4" length can be cut down to look like the prop spike.

Image
KRDS

Re: BOFA/FOTR Gandalf staff modifications

23
An amazing job!
I have ordered the staff, and what hurts me most is not having the Gandalf rune on it.
Maybe i can try to make myself, but if you can help with a little of specifications as you have done the Rune, the dremel type that you have used, what kind of tip, etc.. I would greatly appreciate it.
The rune is painted inside, right?.

Re: BOFA/FOTR Gandalf staff modifications

24
Argolas wrote:An amazing job!
I have ordered the staff, and what hurts me most is not having the Gandalf rune on it.
Maybe i can try to make myself, but if you can help with a little of specifications as you have done the Rune, the dremel type that you have used, what kind of tip, etc.. I would greatly appreciate it.
The rune is painted inside, right?.
I used an exacto knike with a straight cutting blade, not the sharp angled one that nomally come with it. Kit's photos show it much better, but the side is carved at a 45 degree angle and you would not be able to achieve that with a rotory tool. Yes you will have to paint the rune once you are done carving because it exposes the raw or white polyresin underneath.

Re: BOFA/FOTR Gandalf staff modifications

26
I used a flat exacto blade too, like a chisel blade, but I started with a V cut using a Dremel with a conical high speed cutter bit. Sketch the pattern on the part with a sharpie or soft lead pencil. It's nothing difficult, but I suggest practicing on some soft wood first, if you have never done this type of work.

If you mess up, you can always fill it in with some polyester resin, like automotive Bondo, and try again.
Last edited by Nasnandos on Sat Aug 22, 2015 7:44 am, edited 1 time in total.
KRDS

Re: BOFA/FOTR Gandalf staff modifications

30
You can use acrylics or petroleum based enamels, just don't use anything glossy. I always custom mix colors, so I can't give you an exact brand or shade of brown. I just mixed a bit of black and yellow into a brown color that was close until I hit the right shade. If you have a generic brown, red, yellow, white, and black, you can make a good match to just about any shade of color on the staff.
KRDS

Re: BOFA/FOTR Gandalf staff modifications

43
I was watching a show called 'Merlin the legend' on the History channel. There was a section where they were talking to Alan Lee. He went on to say the movie makers had given him the pipe staff as a gift at the end of filming the Hobbit and he showed it right there in his work studio.

He then showed the pouch attached to the leather strap on the staff. He did say he wasn't sure it was ever shown in the film but it holds flint for Gandalf to use to light his pipe.

Just though some of you might be interested. Here is a screen shot of the pouch.
Image

Re: BOFA/FOTR Gandalf staff modifications

45
Idril wrote:I was watching a show called 'Merlin the legend' on the History channel. There was a section where they were talking to Alan Lee. He went on to say the movie makers had given him the pipe staff as a gift at the end of filming the Hobbit and he showed it right there in his work studio.

He then showed the pouch attached to the leather strap on the staff. He did say he wasn't sure it was ever shown in the film but it holds flint for Gandalf to use to light his pipe.
I wonder where the old wizard kept the leaf? ... In his pocketses?

"Eternity is an awful long time, especially towards the end."

"What you see and what you hear depends a great deal on where you are standing.
It also depends on what sort of person you are.” -- CSL
Post Reply

Return to “The Lord of the Rings & The Hobbit”

cron