Timber Recommendations

[smidsy]

Hei Guys,
Been asked to make a couple of pens for a wedding - these will be the top end fountain pens and will be used to sign the register and then put away.

Any recommendations on timber - has to be something real nice but durable in the long term as well.

Cheers
Paul

[soundman]

That realy depends on what colour you want & how wild you want the figure.
Jarrah is plenty durable but the grain can be a bit boreing.
I'd be looking for some timber with nice figure what you find will probaly make the decision for you.
start looking & cutting blanks till one says Helo! to you.
cheers

[darley]

I will go for a light colored burl blank or even better a white wood like Holly wood, if you can holder of a filligre pen kit, get it, it look great, but you have to ask first the bride's colour, you will be amazed if she ask you pink or purple, well you will have to use Pink Ivory or Purple Heart

[Skew ChiDAMN!!]

IMHO, darley's on the right track. A whitish wood, even a light poplar would do, for the majority of the pen with a few highlight parts in the bride's colour.

If you can't find a wood to suit her colour you can always try roughing another piece of the main timber into nearly the right size and staining it (watercolour perhaps?) before gluing it to the rest and finishing. It'd have to be nearly the right size else you'd turn off the colour...

A simpler alternative is to use some white corian for the highlights and making the rest in a light timber, staining that in the bride's colour after turning and before sealing. Somehow I don't think that'd look as effective though.

[dai sensei]

Darley has the right idea. I haven't found a woman that doesn't like purple heart, but pink ivory also sounds good.

If you have a dremmel (or similar) you could also engrave their names into the side and fill with coloured resin. Or just burn their names in of you have the equipment. All depends on how good your writing skills are too.

Cheers

[rsser]

Yeah, I'd go for one of the synthetics - there's an amazing range and they finish well.

Timber darkens over time; the 'patina' of dust and body oils dulls the finish and figure.

[rodent]

T

[rodent]

try some rasberry jam over your way they were used as fence posts ( it smells like rasberry jam when turned ) it is a lovely dark and hard timber .

[darley]

try some rasberry jam over your way they were used as fence posts ( it smells like rasberry jam when turned ) it is a lovely dark and hard timber .

Where can you get this wood " Raspberry Jam " ?

[Wizened of Oz]

I did just that a couple of weeks ago. Used leopardwood for the bride's & bull oak for the groom's.
The pens were very much appreciated.

Kind regards
Brian