Box problem...heads up

[KC]

I can't remember where I got the boxes...but beware of the little piece of elastic 'string' on the insert that holds the pen, especially if it's tight (like it is on a cigar)...and especially on lacquer finishes...and especially if you have 10 or 15 in a larger box that you carry around in your truck in the summetime.

For those that haven't figured it out, the elastic string WILL leave a mark in the finish. And most of these have 'cured' since about January. Heat is not our friend.

I also notice that a couple Sierras made with stabilized dyed BEB appear to have 'faded' considerably while in the same carry box. Both of these were in the plastic boxes with a cardboard sleeve (and inside the bigger box). No direct sunlight...but there's no question that the colors have faded, and taken on a distinctly 'smokiness'.

KC

 

[JimQ]

I don't even leave pens in my car in the winter here. I have had acrylic blanks get soft enough to bend in Febuary. Oh, did I mention that I live in Phoenix?

JimQ

 

[reed43]

I was there today.( Phoenix that is ) These boxes you are referring to I cut the strings and remove them, then glue a large piece of foam in the top of the box. I only use the bottom layer, the foam is tight enough to keep pens in place.[)][:I] Pens also quite hot in the Yuma area when left outside.[V]

 

[Johnathan]

Thanks for the heads up. I don't use them.

 

[Johnathan]

Thanks for the heads up. I don't use them.

 

[alamocdc]

I noticed this on one pen, so I've been moving the elastic band so that it lays across the metal of the CB. No problems since. However, I don't store my pens in these boxes and I NEVER leave them in the car (summer or winter). Those kinds of extremes are just not good for our pens.

 

[leehljp]

As to the fading, I cannot definitively speak on pens and stabilized wood for pens itself, but I think that people in this hobby/industry put far too much trust in wood absolutes than nature allows. I have worked with wood, listened and read much and observed much more on wood itself. Pens are much smaller, but the same forces apply. The dyes still interact with wood (even stabilized) in heat extremes - heat causes changes that people underestimate tremendously.

The result is that we tend to blame the maker on the problem when nature is the culprit. If one understands wood and wood nature, it will soon be understood that nature can be altered a tad, but in the end, nature will win in the extremes.

Stabilization is more for the benefit of making turning easier with difficult material and holding the colors at normal temp, atmospheric, weather, and operating conditions.

When making pens for others, I do not use certain finishes because of what you described. No telling what others will put the pens through, and if there is a problem, they will blame the maker - us. [)] If you have ever seen water rings on a table, you will see what nature does. People should not set a cold glass of water on a table with laquer or shellac. Period. But most people don't think of this. They want the finish and look, but don't want to work within the natural paramiters of the finishes limits. Extreme heat, incuding natural heat, direct sunlight over a period of time will alter finishes, dyes and stains. This is natural and a given.