Opal inlay of Ukrainian Tryzub in Bog Oak

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yaroslaw

yaroslaw

Member
Joined
Sep 1, 2012
Messages
344
Location
Kyiv, Ukraine
As a Ukrainian, I really love and take great pride in our Coat of Arms called "Tryzub". It's the biggest national symbol only rivaled by a flag.
Since last year most of my pens carry this symbol, and I find it really hard to make anything else.

So just before December, I was making a batch of Bog Oak pens with laser engraved Tryzub when as a change I tried to challenge myself and decided to make an opal inlaid version. It took a few good days of work, I posted it really proud of myself, put a $300 price tag, and thought I was done. Someday, someone will buy it... NEXT FREAKING DAY. Lets say this pen (and his "brothers") alone helped me pay my debts and feel a little bit more secure going into 2023. One client loved it so much it ordered 6 of them in last 3 months for presents. And yeah, a few very senior officials of Ukraine were presented with those pens for Christmas :)

It was hard to make a photo that was showing opals glowing and I made several iterations to have better contrast between Bog Oak and opals, but clients loved all of them even those that I thought were too dark. Here's just one of them with the best contrast.

opals_2.png
 
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I must start out saying this. I am not a huge fan of the weapon pen kits of any kind and I even stopped making bullet pens. But with this said your pen is spot on in so many ways and with what is happening in Ukraine today this is so appropriate and the symbolism is true. You capture the darkness and also the colorful hope for a different life in one object that is a bullet pen. The materials used, the Bog Oak, the color and texture of the kit ( somber flat black) is spot on and the colorful inlay of the Tryzub (Trident)symbol reads as hope and colorful life. Everything about this pen is spot on and your work should be applauded and can see why it is a hit. I won't go into the politics of this war but it is a crime and a painful time in our lives watching this as we get to see much more with the news coverage what it is today. My church has taken up many donations through various fund raisers of all kinds such as money, clothing and personal products, and just recently we sent an ambulance there to help with the care for wounded. That was such a hit that a huge donor sponsored another one that will be ordered for same reasons.

Hoping that someday this senseless war will end soon and the people of Ukraine can once again enjoy some of that hope and colorful life you project with your work. Stay safe and keep reporting back to us. Thanks for showing this.
 
Yarek, I'm a big fan of the old Bog Oak and your pen is one of the best.
I would really like to try out a laser on my blanks after seeing your results.

Anyway look after yourself.

Alan
 
alanemorrison said:
Yarek, I'm a big fan of the old Bog Oak and your pen is one of the best.
I would really like to try out a laser on my blanks after seeing your results.

Anyway look after yourself.

Alan
Click to expand...
Try, test then try again on a blank before turning it. I've made so many tries through the years until I've got the result that you see. And a different batch of bog oak will see new tests. This was made on CO2 (k40), and it's finicky. One day 9 years ago I had to remake 20 pens because of not testing it enough (and not showing the result of tests to the customer). It was painful as I was only beginning. And even then a few weeks ago I had an engraving fail as I forgot to switch on air assist (it's a MUST for clean deep cut). Also, this is on a rotary jig I've built myself.
 
jttheclockman said:
I must start out saying this. I am not a huge fan of the weapon pen kits of any kind and I even stopped making bullet pens. But with this said your pen is spot on in so many ways and with what is happening in Ukraine today this is so appropriate and the symbolism is true. You capture the darkness and also the colorful hope for a different life in one object that is a bullet pen. The materials used, the Bog Oak, the color and texture of the kit ( somber flat black) is spot on and the colorful inlay of the Tryzub (Trident)symbol reads as hope and colorful life. Everything about this pen is spot on and your work should be applauded and can see why it is a hit. I won't go into the politics of this war but it is a crime and a painful time in our lives watching this as we get to see much more with the news coverage what it is today. My church has taken up many donations through various fund raisers of all kinds such as money, clothing and personal products, and just recently we sent an ambulance there to help with the care for wounded. That was such a hit that a huge donor sponsored another one that will be ordered for same reasons.

Hoping that someday this senseless war will end soon and the people of Ukraine can once again enjoy some of that hope and colorful life you project with your work. Stay safe and keep reporting back to us. Thanks for showing this.
Click to expand...
That's a poetry, thank you so much for those beautiful words.

I was a pacifist all my life. Never owned nor felt a need to own a gun and didn't believe in hunting for fun. Being told and believing in the highest value of human life (even when I had my doubts about the church as an institution). I always thought that in dire situations if I had a gun I couldn't shoot. Unfortunately, that changed. I'm still grateful that I didn't had to kill, but I've spent 3 months with AK74 patrolling streets and learned how to use it in combat situations. There are some things, it turns out, worth fighting and dying for. I don't have kids but every Ukrainian kid is mine today. I'm "lucky" to have a mild heart condition, otherwise I probably wouldn't be making pens today.

Please tell your community we are extremely grateful for any of your support, especially one that saves lives. Ambulances are one of the biggest things, we need a lot of evac transport on the front lines and in civilian towns that are constantly bombarded. I'm also donating for them when I can.

Thanks a lot. Never before felt so proud and also felt so much pain to be a Ukrainian.
 
yaroslaw said:
Try, test then try again on a blank before turning it. I've made so many tries through the years until I've got the result that you see. And a different batch of bog oak will see new tests. This was made on CO2 (k40), and it's finicky. One day 9 years ago I had to remake 20 pens because of not testing it enough (and not showing the result of tests to the customer). It was painful as I was only beginning. And even then a few weeks ago I had an engraving fail as I forgot to switch on air assist (it's a MUST for clean deep cut). Also, this is on a rotary jig I've built myself.
Click to expand...
I don't own one, Yarek, know next to nothing about lasers, but would love to experiment with them.
My IT son arrives from Australia in a few months and I'm hoping that he will help me find a good model.
Alan
 
yaroslaw said:
That's a poetry, thank you so much for those beautiful words.

I was a pacifist all my life. Never owned nor felt a need to own a gun and didn't believe in hunting for fun. Being told and believing in the highest value of human life (even when I had my doubts about the church as an institution). I always thought that in dire situations if I had a gun I couldn't shoot. Unfortunately, that changed. I'm still grateful that I didn't had to kill, but I've spent 3 months with AK74 patrolling streets and learned how to use it in combat situations. There are some things, it turns out, worth fighting and dying for. I don't have kids but every Ukrainian kid is mine today. I'm "lucky" to have a mild heart condition, otherwise I probably wouldn't be making pens today.

Please tell your community we are extremely grateful for any of your support, especially one that saves lives. Ambulances are one of the biggest things, we need a lot of evac transport on the front lines and in civilian towns that are constantly bombarded. I'm also donating for them when I can.

Thanks a lot. Never before felt so proud and also felt so much pain to be a Ukrainian.
Click to expand...
This is so true and I of the same belief. Fortunately my world here is a safer one and thought of killing is one thing not something I want to experience. Never did get into hunting. Probably something you have to be born around. I did make bullet pens back when they were a fad here on the site. Still have a few but just was not my thing. Many members here make them and do well selling them. probably a location thing.

We just had a visiting Priest give service and sermon this past weekend for the Easter period. He told us he will be heading back to Ukraine this week to serve in a Ukrainian church there once again and he too thank the congregation for its donations and had some stories that are crushing. As I said stay safe and may the Good Lord protect you.
 
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