lawrence Posted March 3, 2013 Report Share Posted March 3, 2013 I know I don't post many pen pics... I normally don't take a lot of pictures of them, but I probably turn 10 pens or so a month... but these were special... Sorry for the poor pic, but the customer came over to get the pens about 20 minutes after they were done (they are a gift for tonight) so I didn't have time to set up my lightbox. He dropped off the wood yesterday- 2 pen blanks of mulberry from Mount Vernon... he paid $125 each for the pen blanks so I was a bit nervous when I turned them... but I got 'er done without too much trouble (other than one large inclusion which I filled/worked around. The kits are Hancock stainless steel (made in USA) pen kits and are of a nice quality. The wood actually came out prettier than I expected (it was quite bland when I cut it) and it polished up really well. I sanded it to 12K micromesh and then did a polished CA finish on top. The stainless steel really picks up fingerprints so I'm not sure I'd want this to be a daily use pen, but for special occasions, it is a nicely balanced kit and I can recommend it. (and they are on sale at woodcraft right now) IMHO, The pen certainly has nice clean lines and it feels "high quality" without being showy. Thanks for looking, Lawrence 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duckkisser Posted March 3, 2013 Report Share Posted March 3, 2013 125$ holy moly dude i got a old mulberry tree in my backyard that the berries have pestered me for years to keep clean. only reason i keep it is i like to get a mulberry pies once in a while. if i can get 125 for a few inches of wood ill sell that damn tree and buy a house ya i know its from washingtons property or at least thats what they say im willing to lie for that kind of cash. nice looking pen though Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AceHoleInOne Posted March 3, 2013 Report Share Posted March 3, 2013 Wow looking awesome. Thanks for sharing! -Ace- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wdwerker Posted March 3, 2013 Report Share Posted March 3, 2013 I would bet the pen blanks were sold to benefit a charity or restoration project at Mount Vernon. Still a lot of money for a little piece of wood. Elegant looking pen! Nice work Lawrence . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lawrence Posted March 3, 2013 Author Report Share Posted March 3, 2013 The customer kept the letters and I didn't get to see them, but he got certificates from the blank seller. He bought the blanks from historical woods of America. http://historicalwoods.com/ by contacting them directly (I gather that he got a hold of the widow of one of the folks that ran the company?) Thanks for the kind words, the pens were fun to make (challenging is fun) Lawrence Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Mills Posted March 5, 2013 Report Share Posted March 5, 2013 Very Nice Pen. But Yikes! I don't turn pens but aren't the blanks 6" long by 3/4" square? If so thats 288 blanks per 1 square foot section. X $125 .......$36,000.00 PSF Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris H Posted March 5, 2013 Report Share Posted March 5, 2013 For higher end pens, you typically want a "Jumbo Blank" so it will likely be about 1"x1"x6". Once you figure in milling/waste, you get about 18-20 blanks per board foot or 180-200 per Square foot (again accounting for kerf/waste) I agree $125 is crazy for a blank, but to each his own. If they will pay it, only a fool wouldn't charge it! Beautiful pen Lawrence! Simple and elegant. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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