Archive for the ‘Sold’ Category
27
Oct
Posted by uniquetreen in African Blackwood, Available for Custom Order, Handmade, Mpingo, Pens, Pens - Ballpoint, Sold, Treen, Unique Gifts, Wood. Leave a comment
This pen could be named serendipity. While working on a couple of other pens made from Mpingo, I managed to break the wood on one of the barrels of each. Several weeks went by and the individual barrels got lost in the shuffle on my assembly bench. Yesterday, I found both of them. On a whim, I fitted them together and the wood patterns lined up perfectly! Pleased with my good luck, I put the pen together with some gold fittings.
The sharp variations of the sap & heart wood grain as well as the striking differences in colors makes this a very pretty pen. I’m quite pleased with the result.
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: MSP0059
Status: Sold but a similar pen may be available. Click here to inquire.
22
Oct
Posted by uniquetreen in Available for Custom Order, Handmade, Pens, Pens - Ballpoint, Peruvian Walnut, Sold, Treen, Unique Gifts, Wood. Leave a comment
Peruvian Walnut (
Juglans neotropica) is very similar to American Walnut but it’s difficult to work because it’s very prone to splintering and tears out. However, it takes an incredible finish and it’s grain is very pretty. The wood I used to make these pens were off-cuts from a dining table I built for friends a few years ago.
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
Item Ref No: PWSP0032 (top) and PWSP0033
Status: Sold but similar pens may be available. Click here to inquire.
16
Oct
Posted by uniquetreen in Available for Custom Order, Handmade, Mpingo, Pens, Pens - Ballpoint, Sold, Treen, Unique Gifts, Wood. Leave a comment
This pen is made from
Mpingo (
Dalbergia melanoxylon) commonly known as African Blackwood. Some folks like a thicker barrel on their pens, so I turned this one to a larger diameter than I usually do. The extra wood gives the pen a bit more heft, so it feels nice in your hand.
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: MSP0036
Status: Sold but a similar pen may be available. Click here to inquire.
This pen I turned to a slimmer profile than the one listed above, but it still has the lovely subtle red undertones in the grain. I’m quite pleased with this particular pen, and I think you will be too.
Price: $35
Item Ref No: MSP0037
Status: Sold but a similar pen may be available.
Click here to inquire.
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.
30
Aug
Posted by uniquetreen in Available for Custom Order, Locust Burl, Osage Orange, Pens, Pens - Rollerball, Sold, Treen, Unique Gifts, Wood. Leave a comment
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: Gifted but a similar pen may be available. Click here to inquire.
13
Jul
Posted by uniquetreen in Available for Custom Order, Osage Orange, Pens, Pens - 0.50 Caliber BMG, Pens - Ballpoint, Peruvian Walnut, Sold, Treen, Unique Gifts, Wood. 2 comments
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.
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.
9
Jun
Posted by uniquetreen in Available for Custom Order, Handmade, Mpingo, Pens, Pens - Ballpoint, Sold, Treen, Unique Gifts, Wood. Leave a comment
Mpingo (
Dalbergia melanoxylon) is commonly known as African Blackwood and frequently used in the manufacture of musical instruments due to it’s high density and ability to take a fine finish. While this pen looks like it’s all black, there is actually some swirling grain that shows up as reddish undertones that’s difficult to photograph. You’ll really like the weight of this pen because the wood is very dense, so the pen is heavier than you expect and feels nice in the hand.
Mechanism: Cross style in gold with black accents.
Finish: Bee’s, carnauba and paraffin wax with mineral oil. Sanded to 0000 steel wool.
Price: US$35
Item Ref No: MSP0029
Status: Sold but a similar pen may be available. Click here to inquire.
While this pen looks like it’s been cut from two different blanks, there really was that sharp of a demarcation in the wood. Mpingo is a joy to work with. It’s hard and tools almost like a plastic, and takes a wonderful finish. The nicest parts are the red undertones that you simply can’t see in the photo, especially on the lower barrel where it appears black, but if you bring it out into the sun, you’ll see the red beneath the surface. Beautiful!
Mechanism: A Cross style mechanism in gun metal gray.
Finish: Bee’s, carnauba and paraffin wax with mineral oil. Sanded to 0000 steel wool.
Price: US$35
Item Ref No: MSP0022
Status: Sold but a similar pen may be available. Click here to inquire.
Photo above by Jennifer Tai Photo Artistry
Unique Treen 