#323

NOW SOLD

NB Dane Elm and 24ct Gold Plated Rollerball Pen

(25% of which will be donated to The Narrowboat Heritage Foundation for the continued upkeep 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.

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 rebottomed 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'd now been through the tunnel at Harecastle, stopped for a few days at Church Lawton, Stopped for an overnight break at Rode Heath and were close to Middlewich where we were going ro be trading at the Folk And Boat Festival. With a couple of washing loads to do and a good few pens to turn we decided to moor up in the middle of nowhere at Bridge 164 a few miles (and half a dozen locks) south of Middlewich to do some catching up.

The weather was lovely, Dudley tired himself out running through the long grass at the side of the little used towpath the washing dried quickly in the sunny breeze and chips of oak, elm, Bubinga, Sycamore, shavings from NB Birchils and Dane, and colourful acrylics floated around the back deck of the boat. Just what we needed and our first night away from civilisation for a good while. Even the rattle of combines in the next field and lorries along the A553 from Sandbach couldn't dull our moods.

Pen #323 was turned on Mondaay 15th June 2015 from a piece of the base plate from Narrowboat Dane.