mark james
IAP Collection, Curator
OK, here's a story about a typical (FOG) blank - "Found on the ground" ...
The past 4 years, my wife and I have been assisting my In-Laws when needed. They live in Southern Ohio, we live 2 1/2 hrs away in northern Ohio. As the Coronavirus became more concerning, we have had more opportunities to "spend quality time" with them. They are both 94, and have lived in the same house for 70 years
. Prior to being married, my Father In Law lived in the house next door. There is an English Oak tree between the two houses with a diameter of a bit over 4 ft in the yard that he said he thought it was a "tall tree 85 years ago". (We won't question our elders' memories! 
). There are many English Oaks in this town (Washington Court House, Ohio), that are LARGE! I would not be surprised if the tree in their lot is 150+ years old.
So a few weeks ago as my wife and I were getting ready to leave after a 10 day stay, I noticed a branch had fallen in the drive. It was reasonably thin - 2-3" at the most, and about 4' in length. I tossed it into the car and we drove home. I truly did not expect it to be usable, but hey...
This past weekend I cut a section and was able to get enough material to cut a blank with the pith out of the section. I further cut it to length for a Zen kit, and drilled the tube hole. I waited another 48 hrs to see if the hole shrunk, or the blank split. It was dry as a bone, no movement in the wood - the branch was dry.
I turned the blank, used 2 coats of walnut stain (wiped off) to accentuate the open Oak grains, then used 2 coats of Wipe on Polyurethane for the finish. Not a perfect pen, but fine for the intent - My Father-In-Law loves it as he is familiar with the tree for the last 85+ years of his life.
The past 4 years, my wife and I have been assisting my In-Laws when needed. They live in Southern Ohio, we live 2 1/2 hrs away in northern Ohio. As the Coronavirus became more concerning, we have had more opportunities to "spend quality time" with them. They are both 94, and have lived in the same house for 70 years
. Prior to being married, my Father In Law lived in the house next door. There is an English Oak tree between the two houses with a diameter of a bit over 4 ft in the yard that he said he thought it was a "tall tree 85 years ago". (We won't question our elders' memories! ). There are many English Oaks in this town (Washington Court House, Ohio), that are LARGE! I would not be surprised if the tree in their lot is 150+ years old.So a few weeks ago as my wife and I were getting ready to leave after a 10 day stay, I noticed a branch had fallen in the drive. It was reasonably thin - 2-3" at the most, and about 4' in length. I tossed it into the car and we drove home. I truly did not expect it to be usable, but hey...
This past weekend I cut a section and was able to get enough material to cut a blank with the pith out of the section. I further cut it to length for a Zen kit, and drilled the tube hole. I waited another 48 hrs to see if the hole shrunk, or the blank split. It was dry as a bone, no movement in the wood - the branch was dry.
I turned the blank, used 2 coats of walnut stain (wiped off) to accentuate the open Oak grains, then used 2 coats of Wipe on Polyurethane for the finish. Not a perfect pen, but fine for the intent - My Father-In-Law loves it as he is familiar with the tree for the last 85+ years of his life.
