Post your July 2016 PITH Photos here

[Cwalker935]

Just in case there are any early birds that have already sent off their pens, recipients please post your photos of your loot here. I will be wrapping up my package tonight and shipping it off to Gordon tomorrow, hope he likes it.

 

[Old Bessie]

Shall be putting Ozne's in the Mail tomorrow.

 

[mark james]

I am 2/3 done... My Finishes s..k!!! :redface::tongue:

 

[liljohn1368]

I put it in the mail to scotty today. Maybe he will like it.

 

[flyitfast]

My PITH pen package arrived on Saturday and it is awesome!!!
Cwalker935/Cody really set a standard.
The pen, a Bold Action with a custom American Flag blank really fit the Patriotic theme of the pen sharing event.

And Cody added blanks that will make great looking pens.

Thank you Cody. Mine will be in the mail hopefully in the next week or so.
Gordon

 

[Old Bessie]

I rode my bike to the post office today and mailed my granddad's pith package today. Ozne should receive it on Thursday,

 

[Jontello]

I got my pen in the mail yesterday. My swap partner did an amazing job (Imaginethat or Dennis) He sent me an amazing fountain pen and some sweet blanks (Mutt Blank-which my wife has claimed, Genesis Blank and a cocobolo blank and a cigar pen kit. Great Job. Now i need to step up my game because he set a super high bar. Your pen is coming soon...

 

[Scotty]

Got mine from liljohn1368 yesterday. I love meeting friends and swapping pens. He did a great job and sent along four super blanks. As I was finishing his yesterday, I had a little oops. The dust collector took my blank away from me! I'll be working today on another. Thanks for the pen, and thanks for another PITH.

 

[John Smith]

Received my pen from Skeleton2014 (aka Jeff Vogan) yesterday. Avery nicely done Jr. Aaron FP in Black Titanium/Chrome, with a vintage USA blank by Jonathon Brooks. Along with a cartridge of ink and a filler. Now if I can figure out how to use it. LOL. Only my second fountain pen. The first was from another PITH, which I haven't used yet.

Also sent a very nice selection of acrylic and wood blanks. Along with a hat.in keeping with the PITH theme.

Thanks a lot Jeff. Everything is really great. I absolutely love these exchanges.

 

[Edgar]

Todd Webb (penturner1967) received his pen & blanks yesterday. He doesn't have a camera, so he asked me to post photos of what I sent to him.

Last year, I ordered 3 pieces of wood from the USS Constitution Museum that were salvaged from the 1996 repairs to "Old Ironsides". Each piece of wood is just large enough to make 3 single-barrel pen blanks. Two of the pieces that I got were straight-grain, but one was cross-cut and I used one of the blanks from that piece of wood for Todd's pen. I thought an antique brass Nautical Pen Kit would be appropriate for this nice piece of wood.

The species and age of this particular wood is not identified, other than the fact that it was removed from the ship in 1996, but it is probably some kind of pine. After sanding, I applied two drops of teak oil to a paper towel & rubbed that into the spinning blank to enhance the grain & coloring a bit. I then finished it with friction polish to keep a natural look & feel.

The pecan & mesquite blanks are from my farm & the camphor is from a local tree. The Philippine Monkey Pod & Acacia are from wood that I picked up on my recent trip to Hawaii and the Lou Metcalf blank is from a box of blanks that I recently purchased from his estate to share with our IAP members in Lou's memory.

I really enjoyed making this pen, Todd. Being a cross-cut and rather brittle piece of wood, it was a bit of a challenge, but I managed to get 'er done. I hope you like it.

Edgar

 

[edicehouse]

Seeing how awesome these pens are so far, I am glad I didn't participate in fear of not "measuring up", but at the same time I am jealous I didn't get one! Awesome work all.

 

[Cwalker935]

Todd Webb (penturner1967) received his pen & blanks yesterday. He doesn't have a camera, so he asked me to post photos of what I sent to him.

Last year, I ordered 3 pieces of wood from the USS Constitution Museum that were salvaged from the 1996 repairs to "Old Ironsides". Each piece of wood is just large enough to make 3 single-barrel pen blanks. Two of the pieces that I got were straight-grain, but one was cross-cut and I used one of the blanks from that piece of wood for Todd's pen. I thought an antique brass Nautical Pen Kit would be appropriate for this nice piece of wood.

The species and age of this particular wood is not identified, other than the fact that it was removed from the ship in 1996, but it is probably some kind of pine. After sanding, I applied two drops of teak oil to a paper towel & rubbed that into the spinning blank to enhance the grain & coloring a bit. I then finished it with friction polish to keep a natural look & feel.

The pecan & mesquite blanks are from my farm & the camphor is from a local tree. The Philippine Monkey Pod & Acacia are from wood that I picked up on my recent trip to Hawaii and the Lou Metcalf blank is from a box of blanks that I recently purchased from his estate to share with our IAP members in Lou's memory.

I really enjoyed making this pen, Todd. Being a cross-cut and rather brittle piece of wood, it was a bit of a challenge, but I managed to get 'er done. I hope you like it.

Edgar

Great job Edgar, cool pen.

 

[liljohn1368]

Thank scotty!!! This is my pith pen and blanks that I got from scotty. They are beautiful all wood blanks with a acrylic sierra style pen. I love doing these piths. You get a new pen and a new friend every time. Again thanks scotty for all the blanks and the pen.

 

[Cwalker935]

Thank scotty!!! This is my pith pen and blanks that I got from scotty. They are beautiful all wood blanks with a acrylic sierra style pen. I love doing these piths. You get a new pen and a new friend every time. Again thanks scotty for all the blanks and the pen.

Scotty and I were partners in one of the past PITHs. Great job Scotty!

 

[Old Bessie]

An absolute wonderful surprise arrived in the mail today! the PITH package from Ozne, a.k.a. Vincenzo G. Finizola was on the porch. A more generous man is nearly impossible to find these days, but I am thankful and humbled by such a fine gentleman. Thank you "Ozne" for the kindness that you have shared.

I hope that my offering in theis PITH swap was merely "ok".

Your pens were magnificent! I really like the Red White Blue Patriotic Flag theme pen! and the finish on the Myrtle is spectacular! I am just honored to own them. They will be passed to my Grandson for all of his help someday.







Truth is I haven't been feeling all that great and he helped me with this swap. I thought he was doing well and kind of lost track for a bit. He promised me that he did his best. I trust his word.



Being said I received a wonderful set of tea light and candles out of Birch, 3 amazing pens, a fine slimline and two amazing rollerballs-that I love!, and blanks that amaze, and are some dream pieces that I have always wanted. Jack Daniels barrel blanks, French wine barrel, antler, diamondwood multi colored, a bunch of Cocobolo, Italian Olive, Mango, Pheasant wood, Blue Mahoe, figured Teak--it has to be prettier than my old teak boat parts wood, Staghorn Sumac, and I have always wanted to try Flame Box Elder and Pistachio! And I am honored to have a piece of wood from Jefferson Davis' home--historical and incredible.

Also my grandson Billy has been messing around with corian blanks in many different ways and Ozne sent an assortment of corian as well!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am so thankful for such a great package.Thank you , thank you, thank you! I have been promised that one of the kids will put the pictures up for all to see.

 

[Edward Cypher]

Thank you Glen of Glen's Pens Awesome July PITH

Sorry Glen it took so long to upload the July Pith pics. Glen was super fast. I had pen and blanks about 3 days after the announcement of pairs. Glen went above and beyond the criterion of the PITH. A gorgeous Stars and Stripes bolt action pen and a box full of blanks. I am still working on his but should be done by the deadline. I am not near as quick as Glen. Thanks again Glen for the cool pen and blanks.



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[Imaginethat]

Jon Tello PITH

Received my Roller Ball pen from Jon this morning. The hand painted blanks are absolutely gorgeous. Hours between paintings and casting makes this a pen I will use and appreciate.

The blanks included will make great pens that I will have a hard time choosing which to use but definitely add to my collections.

Thank you Jon for the pen.

Dennis

 

[tomtedesco]

Just got my pen from iamddo, wonderful job on an American Flag theme and two great pieces of wood to work on. Thank you for making the PITH happen every year. Sent my pen last week.

 

[Argo13]

I got my pen from Blaine (19dobey) a couple weeks ago but I just got the picture taken. He cast his own blanks and included a couple of his blanks. Vice nice pen and design.

 

[keithbyrd]

I am 2/3 done... My Finishes s..k!!! :redface::tongue:

I received Mark's pen about 2 weeks ago. If this is the pen that he claims his finish s..ks on I want to see one that he thinks is a great finish! I am finishing Mark's pen this week and will post a picture of this awesome pen with the finish that s..ks after I send his off. I think you will be as impressed as I am!!

 

[KenV]

DigBaddy72 (Keith) was my partner. I was blessed with a bolt action with an interesting blank. The coloration included webs of green running with the grain. Keith was not forthcoming with the source, but it appears to have been an external dye on the surface that was later turned away. This is definitely a "less is more" treatment allowing the color to catch the eye, without overwheming and bring the attention back for more detail.

The blanks were assorted provide lots of opportunity. The willow blank is of special interest because the 26 species of willow here in the north are all smallish and tend to blah. Even diamond willow of walking stick use at pen sized scale is blah. Will probably give it a bath in Cactus Juice and see what is hiding under the surface.

Thanks Keith!!!

 

[Cwalker935]

I received my PITH package from Gordon (flyitfast) today and it is great. Gordon did a fantastic job on a segmented corian blank and paired it with a patriotic bolt action. He also sent me an assortment of Texas woods and a prickly pear cactus blank that I am looking forward to turning. Never turned prickly pear cactus before.

Thank you Gordon!

 

[Edgar]

Here's the pen and blanks that I got from Todd Webb (penmaker1967).

Six very nice American Chestnut and White Oak blanks and an American Patriot rollerball with Black Mesquite.

Todd knew that I like mesquite and that I have access to all the Honey Mesquite wood that I want, so he chose a very nice Black Mesquite blank for this pen.

Thanks Todd, I love this pen and especially your choice of wood.

 

[Skeleton2014]

First my profuse apologies to John Smith for taking so long to post what he sent me. Finally, finally, got my office somewhat put back together and the light tent reinstalled. Here's what he sent me which came back on July 5th. The pen is an American Patriot with a blank called "Uncle Glam" (that's what they called it at my local Woodcraft). He also sent some very nice blanks, both wood and a couple of alumilite. I really like the latter and can't wait to try making a kitless with one or both. Thanks again, John.
Jeff

 

[DigBaddy72]

Ken V sent me a box loaded with veneers. He saw I had scrolling listed in my profile and asked if I had ever made a scrolled blank. To which I replied, no.

He also sent along some blanks and a gorgeous cigar pen in blue ribbon acrylic. My son immediatley claimed it and added it to his growing selection.

Thanks again Ken!

 

[keithbyrd]

PITH (AWESOME PITH) from Mark James

I received my PITH from Mark James probably 3 weeks ago. (Mark should get his tomorrow!) Mark went above and beyond in my opinion. He produced a Statesmen RB with Cedar of Lebanon that was given to James Madison by Lafayette after the American Revolution! Being a bit of a history fan (especially of the American Revolution) this was beyond my wildest expectations! The work is awesome! Mark segmented very thin red, white, blue stripes and capped with Spanish cedar. He then burnished the body of the pen with the shavings from the original wood! He included a Certificate of Authenticity that I forgot to take a picture of and some blanks! I will update with that picture later!
Please excuse the photographic skills and just look at the work Mark did!

Thank you Mark!

 

[Edgar]

That is one truly awesome pen, Keith! I love the history of the wood and Mark's work is just superb. Congratulations to you both.

 

[Cwalker935]

I received my PITH from Mark James probably 3 weeks ago. (Mark should get his tomorrow!) Mark went above and beyond in my opinion. He produced a Statesmen RB with Cedar of Lebanon that was given to James Madison by Lafayette after the American Revolution! Being a bit of a history fan (especially of the American Revolution) this was beyond my wildest expectations! The work is awesome! Mark segmented very thin red, white, blue stripes and capped with Spanish cedar. He then burnished the body of the pen with the shavings from the original wood! He included a Certificate of Authenticity that I forgot to take a picture of and some blanks! I will update with that picture later!
Please excuse the photographic skills and just look at the work Mark did!

Thank you Mark!

Wow, now that's a patriotic pen. Well done Mark!

 

[mark james]

I received my PITH from Mark James probably 3 weeks ago. (Mark should get his tomorrow!) Mark went above and beyond in my opinion. He produced a Statesmen RB with Cedar of Lebanon that was given to James Madison by Lafayette after the American Revolution! Being a bit of a history fan (especially of the American Revolution) this was beyond my wildest expectations! The work is awesome! Mark segmented very thin red, white, blue stripes and capped with Spanish cedar. He then burnished the body of the pen with the shavings from the original wood! He included a Certificate of Authenticity that I forgot to take a picture of and some blanks! I will update with that picture later!
Please excuse the photographic skills and just look at the work Mark did!

Thank you Mark!

You are very kind Keith, and I am glad it appeals to you!

Truth be told, I did not realize that you are a fan of Historical Woods (with some experience with them) until after the pen was done!

As for my comment on my finishing skills; I made several prototypes of the final pen with similar wood, and just did not like the appearance/finish. Tried CA, Danish Oil, Dr's Woodshop, Obie's shine juice, etc... Nothing appealed to me, and I really didn't want to screw up the Historical Blank!

So in the end, I went simple... I turned it and applied 1 medium coat of CA to stabilize it, and then turned it back down. Then I sanded it to 400 grit, then burnished it with the shavings - no further finish was applied.

So, an unfinished Statesman blank, from a Statesman's Tree, on a Statesman Kit!

(As a final historical note: I obtained this blank from a sale of DCBluesman's Estate. For those of you unfamiliar with Lou Metcalf, he was an important figure in the early days of IAP, a key member of the Pen Maker's Guild, and a skilled artist. I am proud that a portion of his remaining blanks has been put to good use).

I had never turned a Statesman Kit - That is ONE BIG handful!

But, in the end, notwithstanding the typical self-critique, I was proud to mail it off!

These PITH's are a lot of fun! I turn pens for family and friends and while they are appreciative - they really do not get the level of self-critique that we do to ourselves. Making a pen for another penturner that has made the same mistakes and appreciates the effort involved is a great event.

(OH, Thanks Cody for getting this done!!!)

 

[keithbyrd]

Quote:
"You are very kind Keith, and I am glad it appeals to you!

Truth be told, I did not realize that you are a fan of Historical Woods (with some experience with them) until after the pen was done!

As for my comment on my finishing skills; I made several prototypes of the final pen with similar wood, and just did not like the appearance/finish. Tried CA, Danish Oil, Dr's Woodshop, Obie's shine juice, etc... Nothing appealed to me, and I really didn't want to screw up the Historical Blank!

So in the end, I went simple... I turned it and applied 1 medium coat of CA to stabilize it, and then turned it back down. Then I sanded it to 400 grit, then burnished it with the shavings - no further finish was applied.

So, an unfinished Statesman blank, from a Statesman's Tree, on a Statesman Kit!

(As a final historical note: I obtained this blank from a sale of DCBluesman's Estate. For those of you unfamiliar with Lou Metcalf, he was an important figure in the early days of IAP, a key member of the Pen Maker's Guild, and a skilled artist. I am proud that a portion of his remaining blanks has been put to good use).

I had never turned a Statesman Kit - That is ONE BIG handful!

But, in the end, notwithstanding the typical self-critique, I was proud to mail it off!

These PITH's are a lot of fun! I turn pens for family and friends and while they are appreciative - they really do not get the level of self-critique that we do to ourselves. Making a pen for another penturner that has made the same mistakes and appreciates the effort involved is a great event.

(OH, Thanks Cody for getting this done!!!)[/QUOTE]


Mark, With this additional information the pen is even more special! Thank you for a great pen and story!

 

[mark james]

2016 PITH from keithbyrd

So I actually received a PITH from Keith... on HIS birthday!!!

As the pictures will display! I received two incredible pens (also got some blanks, but that is for another picture!!!)

I was really happy that Keith included some segmenting, as that is a new interest to me. I appreciate the effort involved!

The box is also well appreciated, although after I showed these to my wife... Only the Blue pen was on the counter... The box and the white pen had "grown legs!"

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Keith -

This has been fun, and I thank you for the wonderful set of pens! I am always in wonderment when I see IAP Pens in person that are exact turnings for the components - a skill that still eludes me at times.

Best Regards, Mark


Later Question: Why do my photographs of "Others" pens look better than photographs of "My" pens...

 

[gmal55]

PITH pen

Hi to all.
I received my pen and blanks this week and I gotta say I couldn't be happier. The pen is a beautiful laser cut American flag and the blanks will give me a chance to turn some woods I haven't used before. Thanks very much to Leo S. Long for doing a great job.

 

[Leo S. Long]

July PITH

Hi Everyone,

I received my pen this week also, along with some blanks and an extra pen! The pen is a kit-less fountain pen made out of acrylic, and is really cool. The other pen is a fountain pen also. These are my first fountain pens. The really cool thing is we don't live far from each other and it was nice to meet and talk about pen-making and other things. The pictures I am including don't really do them justice, but the pens are beautifully crafted and I really like them. Thanks Al! Will talk to you soon. :biggrin:


Leo S. Long

 

[Pat Keefe]

Well finally the two week wait for my package from Robert Stallings arrived despite seeing more of America than I ever will, Battleboro to Miami to Louisville then Honolulu, then finally to the land of Oz .

The wait was worth it!

The pen, a cigar in Colonial Shipyard Wood, well turned and clean finish. Good weight in the hand and writes nicely.

The blanks, well Robert asked me what I would like and he had me a Black Walnut, as I have turned a small bowl out of a blank I found in Australia and fell in love with it. The Holly and Spalted Holly, Dogwood and Red Mulburry rounded out the full package.

Thanks Robert!
(If you notice the pic file names, this reflects my utter lack of photographic skills :biggrin

 

[Brian Frank]

Pith Package from BSea

Bob AKA BSea sent me a kitless clicker. The hardware is made out of nickel silver. " No silver in it basically a form of brass that's as hard as steel" He made the blank as well. He wanted it to look like a flag blowing in the breeze. He also made me some blanks using the colors of my favorite pro teams. If your looking for some specific colored blanks and can't find them send a message to Bob. He will put some together for you.

Thanks again Bob.

 

[BSea]

I received my package from Brian (Brian Frank) last week. But since I hadn't finished his pen yet, I didn't open it till Saturday after his package was in the mail. My rule is that I can't open my package till my partner's is at least on it's way. I'm just glad he didn't send mine in mid June. I don't know that I could have handled the suspense. Is it just me, or do these PITH pens seem like Christmas presents?

The pen kit is a Pensar which I hadn't seem before. Very nice quality. I really like the blank he used. I'm not exactly sure how he created it. I have some ideas, but still not 100% sure. I'll leave that for Brian to explain if he wants to.

He also included some very cool serpentine blanks he made himself, along with some other wood blanks.

I've always said that these PITH trades are the best activity on IAP. This one was no exception.

Thanks Brian!

 

[RKB]

2016 PITH from Wayne (stonepecker)

I received my PITH in today's mail. It's awesome, very well made. The kit is Celtic Twist pen with a burnished black walnut blank. Wayne shared with me that the blank came from a branch of a tree that he and father planted 40 years ago. Wow, what a nice back story. He sent some nice wood blanks and 2 plastic pipe blanks too. This is my first PITH and Wayne was a wonderful partner.
Thank you Cody for all your work.

Rod

 

[Cwalker935]

I received my PITH in today's mail. It's awesome, very well made. The kit is Celtic Twist pen with a burnished black walnut blank. Wayne shared with me that the blank came from a branch of a tree that he and father planted 40 years ago. Wow, what a nice back story. He sent some nice wood blanks and 2 plastic pipe blanks too. This is my first PITH and Wayne was a wonderful partner.
Thank you Cody for all your work.

Rod

Running the PITH was actually easier than I expected it to be and I really appreciate your gratitude. However, participating and seeing the results that have been shared here are thanks enough. I have not heard any serious complaints and hope that the PITH was to everyone's satisfaction.

Cody

 

[CrimsonKeel]

My pen arrived from ZbR last saturday. He wrote a nice letter (something I always forget) explaining how it related to the theme of patriotism.
It is a Custom eyedropper with a jowo nib.

He cast baltic amber in epoxy with brass and carbon fibre. He then added a red and white circle for the polish flag.
Included was a blank of the cast Amber and a 150 year old cherry tree blank for a botanical garden at university of warsaw.

This pen is pretty cool and its my first totally custom pen in my collection. Ill let the pictures speak for how awesome this pen is.

The blanks

All my pith pens in one place

 

[stonepecker]

Rod sent me a wonderful Serria pen with the "WE THE PEOPLE......" blank. along with 4 beautiful wood blanks that I had to stach away before the family seen them. Thinking they will end up as presents at the end of the year.

No Photos because my photo skills stink.
Thanks again Rod.......for a fist time PITH player........you are great!