What makes a fine wood pen blank?

[leehljp]

What makes a fine wood pen blank to you?

What do you look for? And - What do you stay away from in choosing a pen blank? (Maybe from experience.)

Coming from a "flat work" background and from experience, I have found that what makes a beautiful wood in flat work does not necessarily make a beautiful pen. I have been thinking about this since making a post under the "Teak" post here!

After making the statement "bland" in reference to Teak, a couple of other people also used the same word. I thought it just might be me, but I have found my wood choices for flatwood and pens are not the same. What is beautiful in flat wood is often "bland" in pens, with "curly" "knots" and "burls" being the exception.

A second reason for asking this is to give some insight to the new pen turners as well. When starting to make pens, I did use plain straight grain but soon realized that there was no character, no "look at me" features in those grains. Even now, I get disappointed in what I think is going to be a great pen only to find out that it is not the "hold me" or "pick me up" pen.

Your thoughts?

 

[hrigg]

Most of the pens I've been making are still for practice. I'm using scraps from my flatwork, which tended to Douglas fir, maple, oak, a lot of mahogany and a little walnut. None of that is particularly awe-inspiring wood, but the price is right. My pens haven't been spectacular, but I am not pre-disposed to "busy" patterns. People who have seen my pens at school say they look elegant. Perhaps they're just being kind, but I'm satisfied for now.

 

[Ron Mc]

Actually Harry your cocobolo and ash pen is extremely nice and I would consider it "spectacular"!
To me the perfect pen blank is what a pen artist will create with it. I personally have found that some woods need a slight assist to become what they truly want to be. A writing instrument that will be treasured for years to come.

 

[Dario]

There are so many characteristics that are ideal...the more you can get from one wood the better.

Rather than list them...I will link a reference I use...
http://www.hobbithouseinc.com/personal/woodpics/_figure.htm

Other features I like...rich color, chatoyance, rarity, stability, ease to turn and finish.

I am a bit "spoiled" with my blanks and blessed by having more wood pen blank choices than I will ever have chance to turn. That said, I turned a few "bland" woods just because I felt like and I am pleased just as well.

 

[BRobbins629]

There are times when the wood itself is beautiful, but I also like wood or other material with a story behind it. Like ancient Kauri, Bethlehem olive wood, or wood from a famous landmark, a recycled piece of furniture, or even one with personal meaning like a tree from your childhood house or piece of old fence post. I recently made a pen from Coolibah and included the lyrics to Waltzin Matilda which mentions the tree. There's more to a blank than grain.

 

[leehljp]

Bruce: . . . I also like wood or other material with a story behind it. . . There's more to a blank than grain.

I should have included that within my question. I did five pens recenlty that were from woods native to Louisiana for a friend. Wood with a story or meaning is quite significant even if it does NOT have an attracting grain pattern. I had an uneventful Hawaii Koa (I was disappointed in it) that a freind picked last week just because it was from Hawaii.

Outside of the "Story or Meaning", most people choose a pen for its "attraction" as well as size and design/shape. The "attraction" of the wood/grain is what I was shooting for in this post.

Dario: That was a great Link. THANKS!

Ron: "I personally have found that some woods need a slight assist to become what they truly want to be."
What do you do to "assist" a wood to become . . .? Shape? different kinds of finish? etc?

Thanks for the input.

 

[wudnhed]

Hard to say, just when I think I have found my fave, another comes along. Right now I will have to say color, depth, characteristic and turnability. I love really figured DI but hate turning it, like concrete[] I love turning Amboyna with sapwood but the sapwood can be awful to work with[V] JMHO being relatively new to turning!

 

[JimGo]

The same thing I look for in a woman...figure.

 

[TellicoTurning]

Hank,
I look at every piece of wood as a potential pen.. some of the more "bland" woods do make nice pens.. first wood that comes to my mind is Sassafras.. it actually has little figure in the grain, but the two that I turned took on a beautiful sheen and had an irredescent quality about them that I did not expect.. Mesquite can be very "bland" but people really seem to find the wood appealing. I like the wood to have some marking, pattern or something special to jump out at you, but in the end, it's about what our customers like..

 

[DocStram]

I'd say that there is no such thing as bland wood. A true craftsman can turn "bland" into spectacular. Just look at the photo albums!

 

[ctwxlvr]

I think all wood is beautiful in its own way, what makes a blank pop out is the way the artist turning it accents the beauty, what I look for in wood blanks is an interesting pattern, coloring, or aroma (Cedar, Sassafras come to mind), I have had some blanks I thought were bland and "practice" turn out some great pens, the apple wood ones are especially prone to this. look in my post for them.

 

[johncrane]

that's a good one Jim l agree nice figure.[][]

 

[Rifleman1776]

The type of wood is a subjective choice. Pick what you like. Some practical considerations can come into play however. I stay away from woods that tend to crack, like pink ivory, ebony, snakewood, etc. But others use and like them. In choosing, and selling, blanks, I look for a clear piece of wood without inclusions or cracks. For pens, some open grained woods are hard to finish. I don't do oak and do very few walnut for that reason.

 

[airrat]

One thing with "Bland" wood. It gives you the opportunity to think outside of the box. What can be done to enhance it? Few things on this site alone have been shown, segment it, paint it, inlay into it, or anything you feel like trying. If it was scrap wood what is the worse that can happen? You wreck it and enter it into the next ugly pen contest?

You can make gifts from it for kids teachers, engrave your logo into it and hand it out as a freebie, "pass it on" and make someone's day, add to your pen collection since it seems one can never find a pen when they need it, make a bakers dozen and donate it to a local charity, make a few for the "freedom pen" project, invite a "younger generation" over to turn a pen (my brother and I did that last weekend), endless opportunity to use the "bland scrap" wood.

 

[wood-of-1kind]

To me it's simple:

ALL WOOD IS GOOD...... there is no such thing as bland or'bad' wood IMO.

-Peter-

 

[RussFairfield]

The "finest wood" is whatever was used to make the "nicest pen" that is the topic of another thread.

 

[alamocdc]

To me, some woods are nice simply because of what they are; like Irish Bog Oak and the already mentioned Ancient Kauri. Much of this that I have I would otherwise consider to be rather bland. Aside from woods with a particular history, I like anything with figure, or character in it. This "character" can be nothing more than knots, inclusions and other "flaws", but I think it makes for a beautiful pen. And by figure, I don't necessarily mean things like curl. It just has to have a nice or striking grain pattern. One such example would be the blank used in this pen. Neither I, nor the donor know what it is, but I find it to be striking. Looking at it you'd think it was angle, or bias cut, but it had the slightest bit of sap wood on each end (at least I think it was on each end... it's been awhile and my memory ain't what it used to be).

<br />
This was used simply as an example, not to obtain compliments. I just happen to think that it explains what I was trying to say above. You know what they say... A picture is worth a million (often misquoted as thousand) words.

 

[GBusardo]

Lee, I am not an expert, but all I can do is offer an opinion. The small piece of wood on a well turned and finished pen can jump out at you. Its hardly ever overwhelming. The same piece of wood on a large table top, would stun the senses. Imagine say a dinning room table top of highly figured maple. A wood worker can appreciate it and say its beautiful, my wife would say, naa its too much. Billy, that's great looking pen, but I don't think that wood would make a great looking hutch. I was never a fan of bacote for a pen, but I turned a couple of bottle stoppers and I fell in love with it. What I am saying is that I think its all a matter of choice. What one person likes, another may not. Who is to say what makes a great pen blank?
Oh, Thanks Dario for a great link.

 

[byounghusband]

What makes a fine wood pen <u>blank</u>?

Grain and figure will give you a clue, but sometimes things don't turn out the way we plan. I've had the most awesome looking blank disintegrate on me.... [!]

Turning a piece of wood and seeing what comes out is what keeps me turning. There is beauty inside the ugliest of things. You just have to dig a little and bring it out. That is our task as pen turners.
Any one of us, whether we have been turning a day or a decade can turn any piece of wood into a fine looking pen.
We take a piece of wood and put a little of ourselves into it and as you can see by the photos in the albums here, give that wood, as Ron said, "a little assist".

 

[pete00]

Originally posted by wood-of-1kind
<br />ALL WOOD IS GOOD...... there is no such thing as bland or'bad' wood IMO. -Peter-

What he said, dont ever give up on any piece of wood they all have feelings and want to be used....[]

say something as lowely as drift wood....yuk you say

<br />

could supprise you

<br />



the birth of "the mighty oak"
http://www.craftstore24.net/mighty%20oak.htm

 

[DocStram]

Point well made, Pete!

 

[huntersilver]

I agree, I look for the character in wood.

 

[chigdon]

If you are not getting into doing segmented work then "I" think there is such a thing as bland woods.

When I am looking I look for a couple of things. The obvious selections are burls, curly woods, and otherwise highly figured woods. The problem with pens is that the selection needs to be more stringent due to the size. Beautiful woods like quilted maple can loose there affect where curly maple won't (even though quilted is a better wood). Some burls that don't have as tight of figure aren't as good for pens either.

The others are ones with good color. If you find a wood with an unusual color they can be un-figured and still be really nice. This, of course, is all just my opinion.

 

[leehljp]

As a matter of point to my original statement - Teak makes for beautiful and expensive furniture; But you do not see many people making pens out of teak on this forum. As mentioned in the post that started this post, ( here, ) a search for teak shows up very little.

So why not? Is it more than likely that most knowledgable people in pen turning are looking for a quality that is not in teak? Is it uneventful? Where are those who say it is up to the turner to bring out the beauty of the wood, why don't they post a pen or two made of teak?

As a special reason selection, teak will be fine, but as a pen for its own properties, you do not see it here. Why? What other woods are shied away from?

 

[hrigg]

The only thing I can add to what I originally posted in this thread is that the teak pen I'm working on will be completed tomorrow, and I'll post a picture of it, flaws and all. It will be my first attempt at a CA finish, and the first one I've buffed and waxed. I was going to try to clean up the epoxy that wicked on to the surface, but then I decided to leave well enough alone. My next one will be better.

 

[GBusardo]

Lee, Personally, I would not go out of my way to buy teak to turn into a pen. If I had some scraps around the shop, that's a different story. The only times I have seen teak, is as trim on a few boats and some outdoor furniture. It did not impress me much. If I were to go and make a fine outdoor set, I would choose white oak or mahogany over teak and probably save a bundle too. They are all fine woods, but not necessarily a fine pen wood. Just my opinion. That said, I bet they would be a good seller, people are attracted to teak because the name is known as a very expensive wood.
I am really curious, there must be a reason you would want this information on teak. Can you share?

 

[Sylvanite]

I have made several pens (and other turnings) from teak. A while back, I picked up a box of 100 extra-jumbo teak pen blanks - most of which are on the bland side. They are definitely not "furniture grade". I carry a teak pillholder/keychain -- it has developed a nice patina and is looking pretty good. I race sailboats on the weekends and the teak pens (especially ones with nautical embellishments) appeal to the yachting crowd.

Aside from that special interest, however, teak would not be my wood of choice for pens. My house is full of danish modern furniture in teak, so I obviously like the wood. I just feel it typically needs a larger piece for the grain and color to really show.

Teak is oily, and that can make some finishes difficult. It also dulls tools quickly due to it's high silicate content.