The commissioned keepsake may be one of my favorite projects. It is a chance for me to help the customer commemorate a milestone, a vacation, or a favorite memory. It has also provided opportunities to work with some unique materials such as Koa, Ash, and deer antler. For this set of pens I received a section of tree limb from a Catulpa tree (aka Catawba tree) that a friend had rescued from the burn pile. These trees are special to the neighborhood he lives in because they line the street and were there before the houses grew up around them. My friend wanted some gifts to share with neighbors and family members.
The tree limb was very “green.” My friend later told me that he had cut the storm damaged limb from the tree just a few days before giving it to me. My first step was to trim the ends of the branch and then paint them so that they would not split as the wood dried. I then placed the branch in the basement which is kept dry with a dehumidifier. It languished there for about three weeks, until my itch to work on the project outweighed my patience to let the wood dry.
The next step was to cut the limb into manageable pieces. Using a band saw, I cut the wood into lengths that were approximately six inches long. I also split the limb length-wise, keeping in mind that I wanted enough wood to form a pen blank that was one inch diameter. This was the point that I noticed that Catawba has a beautiful grain pattern that is naturally chatoyant. I knew that the finished pens were going to be beautiful. I then marked the “center” on each end of the blank and put it on the lathe.
I placed the blank between centers on the lathe and used a spindle roughing gouge to turn each piece into a round pen blank. The purpose of this was two fold. First, it gives me a blank that will fit in the jaws chuck. Second, it gives me a blank that will spin balanced and true, which makes the next several steps much easier.
Now that the tree limb was turned into proper pen blanks, it was time to start turning the blanks into pens. The pen blanks were cut to length for the front and back section of the pen. A hole is drilled and a brass tube is glued into each section. Finally, I use a bench top disk sander to square each end flush with the brass tube. Since I was working on a batch of pens, it was important to label each section so that I could match them up and align the wood grain on the finished pen.
At this point, the pen blanks go back on the lathe, this time on a pen mandrel to be turned to shape. I had to keep in mind that the wood is still relatively green at this point. My plan was to turn them close to shape and then let them age to finish drying. I was hoping that by thinning out the wood, it would dry much quicker.
After another three week wait the wood was dry and the pens were ready to finish. The final shaping and sanding was completed. After that several layers of CA finish are applied to give each pen a durable, shiny finish. The CA finish is sanded and buffed to a high gloss.
Once all the sanding, polishing, and buffing are completed it is time to assemble the pens. To give each pen a unique look I used gold, silver and black chrome components. These pens turned out flawlessly.
I would love to help create your next keepsake. Please contact me to discuss how we can best commemorate your special memory.
The Executive Pen Suite 