Have you been searching for a relaxing, enjoyable hobby? Consider taking up woodworking, a pastime that gives you the chance to make unique handcrafted pieces of art that can be used as gifts or for yourself as a demonstration of your craftsmanship.
The most common style of pen kit uses a familiar mechanism – the ballpoint (rollerball). These standard hardware kits are readily available. An alternative to this is a fountain pen kit, and other, more specialty, pen hardware is available. Many hardware options feature a detachable cap for the pen, which you’ll prepare using your woodturning skills on its own, independently of the pen’s body. Or, the one you choose may be a uni-body style with just one unit that you’ll be working with. The pen hardware you select may or may not include a rubber grip or additional decorations, but will require a pen blank to be used to cover the larger visible surfaces of the pen. This is where your personal woodworking artistry makes a difference!
Most kits work with a standard size of 3/4″ square wood blanks. You’ll find that simple pieces of wood tend to be unremarkable, and do not show enough contrast as you might be wish for your handmade pen body. In order to create a really eye-catching piece of art, you should be working with highly figured wood, where the grain is not completely straight, but interrupted by whorls and vivid patterns that are revealed when the wood is cut. Of course, these materials are much less commonly available and are more costly than alternatives, but the bold patterns and colors like those found in burl wood are well worth the investment! You’ll discover a broad selection of pen turning blanks available from mail-order, Internet, and retail hobby stores.
When completing a turned pen, you can use several coats of woodturner’s finish or an even heavier lacquer to give the surface a bright and shiny polish, or use less finish to retain a more matte texture. Depending on the look and feel you’re interested in for your pen, other options are using a stain to deepen the color of the wood, or rubbing with oil (such as linseed) for a more natural appearance. Bear in mind that a well-used pen will inevitably pick up some scratches and signs of wear as a result of its use, which will also impact your choice of finish material.
With all this information in hand, you should be well prepared to select the perfect wood blank for your project, and start turning your own wood creations!
Figured wood from North Woods, LLC, will make any woodworking project more aesthetically appealing due to its textured appearance.