#441 Now Sold

Canadian Rock Maple and 24ct Gold Plated Ballpoint 

Twist Pen

CANADIAN ROCK MAPLE - Acer saccharum

Unlike most other hardwoods, the sapwood of Hard Maple is most commonly used rather than its heartwood. Sapwood color ranges from nearly white, to an off-white cream color, sometimes with a reddish or golden hue. The heartwood tends to be a darker reddish brown. Birds Eye Maple is a figure found most commonly in Hard Maple, though it’s also found less frequently in other species. Hard Maple can also be seen with curly or quilted grain patterns. Grain is generally straight, but may be wavy. Has a fine, even texture.

In tree form, Hard Maple is usually referred to as Sugar Maple, and is the tree most often tapped for maple syrup. Sugar Maple’s leaves are the shape that most people associate with maple leaves; they typically have either 5 or 7 lobes, with vivid autumn colouring ranging from yellow to purplish red.

Hard Maple ought to be considered the king of the Acer genus. Its wood is stronger, stiffer, harder, and denser than all of the other species of Maple in timber form.

Christmas had been a very busy time for us. With the trip up from the Shropshire Union canal the long way and the weather turning a little more wintery I slowed down my pen turning and gave some time over to the growing list of Christmas presents that needed turning. Whilst Deb was busy crocheting and knitting I was on the chilly back deck making vases, lidded pots, pot pourri containers and pendant necklaces in all different shapes, sizes and colours, Enjoyable, but with the last flurry of the Christmas pen orders and a busier than expected floating market (the weather was foul) my pen stock was depleting fast. I had promised myself that we would be starting the new year with a stock of around fifty pens, we had six.

Leaving the marina at Hawne Basin on new year's eve we moored up at the Black Country Living Museum and headed into Tipton to meet up with some friends for a bit of a doo. We had just about recovered from our excesses and on a very gusty January the 2nd we headed the ten miles and three locks into central Birmingham where we will hide away from the worst of the weather in the BCN’s basins and loops. 

We were feeling a little guilty a week later as we had been enjoying catching up with more friends in the restaurants and bars in the city centre so I started to make a rough plan for the next pens to be made. First a day or two of cutting, drilling and gluing brass tubes into various pieces of wood and colourful acrylics.

Another fortnight of the delights of all that Birmingham has to offer went by rather quickly and after a short day cruise we moored up within sight of the Sealife Centre and the Barclaycard Arena on this very modern part of the Birmingham Canal Navigations.

With this pen I used a little deep purple spirit stain sanding most of it off just to enhance the natural colours and grain pattern. Pen #441 was turned on January 27h outside the entrance ramp to the Barclaycard Arena in central Birmingham.