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===== Cobra Craft Handmade Wands =====

| {{  :art:cobracraftwandslogo.png?300|}} |
|  Logo done by Don Picton.  | 
Josh runs a handcrafted wand business which he conducts through his online store, Cobra Craft Handmade Wands. More of an autistic fixation that amuses viewers than a legitimate business, Josh's venture has garnered attention and sales primarily amongst his YouTube followers via the Etsy online marketplace.

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===== The Golden Age of Wands (2018 to 2022) =====

Initially, Josh would create wands using materials that are often found or repurposed, usually stray branches from nearby wooded areas or downed branches from locally planted trees in Casper. He would then bring them home and they'll undergo this specific process:

  - The branch will be cut to the appropriate size, usually measuring 9-13 inches.
  - A stress test to see if the wood is pliable enough.
  - It'll be shaved down with an orange handled steak knife at Cobra's computer desk.
  - It's handle will be tied on, usually a leather or copper substance purchased from Ace Hardware.
  - Then it'll be affixed to his vice to undergo spray painting, either being left here to dry or being hung with twine.
  - A secondary stress test.
  - The final touches will often consist of applying various crystals, doo-dads or semi-interesting refuse to the pommel (end of the handle.)

This is a lot of work for someone like Josh who usually takes the path of least resistance, so these original wands are treasured by fans and trolls alike.

According to statistics from Josh's Etsy page, omitting all others object sold that weren't strictly wands, there were 439 original wands ever made and sold during this period of time, coming out to an average of 110 wands made every year and 9 wands per month. This is of course an average, there were periods of time where Josh would make 11 wands a month and 2 in another.

Prices would originally stay at a stable $25 per wand, which seemed like a reasonable price. Josh originally considered upping the price to $30-$35 however his fanbase was not happy about that. Josh quickly put the price of the wands back down to $25 when his chat and subreddit lost their shit over this and it would stay that way for some considerable time. This is pretty funny considering Josh would slowly increase the price from $34, to $44 and finally to $48 per wand. Some wands would go for outrageous prices ranging from $234 to a whopping $400 with nothing really special about them to justify the price.

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                                       Josh's first batch of purchasable wands.  

| {{:objects:ccw-green-wand.jpg?200|}} | {{:objects:ccw-black-wand-2.jpg?200|}} | {{:objects:ccw-blue-wand.jpg?200|}} | {{:objects:ccw-orange-wand.jpg?200|}} |

| {{:objects:ccw-purple-wand.jpg?200|}} | {{:objects:ccw-red-wand.jpg?200|}} | {{:objects:ccw-white-wand-2.jpg?200|}} | {{:objects:ccw-yellow-wand.jpg?200|}} |

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===== The Silver Age of Wands (2022 to Present) =====

After Cobra's first eviction from his Center Street hovel, a fan sent him a woodworking lathe, which is an tool that suspends a block of wood between two points and spins it rapidly.

The problems became numerous.

  * Clint forbid Josh from using the lathe without his direct supervision, as a lathe is a dangerous tool for even a normal person, much less someone like Josh.

  * Part of the reason for Josh's prior eviction was his rampant use of spray paint inside his apartment, which fumigated one of the surrounding apartments so badly it forced a tenant to move for medical reasons.

  * Since it requires only an hour of your time to spin a block of plain pine, Josh would abandon his previous wand making process in favor for this mostly automated, pain free process, removing most of the charm or character from the wands that originally gave them value.

  * Because Josh's popularity grew and subsequently the PayPal donations he would receive, there is really no incentive for him to make wands and it remains a very last option if he's hurting for money, along side the production of an album.

These factors in mind, comparative to before Josh's output of wands would slow down considerably. As of today, <del>July the 4th, 2024</del> September 20th, 2024, Josh has made a total of 86 lathed wands. Assuming that Josh made 110 by December of this year and we hit the 2 year mark of wand sales, he will have made 55 wands per year on average, which is half of his annual output average from previous years.

Because some of these wands are uncharacteristically well done with somewhat intricate patterns, it has lead people to speculate that Clint is actually making a portion of these wands while Josh watches, as his supervision is required. This has lead to the popular "Clint Craft Wands" meme that proliferates social media groups about Josh.

===== Miscellaneous Items =====

The name of the shop may lead people to believe that Cobra Craft Handmade Wands exclusively sells wands and while that's largely true, Josh uses his Etsy site to hock a number of other objects. Here are some of them:

  * Pieces of dirty carpet from his first Center Street apartment. While the pieces were affectionately named **"Pieces of Cum Carpet"** for Josh's propensity to jack off and nut all over his carpet like an animal on a daily basis, these pieces were actually from his closet which was largely untouched by his filth.

  * A pair of his green Cockholster underwear.

  * Objects stolen from Alex "Warlord" Campbell.




===== Business Operations =====

Josh typically announces available wands directly on his YouTube channel, as this is his main method of communicating with his fanbase. For instance, he listed two specific wands for sale on Cobra Craft Wands' Etsy site in one such video. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f8zlWJnIe_c&t=10s|Wands for sale]] He also uses his channel to announce sales, like a separate instance where he informed viewers that a recent batch of 11 wands had been put up for sale and swiftly sold out. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=53OQuILqgak&t=-3s|wands sold]]

Reflective of his generally disorganized demeanor, Josh's marketing strategies are rather informal and closely tied to his YouTube presence. He often shares updates about his wand craft, highlighting the success and quick sell-out times of his homemade products. Successful sales are mentioned with enthusiasm, suggesting good turnover and customer interest. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nio-8OKAgk8&t=588s|cigar review]]

In spite of the fact that he is only selling sanded, painted sticks, Josh has incorporated his wand business into his delusions of grandeur, believing that people know him around town as a "professional wand maker." [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aG6iMGZMeqU&t=806s|night video]]

Josh's delusions of grandeur are reinforced by his viewer base always buying them, no matter how ridiculous of an offering the wands are. In one instance, he decided to sell a batch of 5 wands for $420 ([[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=USYBpKFWuc8&t=254s|Bug Bowl]]) or a batch of 11 wands, which sold out immediately ([[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JenguByjFsY&t=947s|Fan mail]])

===== Recent updates =====

In the recent months and years, as Josh's mental and physical health have declined and he struggles to maintain a good relationship with landlords, his wand business has declined. Josh rarely talks about selling wands anymore, but viewers continue to send superchats on his YouTube videos, indicating that stopping his wand business hasn't harmed his income much.

As of September 20th, 2024, Josh has made it a point to no longer make his own wands and instead purchase them from some Chinese-Mexican operation off Etsy. He has stated that he likes purchasing the wands because he admittedly could never make them to the quality that they do.

{{page>:blurbs#Josh and his beliefs}}