Thread: 2011 Australia Day pen swap - Photographs

My parcel from QC Inspector has arrived, and I am stoked. I just hope I can do the acrylic pheasant feather blank justice.
The wood blanks are Box Elder Burl, a Black Locust Burl and 2 Curly Western Maples.
The pen is just gorgeous. I have not owned a fountain pen for many years, and certainly never one as luxurious as this. Thanks Pete and Marla.
Cheers,
Shirley

Wow! Marla and Pete well done that is another beauty.

Shirley I can see the smile om your face

Originally Posted by Simomatra

...

Shirley I can see the smile om your face

That's funny - I could see it from here as well positively beaming, got sunburnt I did!

Great pen, Marla and Pete

Thanks for the complements. The hardest part was picking the blank to turn. I'm glad Shirley likes the pen and look forward to the next few days when my goodies arrive.

Pete

Originally Posted by Sawdust Maker

The cutting up is the easy bit - where to cut - now that will require some thought

I'm not as far away and I can think and cut at the same time while you have coffee

Originally Posted by Rippa

Charlie will correct me if I am wrong and hopfully tell me the name of the kit and timber.
Thanks very much Charlie and to the organisers of the pen swap

Hey Bryan.. glad it got there safe and sound..
As I do often, I typed up a note to send with the box and then forgot to PUT IT in the
box!

the pen is a Venus kit from Exotic Blanks and the wood is curly bubinga. I finished it
with WOP. The box is from PSI, but the lid is routed out to fit a cold cast bronze inlay
I made. And yes, there was some very curly maple in the box, too. It looked so good I
had to get it, even though I'll never make that many curly maple pens

I'm told there is a package from Australia for me to pick up I'll do that tomorrow.
Glad you like them.. I'll make more!

Well , my package showed up from Mrs woodpecker! Its a Gold Sierra with Myrtle burl and it is beautiful! Shirley also threw in some wonderful pen blanks to go along with the pen. Thanks again Mrs Woodpecker!

Packages ready for mailing tomorrow - we have has such a huge run of 35 C days for the past 30 plus days that it has been, prior to this weekend, too hot to get into the shed .... I dream of luxuries like lining and air conditioning (mainly in my classroom - cooking room!!!). Could be worse, the water hasn't flooded my shed and the earth hasn't tried to shake it to pieces!!

Pizwiz and Phil can start pacing ... waiting ....

JD

A package from Nick arrived yesterday. Beautiful copper and black enamel sierra dress in (maybe) curly red gum, along with some great woods including some of the paperbark he showed off recently. Thanks Nick, I love it!

Pictures will be up when i get a photo of it.

Got a package today with a beautiful Jr Victor pen and some great blanks
Funny, I was looking around the classifieds for some tiger myrtle lately..
and guess what was also in the box?

Thanks, Rippa!!

(no pics, my camera isn't working.. but I think he took some pics before he shipped..)

G`day here are the pens and blanks I got from Snyiper.A bullet pen and one in pisstachio.Both very nice I am not sure how the deer is attached. The three blanks by them self need names any suggestions.
Mick

Looks a fun selection there I think you have some curly maple ,and longleaf pine (like our cypress) no idea on the burl though , cheers ~ John

Mick, great selection, beautiful pens, my guess starting from the top-
1. Curly Maple
2. Zebra wood
3. Amboyna
Amos

My Swap partner, 65GTMustang(Kevin), in South Carolina, USA, has sent me a Ubeaut Pen and Stand, the pen is made from Maple, and the top is custom cast in the flag ensigns of South Carolina! very thoughtful and artistic. Along with that came the blanks! now I have no excuse-I will quickly whip up a slimline from Red Gum and send it!(only joking) The Stand is turned from Dogwood--and I am over the moon! Amos
Here is how he did it in his own words-------
The upper barrel is Uncirculated – Proof a hand cut SC state quarter (being a proof coin from the mint the first and only time the coin had been touched by bare hands was when it was cracked open from its case to be altered. It makes a big difference in the visual quality to use a proof coin over one that is in circulation, a normal coin…etc...
Then A LOT of tedious work goes into shaving the quarter’s thickness down to 1/3 it’s original thickness so that it does not bulge out from the barrel. The coin is then cut with a scroll saw “very carefully” LOL
The coin is bent around the shape of the pen barrel being used.
A picture of the State flag is printed from the computer and used as a wrap – That’s the blue background with a Crescent Moon and Palmetto Tree. The quarter is set in place and then the blank is clear cast with poly resin.
The lower barrel and the desk base are both Dogwood – This is the State Tree. It is a vey slow growing tree that puts out beautiful flowers in the spring I have attached some pictures. The wood that your pen was turned from actually came from a tree that had been on family land since 1948.
Both of the barrels were turned and finished with micro mesh, then a CA finish and micro mesh again….you probably know the routine…LOL J
The base was turned with a special mandrel for closed-end barrel turning. The base was shaped to leave and show as much of the natural bark from the wood as I could. I did soak the bark with some thin CA in areas that were loose in order to keep it from falling apart; I hope it held up well during its travels.
The mossy looking coating on the bark is called lichen – it is a harmless fungus type “stuff” that seems to take over many of the Dogwood trees.

Basically other than the Platinum Finished Baron pen components the rest of the pen is all native South Carolina materials. It was the thought to make a pen based on the area I am from