Rare Oak Burr and Gun Metal Rollerball Pen
A burr (American burl) is a tree growth in which the grain has grown in a deformed manner. It is commonly found in the form of a rounded outgrowth on a tree trunk or branch that is filled with small knots from dormant buds.
A burr results from a tree undergoing some form of stress. It may be environmental or introduced by humans. Most burr grow beneath the ground, attached to the roots as a type of malignancy that is generally not discovered until the tree dies or falls over. Such burrs sometimes appear as groups of bulbous protrusions connected by a system of rope-like roots. Almost all burr wood is covered by bark, even if it is underground. Insect infestation and certain types of mould infestation are the most common causes of this condition.
Burr yields a very peculiar and highly figured wood, one prized for its beauty by many; its rarity also adds to its expense. It is sought after by people such as furniture makers (mainly used as veneers, artists, and wood sculptors. The knots and twists in oak Burrs are usually a few per foot or so, however these pens have many more to make a spectacular premium quality dressing for only the best of the pen mechanisms that I sell.
Seasoning burr can be a long drawn out process that can take many years and there is no guarantee that there will be any usable timber once it is sawn.
Pen #571 was turned on 29th May at Burton-On-Trent Floating Market.
After our challenging weekend trading on the skinny pontoons at Mercia Marina ...
.... It wasn't until the first trading day that many of us appreciated that the very narrow (and shorter than advertised) finger pontoons were going to be a tight squeeze for sharing with another boat. They were only about two foot wide and had no barrier at the far end which at 40 feet long was about two thirds the way along the average boat. We shared our pontoon with a day trip boat which was fine until it started leaving every hour for fifty minutes to convey its passengers around the local canals, leaving our customers standing back to look at the pen displays and teetering on the edge of the pontoon!
Next port of call was back along the Trent and Mersey canal in a westerly direction back to Burton-on-Trent, this time for a floating market rather than just a stop off on the way to one. We had stayed an extra night at Willington to use up some of the electrical hook-up units that we had left after the weekend and headed off fairly early Tuesday morning for the short half day run back to our grassy towpath mooring at Burton-on-Trent.
We were made to feel very welcome by the canal side residents for the second year in a row and we had the added bonus of a few days warm and sunny weather too.
After our challenging weekend trading on the skinny pontoons at Mercia Marina ...
.... It wasn't until the first trading day that many of us appreciated that the very narrow (and shorter than advertised) finger pontoons were going to be a tight squeeze for sharing with another boat. They were only about two foot wide and had no barrier at the far end which at 40 feet long was about two thirds the way along the average boat. We shared our pontoon with a day trip boat which was fine until it started leaving every hour for fifty minutes to convey its passengers around the local canals, leaving our customers standing back to look at the pen displays and teetering on the edge of the pontoon!
Next port of call was back along the Trent and Mersey canal in a westerly direction back to Burton-on-Trent, this time for a floating market rather than just a stop off on the way to one. We had stayed an extra night at Willington to use up some of the electrical hook-up units that we had left after the weekend and headed off fairly early Tuesday morning for the short half day run back to our grassy towpath mooring at Burton-on-Trent.
We were made to feel very welcome by the canal side residents for the second year in a row and we had the added bonus of a few days warm and sunny weather too.
You can follow my pen making here on this blog and our travels on another blog here
