making a besom

[Lirazel]

does anyone know a good way to do this?

[Elaethril]

Try googling it. I know there are a few sites out there with instructions as I was just looking for this myself.

I ended up finding mine at the local supply store - just arrived and was handmade by a woman out in the country who makes them to support her family. I figured that it was meant for me because I had really been focused on finding/making one. I spent some time getting to know her (yes, a she) and couldn't be happier.

[RubyRose]

I made one. I simply found a branch that I thought was long enough, and visited a craft store and found the materials to make the broom part. I used glue and raffia twine to securely join both the handle and broom part together.

[Silverfire Darkmoon]

I once wrote an article about this for Silver Circle that I also put up on my website. Just a minute, let me find the address.
http://www.angelfire.com/ego/darksomenight/besom.html
There ya go. Some new information, though: Soak the willow in briny water for a LONG TIME, maybe a month or entire lunar cycle, so they'll be nice and pliable and non-brittle. Briny water may be made by adding the liquid from a largish jar of pickles to regular water. Or, add craploads of salt. I also like to add lots of purifying herbs, because then the soaked willow is nice and fragrant. After it's been soaked, strike them with a round stone all along their lengths to break up the pith.
Second, the willow-ash-birch formula I have now traced as far as Robert Graves' 'The White Goddess'. Since it's, well, Robert Graves, well, you may safely disregard that in my opinion.
I don't know what you could use instead of the leather thongs. They should ALSO be soaked in water for a long time, because once you tie everything together with them, you will put the broom in a warm, sunny place and they will shrink, making the bindings nice and tight.
I learned the part about soaking the willow and smashing it up from the WCC.

[yavanna]

What an awesome article Silverfire, I'm going to try to make a besom too :)

[StarCraftLia]

Really cool, Silverfire. :)

The idea I had for making mine was to just befriend a tree and cut a branch, then soak it in water until I can peel the bark off, then I'd decorate the handle and collect some long herbs and grass and wheat and just bundle them all together and tie it to the end with some twine. Then I guess I'd bless it, or bless the parts before putting them together.

[StormVixen]

i made one... if ur gunna put herbs in the brushy bit... dont use rosemary unless you take all the leaves off... it makes a mess if you dont...

[Amina]

Ooo! Besoms are fun!
I recently had a friend send my twigs from around her house all the way over in New England. They are going to be sooo cool!
I just have the twigs, then a branch long enough to serve as a handle, and some good looknig twine or rope to tie them to the branch with.
I'm excited for them to arrive!

:bouncysmi

[Rin Daemoko]

That settles it. I need to get myself a besom. I really like the idea of making my own ... but with winter coming and limited space at home, soaking wood for a lunar cycle just isn't feasible. I have no problem buying, though.