I'm a big winner in this PITH in many ways. Not only did I have the good fortune to be the recipient of a Plantman (Jim Schumacher) pen -- he actually sent me two awesome pens and some great blanks. And - I didn't have to wait very long to get them.
The main pen is a Sugar Maple on a Gold Vertex Magnetic rollerball that came in a leather pen pouch. This wood came from a tree that Jim planted a little too near a stream on his property & was killed by the water flow undercutting the root system. Jim used a dark green alcohol ink to bring out the bird's eye pattern then an orange alcohol ink to bring out the warm, honey color. The chatoyancy of the maple is really great and Jim's CA finish really makes it quite showy.
The second pen is a Black Enamel .30 Cal Bolt Action that came in a clear top pen box. Jim made the blank for this pen from an Indian Hooded Cobra skin - talk about "found on the ground". This one is finished off with about 30 coats of thick CA.
The blanks are spalted oak, tamarac, cypress, marble wood and a gorgeous mystery blank that is some kind of highly figured spalted burl. The fit & finish on both pens are perfect - my pictures don't do them justice.
Thanks Jim - these pens will have a prominent place in my collection & I'm looking forward to giving these new blanks a whirl.
Edgar