Maple Burl and Red Swirl Cambridge Fountain Pen

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Bellsy

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Jun 26, 2008
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385
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Elora, Ontario, Canada
I picked a few of these exotic blanks up at the 2010 MPG from Ankrom Exotics. The first blank I attempted to turn came apart on the lathe while turning. The acrylic let go of the wood or vice versa, but regardless of the experience I jumped back on the horse and made another attempt. The pen is for a fellow employee who is leaving our group and heading south to a different plant. He saw this particular blank and asked if I could do it up as a fountain pen. I'm just glad the second attempt didn't fail like the first one.

The blank is a Maple Burl with Red Swirl acrylic on a Cambridge Fountain Pen kit in Titanium Gold / Sterling from William Wood-write. To finish the pen I sanded to 400 grit and steel wool 0000, then used CA Thick and sanded to 12000 MM and polished it with Huts Plastic Polish. The brass tube was unpainted in hopes of giving off a more golden effect to accentuate the kit.

Pictures were taken with a Sony DSC-W30 with the Macro on and off. The backdrop was a piece linen set over the bed of my delta midi lathe under an energy efficient bulb.

Comments and suggestions welcomed.

Dave

cambridge1.jpg


cambridge2.jpg


cambridge3.jpg
 
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bgibb42

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Jun 6, 2009
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Hull, GA
That's a really nice pen. I like that you left the tubes unpainted; I think you've achieved that subtle golden effect you were after.
 

SDB777

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Feb 6, 2010
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Cabot, Arkansas USA
Like the backdrop you used, gives the entire photo some depth(might steal that idea from ya). The pen is definitely very cool, and I'm sure your friend is going to love it.

Remember, if the photo colors look a little 'off', it's cause the camera is trying to make an average gray. Add about to stops(instead of 1/30sec shutter, try 1/4sec with the same f/stop), and you normally get the desired(real) color.




Scott (I'll look for the link for the math) B
 

phillywood

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May 10, 2010
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San Antonio, TX, 78250, USA
Dave, beautiful set of pens. the kit and the colors go together very nicely and you did a good job on the pic. I don't have that camera, but what ever Scott told you may make it better I am sure.
I like to ask a qsn. You mentioned that you didn't paint the tube, do you usually paint it. I thought maple had enough meat on it that you didn't have to paint the tube or is it because you had to use PR?
 

Chief Hill

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Aug 26, 2009
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635
Take a close look at pic #2 of the cap. Just under the the clip. I swear that looks like a persons face. Maybe a bit weird looking but Wow!

Great looking pen.
 

Bellsy

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Jun 26, 2008
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Elora, Ontario, Canada
Dave, beautiful set of pens. the kit and the colors go together very nicely and you did a good job on the pic. I don't have that camera, but what ever Scott told you may make it better I am sure.
I like to ask a qsn. You mentioned that you didn't paint the tube, do you usually paint it. I thought maple had enough meat on it that you didn't have to paint the tube or is it because you had to use PR?

I also have a D3000 Nikon that I am still getting acquainted with.......slowly!!! The Sony is my starter camera and success has been moderate with it. I built my own light box and tried different things along the way, but the Sony just didn't seem to cut it for me. Since I was in the shop and had the Sony on hand, I quickly snapped a few photos of the pen rather than going into the house and getting the Nikon out. I took pics of the pen with and without the Macro on (yes still experimenting with it) to see if a few changes made with light sensitivity would help. It seems that the changes did improve the quality from a lot of the other photos I have taken in the past......go figure! There is nothing worse than taking a picture of a great pen and the photo is ruined because of a few bad settings.

I did not paint the tubes because I knew the finish on the hardware was similar to it. The thickness of the PR was going to be thin anyway and a golden accent through the red acrylic was what I had hoped to achieve. As you can see I achieved what I wanted, call it luck or not it came out better than anticipated.

Normally I do not paint tubes when the turning medium is Acrylic. I believe this is due to the fact that I dominantly turn opaque materials or wood. I have read many woes of other people having to paint their tubes, but generally I do not run into that situation because of the above explanation. I have done a few other turnings which had my curiosity going "what if", but there was only one blank to experiment with. I have recently begun casting my own blanks and the first batch that I turned were given out to a few other turners. They also commented on the "painting" technique and made suggestions to paint the tubes if I cast a similar batch again. I keep a log of all casts (all 2 of them to date), and I will have them for future reference if I decide to use them again. The painting suggestion was added to the casting log for that cast.

BTW....the blank for that pen came from Ankrom Exotics. It's a Maple Burl with Red Acrylic swirl. They are rather expensive blanks, but as you can see from the results, they show well. I have two remaining blanks that will be given a new home soon. The colors are much different again and I will be considering the painting technique depending on the choice of hardware selected.

I hope that helps your questions.

Dave
 
Joined
Jun 23, 2008
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Location
Centerville, Iowa, USA.
Hey Dave,

Sorry to hear that you had one of the blanks blow up on you. If you're going to be at the next MPG please swing by our table and pick up a replacement.

If that doesn't work for you just let me know and we'll get one shipped off (I just hate the thought of paying international postage for one blank).

Super job on that pen BTW. You mind if we add it to our website's photo gallery?
 

Bellsy

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Jun 26, 2008
Messages
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Location
Elora, Ontario, Canada
Hey Dave,

Sorry to hear that you had one of the blanks blow up on you. If you're going to be at the next MPG please swing by our table and pick up a replacement.

If that doesn't work for you just let me know and we'll get one shipped off (I just hate the thought of paying international postage for one blank).

Super job on that pen BTW. You mind if we add it to our website's photo gallery?

Thanks Pat......I would be honored to have it in your photo gallery.

I will be at the next MPG 2011. I really enjoyed doing my first international demo there. I've done a few more up here in Canada since then and it's getting easier after each one. I hear we are having a guest turner in 2011 and can't wait to see him perform. Ok....it's going to be Dick Sing at the next MPG. And best of all it's still a free event to attend.

I will drop by your both for a replacement and a few extras for sure. There is a real art in turning these down, especially on a pen like this one. The finished thickness is very thin and cutting your way through the burl makes it a real challenge. I hope there are more Red Swirl Blanks available..........I have had lots of compliments on the looks of your blanks and now this pen is just more proof of their true beauty.

Dave
 

Bellsy

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Joined
Jun 26, 2008
Messages
385
Location
Elora, Ontario, Canada
That is a beautiful pen, I'm guessing the second photo is closest to the real color? either way it's a gorgeous piece of work.

Yes the second photo is as close to reality as I could get.

Thanks for the compliment.

BTW, the new owner of the pen was shocked upon receiving it today and everyone who had a chance to view it was about as excited as he was. He asked for an autograph with the pen today, so I obliged him. I think that's when my heart started to race a bit.....:)

A great feeling for sure.

Dave
 

islandturner

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Jul 17, 2009
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Location
Victoria, BC
Her Majesty seems to be having trouble making up her mind, but I think it's a gorgous pen. Exceptional blank. Too bad about the first one... Well done...!
 
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