#168

NOW SOLD

Purple Acrylic and Chrome Ballpoint Twist Pen

Whenever I start to make a pen from an acrylic blank I always remember the negative points. Acrylic turning is messy, I really try to clear every last scrap of it up; it can also be smelly; the sharp little chips get everywhere and it can blunt the turning chisels really quickly. By the time the pen shape is turned and I start the messier job of wet sanding through about fifteen different grades I'm usually trying to convince myself that maybe its better to just concentrate on turning wooden pens.

Then the final grades of sanding and polishing start to reveal something special and I really like acrylic again... until the next time.

This pen was made on the 19th November 2014 inside Lime Farm Marina.

1. Purple Acrylic and Chrome Ballpoint Twist Pen
2. The purple pen blank yet to reveal it's final pattern
3. We had some lovely crisp clear mornings at Lime Farm
4. Whilst Deb was holidaying with her Mum, I set sail with alterations completed in the direction of Rugby.

#167

50% Off

Padouk and Chrome Ballpoint Twist Pen

Price ~ £6.50

Sadly, this pen is a rare seconds. It still writes perfectly and the cross refill is still replaceable but the refill doesn't retract so it stays in the ready to write state.

PADOUK - Pterocarpus soyauxii

Padouk is vivid red with a distinctive contrasting band of white sapwood. Padouk may show interlocking grain in places and has a fine, even texture. Like all woods the colours do develop, the more vivid the colour the greater likelihood that the colour will change, not necessarily fade. Padouk can develop into quite a dark brown colour.

This pen was turned on Tuesday 18th November. I turned a few Padouk pens on a warm afternoon (one of the last) and the aroma of this timber is quite phenomenal, it's very tropical - almost like Malibu and pineapple! I also managed to prepare a dozen blanks from the remainder of the gunwales of working narrowboat Birchills (a 1950's Wolverhampton coal boat) at the same time and although these will be for sale as soon as they are finished the plan is to get a little stock together to sell at the May Day working boats festival in Alvecote in 2015.

1. Padouk and Chrome Ballpoint Twist Pen
2. A slightly wider piece taken out for the centre band on this blank to take account of the little beastie hole

#166

NOW SOLD

Spalted Beech and Chrome Ballpoint Twist Pen

SPALTED EUROPEAN BEECH - Fagus sylvatica

Spalted Beech is European Beech which has been attacked by a fungus. It leaves incredibly beautiful patterns running through the wood. Spalted Beech can be softer than standard Beech, however the fungus is totally inert and will not affect the performance of the wood in any way. With an oil finish, it can turn golden yellow/brown.

This pen was turned on Wednesday the 19th November. We had been in Lime Farm Marina for about three weeks by now having some alterations done to our narrowboat. Lime Farm is an off grid marina but we were lucky enough to be able to use the site generator whenever the guys had it on for welding. I was able to prepare quite a few pen blanks inside the boat on rainy days and dash out with the lathe when it was a little dryer. Luckily a good size golfing umbrella will just about cover my work bench in the event of a shower.

I turned a few Padouk pens on a warm afternoon (one of the last) and the aroma of this timber is quite phenomenal, it's very tropical - almost like Malibu and pineapple! I also managed to prepare a dozen blanks from the remainder of the gunwales of working narrowboat Birchills (a 1950's Wolverhampton coal boat) at the same time and although these will be for sale as soon as they are finished the plan is to get a little stock together to sell at the May Day working boats festival in Alvecote in 2015.

1. Spalted Beech and Chrome Ballpoint Twist Pen
2. This pen blank looks quite different to #161, no two pieces of spalted beech are alike

#165

NOW SOLD

Laminated 24ct Gold Plated Ballpoint Twist Pen

Price ~ £14

This is a bit of a one off pen. It has been made by laminating all of the off-cuts of the pens that I made whilst we were in Lime Farm Marina for repairs. 

From the nib to the clip there is Oak, Orange and Black Acrylic, Cherry, Padouk, Padouk, Elm, Spalted Beech, Purple Acrylic, Padouk and Walnut.

1. Laminated 24ct Gold Plated Ballpoint Twist Pen
2. Our temporary mooring at Lime Farm Marina

#164

NOW SOLD

Padouk and Chrome Ballpoint Twist Pen

PADOUK - Pterocarpus soyauxii

Padouk is vivid red with a distinctive contrasting band of white sapwood. Padouk may show interlocking grain in places and has a fine, even texture. Like all woods the colours do develop, the more vivid the colour the greater likelihood that the colour will change, not necessarily fade. Padouk can develop into quite a dark brown colour.

This piece of padouk was slightly lighter than the others that I turned this week, it could have been getting closer to the sapwood which is almost white. I will try and get some pen blanks from my timber merchant that are part sapwood and will make a natural two tone colour. I turned a few Padouk pens on a warm afternoon (one of the last) and the aroma of this timber is quite phenomenal, it's very tropical - almost like Malibu and pineapple!

This pen was turned on Wednesday the 19th November. We had been in Lime Farm Marina for about three weeks by now having some alterations done to our narrowboat. Lime Farm is an off grid marina but we were lucky enough to be able to use the site generator whenever the guys had it on for welding. I was able to prepare quite a few pen blanks inside the boat on rainy days and dash out with the lathe when it was a little dryer. Luckily a good size golfing umbrella will just about cover my work bench in the event of a shower.

1. Padouk and Chrome Ballpoint Twist Pen
2. Padouk has a lovely tropical aroma when its sawn almost coconut like

#163

NOW SOLD

Orange/Black Acrylic and 24ct Gold Plated Ballpoint Pen

Some of the acrylic pens are certainly eye catching. A few of the orange ones are quite opaque in places and the colour I paint the brass tube that runs through the centre can really make a difference. This one was painted a darker almost off brown, burnt orange and it has certainly given the pen another colour dimension. 

This pen was turned on Tuesday 18th November. I also managed to prepare a dozen blanks from the remainder of the gunwales of working narrowboat Birchills (a 1950's Wolverhampton coal boat) at the same time and although these will be for sale as soon as they are finished the plan is to get a little stock together to sell at the May Day working boats festival in Alvecote in 2015.

1. Orange/Black Acrylic and 24ct Gold Plated Ballpoint Twist Pen
2. The acrylic pen blank prepared for cutting and then drilling

#162

NOW SOLD

European Elm and Chrome Ballpoint Twist Pen

EUROPEAN ELM - Ulmus procera

European Elm has a light to medium brown colour, sometimes with a hint of red heartwood with irregular, wavy cross grain which results in attractive figuring. With an oil finish, it can turn a beautiful golden brown colour The grain is quite coarse. Elm can turn brown/light grey.

Wow, what a lovely piece of wood. I'm glad I took a picture of the pen blank before it was cut as the finished pen almost looks like it has been made from two separate bits of wood, but looking at the blank you can clearly see the drift of the grain toward the edge of a knot and then it changes direction completely - just like valley contours on a map.

This pen was turned on Tuesday 18th November. We had been in Lime Farm Marina for about three weeks by now having some alterations done to our narrowboat. Lime Farm is an off grid marina but we were lucky enough to be able to use the site generator whenever the guys had it on for welding. I was able to prepare quite a few pen blanks inside the boat on rainy days and dash out with the lathe when it was a little dryer. Luckily a good size golfing umbrella will just about cover my work bench in the event of a shower.

1. European Elm and Chrome Ballpoint Twist Pen
2. The pen blank prepared for cutting and drilling

#161

NOW SOLD

Spalted Beech and Chrome Ballpoint Twist pen

Price ~ £12

SPALTED EUROPEAN BEECH - Fagus sylvatica

Spalted Beech is European Beech which has been attacked by a fungus. It leaves incredibly beautiful patterns running through the wood. Spalted Beech can be softer than standard Beech, however the fungus is totally inert and will not affect the performance of the wood in any way. With an oil finish, it can turn golden yellow/brown.

This pen was turned on Tuesday 18th November. We had been in Lime Farm Marina for about three weeks by now having some alterations done to our narrowboat. I turned a few Padouk pens on a warm afternoon (one of the last) and the aroma of this timber is quite phenomenal, it's very tropical - almost like Malibu and pineapple! I also managed to prepare a dozen blanks from the remainder of the gunwales of working narrowboat Birchills (a 1950's Wolverhampton coal boat) at the same time and although these will be for sale as soon as they are finished the plan is to get a little stock together to sell at the May Day working boats festival in Alvecote in 2015.

1. Spalted Beech and Chrome Ballpoint Twist Pen
2. It's always a gamble with Spalted Beech knowing how much of the fungus stain will remain after turning

#160

NOW SOLD

Padouk and Chrome Ballpoint Twist Pen

PADOUK - Pterocarpus soyauxii

Padouk is vivid red with a distinctive contrasting band of white sapwood. Padouk may show interlocking grain in places and has a fine, even texture. Like all woods the colours do develop, the more vivid the colour the greater likelihood that the colour will change, not necessarily fade. Padouk can develop into quite a dark brown colour.

This pen was turned on Tuesday 18th November. We had been in Lime Farm Marina for about three weeks by now having some alterations done to our narrowboat. Lime Farm is an off grid marina but we were lucky enough to be able to use the site generator whenever the guys had it on for welding. I was able to prepare quite a few pen blanks inside the boat on rainy days and dash out with the lathe when it was a little dryer. Luckily a good size golfing umbrella will just about cover my work bench in the event of a shower.

I turned a few Padouk pens on a warm afternoon (one of the last) and the aroma of this timber is quite phenomenal, it's very tropical - almost like Malibu and pineapple! I also managed to prepare a dozen blanks from the remainder of the gunwales of working narrowboat Birchills (a 1950's Wolverhampton coal boat) at the same time and although these will be for sale as soon as they are finished the plan is to get a little stock together to sell at the May Day working boats festival in Alvecote in 2015.

1. Padouk and Chrome Ballpoint Twist Pen
2. The pen blank marked and ready for cutting

#159

NOW SOLD

Zebrano and Chrome Enclosed End Fountain Pen

ZEBRANO - Microberlinia brazzavillensis

Also called Zebrawood, Zebrano is a pale brown colour broken up by parallel darker streaks which create the zebra pattern that give this timber its name. Zebrano has a coarse texture, and the interlocking grain is generally straight. With an oil finish, Zebrano can turn a dark brown colour.

This fountain pen is slightly different to most of mine, rather than having a chrome end piece to the main body of the pen this one is of an enclosed design. The turning and finishing does take a little longer as a pen mandrel can't be used and the blank has to be driven on a purposely made friction drive.

I turned this pen on Sunday November 10th whilst we were in for alterations. It was a chilly but sunny day and the boat yard was free of the noise of angle grinders and welders that start up by 8.00 on week days.

1. Zebrano and chrome enclosed end fountain pen
2. This style is not postable, the lid can't be posted on the pen end
3. The cap about half way through turning
4. The main pen body on its friction drive
5. A chilly morning just outside Lime Farm marina