Ifil wood makes some of the prettiest pens I’ve made. This particular piece was harvested about 23 years ago on the island of Guam by my brother. He brought me a a long thin chunk of it some time ago on a trip up here, and I’ve made several pens from it. There is a sharp distinction between the sap wood and heart wood, and a huge difference in density of the two. The sap wood is the lighter color, and has about the same density as balsa wood, and the darker heart wood is very hard. The sap wood has also spalted, which is caused by a fungus that makes the dark lines in it. This makes it difficult to turn on the lathe because the knife cuts into the wood at different rates. The solution to this is to use very sharp tools, and soaking the workpiece in cyanoacrylate (CA) glue. Doing so effectively plasticizes the wood, making it much easier to turn.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.
Another view of the pen showing the heart wood side and the line between it and the sap wood.
Unique Treen 