NB Dane Oak and 24ct Gold Plated Twist Pen
(£2.50 from the sale of this pen will be gifted to The Narrowboat Heritage Foundation, the Custodians of NB Dane)
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 planking of Narrowboat Dane. I was given a few off cuts by the superb craftsmen who were carrying out the extensive refurbishment to this historic boat.
The rotten parts of these rebuilt boats are usually used to stoke the fires that steam the new planks for bending to the hull's shape.Luckily these pieces of elm were too important to burn and have been properly stored. 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.
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 re-bottomed 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 and a replaced side plank made of oak.
Pen #579 was turned on 18th June 2016 at Middlewich Folk and Boat Festival
Westport Lake on the edge of Stoke on Trent is about an hours cruise south of Harecastle Tunnel. Long, dark, smelly and noisy Harecastle isn’t one of my favourites. It’s a single direction tunnel so there is no chance of meeting oncoming traffic but it is also very low in places, almost kneeling down low. This means that the roof boxes have to come off which is a tad inconvenient to say the least. The next ones I build will be narrower and shallower!
The tunnel also has an extraction system rather than tunnel roof vents as it is too far underground, a few moments after you’re in the gates are closed and noisy extractors pull the heavily diesel fumed air from all the boats in front of you (we we’re last of 8) past you - not nice.
Out the other side and into the brilliant sunlight awaits heartbreak hill - a long flight of locks through pleasant countryside and down through Cheshire. The warm sunny weather changed to warm and wet, actually torrential, as we descended to Middlewich ready for the following week's Folk and Boat Festival.
You can follow my pen making here on this blog and our travels on another blog here
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