I'm making some pens for a local high-end men's store, and we're doing them from old, local barns and structures. I'll be doing Cortona click, Atrax rollerball, and Majestic Jr. fountain.
Where I need help right now is with how to do the blanks. These will all be old pine and douglas fir, and my initial thought was to just turn them as a normal blank. The problem, though, is that there's not much visual interest.
Then I had a bit of an epiphany today, so I tried an experiment.
Using a technique I've used on guitar bodies, I was able to accentuate the grain to simulate what the board looked like when it was weathered on the side of the barn, and I'm curious what you think of the look.
I kinda dig it and think it would be a very cool look/feel. I'm thinking that it brings in the history of the wood and helps it tell a story, whereas my wife said she prefers smooth pens, so she probably wouldn't like one based on that.
What say you good folks?
Oh, and I was able to get some good coats of CA to finish and buffed out with 0000 steel wool, so finishing this technique isn't a problem.
Where I need help right now is with how to do the blanks. These will all be old pine and douglas fir, and my initial thought was to just turn them as a normal blank. The problem, though, is that there's not much visual interest.
Then I had a bit of an epiphany today, so I tried an experiment.
Using a technique I've used on guitar bodies, I was able to accentuate the grain to simulate what the board looked like when it was weathered on the side of the barn, and I'm curious what you think of the look.
I kinda dig it and think it would be a very cool look/feel. I'm thinking that it brings in the history of the wood and helps it tell a story, whereas my wife said she prefers smooth pens, so she probably wouldn't like one based on that.
What say you good folks?
Oh, and I was able to get some good coats of CA to finish and buffed out with 0000 steel wool, so finishing this technique isn't a problem.
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