Best wood metal combinations

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MyDadsPens

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Nov 10, 2019
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Location
Corning, New York
I don't usually start out with a kit and then make a pen - I buy lots of tubes and make batches of 7mm trimline bodies, cigar bodies, etc.
Then after a while I grab some finished bodies and press in the pen kits, but it can be a struggle trying to determine which metal to go with which wood.

I wish there were some standards, but obviously there aren't
I tend to match everything to chrome - I think it's because I am a classic pen guy and pens like the Parker 51 were always chrome plus a color (gold pens were usually all gold).
My girlfriend considers herself a color artist so she is always looking at stuff like if the metal is warm or cold and is the wood warm or cold - she tends to not like many combinations so she usually recommends gunmetal - which I don't gravitate towards unless the wood is light - end result we never use my copper or gold kits :)

Do you guys have any Go To Combinations ?

So far some of our standards seem to be
PurpleHeart and Chrome,
Olivewood and Gunmetal
Walnut and Pearl (for ladies)
Bocote and Chrome
Zebrawood and Gunmetal
 
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Cheers Ron. I guess I'm about the opposite, I typically pair my blanks with the kits before turning. I can't imagine turning a bunch of blanks and then waiting a few weeks before pairing with kits/platings.

If it works for you - great. My methods are not always the best. 🤣.

However, I do have a strong suggestion... "she usually recommends gunmetal." You better start to like Gunmetal :D:eek::D!

Be well and have FUN! Stay safe 😷
 
For what it's worth.
Dark woods get Chrome
White wood, i.e. Maple, Holley etc. 24kt Gold
Light woods, like Cherry, either Chrome or Gold
Walnut- Chrome
Gun Metal with Gold accents- just about anything.

No standards, just what I like it to look like. But then again, I'm color blind.
 
I don't much like copper hardware at all for pens, except in special cases.

For the others, it all depends on the particular piece of wood.

Gold hardware looks good with just about every piece of wood

Bocote goes with just about every plating.
Same for Olivewood, except I DON'T like it with gunmetal.

As for Zebrawood and Purpleheart, I very rarely use either of them. . Sometimes P.H. when I want to match with a pinkish/purplish tone in a bit of resin or pre-tubed blank in cases where a little bit of weird segmentation seems appropriate. . But I can't warm up to Z.W. at all. . I have done P.H. with gunmetal.

Walnut and pearl ? . Never considered that ... prob'ly because I never consider pearl hardware.

Don't like chrome very much except with some resins.

Isn't it rather interesting how personal tastes can be so different !?!

I don't think there are any "standards", per se, and I wouldn't want any.
 
Mark it's funny you say that -
Make ONE LITTLE mistake 8 or 9 times like confusing Pink and Khaki for wall paint; dark green that turned out to be dark brown; pink instead of gray on wall paper; and purple pants instead of dark blue

And then for 15 years the girl won't trust a single thing I say in regards to color - it's enough to make you red (or maybe orange or dark pink?) with anger
 
MyDadsPens said:
Mark it's funny you say that -
Make ONE LITTLE mistake 8 or 9 times like confusing Pink and Khaki for wall paint; dark green that turned out to be dark brown; pink instead of gray on wall paper; and purple pants instead of dark blue

And then for 15 years the girl won't trust a single thing I say in regards to color - it's enough to make you red (or maybe orange or dark pink?) with anger
Click to expand...
Ron

the answer is give her the names of your favourite pen kits. Let her match hardware with some timbers , then make the pens.
 
Just remembered another specific combo

I have had good success with Orange Padauk and Gunmetal, but I have always wondered if its because one of the bigger high schools in the area has orange and black colors
 
MagPens --- I would definitely try the pearl finish for cheaper pens oriented towards females. I think I had a batch of 10 or 15 and they went quick. I matched them with Walnut, Purple heart, purple tinted maple, and coffeewood. If I gave a few to family members -if I can get a hold of one I will post an image here -and it will give me a chance to see how the finish has held up.

By the way - my girlfriend was disappointed with the Brazilian Coffeewood I picked up from WoodCraft BUT I really like it
she thought it was boring and I think she thought it would have a coffee smell (I told her even if it did the CA would kill it)

I think it has a very nice rich brown color with some nice darker "swirly" browns - its subtle but I really like its tight grain finishes great with CA and looks good with chrome, pearl or gold kits
 
Here is a picture of pearl finish with a dark wood this one is Bolivian coffeewood , but it looks very similar with dark walnuts - also looked good with Black palm - oh and for what its worth, the geometry of these comfort line centerbands is my favorite, I wish the Trimline kits came with this band. Although I don't like the rubber grips - this one was only on because of a CA flaw that was easier and faster to cutoff than fix. As for the longevity of the pearl finish on these cheap pens - this one is a little over 18 months old, It is carried daily in a purse with a thin leather case

darkwood pearl_cr.jpg
 
Actually got to thinking - this isn't really a question of matching metal to wood BUT it is related to best presentation - here is that coffeewood pen in whole. As you can see it has the big amount of light colored sapwood with the dark heartwood. I actually don't usually like pens with large sections of sapwood like this - I prefer a little sliver or two but not big sections - Anyways I always war with where to place the shirt clip, I usually place in the center of the lighter sapwood -I sometimes think to move it close to the sapwood heartwood line but feel it makes a split personality pen where 1 side looks awesome and the other looks blah. What do you guys do ?

Pearl Bolivian CoffeeWood_cr.jpg
 
I tend to "center" the clip in the most dominant feature of the woodgrain pattern .... just as you have done above.
 
I used to think Cocobolo should always be matched with gold metals, but I have seen some darker cocobolo that looks good with chrome. The finish I haven't seen much but it's growing on me is cocobolo with satin metal

Oh - I also try to judge combinations with bland pens like trimlines and slimlines because I tend to like the bigger pens no matter what combination they are (I haven't met a cigar pen I don't like :))

cocobolo satin.jpg
 
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