Rare Colorful Macaw PITH story

Signed-In Members Don't See This Ad
See more from JohnU

JohnU

Member
Joined
Jan 31, 2008
Messages
4,925
Location
Ottawa, Illinois
I've anxiously been waiting for my PITH partner, Jontello, to receive his new pen and be the first to see. Now that it has safely arrived at its new home in Italy I can relax and share my story.


I've been making feather blanks for many years now so I haven't gotten nervous making or turning a feather pen in a long time. This one made me sweat the entire time.
Macaw feathers are one of the most beautiful but also one of the most difficult to work with. I don't get many macaw feathers in but for the past few years I've been sorting out one here and there that has unique color or mixture of colors on a single feather. My thoughts were to save up until I had enough to make myself that special pen. Well, this year I decided to put my name in the PITH drawing. I've had lots of fun in the past and received beautiful works of art. So then it sets in... you read who you are paired up with and search his work here to see what he's made and shared. That added a higher level of stress. An Artist ! really ? I just take what mother nature made and cast it in resin. This man actually creates art! To say I was nervous is an understatement. I had to come up with something but felt it should be a feather pen, just not my typical feather pen. Something different or unique. That's when that little baggie of rare gems popped into my head. It was time to bring these little babies to life. I spent several hours arranging them on the tubes. After a couple days of drying they were cast in polyresin and set to cure for 18 hours. That's a long time to continuously hope they turn out. Turning them was no usual task either. I felt like it was the first pen I made, taking light touches, sharpening the skew every few minutes, and praying I didn't blow it up. lol

Thankfully the blanks survived and were paired up on a Rhodium Jr Fountain pen. I chose to remove the center band and finial and replaced them with custom turned parts from an alumilite pour. I wanted this pen to be as colorful as possible, especially after reading that my PITH partner loves bright colors. I know I still have a lot to learn but I feel very happy with the end results. It was one of the hardest to let go (not to mention how much I worried about the postal care it might not receive while being shipped for days to Italy. I can relax now knowing it safely arrived at its new home.

Jontello I hope you like it as much as I do. Enjoy my friend!
 

Attachments

  • PITH Macaw Jr.jpg
    PITH Macaw Jr.jpg
    202.3 KB · Views: 354
  • PITH Macaw.jpg
    PITH Macaw.jpg
    140.6 KB · Views: 360
Signed-In Members Don't See This Ad

mark james

IAP Collection, Curator
Joined
Sep 6, 2012
Messages
12,720
Location
Medina, Ohio
The entire pen is wonderful. BUT, the centerband and finial just makes it!

Enjoy Jon! Maybe a first and last with those feathers!

(I also have a JohnU pen from a trade at the last MPG in Illinois. It is cherished!).
 

OZturner

Member
Joined
Aug 5, 2013
Messages
6,663
Location
Sydney. NSW. Australia
Magnificent Pen John.
Spectacular Blanks, Glorious Macaw Feathers.
Excellent Casting, Turning, Fits and Finishes.
Truly a Delightful Pen for your PITH Partner Jontello.
Congratulations on your Superb Craftsmanship.
Brian.
 

stonepecker

Member
Joined
Oct 29, 2012
Messages
4,382
Location
central Minnesota
Been away from the IAP for a few days........just seen this and another posting about this pairing. I am positive that the hands of fate were involved with this pairing. JohnU makes such great blanks and to have a pen from his hands/lathe must be something very special. The care and work that went into this pen, shows just how much thought goes into a great trade.
I can hardly wait to see what the postman brings you from Italy.
 

SteveAxelrod

Member
Joined
Nov 11, 2015
Messages
640
Location
Oldsmar, Florida
I like to think that pen making is an art form and even more so when we make our own blanks and pen parts. You're creativity and craftsmanship make you an artist in my book!
 
Top Bottom