I have a lot of basswood on my property up north, and was wondering everyone's thoughts on using it for pens. It looks ot have an interesting grain pattern that might really pop if dyed.
Basswood is a fairly soft wood and should have fairly tight straight grain. It is prized by wood carvers, especially chip carvers. Without dye, it would probably be a fairly boring pen, but it should take dye well.
I should clarify a little more. What I meant was that it is a fairly soft wood for a hardwood. From the little I've worked with it (carving) it was harder than pine, but not by much. Something like poplar, I'd say. The color is right on your piece. It very well could be basswood.