#694 Now Sold

Bubinga and Chrome Ballpoint Twist Pen 

BUBINGA - Guibourtia

An African hardwood also known as Kevazingo, Bubinga may be loved as much for its quirky name as it is for its strength and beauty. Also sometimes called Kevazingo, usually in reference to its decorative rotary-cut veneer.

Bubinga has a close resemblance to rosewood and is often use in place of more expensive woods. Yet Bubinga also features a host of stunning grain figures, such as flamed, pommele, and waterfall, which make this wood truly unique. Bubinga also has an exceptional strength-to-weight ratio.

The bubinga tree (Guibourtia) is very large, up to 150 feet in height with long, clear trunks 3 to 6 feet in diameter. Enormous slabs of remarkably clear lumber can be had from these trees, the sapwood is narrow and off-white in colour.

The wood is often used for harps and other instruments, such as bass guitars, because of is mellow and well-rounded sound. It has been used in drum shells as well. Bubinga is also used in both acoustic and electric guitars for its figure and hardness.

Bubinga can be used in high-end furniture and comes in various grain patterns and European knife makers sometimes use the wood for their knife handles.

Pen #694 was turned on 10th November 2016 at Penkridge on the Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal.

  

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

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#693 Now Sold

Padouk and Gun Metal Ballpoint Twist Pen

PADOUK - Pterocarpus soyauxii

Padouk has a very unique reddish orange coloration, and the wood is sometimes referred to by the name Vermillion. Unfortunately, this dramatic color is inevitably darkened to a deep reddish brown color. Heartwood color can vary, ranging from a pale pinkish orange to a deep brownish red. Most pieces tend to start reddish orange when freshly cut, darkening substantially over time to a reddish/purplish brown

Padouk is moderately heavy, strong, and stiff, with exceptional stability. It also has a beautiful aroma when turned and sanded. It is closely related to Amboyna.

Pen #693 was turned on the 10th November 2016 at Penkridge on the Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal.

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

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#691 Now Sold

Australian Red Gum and Chrome Fountain Pen 

AUSTRALIAN RED GUM

Red Gum may refer to any of a number of species of Eucalyptus.

Eucalyptus is a diverse genus of flowering trees and shrubs in the myrtle family Myrtaceae. Members of the genus dominate the tree flora of Australia and include the tallest known flowering plant of Earth. There are more than 700 species of eucalyptus and most are native to Australia. 

The species can be divided into four size categories:- 

• Small - to 10m (33ft)
• Medium - 10-30m (33-98ft)
• Tall - 30-60m (98-197ft)
• Very Tall - over 60m (200ft)

Nearly all are evergreen, but some tropical species lost their leaves at the end of the dry season. The leaves are covered with oil glands, the copious oils produced are an important feature of the genus. Although mature tress may be towering and fully leafed their shade is characteristically patchy because the leaves usually hand downwards.

They have distinctive flowers and fruit, flowers have numerous fluffy stamens which may be white, cream, yellow, pink or red, the stamens are enclosed in a cap. They have no petals but have many showy stamens instead.

Eucalypt wood is commonly used to make dideridoos.

Pen #691 was turned on 10th November 2016 at Penkridge on the Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal.

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

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#690 Now Sold

Zebrano and Chrome Twist Pen 

ZEBRANO - Microberlinia 

The wood is imported from central Africa (Gabon, Cameroon and Congo). The heartwood is pale golden yellow, distant from the very pale colour of the sapwood and features narrow streaks of dark brown to black. Zebrano can also be a pale brown with regular or irregular marks of dark brown in varying widths. It is almost always quartersawn to get the exciting alternating colour pattern.

It is a heavy, hard wood with a coarse texture, often with an interlocked or wavy grain. The interlocked grain of this wood, like many tropical woods, can make it difficult to work. It is a decorative exotic wood, used for veneer, wall panelling, custom furniture, furniture trim and turnery. It is also sometimes seen as stocks of shotguns and rifles or in exotic guitars. Because of its hardness it can also be used for tool handles and skis.

The tree is tall and straight, growing up to 40m in height with a diameter of up to 1m. The flower has white petals and the tree produced pods.

Pen #690 was turned on 10th November 2016 at Penkridge on the Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal.

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

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#689 Now Sold

Cherry and 24ct Gold Plated Twist Pen

CHERRY - Prunus Avium

A deciduous tree growing to 15-32m (49-105ft) tall with a trunck upton 1.5m (4.9ft) in diameter. The bark is smooth purplish-brown with prominent horizontal grey-brown lenticels on young trees. The leaves are alternate and 7-14 cm (2.8-5.5in) long, they are subshiney green above, variably finely downy beneath. In autumn the leaves turn orange, pink or red before falling. The flowers are produced in early spring at the same time as the new leaves. The fruit is a stone fruit 1-2cm in diameter, bright red to dark purple when mature. Each fruit contains a single hard-shelled stone 8-12mm long, 7-10mm wide and 6-8mm thick, grooved along the flattest edge. The seed inside the stone in 6-8mm long.

Cherry wood is valued as a hardwood for woodturning and is also used for making cabinets and musical instruments.

Prunus Avium in Spring

Pen #689 was turned on 10th November 2016 at Penkridge on the Staffordshire and Worcestershire.

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

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#688 Now Sold

Cherry and 24ct Gold Plated Twist Pen

CHERRY - Prunus Avium

A deciduous tree growing to 15-32m (49-105ft) tall with a trunck upton 1.5m (4.9ft) in diameter. The bark is smooth purplish-brown with prominent horizontal grey-brown lenticels on young trees. The leaves are alternate and 7-14 cm (2.8-5.5in) long, they are subshiney green above, variably finely downy beneath. In autumn the leaves turn orange, pink or red before falling. The flowers are produced in early spring at the same time as the new leaves. The fruit is a stone fruit 1-2cm in diameter, bright red to dark purple when mature. Each fruit contains a single hard-shelled stone 8-12mm long, 7-10mm wide and 6-8mm thick, grooved along the flattest edge. The seed inside the stone in 6-8mm long.

Cherry wood is valued as a hardwood for woodturning and is also used for making cabinets and musical instruments.

Prunus Avium in Spring

Pen #688 was turned on 10th November 2016 at Penkridge on the Staffordshire and Worcestershire.

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

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#687 Now Sold

NB Dane Elm and 24ct Gold Plated Rollerball Pen

(A donation from the sale of this pen will be gifted to The Narrowboat Heritage Foundation, the Custodians of NB Dane)

EUROPEAN ELM - Ulmus procera

European Elm has is a light to medium brown, sometimes with a hint of red. With an oil finish, it can turn a beautiful golden brown colour. Unless, of course, it's been kept at the bottom of a canal for an awfully long time.

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 #687 was turned on 10th November 2016 at Penkridge on the Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal.

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

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#686 Reserved

NB Birchills Oak and Chrome Fountain Pen

Price ~ £40

(A donation from the sale of this pen will be gifted to The Black Country Living Museum, the Custodians of NB Birchills)

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 gunwales and roof hatch of Narrowboat Birchills. I was given a few off cuts by the superb craftsmen who were carrying out a little light refurbishment to this historic boat, in fact the guys had cut the whole back cabin off!

Birchills is an historic, ‘Joey’ boat with a small day cabin, built in 1953 by Ernest Thomas of Walsall, ‘Birchills’ it is one of the last wooden day boats made and was used to carry coal to Wolverhampton Power Station. This boat is double-ended and the mast and rudder could be changed from one end to the other. This enabled its use in narrow canals or basins where there was no room to turn the boat around.

The rotten parts of these rebuilt boats are usually used to stoke the fires that steam the new planks for bending to the hulls shape so half a day later this flaky gunwale would have been burned. 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.

That old flaky gunwale went on to make a few very nice pens and I was lucky enough to be given some more wood by Ade at A P Boat Building in Alvecote. This time a piece that appears to be from the old red cabin hatch surround.

Pen #686 was turned on 9th November 2016 at Penkridge on the Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal.

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

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#685 Now Sold

NB Saturn Oak and Gun Metal Rollerball 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 #685 was turned on 9th November 2016 at Penkridge on the Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal.

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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#684 Now Sold

NB Dane Elm and 24ct Gold Plated Fountain Pen

(A donation from the sale of this pen will be gifted to The Narrowboat Heritage Foundation, the Custodians of NB Dane)

EUROPEAN ELM - Ulmus procera

European Elm has is a light to medium brown, sometimes with a hint of red. With an oil finish, it can turn a beautiful golden brown colour. Unless, of course, it's been kept at the bottom of a canal for an awfully long time.

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 #684 was turned on 9th November 2016 at Penkridge on the Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal.

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

683 Now Sold

NB Dane Elm and Gun Metal Rollerball Pen

(A donation from the sale of this pen will be gifted to The Narrowboat Heritage Foundation, the Custodians of NB Dane)

EUROPEAN ELM - Ulmus procera

European Elm has is a light to medium brown, sometimes with a hint of red. With an oil finish, it can turn a beautiful golden brown colour. Unless, of course, it's been kept at the bottom of a canal for an awfully long time.

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 #683 was turned on 9th November 2016 at Penkridge on the Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal.

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