Archive for the ‘Handmade’ Category
15
Oct
Posted by uniquetreen in African Blackwood, Available for Custom Order, Handmade, Mpingo, Pens, Pens - 0.50 Caliber BMG, Pens - Ballpoint, Sold, Treen, Unique Gifts, Wood. 2 comments
I made another pen from a once-fired .50 caliber BMG (Browning Machine Gun) shell casing, this time with Mpingo (African Blackwood). It is the pen in the right in the above photo. Making these pens is kind of fun. There’s only one barrel to be turned and there are only a couple of tricky spots. I made the barrel on this pen a bit longer to give it more weight at the tip for counter balancing the heft of the shell casing at the other end. Mpingo is one of the heavier woods I work with, so the extra weight helps. The photo collage below shows the dramatic variations of the sap & heart wood grain as well as the striking differences in colors from dark black with some subtle reds of the heart wood to the creamy yellowish white of the sap wood.
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, then given three coats of gloss lacquer to preserve the shine. Since these are once-fired brass, there are dings & scuffs from the firing, extraction and collecting processes.
Price: US$40
Item Ref No: M-50BMGP0054
Status: Sold but a similar pen may be available. Click here to inquire.
11
Oct
Posted by uniquetreen in Available for Custom Order, Black and White Ebony, Handmade, Pens, Pens - Ballpoint, Sold, Treen, Unique Gifts, Wood. 2 comments
These pens are made from Black & White Ebony (Diospyros embryopteris) which is also known as Pale Moon Ebony or White Ebony. There are so many species of Ebony in the world that it’s sometimes difficult to classify what you’re working with, but I’m pretty sure this is correct. I bought the wood from a woodcraft store that offers off-cuts from custom shops.
Mechanism: The mechanisms are all 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: BWESP0021
Status: Sold but a similar pen may be available. Click here to inquire.
Photo above by Jennifer Tai Photo Artistry
Another pen from Black and White Ebony with gun metal gray mechanism.
Price: US$35
Item Ref No: BWESP0025
Status: Sold but a similar pen may be available. Click here to inquire.
A third Black and White Ebony pen in black livery.
Price: US$35
Item Ref No: BWESP0026
Status: Sold but a similar pen may be available. Click here to inquire.
7
Oct
Posted by uniquetreen in African Blackwood, Available for Custom Order, Bottle Stoppers, Handmade, Mpingo, Sold, Treen, Unique Gifts, Wood. Leave a comment
Mpingo (African Blackwood) has quickly become one of my favorite woods to work with. It machines well, smells nice, isn’t grumpy on the lathe – meaning it doesn’t split or crack easily although it will if you try hard enough. This particular piece said “bottle stopper” to me as soon as I saw it. The cut off wasn’t big enough to do much else with. It wasn’t long enough to make a pen from but it was long & wide enough to fit into your hand nicely. I like how the two colors have such a distinct line between two such highly contrasting colors. On the chrome steel part, there are two O-rings along the taper to help seal most wine bottles. It also fits perfectly on bottles for storing oil, honey and the likes while adding a striking look to your kitchen counter or dining table.
Materials: Mpingo wood, chrome steel, silicone O-rings.
Finish: Sanded to 400 grit, then 00 through 0000 steel wool.
Price: US$28
Item Ref No: MBS0040
Status: Sold but a similar one may be available. Click here to inquire.
5
Oct
Posted by uniquetreen in Alder, Available for Custom Order, Handmade, Pens, Pens - Ballpoint, Treen, Unique Gifts, Wood. Leave a comment
These two pens are made from
Alder (
Alnus rubr) harvested from a friend’s swamp he was trying to reclaim. I probably pulled close to three cords of it out of the mud and blackberries on his back forty. Although it’s technically a hardwood, Alder is very soft and surprisingly difficult to turn at the pen scale. However, it’s pleasant wood to work with, it smells nice and you can use the sawdust to smoke meat on your grill.
Mechanism: Cross style, and refills are readily 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. It was then finished with mineral oil, bee’s & carnauba wax and a final polish with paraffin wax.
Price: US$35 per pen
Item Ref No: ASP0023 (right) and ASP0024
Status: Gifted but similar pens may be available. Click here to inquire.
23
Jul
Posted by uniquetreen in Furniture, Handmade, Maple, Tables, Wood. Leave a comment
Wooden furniture is not considered treen but you’ll be hard-pressed to find a woodworker who doesn’t like to make a piece once in a while. I’ve made several pieces for my wife and friends including this coffee-table for an ex-colleague. He couldn’t find a suitable match from stores for a particular corner in his new apartment and asked if I could build one.
I constructed the legs out of Maple and the top out of cabinet-grade maple plywood. The interesting grain in the wood has created some good conversations.
It was a fun project!
21
Jul
Posted by uniquetreen in Available for Custom Order, Fruit Muddler, Handmade, Holly, Treen, Unique Gifts, Wood. Leave a comment
I made this fruit muddler as a present for a friend who has an affinity for Mojitos. The wood is from some Holly branches collected from another friend’s yard trimmings a couple of months ago. The wood was still fairly green when I worked with it, so I got to experience the joy of watching 3-foot long shavings shoot past my shoulder as it turned on the lathe. Most of what I turn daily is either kiln or air dried. It was a real treat to turn something green for a change, just for the shear pleasure of it, plus Holly takes a fabulous finish because it’s so hard.
As its name suggests, the muddler is great for muddling or smashing fruit or herbs in a cocktail shaker or glass, such as cut limes and mint leaves for Mojitos. You can also use it for grinding fresh herbs like garlic, ginger, chillies, etc. to make pastes, or for crushing dried herbal seeds and spices on a board or bowl.
This muddler is 8″ long with approximates of 1.5″ rounds but I can make custom ones to fit your bar set or kitchen needs.
Price: US$30
Status: Available for custom order. Click here to inquire.
17
Jul
Posted by uniquetreen in Alder, Available for Custom Order, Handmade, Potpouri Holders, Treen, Unique Gifts, Wood. Leave a comment
This potpourri holder is now sitting on my mother-in-law’s chest of drawers in Singapore. She alternates its original purpose with coin change storage. The pewter cover is one of four I found at a local word-working store. I didn’t pay much attention to pewter until I met my Malaysian wife who hails from the home state of Royal Selangor Pewter, the world’s largest pewter maker. She is an avid collector. The holder is turned out of
Alder (Alnus rubr) which is nice to turn on larger scale items. I like turning alder with knots in the wood, I think it adds character. Since humans are so good at finding faces in obscure places, I frequently find them in my work. I’ve always thought this particular piece looked like one of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and my sister has a very similar piece that looks like the Koolaid Pitcher character.
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.
Dimenstions: 4-inch diameter at its center, 4-inches high.
Price: US$38
Status: Available for custom order.
Click here to inquire.
13
Jul
Posted by uniquetreen in African Blackwood, Available for Custom Order, Handmade, Mpingo, Osage Orange, Pens, Pens - Fountain, Sold, Treen, Unique Gifts, Wood. Leave a comment
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.
Unique Treen 