#664 Now Sold

African Blackwood and Gun Metal Fountain Pen

AFRICAN BLACKWOOD (Dalbergia melanoxylon)

Native to seasonally dry regions of Africa from Senegal east to Etitrea and south to the Transvaal in South Africa. The tree is an important timber species in its native areas; it is used in the manufacture of musical instruments and fine furniture.

It is a small tree reaching 4-15 m tall, with grey bark and spiny shoots. The leaves are deciduous in the dry season, alternate, 6-22 cm long, with 6-9 alternately arranged leaflets. The flowers are white and produced in dense clusters. the fruit is a pod 3-7 cm long, containing one to two seeds.

The dense, lustrous wood ranges from reddish to pure black. It is generally cut into small billets or logs with its sharply demarcated bright yellow white sapwood left on to assist in the slow drying so as to prevent cracks developing. Good quality "A" grade African blackwood commands high prices on the commercial timber market. The tonal qualities of African blackwood are particularly valued when used in woodwind instruments, principally clarinets, oboes, flutes and piccolos.  The timber is used mainly because of its machinability and dimensional stability. Furniture makers from the time of the Egyptians have valued this timber. 

Due to overuse, the mpingo tree is severely threatened in Kenya and is needing attention in Tanzania and Mozambique. The trees are being harvested at an unsustainable rate, partly because of illegal smuggling of the wood into Kenya, but also because the tree takes upwards of 60 years to mature.

Pen #664 was turned on 25th September 2016 outside the Barclarycard Arena in Birmingham.

You can follow my pen making here on this blog and our travels on another blog here

http://nb-lois-jane.blogspot.co.uk

oh and please like us on Facebook too here
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#663 Now Sold

Rowan and Gun Metal Fountain and Rollerball Pen Set

EUROPEAN ROWAN or MOUNTAIN ASH (Sorbus aucuparia)

Rowans are shrubs or trees in the genus Sorbus of the rose family Rosaceae. Rowans are unrelated to the true ash trees, though their leaves are superficially similar.

Rowans are mostly small deciduous trees, though a few are shrubs. The leaves are arranged alternately and are pinnate with 11-35 leaflets; a terminal leaflet is always present. The flowers are borne in dense corymbs; each flower is creamy white and 5-10mm across with five petals. The fruit is a small pome 4-8mm diameter, bright orange or red in most species.

The fruit are soft and juicy, which makes them a very good food for birds, which then distribute the rowan seeds in their droppings. Due to their small size the fruits are often referred to as berries, but a true berry is a simple fruit produced from a single ovary, whereas a pome is an accessory fruit

The best know species is the European Rowan, a small tree typically 4-12m tall growing in a variety of habitats throughout northern Europe and in mountains in Southern Europe. It is one of the hardiest European trees.

Rowans are excellent small ornamental trees for parks, gardens and wildlife areas. The wood is dense and used for carving and turning and for tool handles and walking sticks.

The European rowan has a long tradition in European mythology and folklore. It was thought to be a magical tree and give protection against malevolent beings. The tree was also called "wayfarer's tree" or "traveller's tree" because it supposedly prevents those on a journey from getting lost.

Pen set #663 was turned on 25th September 2016 outside the Barlcaycard Arena in Birmingham.

You can follow my pen making here on this blog and our travels on another blog here

http://nb-lois-jane.blogspot.co.uk

oh and please like us on Facebook too here
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#661 Now Sold

Rare Elm Burr and 24ct Gold Plated 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 elm 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 #661 was turned on 25th September 2016 outside The Barclaycard Arena in Birmingham.

You can follow my pen making here on this blog and our travels on another blog here

http://nb-lois-jane.blogspot.co.uk

oh and please like us on Facebook too here

https://www.facebook.com/ThePenMakersBoat

#658 Now Sold

Immi's 16th Birthday Pen

NB Saturn Oak and Chrome Premium Ballpoint Twist Pen

(A donation from the sale of this pen will be gifted to The Shropshire Union Fly-Boat Restoration Society, the Custodians of NB Saturn)

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 is one of the large bow mainframes from the Shropshire Fly Boat Saturn. The days of the fly-boats began with the success of the Bridgewater and Trent & Mersey canals in the 1770’s. Up until the heyday of the fly boats cargos had sedately plodded up the towing paths (Haling Way’s in them thar days) at three miles per hour or so but the new Fly Boats with teams of four men and two horses regularly galloped their loads of perishable goods at ten miles per hour. 

Built in 1906 for the Shropshire Union Canal Carrying Co. at Tower Wharf, Chester, Saturn was used for the fast carriage of cheese from the producing towns of Cheshire and Shropshire to the major markets such as Manchester. 

Saturn is the last horse-drawn Shropshire Union Canal Fly-boat in the World – originally built to travel non-stop, day and night. Over 100 years old, she has been fully restored to her former glory; not only to preserve her for posterity but to educate present and future generations about our waterways, narrowboats and horse-boating.

Pen #658 was turned on 24th September 2016 at the Barclaycard Arena in Birmingham.

You can follow my pen making here on this blog and our travels on another blog here

http://nb-lois-jane.blogspot.co.uk

oh and please like us on Facebook too here
https://www.facebook.com/ThePenMakersBoat