The Pen Makers Boat: #420

Now Sold

Figured Hawaiian Koa and 24ct Gold Plated Fountain Pen

KOA - Acacia Koa

Koa's colour can be highly variable, but tends to be medium golden or reddish brown, similar to mahogany. There are usually contrasting bands of colour in the growth rings, and it is not uncommon to see boards with ribbon-like streaks of colour. Boards figured with wavy and/or curly grain are also not uncommon.

Although Koa is naturally quite abundant on the islands of Hawaii, most Koa forests have been cleared for grazing pastures; and since young Koa seedlings are edible for grazing animals, most new trees are prevented from growing to timber-harvestable size. As a result, mature Koa trees are either scarce, or in hard-to-access mountainous locations, and the price of Koa is likely to only increase further in the future. Australian Blackwood is considered to be a more sustainable, and visually/mechanically similar substitute.

Koa is widely considered to be the most beautiful and useful of Hawaii’s native hardwoods and this pen is made using AAA grade instrument quality timber.

Well after waiting for the massive fallen ash tree to be cleared just outside Wheaton Aston on the Shropshire Union canal we really had to get a hustle on to get some of those lock miles past us and closer to Birmingham where we had a place booked on the Roving Canal Traders floating Christmas market.

With the shortest route, up the Wolverhampton 21 locks, closed for winter maintenance we would have to go the long way around. A very pretty rural route down the Staffordshire and Worcester Canal, across Stourbridge Canal, up the Dudley No1 and Dudley No2 canals and their 22 locks down and 24 locks up. We would normally take a leisurely fortnight for a journey like this - we did it in two days. Up and cruising before first light and mooring up after dark with mugs of tea and snacks as we went.

Whilst it was quite tiring we had great fun and the weather was really on our side with hardly a drop of rain and temperatures closer to what I'd have expected on a cool September rather than early December. The progress was so good that we were able to spend a couple of nights, and some busy days catching up, high on the embankment above Merry Hill Shopping Centre before an easy couple of hours cruise to the delightful Bumble Hole.

Whilst Bumble Hole is not particularly prettier than any other part of our journey it is a special little oasis just outside of Birmingham city centre. Just the 2768 metres under ground in the Netherton Tunnel and we'd be in the industrial urban sprawl of Birmingham.

Pen #420 was turned at Bumble Hole on Tuesday 8th December.