#378

NOW SOLD

NB Birchills Oak and Chrome 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.

Pen #378 was made in Birmingham on the 25th September 2015. 

It had been quite a busy boating month for us having previously been woodturning at Whilton on the Grand Union canal we had stop-off's in Braunston to deliver some pens, Alvecote to meet with Ade who supplies my historic timbers and Fazley to pick up a new sofa before heading up to Huddlesford Junction to visit a boat gathering there. The plan was to head north from Fazeley towards Fradley and onwards past Tixall Wide to the Shropshire Union Canal, but as we were presented with a junction and the prospects of a floating market to visit in Birmingham we decided to head up the Curdworth, Minworth, Aston and Farmers flights of locks and pay good ol' Brum a visit.

Mooring was tight at the top and we were lucky to be offered one of the vacant trade spots that had been reserved by CRT. There were still a few traders to arrive, one of which were Dan and Keri with their new butty boat (well 1935 so old/new to them) Lyra. A quick calculation revealed that they'd have to wind 64 locks to get both boats up into Birmingham so we took Dudley Dawg and our windlasses on a walk down the hill to help. Eight miles and eight hours later we were all pooped and back on our cosy boat. 

The market was a great success for all of our friends but it was lovely to see one from a visitors perspective and meet up with some new traders and of course 'Linda the Busker' (read professional musician who also busks). We were lucky enough to coincide our visit with the fantastic Birmingham Weekender (formally arts fest) where there was just so much to see and do; and also the world cup rugby tournament where we even managed a hike down to the Fanzone to watch a match. There is always something great to do in Birmingham and often for free!