FOOD FOR THOUGHT

[glenpen]

FOOD FOR THOUGHT.

In reply to my request for Bethlehem Olive wood it brought back memories of 3 year ago. I was at a craft fair when another stall holder came to talk to me. She had come to her mother’s from Wales and was helping out.

She told me she was a scientist and her job was to test items to see if they were original. I spoke some time with her about my Pens and using COA. She told me they are a waste of time. The only way to be sure is that every

Individual wood would have to be tested and that is costly. It’s what you believe and do you trust your supplier. I try and sell pens with a story. For example SS MAKEBELIEVE. During ww1 this ship was torpedoed and sunk, some 90 years on it was rescued and this pen was made from the salvaged wood. No it wasn’t it was made from some spare wood in my shed. ( by the way I would never do this). Eg 2 I make Irish Bog Wood Pens ( hard to get now ) So I use Norfolk Broad Bog Wood and call it Irish Bog Wood. ( Never) eg 3 I sell Unique Pens no they are pieces of scrap wood from my shed . It goes on and on, can we be sure the wood is what we believe it to be. I trust my supplier and I hope my customers believe me. Just wonder if this lady was telling me the truth or was she like us but no COA

.

 

[flexi]

I was told a long time ago " trust is something you have between friends, but never put to the test"
She is correct a COA is only a piece of paper, the same as a bank note is, we "TRUST" both to be correct in good faith. In my current role I hear time and again' there's a YouTube video on that! ' but again, anyone could post something how do we know it's accurate?
Sorry to answer your question in a negative vain, personally I too buy historic or special blanks and trust the COA as I trust my supplier, my customers in turn trust me!

 

[Gadget-UK]

Agree with Mark.
I have been offered a lot of different types of “Historic” timber in the past but very hard to believe it’s from where they say it’s from.
I have some (and sold) some timber from Bournemouth Pier decking planks, I know exactly where this came from, right down to the area of the pier the boards were replaced.
How….I am very good friends with the carpenter that did the job
It’s very difficult, in the end it’s down to, do YOU trust the source and the wood

 

[Phil Dart]

Better not mention HMS Victory then.

The story I heard is that the wood sold as HMS Victory is actually from a store somewhere in Portsmouth, of wood that was sourced in order to carry out repairs to the ship but never used. So in other words It's never actually been part of the ship, but would have been if the repairs had gone ahead.

I have no proof of that story however, so don't sue me if it's wrong

 

[Neil]

Better not mention HMS Victory then.

The story I heard is that the wood sold as HMS Victory is actually from a store somewhere in Portsmouth, of wood that was sourced in order to carry out repairs to the ship but never used. So in other words It's never actually been part of the ship, but would have been if the repairs had gone ahead.

I have no proof of that story however, so don't sue me if it's wrong

Phil,

the store in Portsmouth was a lock up on Fountain Lake Jetty, the wood that was stored in there was acquired by the MOD in around 1930 in preparation for the ongoing refurbishment of Victory. She was eventually confined to the dry dock, I think in around 1918. Small pieces of rotting timbers were replaced and treated like sacred relics by the RN. The wood stored on Fountain Lake Jetty was eventually sold off after some members of the RN were given “dockyard chits” (authority to remove something from a royal dockyard) and subsequently passed on as “Victory Oak”. I served in HMS Exeter for three and a half years and whilst I was there the PWO(A), Principle Warfare Officer was Lieutenant Mike Cheshire, soon to be promoted Lt Cdr and to be Commanding Officer HMS Victory. I have a piece of the removed Victory, and if I can find it in my wood store I’ll post a pic of it, the state of oak, ca 1805, compared to what is being touted as Victory Oak will leave any Thomas’ without a leg to stand on!

Mike spent his time as CO Victory endulging his passion for naval history and wrote much about the Victory and Nelson.

Phil, stop being a wind up merchant!!!

 

[Phil Dart]

Phil, stop being a wind up merchant!!!

Moi?
Well, I didn't like to say at the time, but the story I heard, I believe came from you. But I also have a very good friend who's an ex royal yachtsman, who told me something similar (without quite so much detail) when I mentioned it to him. It's a good job she is in dry dock - she would have sunk some time ago, given all the timber that has allegedly been removed from her to make pens.

 

[Neil Lawton]

Pretty normal really.
You can buy wood from York Minster with a bone fide certificate from the Dean and Chapter saying it is Minster wood.
It is actually Minster wood as it was bought to make repairs, but these are usually offcuts that never even made it into the building.
Occasionally they do sell vintage bits but you wouldn't make your money back on your pen