Pens from the blind turning project

[sbwertz]

These were all turned by blind or visually impaired turners. The Celtic knot was a blank I got in one of the traveling boxes last year. They even do their own infill with turquoise inlace. They rub the granules into the cracks by touch and I add the glue.

 

[magpens]

Amazing, Sharon ... tell them that their work is being admired !!

 

[liljohn1368]

These are outstanding.

 

[turncrazy43]

Sharon, thank you for sharing the photos of these amazing pens. The skill level of these turners is equal to those of the turners who show their work here. It is truly inspiring to those of us that are sighted. Tell them how special I believe they are and keep up the great work.

Thank you for all that you do for them and it certainly is a true example of you paying it forward. Thank you.
_______________________________
Turncrazy 43 Georgia

 

[Jim15]

Please tell them great job. Thank you for your work with them.

 

[Sprung]

Simply outstanding!

 

[Imaginethat]

Sharon, I should come and take lessons in pen making. Those pens are beautiful.

 

[jsolie]

Sharon, this is both inspiring and humbling. The workmanship on those pens is outstanding.

 

[mark james]

Sharon, your work with these great folks is inspiring!

Thank you for posting pics, it's great to see their work. :wink::wink:

 

[Normvandyke]

Very nice work! I really like the fourth one. What kind of wood did you use?

 

[sbwertz]

Very nice work! I really like the fourth one. What kind of wood did you use?

The fourth one is African Sumac...my neighbor has a huge African Sumac tree that is about half dead. I get all the wood I want from it. The third is lavender cedar...actually Eastern Red Cedar with the lavender color my son's tree produces pretty consistently. I brought home a trunk full of it this summer from CT.

They are all finished with CA/BLO. That is an easy finish for them to do by touch...I put the CA and BLO on a towel for them and they apply it.

When I was at AAW symposium last year, another attendee traded me a bunch of small banksia pods for some mulberry crowns. This week, one of the visually impaired turners made a pen with one. I turned it round and drilled it and tubed it and stabilized it with CA. Then he turned it and filled all the little holes with inlace and ca. He then finished turning it with sandpaper instead of a gouge because it was so thin and fragile. It turned out great and I will get the picture of it Thursday and post it.

These pods are only about 4 inches long and an inch and a half or so in diameter. Perfect for a Sierra/Wall Street pen. He said he picked them up from under a banksia tree in Balboa Park's Australian Garden in San Diego.

 

[Band Saw Box]

Those are amazing. Top notch work.

 

[sbwertz]

Here is the banksia pen turned by one of our turners