Unique Treen » Osage Orange

Locust Burl & Osage Orange Premium Classic Rollerball Pens

uniquetreen — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 21:32:32 +0000

Locust (Robinia pseudoacacia) is a very close grained wood, one of the heaviest woods in North America. It burns nearly as hot as coal when used for firewood. This pen is made from a burl which is sort of like a wart or cancer on the tree. The grain in a burl is typically very convoluted and this one is no different. Drilling the blanks was difficult, and turning the wood on the lathe was no easier. The wood likes to split and the little eyes in the grain readily pop out. Think Marty Feldman’s character Igor in Young Frankenstein. Fortunately a little patience and cyanoacrylate solved solve the challenges and the pen turned out beautifully.

Mechanism: 24-Carat gold plated classic 1920s classic Parker style pen design. If gel rollerball is preferred, inserts are available at most office supply stores.

Finish: The pen was sanded up to 400 grit, then burnished with 0000 steel wool to bring up a smooth surface. It was then finished with mineral oil, bee’s & carnauba wax and a final polish with paraffin wax.

Price: US$78
Item Ref No: LBPCRP0051
Status: Sold but a similar pen may be available. Click here to inquire.

This second rollerball pen is made with Osage Orange wood …

Osage Orange is a much easier to turn wood than Locust Burl. I like that it’s a very tough wood but takes to the lathe knife really well, peeling off fine curls of shavings as I go. Besides, it smells nice and takes a beautiful finish. This pen took less than half the time to make compared to the above Locust but a lot of that is simply climbing the learning curve for a new style of pen and a new wood to work with. If you like a rollerball that has a nice slim profile and gratifying weight, you’ll like these!

Price: US$78
Item Ref No: OOPCRP0052
Status: Presented but a similar pen may be available. Click here to inquire.

Peruvian Walnut & Osage Orange .50 Caliber BMG Pens

uniquetreen — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 23:57:54 +0000

These pens are made from once-fired .50 caliber BMG (Browning Machine Gun) shell casings. The turning of the pens is relatively straight forward but the assembly was less so and took some figuring out.

The Peruvian Walnut (dark brown, left in top photo) has some nice grain to it and I’ve always liked turning this particular species. The Osage Orange has some nice cathedral grain and I cut a faux cannelure groove into it to simulate a real bullet using an AP round that was given to me as a gift.

Mechanism: Cross style twist ballpoint mechanism.

Finish: The wood was sanded to 400 grit then polished up to 0000 steel wool. A wax & oil finish was then applied. The brass shell casing was sanded to 800 wet & dry, then up through 0000 steel wool, and finally polished with silver polish to a soft luster. Since these are once-fired brass, there are dings & scuffs from the firing, extraction and collecting processes.

Price: US$40
Item Ref No: OO-50BMGP0049 (Osage Orange) and PW-50BMGP0050 (Peruvian Walnut)
Status: Sold but similar pens may be available. Click here to inquire.

Osage Orange & Mpingo 24-Carat Gold Fountain Pens

uniquetreen — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 21:14:34 +0000

Osage Orange (Maclura pomifera) is one of my best selling woods, and with good reason. It starts out as a bright orange color when freshly cut but mellows to a very nice dark orangy-brown with exposure to light and use. I try to make my pieces from wood that I find and this one is no different. My brothers and I split this tree for bow staves a few years ago and I now use the smaller pieces for turning on my lathe.

Mechanism: A classic Parker style nib and reservoir. The finish is 24 carat gold plate with an epoxy coating for a very durable surface that comes with a lifetime guarantee. This fountain pen has a postable insert, which means that the end can be inserted into the cap while you’re writing to keep it in place. There is room for an extra ink reservoir inside, so you don’t have to worry about running out, and it comes with a cleaning tool to flush the mechanism for maintenance.

Finish: Sanded to 400 grit, then 00 through 0000 steel wool for an extremely smooth surface. An oil and wax finish was then applied.

Price: US$78
Item Ref No: OOFP0045
Status: Sold but a similar pen may be available. Click here to inquire.

A second fountain pen (with similar mechanism) made out of Mpingo (Dalbergia melanoxylon) also known as African Blackwood …

I chose a piece of cut-off Mpingo that had such a variety of colors and grains, it cried out for a nice-looking pen.

Price: US$78
Item Ref No: MFP0048
Status: Sold but a similar pen may be available. Click here to inquire.

Osage Orange Slimline Ballpoint Pens

uniquetreen — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 23:27:00 +0000

This pen is made from Osage Orange wood ((Maclura pomifera) which is also known as Horse Apple or Bois ‘d Arc (Bodark). Osage Orange is a very hard wood that, while it has a tendency to split or check, is a very nice wood to work with, plus you can use the saw dust and shavings in your smoker. It takes a very fine finish and will darken with age and exposure to light. This particular pen I cut the blank to expose part of the creamy sap wood along with the darker and harder heartwood, which made for a very nice looking pen, don’t you think?

Mechanism: The mechanism is Cross style and refills are readily available in most office supply stores.

Finish: The pen was sanded up to 400 grit, then burnished with 0000 steel wool to bring up a smooth surface. It was then finished with mineral oil, bee’s & carnauba wax and a final polish with paraffin wax.

Price: US$35
Item Ref No: OOSP34
Status: Sold but a similar pen may be available. Click here to inquire.

This Osage Orange pen has nice straight grain with some slight inclusions that add interest to the barrels. My two brothers and I harvested this wood for bow making. I don’t make bows, but both of them do. We split out around three dozen bow blanks, and I took home the wood that wasn’t suitable for bow making, but very nice for other projects.

Price: US$35
Item Ref No: OOSP0035
Status: Sold but a similar pen may be available. Click here to inquire.

Osage Orange Salt Bowl

uniquetreen — Sun, 31 May 2009 04:26:00 +0000

This little bowl is made from Osage Orange and is designed to hold sea salt for the cook who likes to be able to pinch in some some salt to whatever they’re cooking. It also serves very well as a saucer for dipping sauces which is what my wife is currently using it for.

Finish: The bowl was sanded up to 400 grit, then burnished with 0000 steel wool to bring up a smooth surface. It was then finished with mineral oil, bee’s & carnauba wax and a final polish with paraffin wax.

Dimensions: 2-inch diameter, 1/2-inch deep.

Price: US$23
Status: Available for customer order. Click here to inquire.

Osage Orange Slimline Ballpoint Pens

uniquetreen — Wed, 06 May 2009 12:08:00 +0000

These pens were made from Osage Orange (Maclura pomifera) wood that was harvested by my brother from the Yreka area in Northern California. The wood is difficult to work with, splintery and splits easily but is a rich golden color when finished.

Osage Orange wood darkens with exposure to light and elements in the environment as shown in the bottom photo. I made the pen at the top for my wife more than five years ago and its original orange color was similar to the newer pens. It now boasts of an exotic golden brown.

Mechanism: Cross style, and refills are available in most office supply stores.

Finish: The pens were sanded up to 400 grit, then burnished with 0000 steel wool to bring up a smooth surface. They were then finished with mineral oil, bee’s & carnauba wax and a final polish with paraffin wax.

Price: US$35 per pen
Item Ref No: OOSP0001-4
Status: Sold but a similar pen may be available. Click here to inquire.