15 Oct

Mpingo .50 Caliber BMG Pen

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.

49OO-54M-50BMPG

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.

54M-50BMGPcollageMechanism: 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

Black & White Ebony Slimline Ballpoint Pens

Posted by uniquetreen in Available for Custom Order, Black and White Ebony, Handmade, Pens, Pens - Ballpoint, Sold, Treen, Unique Gifts, Wood.

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

Mpingo Bottle Stopper

Posted by uniquetreen in African Blackwood, Available for Custom Order, Bottle Stoppers, Handmade, Mpingo, Sold, Treen, Unique Gifts, Wood.

40MBS

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.



40MBS2

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

Alder Slimline Ballpoint Pens

Posted by uniquetreen in Alder, Available for Custom Order, Handmade, Pens, Pens - Ballpoint, Treen, Unique Gifts, Wood.

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.

30 Aug

Locust Burl & Osage Orange Premium Classic Rollerball Pens

Posted by uniquetreen in Available for Custom Order, Locust Burl, Osage Orange, Pens, Pens - Rollerball, Sold, Treen, Unique Gifts, Wood.

51LBPCRP2
51LBPCRP3

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.

 

51LBPCRP 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 …

52OOPCRP2
52OOPCRP3

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!

52OOPCRPPrice: US$78
Item Ref No: OOPCRP0052
Status: Gifted but a similar pen may be available. Click here to inquire.

23 Jul

Maple Coffee Table

Posted by uniquetreen in Furniture, Handmade, Maple, Tables, Wood.

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

Holly Fruit Muddler

Posted by uniquetreen in Available for Custom Order, Fruit Muddler, Handmade, Holly, Treen, Unique Gifts, Wood.

Fruit Muddler2

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.

18 Jul

Replacing Ink Cartridge in Slimline Ballpoint Pen

Posted by uniquetreen in Ink Cartridge, Pens.

Replacing the ink cartridge in your Slimline Ballpoint pen is easy.



TopBarrelOffTopBarrelOff2RefillOutClosedPen

First, pull off the top barrel of the pen by pulling it straight back. You may need to rotate it a bit to free it as it has a tight friction fit. Once you have the top barrel off, you’ll be able to see the top of the cartridge which is generally a black knurled plastic cylinder. Rotate it counter-clockwise to unscrew it from the holder and pull it out. Put in the new cartridge in reverse order, i.e. insert it into the holder, screw it in clockwise until it stops and slide the top barrel back on. Your pen is ready for use again!

17 Jul

Alder Potpourri Holder

Posted by uniquetreen in Alder, Available for Custom Order, Handmade, Potpouri Holders, Treen, Unique Gifts, Wood.

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.

14 Jul

Treen Care

Posted by uniquetreen in Treen Care.

Caring for your treen piece is pretty easy. Basically, you’ll need to oil the wood in it on an occasional basis. I use food-safe mineral oil when I’m finishing the work on the lathe, along with bee’s and paraffin wax. These give a very serviceable finish with a matte luster that’s easy to maintain. You can use pretty much any oil you like, except olive oil which can become rancid and have an unpleasant smell. Any poly-unsaturated type oil that won’t solidify in your fridge is fine but a short list would be peanut, walnut, canola or mineral oil. All of these are food-safe and ideal for any treen items designed for use with food.



DO’s & DON’Ts


DO oil your treen occasionally. There’s an old adage regarding the type of finishes I use which goes along the lines of “once a day for a week, once a week for a month, once a month for a year, and once a year for the rest of it’s life”. This may sound daunting, but it’s really not that difficult, and that regimented of a routine is not required. If you’ve bought a pen, oil it occasionally when you first get it, and after a while the natural oils from your hand will take care of it. If you notice the wood looking dry and dull on any piece at any time, a bit of oil applied with a soft cloth will bring its luster right back.


DO wax your treen if you want a higher shine. Any any good floor wax like Johnson’s will work just fine. I’ve also recommended Butcher’s paste wax for folks I’ve built furniture for and they find it both efficient and reliable.


DON’T ever wash your treen in a washing machine as the high heat & steam will damage it. Although my brother might testify to his pen’s ability to survive trips through the laundry, it’s really not a good idea. To wash a designed-for-food piece, hand wash and dry it with a soft cloth, and apply oil afterward to preserve the wood finish.


DON’T ever use any cleaning detergent or agent that contains formulas that are not recommended for use on wood products, and never scour your treen with any abrasive pad or cleaning material that has abrading actions. Doing either will ruin the finish on your treen.



If you have any questions about the care and maintenance of your treen, please drop me a line here.



Enjoy your treen!
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