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Blank help...

Gav

Registered
Joined
Jun 18, 2013
Posts
284
Location
Pontyclun, South Wales
First Name
Gavin
Dear all,

I've been asked by a friend who has some high flying job with a posh title in The City (when you look into it he's just an insurance salesman) to make a fountain pen for him.

He's a fellow Welshman and I was thinking about some nice Welsh Oak burl as the wood, but would appreciate some ideas on what kit you think would suit a City Boy and if anyone knows if there are any blanks out there in said timber?

I'm also looking for some apple wood for a pair of pens, so any guidance on where may have blanks ready to go would also be appreciated!

Oh, and I do wish you lot would have told me how unbelievably addictive this pen turning lark is!:whistling:

Gav
 

Jimjam66

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Jan 27, 2013
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3,775
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Basingstoke, Hampshire
Gav, you may want to consider the Statesman/Gentlemans/Chairman's kits, or if he likes bling the Roman Harvest from TB. They're all big pens that shout "important person". If he's a little fellow you might want to look at a Baron or a Jr Gent.

If you look back at your 'welcome' thread I'm sure you'll find a fair few warnings regarding addiction ... :funny:
 

Neil

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May 21, 2013
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Location
Hitchin, Hertfordshire
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Neil
Gav,

Sorry if this reply is a bit nerdy but hope it helps. Burl is the American for Burr, so I hope to offer some advice on the acquisition of Welsh Oak Burr. A bit similar to Bushings in America, strictly we have bushes, but this might be a bigger battle to win!

I don't know if you are aware that Welsh Oak is not the same species as European Oak (There is strictly no such species as English Oak). European Oak is Quercus Robur, and Welsh Oak is the given name to another sub species, Quercus Petraea or Sessile Oak. The wood is the same to anyone who doesn't have a microscope, and the distinction when alive isn't that much easier to work out. It is a tree that grows on rockier soil, and also has the local name of Cornish Oak. It also grows in the rockier uplands of Europe. The only way to ensure that your blank is of true Sessile Oak is to go identify a tree and cut a bit off! Cutting a bit off and it being a burr may be a bit over the top for the current owner. If you concede that you are unlikely to obtain true Sessile Oak burr, then how this for a suggestion. The Flag of St David, as you will know is a horizontal/vertical yellow cross on a black background. Making a segmented pen of black wood, such as ebony or even Wenge with a yellow cross will have its problems as the black dust from the ebony will affect the yellow wood - something like Picquia Amarello. However if you were to segment a pen blank with Oak and Picquia Amarello, turn the pen and sand it to 600 then place it in a small plastic airtight container with an egg cup of 80/80 ammonia for a week, the oak would go black without affecting the yellow amarello. The density of the black of the oak would depend on the level of tannin in the oak. Once the wood has gone black, return it to the lathe and give it a few squirts of Cellulose sanding spray, not the bottled stuff, dry and denib and then coat with a lacquer.
 

Gav

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Jun 18, 2013
Posts
284
Location
Pontyclun, South Wales
First Name
Gavin
Neil,

Not nerdy at all, very interesting, thank you!

I'd definitely like to keep it as one piece of wood, so maybe I need to change my specification to Burr Oak, from a tree in Wales!

David,

Thank you, I'll take a look at those, I've just done a Baron rollerball, so already have the bushes!

Gav
 

Jim

Grand Master
Joined
Oct 19, 2011
Posts
15,617
Now this depends on how much you want to spend, i would go with Davids top choices if you are going OTT with the price, if you are middle of the road then a Baron should be suffice ... :bwink:

Now me, i would be looking at tarting up a slimline ... :whistling:

Addictive ... :nooidea: No way ..... :frenchkiss:
 

yorkshireman

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wrexham
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Gav, don't know how far you are from Carmarthen but there is a dealer there called timberman. His website tells you nothing but I just happened to be passing there last year whilst on holiday - OK it was a 40 mile detour but the wife didn't twig - and he sells locally sourced timber and to me its dirt cheap. I got a lump of burr oak from him for £18 about 5in by 9in by 12in. Still got loads left.

keith
 

Jimjam66

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Basingstoke, Hampshire
Now this depends on how much you want to spend, i would go with Davids top choices if you are going OTT with the price, if you are middle of the road then a Baron should be suffice ... :bwink:

Now me, i would be looking at tarting up a slimline ... :whistling:

Addictive ... :nooidea: No way ..... :frenchkiss:

Jim, if you go with a Chairman's you're looking at about £6 locally - cheaper than a Baron.
 

Jim

Grand Master
Joined
Oct 19, 2011
Posts
15,617
Jim, if you go with a Chairman's you're looking at about £6 locally - cheaper than a Baron.


Really, how many slimlines is that ... :thinks:


I honestly didn't know they were that cheap David ... Shows you how long ago it is since i shopped (Or Looked) around for other kits ... :goesred:
 

Gav

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Jun 18, 2013
Posts
284
Location
Pontyclun, South Wales
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Gavin
Gav, don't know how far you are from Carmarthen but there is a dealer there called timberman. His website tells you nothing but I just happened to be passing there last year whilst on holiday - OK it was a 40 mile detour but the wife didn't twig - and he sells locally sourced timber and to me its dirt cheap. I got a lump of burr oak from him for £18 about 5in by 9in by 12in. Still got loads left.

keith

Keith,

Unbelievably I'm from that neck of the woods (live a little further away now) and can't believe I didn't think of him!

May send the Old Man on a hunting mission.

I've also had a response from ISCA Woodcraft in Newport for Apple and Burr Oak (we'll see where it fell!) so may take a trip over there too.

I've just turned a couple of Baron rolerball's, and am quite happy so may offer him the fountain pen, and see what he thinks.

Thank you all for your input!:thumbs:

Gav
 

yorkshireman

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5,199
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wrexham
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Keith
Keith,

Unbelievably I'm from that neck of the woods (live a little further away now) and can't believe I didn't think of him!

May send the Old Man on a hunting mission.



I'm working on the heads of the valley route at the moment Gav, near Tredegar. I've got a meeting coming next month in Pembrokeshire so I'm going to make sure I call in
 
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