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.
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