First post, first snakeskin.

[theidlemind]

First post but I've been turning pens for about a year (mostly wood) and decided to branch out a little.


Here for your comments are:

• A Zen pen in Holly
• A Wall Street II in Copperhead (from member ZanderPommo)

Got a show coming up Memorial Day weekend so I'm nervously turning and counting pens and bowls. No idea what to expect in sales.

If anyone wants to see some of my bowls they are here.........
http://www.theidlemind.net/gallery.html
Critiques are always welcome!:turtle:

 

[Jim15]

Great looking pens.

 

[snyiper]

How do you get the holly so white? I have holly I cut down and it has grey streaks in it real Blah wood if you ask me. Yours look excellent sweet job.

 

[turbowagon]

Both look really sharp! Nice job and welcome to the forum!

 

[theidlemind]

Thanks all..........
Not sure why the Holly is that white, just lucky I suppose.
I have a 22 piece lot on eBay right now, not sure if I'm allowed to mention that or not. Moderators can smack me if it's not allowed.

My father has a Woodmizer sawmill and a solar kiln so I have an unlimited supply of material.

 

[ldb2000]

Welcome to the group . That is some of the whitest Holly I have ever seen , great stuff . Good job on the snakeskin . Great fit and finish on both .

 

[1dweeb]

The pens are nice. The bowls on your website are stunning. It is obvious, you are no novice turner. How long have you been turning bowls?

Wayne

 

[theidlemind]

Even though the Holly doesn't have the eye-popping figure of other wood it is my biggest seller. People are fascinated by the color, tight grain, and the history of this particular tree. And a lot of people mistake it for ivory, bone, or antler.

Thank you for the kind words about my bowls.............
I've been turning bowls for maybe 3 years, lots of scrap wood to show for my efforts:bulgy-eyes:. And our house is full of them. We eat chips out of them, put candles in them, and give them away as gifts.

 

[ed4copies]

Were you trained at Berea College?

 

[theidlemind]

Were you trained at Berea College?

I took a few evening classes there, Westervelt classes.
http://www.berea.edu/tia/westervelt.asp

 

[ZanderPommo]

very nice, well done

 

[Rfturner]

Snakeskin and Holly

They are great looking pens, The Holly has a nice White with only the faintest hint of a grey streak. It is whiter than most that I have seen turned into Pens.

How do you get the holly so white? I have holly I cut down and it has grey streaks in it real Blah wood if you ask me. Yours look excellent sweet job.

The difference may be the growing conditions and Climate that the Holly was grown in. If you cut holly and let it air dry then it will most likely get grey streaks or discoloration. The difference can also be when you cut the Holly The best time to cut on Holly is in the Winter the sap levels are lower and therefore the wood has a better chance to be whiter.