#158

NOW SOLD

Black Acrylic and 24ct Gold Plated Ballpoint Twist Pen

Turned on October 20th 2014 from solid black acrylic this pen has a certain Mont Blanc feel about it. It was made whilst we were moored outside Lime Farm Marina on the Oxford canal. We were waiting to get some long overdue jobs done on the boat.

1. Black Acrylic and Gold Ballpoint Pen
2. Surprisingly good weather for the end of October

#157

NOW SOLD

Tiger Oak and 24ct Gold Plated Ballpoint Twist Pen

EUROPEAN TIGER OAK - Quercus robur

Tiger Oak is not a distinct species of Oak, but rather is European Oak that has been infected with a fungus. This fungus has the effect of turning the wood a deep brown colour. Once the wood has been cut and dried, the fungus dies, leaving a rich golden brown colour. Timber that has been partially affected is called Tiger Oak, timber that has been fully affected is called Brown Oak. With an oil finish, Tiger Oak will turn a beautiful deep brown colour.

Turned  on October 20th 2014 from a nicely figured piece of Tiger Oak. I used just a few coats of boiled linseed oil and cyanoacrylate to finish this pen to retain the warmth of colour and touch of the natural wood. It was made whilst we were moored outside Lime Farm Marina on the Oxford canal.

1. Tiger Oak and Gold Ballpoint Pen
2. Still just about enough sun to operate the lathe for a few hours via the solar array.

#156

NOW SOLD

Tiger Oak and 24ct Gold Plated Ballpoint Twist Pen

EUROPEAN TIGER OAK - Quercus robur

Tiger Oak is not a distinct species of Oak, but rather is European Oak that has been infected with a fungus. This fungus has the effect of turning the wood a deep brown colour. Once the wood has been cut and dried, the fungus dies, leaving a rich golden brown colour. Timber that has been partially affected is called Tiger Oak, timber that has been fully affected is called Brown Oak. With an oil finish, Tiger Oak will turn a beautiful deep brown colour.

Turned  on October 20th 2014 from a nicely figured piece of Tiger Oak although this pen is bordering on the Brown Oak with just the odd golden hint. I used just a few coats of boiled linseed oil and cyanoacrylate to finish this pen to retain the warmth of colour and touch of the natural wood. It was made whilst we were moored outside Lime Farm Marina on the Oxford canal.

1. Tiger Oak and Gold Ballpoint Pen
2. A peaceful mooring on the Oxford Canal

#155

NOW SOLD

Zebrano and Chrome Ballpoint Twist Pen

ZEBRANO - Microberlinia brazzavillensis

Also called Zebrawood, Zebrano is a pale brown colour broken up by parallel darker streaks which create the zebra pattern that gives this timber its name. Zebrano has a coarse texture, and the interlocking grain is generally straight. With an oil finish, Zebrano can turn a dark brown colour.

Turned  on October 20th 2014 from a nicely figured quite unique little piece of Zebrano with, rather than fairly even stripes, a clear division between light and dark woods. I used just a few coats of boiled linseed oil and cyanoacrylate to finish this pen to retain the warmth of colour and touch of the natural wood. It was made whilst we were moored outside Lime Farm Marina on the Oxford canal.

1. Zebrano and Chrome Ballpoint Pen
2. 20th October and 18°C, can't complain.

#154

NOW SOLD

European Elm and Chrome Ballpoint Twist Pen

EUROPEAN ELM - Ulmus procera

European Elm has a light to medium brown colour, sometimes with a hint of red heartwood with irregular, wavy cross grain which results in attractive figuring. With an oil finish, it can turn a beautiful golden brown colour The grain is quite coarse. Elm can turn brown/light grey.

Turned  on October 20th 2014 from a nicely figured piece of European Elm. I used just a few coats of boiled linseed oil and cyanoacrylate to finish this pen to retain the warmth of colour and touch of the natural wood. It was made whilst we were moored outside Lime Farm Marina on the Oxford canal waiting for our Autumn appointment with the boat yard.

1. European Elm and Chrome Ballpoint Pen
2. Nice wide towpath for setting up the workshop

#153

Now Sold

Wenge and Chrome Ballpoint Twist Pen

WENGE - Millettia laurentii

Wenge (pronounced weng-ay apparently) is a very dark brown colour with black streaks. Wenge grain is generally straight, with a very coarse texture. With an oil finish the wood can become nearly black. 

Turned on October 19th 2014 from a hard dark piece of Wenge. Wenge is quite an oily but dense wood. Its grain however is quite open and as such there is a choice to be made, either lots of finishing coats that can make the finished pen look a little plasticky or as few as possible and have a few open grains. with this pen I used a tiny amount of boiled linseed oil and a few coats of cyanoacrylate to finish this pen. It was made whilst we were moored outside Lime Farm Marina on the Oxford canal.

1. Wenge and Chrome Ballpoint Pen
2. Turned pen on the lathe
3. Lime Farm Marina is situated on one of the truncated loops of the old canal that were left behind when the canal was straightened. 

#152

NOW SOLD

Zebrano and Chrome Fountain Pen

ZEBRANO - Microberlinia brazzavillensis

Also called Zebrawood, Zebrano is a pale brown colour broken up by parallel darker streaks which create the zebra pattern that give this timber its name. Zebrano has a coarse texture, and the interlocking grain is generally straight. With an oil finish, Zebrano can turn a dark brown colour.

Turned  on October 19th 2014 from a nicely figured piece of Zebrano. I used just a few coats of boiled linseed oil and cyanoacrylate to finish this pen to retain the warmth of colour and touch of the natural wood. It was made whilst we were moored outside Lime Farm Marina on the Oxford canal.

1. Zebrano and Chrome Fountain Pen
2. This style of pen has a removable cap that can be posted on the end of the pen
3. Ready for sanding
4. A few days later the tail end of hurricane Gonzalo hit the midlands and stripped several of these trees bare.

#151

Sycamore and Chrome Fountain Pen

SYCAMORE - Acer pseudoplatanu

Sycamore is generally a creamy white colour and stock can sometimes have blue and brown streaks running through the boards, almost like spalted beech. With an oil finish, Sycamore can turn a light tan colour.

Turned  on October 19th 2014 from a piece of Sycamore. I used just a few coats of boiled linseed oil and cyanoacrylate to finish this pen to retain the warmth of colour and touch of the natural wood. It was made whilst we were moored outside Lime Farm Marina on the Oxford canal.

1. Sycamore and Chrome Fountain Pen
2. This style of pen has a removable cap that is postable onto the end of the pen
3. I love the way my camera doesn't show up the dirt on our boat.

#150

NOW SOLD

European Elm and Chrome Fountain Pen

EUROPEAN ELM - Ulmus procera

European Elm is light to medium brown, sometimes with a hint of red heartwood with irregular, wavy cross grain which results in attractive figuring. With an oil finish, it can turn a beautiful golden brown colour The grain is quite coarse. Elm can turn brown/light grey.

Turned  on October 20th 2014 from a nicely figured piece of European Elm. I used just a few coats of boiled linseed oil and cyanoacrylate to finish this pen to retain the warmth of colour and touch of the natural wood. It was made whilst we were moored outside Lime Farm Marina on the Oxford canal waiting for our Autumn appointment with the boat yard.

1. European Elm and Chrome Fountain Pen.
2. This style of pen has a removable cap that is postable onto the end of the pen
3. Autumn had definitely arrived. 

#149

NOW SOLD

European Elm and Chrome Ballpoint Twist Pen

EUROPEAN ELM - Ulmus procera

European Elm has a light to medium brown colour, sometimes with a hint of red heartwood with irregular, wavy cross grain which results in attractive figuring. With an oil finish, it can turn a beautiful golden brown colour The grain is quite coarse. Elm can turn brown/light grey.

Turned at Flecknoe just past Braunston on September 30th 2014 from a nicely figured piece of European Elm. I used just a few coats of boiled linseed oil and cyanoacrylate to finish this pen to retain the warmth of colour and touch of the natural wood. 

#148

NOW SOLD

'Birchills' Oak and Chrome Ballpoint Twist Pen

EUROPEAN OAK - Quercus robur

Usually straight-grained, the heartwood of European Oak varies in colour from light tan to brown. Quarter-sawn pieces show attractive flame figuring. The wood is fairly hard, heavy and dense, clean but with the occasional knot. European Oak is a beautiful timber and with an oil finish, the grain will turn a deep golden brown.

This particular piece of oak (probably English rather than European) is just a little bit special though. It comes from the rear cabin side gunwales of Narrowboat Birchills. I was given a few off cuts by the superb craftsmen who were carrying out a little light refurbishment to this historic boat, in fact the guys had cut the whole back cabin off!

Birchills is an historic, ‘Joey’ boat with a small day cabin, built in 1953 by Ernest Thomas of Walsall, ‘Birchills’ it is one of the last wooden day boats made and was used to carry coal to Wolverhampton Power Station. This boat is double-ended and the mast and rudder could be changed from one end to the other. This enabled its use in narrow canals or basins where there was no room to turn the boat around.

The rotten parts of these rebuilt boats are usually used to stoke the fires that steam the new planks for bending to the hulls shape so half a day later this flakey gunwale would have been burned. I wasn't sure how deep the rot would have gone and how deep I would have to delve into this piece to find stable wood. The pens I make from historic boat materials have been thoroughly tested by me to make sure that they will give pleasurable daily use.

The pen was turned on 30th September at Flecknoe (The Old Olive Bush Pub in the village is well worth the visit) which is between Braunston and Napton on the small stretch of the Grand Union Canal that links the North and South Oxford Canals.  It is a lovely peaceful location, one of our favourites!

1. Birchills Oak and Chrome Ballpoint Pen
2. New back cabin in the background, old in the foreground. If you zoom in you can even still see the old boat name.
3. The curved gunwale piece
4. Cut through to search for some solid wood
5. Cut down to managable pan blanks
6. Turning down before drilling and a little acclimatising. 

#147 Now Sold

Wenge and Chrome Ballpoint Twist Pen 

WENGE - Millettia laurentii

Wenge (pronounced weng-ay apparently) is a very dark brown colour with black streaks. Wenge grain is generally straight, with a very coarse texture. With an oil finish the wood can become nearly black.

Turned on September 22nd 2014 in Rugby from a hard dark piece of Wenge. Wenge is quite an oily but dense wood. Its grain however is quite open and as such there is a choice to be made, either lots of finishing coats that can make the finished pen look a little plasticky or as few as possible and have a few open grains. with this pen I used a tiny amount of boiled linseed oil and a few coats of cyanoacrylate to finish this pen. 

#146

NOW SOLD

Bubinga and 24ct Gold Plated Ballpoint Pen

BUBINGA - Guibourtia

Bubinga has medium red/brown heartwood, with distinct red to purple growth rings and a fairly coarse but even texture. It works well with both hand and machine tools, although irregular grain can lead to tear out so we always try to finish-sand Bubinga rather than finishing off the chisel Oil finished, Bubinga can turn a deep red/brown colour.

Turned  on September 15th 2014 from a very red piece of Bubinga (sadly it doesn't stay quite so red forever). I used just a few coats of boiled linseed oil and cyanoacrylate to finish this pen to retain the warmth of colour and touch of the natural wood. It was made whilst we were moored a mile or so outside Brinklow, we were on our way to get some quotes for boat work.

1. Bubinga and Gold Ballpoint Pen
2. Ready to start turning
3. A nice wide towpath but there was quite a gap between the boat and the bank

#145

NOW SOLD

Spalted Beech and Chrome Ballpoint Twist Pen

SPALTED EUROPEAN BEECH - Fagus sylvatica

Spalted Beech is European Beech which has been attacked by a fungus. It leaves incredibly beautiful patterns running through the wood. Spalted Beech can be softer than standard Beech, however the fungus is totally inert and will not affect the performance of the wood in any way. With an oil finish, it can turn golden yellow/brown.

Turned  on September 15th 2014 from a very nicely figured piece of spalted beech. I love turning wood like this because you don't know what will be uncovered until the piece is finished. I used just a few coats of boiled linseed oil and cyanoacrylate to finish this pen to retain the warmth of colour and touch of the natural wood. It was made whilst we were moored a mile or so outside Brinklow, we were on our way to get some quotes for boat work.

1. Spalted Beech and Chrome Ballpoint Pen
2. The coatings have cured, just a little polishing to finish off
3. These will keep me busy for a few days, the spalted beech is third pair from left

#144

NOW SOLD

Tiger Oak and Chrome Ballpoint TwistPen

EUROPEAN TIGER OAK - Quercus robur

Tiger Oak is not a distinct species of Oak, but rather is European Oak that has been infected with a fungus. This fungus has the effect of turning the wood a deep brown colour. Once the wood has been cut and dried, the fungus dies, leaving a rich golden brown colour. Timber that has been partially affected is called Tiger Oak, timber that has been fully affected is called Brown Oak. With an oil finish, Tiger Oak will turn a beautiful deep brown colour.

Turned  on September 15th 2014 from a nicely figured piece of Tiger Oak although this pen is bordering on the Brown Oak with just the odd golden hint. I used just a few coats of boiled linseed oil and cyanoacrylate to finish this pen to retain the warmth of colour and touch of the natural wood. It was made whilst we were moored a mile or so outside Brinklow, we were on our way to get some quotes for boat work.

1. Tiger Oak and Chrome Ballpoint Pen
2. The tiger oak blank is on the far left, you can see that it is darker than unaffected oak and has a two-tone colour
3. Ready for action

#143

NOW SOLD

Padouk and 24ct Gold Plated Ballpoint Twist Pen

PADOUK - Pterocarpus soyauxii

Padouk is  vivid red with a distinctive contrasting band of white sapwood. Padouk may show interlocking grain in places and has a fine, even texture. Like all woods the colours do develop, the more vivid the colour the greater likelihood that the colour will change, not necessarily fade. Padouk can develop into quite a dark brown colour.

Turned  on September 12th 2014 from a very nice piece of vivid Padouk with just the merest hints of darker grain patterns. I used a few extra coats of boiled linseed oil and cyanoacrylate to finish this pen to retain the warmth of colour and touch of the natural wood and to also try and retain the colour for as long as possible. This pen was made whilst we were moored just past Sutton Stop at Hawkesbury Junction at the very start of the Oxford Canal, it's a historic boating location with the Greyhound being one of the best pubs on the system especially if the log fires are roaring.

1. Padouk and Gold Ballpoint Pen
2. Approaching Sutton Stop Lock
3. Lots of room to set up the workshop here

#142

NOW SOLD

Zebrano and Chrome Ballpoint Twist Pen

ZEBRANO - Microberlinia brazzavillensis

Also called Zebrawood, Zebrano is a pale brown colour broken up by parallel darker streaks which create the zebra pattern that give this timber its name. Zebrano has a coarse texture, and the interlocking grain is generally straight. With an oil finish, Zebrano can turn a dark brown colour and this one has developed beautifully.

Turned  on September 12th 2014 from a very nice piece of Zebrano with streaks of darker grain patterns. I used a few extra coats of boiled linseed oil and cyanoacrylate to finish this pen to retain the warmth of colour and touch of the natural wood and to also try and retain the colour for as long as possible. This pen was made whilst we were moored just past Sutton Stop at Hawkesbury Junction at the very start of the Oxford Canal, it's a historic boating location with the Greyhound being one of the best pubs on the system especially if the log fires are roaring.

1. Zebrano and Chrome Ballpoint Pen
2. Volunteers at the stop lock
3. The Greyhound Pub at night

#141

NOW SOLD

Black/Orange Acrylic and 24ct Gold Plated Rollerball

Turned on September 12th 2014 from a unique piece of orange black acrylic. This style of pen has a removable cap that is postable onto the end of the pen. This pen was made whilst we were moored just past Sutton Stop at Hawkesbury Junction at the very start of the Oxford Canal, it's a historic boating location.

1. Black and Orange Acrylic Rollerball Pen with Gold Fittings
2. Shown here with the postable cap
3. Luckily the ponies can't quite reach our side hatch