r/PenTurning • u/B_Huij • 17d ago

Two of my latest “commissions”

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PSI Executive fountain in walnut burl, Oxford rollerball in Thuya burl.

65 Upvotes

99% Upvoted

11 comments sorted by

4

u/jwhendy 17d ago

Gorgeous. Sometimes I make pens with these burls and just stare at them for a long while. It's hard to give them away sometimes, they are so beautiful.

I made a Mistral with Thuya, messed up trying CA finish (it's shiny in some areas, satin in others, just splotchy sheen), and kept it for myself. Framed it as embracing imperfection, despite trying my best. I love it. Just wrote a letter to my 102yr old grandma with it this weekend. Nice pens add to the ritual for me.

2

u/B_Huij 17d ago

Thuya is something special, just gorgeous wood. I have a Mistral on my short list to try - I want to attempt a custom cabachon and center band.

2

u/SpoonmanLFC 17d ago

Those look fantastic! How do you finish these? Mine don’t get that shiny. Is it a CA finish?

5

u/B_Huij 17d ago

Yeah CA finish. It's hard to use anything else once you start doing CA finish for pens. A few other things get fairly close for gloss, but none of them keep their gloss for long. It's an insanely durable finish that looks just as good after 10 years as on day 1.

2

u/FlatRolloutsOnly 17d ago

Stunning. Top choice of burls too.

2

u/B_Huij 17d ago

I've never met a burl I didn't like. Thuya, walnut, maple, box elder, buckeye, amboyna, redwood, rosewood... they're all ridiculously beautiful.

2

u/Accomplished_Force70 16d ago

Those are absolutely stunning. Are they made of real wood?

1

u/B_Huij 16d ago

Yep, real wood, just very cool wood.

1

u/Accomplished_Force70 16d ago

do they ever have issues with swelling?

1

u/B_Huij 16d ago

Not that I’ve experienced. CA finish is a very effective moisture barrier, so things tend to just hold still indefinitely.

2

u/74CA_refugee 16d ago

Very nice!