Paua Abalone Telesto

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ldb2000

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This is one of my Telesto kitless pens made with Paua Abalone shell cast in PR . The pictures don't do this one justice . I wish I could figure out how to photo bright shiny shell pens . I used "AAA" grade Paua Abalone shell for this one , it cost more but worth every bit . I used the wire clip so it don't cover up the blank as much as the regular Telesto clip does .
Like all of my Telesto pens this one is made with an aluminum core but with this one I cast the shell strips directly to it . The rest of the pen is highly polished Brass and it uses a cigar style transmission and a parker type refill . The picture of the finial is bad but it was the best I could get . The finial is a shell dot (cut with a cigar tube in my DP) cast in PR as well even though it don't show .

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1_pauatelesto3.jpg


1_pauatelesto4.jpg



As always , comments welcome
 
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mickr

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Apr 22, 2009
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oh my..deleriously divine...your pens get better & better each showing..keep sharing & delight us
 

ldb2000

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Thanks for all the kind words everyone . As nice as this pen looks in the pictures it looks that much better in person . It has more color and chatoyance then can ever be shown in a photo .
This is the first time I have cast directly to the aluminum core tube and it seems to have worked very well . I'm going to make some more of these pens as practice for a Sterling silver Twindows pen I have been designing for a while now . I bought a bunch of different shell sheets looking for the best looking type of shell and so far the Paua and Awabi shells look the best . I discovered that the best way to show the chatoyance of the shells is to back them with aluminum foil to reflect the light through the thin sheets of shell . To cut the shell sheets I created a table saw that uses my Dremel and a diamond coated cut off saw blade . I used some corian for the saw table top and fence and some baltic birch plywood for the base . The fence on this one is fixed , I can change the strip size a little but I am going to build a better one with an adjustable fence so I can cut any size strips I need .
The Telesto style pen is my main pen style and so far it seems to work well with any kind of blank and the response so far has been good . No one that has bought one has had any problem with having to keep it polished . I explain that polishing it is a part of normal maintenance , just like waxing their car and if they keep it polished it will last a lifetime . It's great not having to worry about the plating wearing off .

Amos , the Telesto is my answer to the Sierra pens . After I had several complaints about the Sierras coming apart I wanted something that was about the same size and shape but would not fail and have to be returned to me to fix . I also like the finial operation and so do my customers it seems .

Neil , there are seven shell strips cast in PR so they look faceted but the pen is round .

Jeff , you are reading my mind so get ready for it , I just hope I have the time to finish my entry .
 

jyreene

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Feb 17, 2009
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I really like that material Butch. The second photo looks like it shows off the shells colors really well. I'm not an expert but it would seem if you could shine a light on the pen from both ends and take a picture from the side it might work. You do amazing things kitless. I think I would like it a little more if the...name of the part where the pen tip comes out of...were a bit longer with a slightly less of a curve. Of course that might not even be possible (especially since I don't even know what that part is called at the moment, I almost said nib).
 
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