Steampunk Pens

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bugradx2

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Joined
Jan 31, 2023
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963
Location
Chicago
I've made a couple of Steampunk pens recently and the finished pens have surprised me how much I've liked them. I make a point to take a couple minutes and use each pen I make to write a thank you note to the person who bought it and discovered that despite the mass these pens have they're surprisingly comfortable to hold and use.

The first pen is from a walnut burl that a friend who's a knifemaker sent me and asked if I could make him a pen. The "catch" with this one is the burl was cracked and I was supposed to fill it. My friend is an Iowa State graduate and I was able to fill the cracking in the burl with gold powder to match Iowa State colors.

The second pen is made using a piece of buckeye burl from Exotic Blanks. I've never really used buckeye burl before this year and kind of regret it. It makes for a very eye catching pen.

Both pens finished with GluBoost and the four Dr Kirks polishing waxes.

Thanks for looking
 

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Back in the day I loved turning Buckeye Burl. I believe mine came from southern Oregon/Northern California - not Ohio . A soft timber that does well after stabilizing; however I liked the natural (undyed) ones. If I remember correctly, it had a strong smell - dirt? And many of mine also had inclusions, but were fun to play with different fills. I agree that this kit is a 'weapon,' but does feel comfortable to use. Your's look great!
 
Back in the day I loved turning Buckeye Burl. I believe mine came from southern Oregon/Northern California - not Ohio . A soft timber that does well after stabilizing; however I liked the natural (undyed) ones. If I remember correctly, it had a strong smell - dirt? And many of mine also had inclusions, but were fun to play with different fills. I agree that this kit is a 'weapon,' but does feel comfortable to use. Your's look great!

I've really come to like buckeye burl, I really like the figure. I've not tried the unstabilized wood. Your description sounds kind of like working with redwood. It's super beautiful but really random in it's hardness.
 
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