#432

A Commissioned Pen

NB Saturn Oak and Gun Metal Ballpoint Twist Pen

(25% of the profits from the sale of this pen will be gifted to The Shropshire Union Fly-Boat Restoration Society, the Custodians of NB Saturn)

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 is one of the large bow mainframes from the Shropshire Fly Boat Saturn. The days of the fly-boats began with the success of the Bridgewater and Trent & Mersey canals in the 1770’s. Up until the heyday of the fly boats cargos had sedately plodded up the towing paths (Haling Way’s in them thar days) at three miles per hour or so but the new Fly Boats with teams of four men and two horses regularly galloped their loads of perishable goods at ten miles per hour. 

Built in 1906 for the Shropshire Union Canal Carrying Co. at Tower Wharf, Chester, Saturn was used for the fast carriage of cheese from the producing towns of Cheshire and Shropshire to the major markets such as Manchester. 

Saturn is the last horse-drawn Shropshire Union Canal Fly-boat in the World – originally built to travel non-stop, day and night. Over 100 years old, she has been fully restored to her former glory; not only to preserve her for posterity but to educate present and future generations about our waterways, narrowboats and horse-boating.

We left Bumble Hole a day early. The weather forecast was looking grim again with higher winds and a whole day of rain forecast. Before getting the pram cover built on the back of the boat I used to have to turn pens on the good weather days and move on the nasty ones, now we had the luxury of the choice of days. 

Today's cruise was going to be a nice shortish one in cool winter sunshine. We didn't even have any locks to slow us down and as soon as we were through, the large and easy to navigate, Netherton tunnel it would be New Main Line all the way to Brum city centre to meet up with our fellow traders for The Narrowboat Traders Association Winter Floating Market.

There was a great turnout with several boats down on the cancellation list. Friday was going to be a long, and hopefully, busy day for us as it was our first NBTA late night illuminated market with all of us boaters displaying Christmassy lights and opening until late. I had heard a whisper that we were going to be open from 10 til 10! At least I will have time to catch up with the last of my commissioned pens.

Pen #432 was turned on Wednesday 16th December 2015 just outside the car park of the Barclay Card Arena in Birmingham. 

#431

A Commissioned Pen

Purple and Bronze Acrylic with Gun Metal Fountain Pen

Whenever I start to make a pen from an acrylic blank I always remember the negative points. Acrylic turning is messy, I really try to clear every last scrap of it up; it can also be smelly; the sharp little chips get everywhere and it can blunt the turning chisels really quickly. By the time the pen shape is turned and I start the messier job of wet sanding through about fifteen different grades I'm usually trying to convince myself that maybe its better to just concentrate on turning wooden pens.

Then the final grades of sanding and polishing start to reveal something special and I really like acrylic again... until the next time.

We left Bumble Hole a day early. The weather forecast was looking grim again with higher winds and a whole day of rain forecast. Before getting the pram cover built on the back of the boat I used to have to turn pens on the good weather days and move on the nasty ones, now we had the luxury of the choice of days.

Today's cruise was going to be a nice shortish one in cool winter sunshine. We didn't even have any locks to slow us down and as soon as we were through, the large and easy to navigate, Netherton tunnel it would be New Main Line all the way to Brum city centre to meet up with our fellow traders for The Narrowboat Traders Association Winter Floating Market.

There was a great turnout with several boats down on the cancellation list. Friday was going to be a long, and hopefully, busy day for us as it was our first NBTA late night illuminated market with all of us boaters displaying Christmassy lights and opening until late. I had heard a whisper that we were going to be open from 10 til 10! At least I will have time to catch up with the last of my commissioned pens.

Pen #431 was turned on Sunday 13th December 2015 just outside the car park of the Barclay Card Arena in Birmingham. 

#430

Blue Acrylic and Chrome Fountain Pen

Whenever I start to make a pen from an acrylic blank I always remember the negative points. Acrylic turning is messy, I really try to clear every last scrap of it up; it can also be smelly; the sharp little chips get everywhere and it can blunt the turning chisels really quickly. By the time the pen shape is turned and I start the messier job of wet sanding through about fifteen different grades I'm usually trying to convince myself that maybe its better to just concentrate on turning wooden pens.

Then the final grades of sanding and polishing start to reveal something special and I really like acrylic again... until the next time.

We left Bumble Hole a day early. The weather forecast was looking grim again with higher winds and a whole day of rain forecast. Before getting the pram cover built on the back of the boat I used to have to turn pens on the good weather days and move on the nasty ones, now we had the luxury of the choice of days. 

Today's cruise was going to be a nice shortish one in cool winter sunshine. We didn't even have any locks to slow us down and as soon as we were through, the large and easy to navigate, Netherton tunnel it would be New Main Line all the way to Brum city centre to meet up with our fellow traders for The Narrowboat Traders Association Winter Floating Market.

There was a great turnout with several boats down on the cancellation list. Friday was going to be a long, and hopefully, busy day for us as it was our first NBTA late night illuminated market with all of us boaters displaying Christmassy lights and opening until late. I had heard a whisper that we were going to be open from 10 til 10! At least I will have time to catch up with the last of my commissioned pens.

Pen #430 was turned on Tuesday 15th December 2015 just outside the car park of the Barclay Card Arena in Birmingham.

#429

Now Sold

NB Dane, Elm and 24ct Gold Plated Ballpoint Twist Pen 

(25% of the profits from the sale of this pen will be gifted to The Narrowboat Heritage Foundation, the Custodians of NB Dane)

EUROPEAN ELM - Ulmus procera

European Elm has is a light to medium brown, sometimes with a hint of red. With an oil finish, it can turn a beautiful golden brown colour. Unless, of course, it's been kept at the bottom of a canal for an awfully long time.

The rotten parts of these rebuilt boats are usually used to stoke the fires that steam the new planks for bending to the hull's shape.Luckily these pieces of elm were too important to burn and have been properly stored. 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.

Narrowboat Dane was built by the Mersey Weaver and Ship Canal Carrying Company and used as part of their fleet. She was built in November 1946 and first registered on January the first 1947. Ade from A P Boatbuilding is currently restoring her on behalf of The Narrowboat Heritage Foundation, the work being done is re-bottomed with new chine planks, kelson, stem post and soon to receive two new bow planks, gunwales, decks, new back cabin and engine room. The pens that I will be making from Dane are all from a heavy lump of Elm bottom plate.

We left Bumble Hole a day early. The weather forecast was looking grim again with higher winds and a whole day of rain forecast. Before getting the pram cover built on the back of the boat I used to have to turn pens on the good weather days and move on the nasty ones, now we had the luxury of the choice of days. 

Today's cruise was going to be a nice shortish one in cool winter sunshine. We didn't even have any locks to slow us down and as soon as we were through, the large and easy to navigate, Netherton tunnel it would be New Main Line all the way to Brum city centre to meet up with our fellow traders for The Narrowboat Traders Association Winter Floating Market.

There was a great turnout with several boats down on the cancellation list. Friday was going to be a long, and hopefully, busy day for us as it was our first NBTA late night illuminated market with all of us boaters displaying Christmassy lights and opening until late. I had heard a whisper that we were going to be open from 10 til 10! At least I will have time to catch up with the last of my commissioned pens.

Pen #429 was turned on Thursday 10th December 2015 just outside the car park of the Barclay Card Arena in Birmingham. 

You can follow my pen making here on this blog and our travels on another blog here

http://nb-lois-jane.blogspot.co.uk

oh and please like us on Facebook too here - 

https://www.facebook.com/ThePenMakersBoat

#428

Now Sold

NB Birchills, Oak and Gun Metal Ballpoint Twist Pen

(25% of the profits from the sale of this pen will be gifted to The Black Country Living Museum, the Custodians of NB Birchills)

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 and roof hatch 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 flaky 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.

That old flaky gunwale went on to make a few very nice pens and I was lucky enough to be given some more wood by Ade at A P Boat Building in Alvecote. This time a piece that appears to be from the old red cabin hatch surround.

We left Bumble Hole a day early. The weather forecast was looking grim again with higher winds and a whole day of rain forecast. Before getting the pram cover built on the back of the boat I used to have to turn pens on the good weather days and move on the nasty ones, now we had the luxury of the choice of days. 

Today's cruise was going to be a nice shortish one in cool winter sunshine. We didn't even have any locks to slow us down and as soon as we were through, the large and easy to navigate, Netherton tunnel it would be New Main Line all the way to Brum city centre to meet up with our fellow traders for The Narrowboat Traders Association Winter Floating Market.

There was a great turnout with several boats down on the cancellation list. Friday was going to be a long, and hopefully, busy day for us as it was our first NBTA late night illuminated market with all of us boaters displaying Christmassy lights and opening until late. I had heard a whisper that we were going to be open from 10 til 10! At least I will have time to catch up with the last of my commissioned pens.

Pen #428 was turned on Thursday 10th December 2015 just outside the car park of the Barclay Card Arena in Birmingham. 

You can follow my pen making here on this blog and our travels on another blog here

http://nb-lois-jane.blogspot.co.uk

oh and please like us on Facebook too here - 

https://www.facebook.com/ThePenMakersBoat