#267

NOW SOLD

Brown Oak and 24ct Gold Plated Twist Pen 

with Antique Rose Inserts

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.

The tricky part of making these part wood part acrylic pens is that the acrylic is much tougher than the wood so the pressure of the chisel has to be varied with the change in surface (which is easier said than done when the piece is spinning at 4000 rpm) and I have to be very careful when sanding.

This pen was turned on on 13th May 2015 just after the three locks going down from Fradley Junction onto the Trent and Mersey Canal. We had a brief stop over in Fazeley to pick up some essential supplies before heading into the middle of the countryside to start replacing the stock that we sold at Alvecote. Whilst the weather was quite breezy we had one fantastically warm day before another low came in from the west to cool us down again. 

To make the most of the weather I turned some pens but left the finishing for a few days later at Branston Water Park. The turning is the messy part and finishing can be done inside on a drizzly day.