My 2015 MPG Display Pen

[mark james]

The timber for this was sent as a gift from Bob Wemm. I believe it came from West Myall, Australia. Maybe Bob can identify it. The center band and finial is Claro Walnut. I'm more pleased with the form for this one.


View in Gallery


View in Gallery

C & C welcomed.

 

[Charlie_W]

Wow! Mark! Very cool! Care to share about the non - finish?

 

[mark james]

Wow! Mark! Very cool! Care to share about the non - finish?

Sure. I have simply not settled into a good system yet, so I am still experimenting.

I do not market/see 99% of my stuff, so I go for what I like. I do favor wood that looks and feels like wood. Admittedly, this pen goes to the extreme, but to me it feels very nice.

I sanded with 320 dry grit, both with the lathe, then horizontally by hand. Then applied one coat of Mylands Sanding sealer, and dry sanded with 400 grit. This took most of the surface sealer off, which is what I wanted.

I then sanded with Abranet 400 and 600 wet with Walnut Oil. Wiping off between grits, and horizontal sanding. I then applied Danish Oil x4 over the next day. It is very smooth, still some open pores, and has a very slight matte sheen.

The shiny sections in the pictures are actually light reflection, as there is no real bright sections on the barrels.

The finish is not for everyone, but since it's mine !

Thanks for asking.

Offer suggestions please!

 

[jrecord]

I am with you, I really like the natural look you got with you finish.

 

[vakmere]

Sometimes 'wood in the raw' works as a finished pen. I have a few without all the CA and sealer. In this case the natural look and feel of the grain fits this theme.

 

[Edgar]

That's might purty, Mark. You done good with that hunk of Aussie timber! I do hope that Bob will ID it for us.

I generally prefer that type of finish myself and some woods, like this one, just cry out for a simple finish.

 

[Bob Wemm]

Hi Guys,
Sure is a nice looking pen and lovely piece of wood.
The Timber is an "Acacia", and is commonly known as "Western Myall".
If I was home I could tell you exactly what it's proper name is, but I'm not and my brain is not that good anymore.
It was collected from the Northern part of the Kalgoorlie Goldfields.

Bob.

 

[mark james]

Hi Guys,
Sure is a nice looking pen and lovely piece of wood.
The Timber is an "Acacia", and is commonly known as "Western Myall".
If I was home I could tell you exactly what it's proper name is, but I'm not and my brain is not that good anymore.
It was collected from the Northern part of the Kalgoorlie Goldfields.

Bob.

Thank's Bob, that is perfect. This is a pen I am keeping as the blank was a gift from you, and knowing the timber is nice.

My wife has asked for 4 of this style to give friends at work, so that is a nice compliment for me.

As we all know, the wood will give us some nice surprises. This sat in my bins for a few months looking all forlorn but promising. It was not a spectacular blank, but I was looking for this exact type of streaks of color, and I could not be happier how it turned out.

Thank you Bob! (Now on to the Pheasant...) :wink: