Cocobolo and Black Titanium European-Style Wood Pen

This european twist pen is much cooler than it looks above. I wish the photo did this pen justice. I used black titanium to complement the cocobolo, and the wood is gorgeous. I really liked working with the wood, and plan to do much more of it.

Cocobolo is a medium sized Central American tree growing up to 2' diameter and 90' tall. The heartwood is typically orange or reddish-brown in color, often with a figuring of darker irregular traces weaving through the wood, while the sapwood is a creamy yellow, contrasting sharply with the heartwood. Its fine texture and excellent color make Cocobolo one of the most popular exotic woods. Grows along Pacific seaboard of Mexico and Central America. Considered one of the most important woods in cutlery business for knife handles (can be soaked in soapy water with minimal ill effects). Also used for tool handles, brush backs, bowling balls, chess pieces, carving, jewelry boxes, canes, utensils, buttons, musical and scientific instruments, especially guitars and basses, but some woodwind instruments such as clarinets and oboes have been successfully made using cocobolo instead of the more usual African blackwood. It is also used in making luxury pens, and decorative veneer and inlay.

Price for this pen: $40.00

Satin Nickel and Kiaat Wood European Pen

The Satin Nickel finish of this wood European style twist pen gives it a unique feel, standing out from the shiny golds and platinums. Together with the dark Kiaat wood, it is a comfortable, warm looking pen.

Kiaat grows mainly in Savannah forests throughout Tanzania, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Zambia, and South Africa. It resembles Padauk, but lacks the reddish color, varying between pale uniform brown, golden brown, chocolate brown, brick red or purplish brown with darker or redder streaks. The sapwood is pale gray or yellowish, clearly defined. It is used for boatbuilding, furniture, fine joinery, flooring and decorative veneer.

Price for this pen: $35.00

Brazilian Rosewood European Wood Pen - Tactile Rubber Finish

Made from Brazilian Rosewood, this hand-turned European-style twist pen included rubberized black "tactile" components and a turned grip.

Brazilian Rosewood is a tall tree that reaches as high as 130 feet and 40 inches in diameter. This species grows in coastal regions. Brazilian Rosewood has many beautiful looks, from Red, Brown, Purples and Oranges. Heartwood usually varies from chocolate brown to violet brown with violet and black streaks, while sapwood is lighter. Older trees tend to dull saw blades, but this wood turns well on the lathe. A prized wood for both turnery and carving. It has a rose-like fragrance when worked. Used for decorative veneers, musical instrument parts, fine furniture, cabinets, piano cases, fancy turnery, marquetry, and knife handles. It's very very popular for classical guitars because of its unique resonance. It's supposedly the "Holy Grail" of Acoustic Flat top back and side woods. Tonally it is considered by many as the best wood out there, it has a glass-like tap tone. Brazilian is no longer legally exported from Brazil (protected similar to Ivory and Tortoise shell) so it is very rare and very expensive.

Price for this pen: $30.00

Tulipwood Hand-Turned European Pen - Gold Titanium

With gold titanium for maximum wear resistance, this pen is made from Brazilian tulipwood, and shaped thick and robust, good for those who like a substantial pen. The color of the tulipwood is quite attractive in this piece, with yellow wood streaked with red and orange grain.

Brazilian tulipwood is a classic high-quality wood, it is very dense with a lovely figure. It is used for inlays in furniture and for small turned items. Available only in small sizes, it is rarely used in the solid for luxury furniture. Tulipwood heartwood has irregular streaks of shades of yellow rose, pink and violet on a straw-colored background. It has a flowery, mildly fragrant scent when worked.

Price for this pen: $40.00

Hand Turned Pen - Goncolo Alves and 10k Gold European Twist Pen

Made from durable 10k-gold plated components, this is an Artisan brand European Twist Pen, hand-turned from Goncalo Alves.

Goncalo Alves, also called Tigerwood, is a large, South American rainforest canopy tree that can grow 150 feet tall and 50 inches in diameter, heartwood is reddish-brown, almost copper colored, and often streaked with darker brown. Medium texture and interlocked grain, this turns and finishes extremely well. It's endangered outside of its preserved due to exploitation, but there are places that farm the tree for use in woodwork.

Price for this pen: $35.00 Order a matching pencil for a Pen and Pencil Set.

Hand-Turned Wood Pen - African Blackwood and 24k Gold Rollerball

Hand-turned from African Blackwood, this is an Artisan rollerball pen with 24k gold finish. Blackwood is a small tree attaining a height of 45', trunk diameter rarely more than 14". Heartwood is dark brown with predominant black lines which give an almost black appearance. Sapwood is pale yellow, giving pleasant contrast. The grain may be straight or irregular, extremely fine texture. Dries slowly with a slight tendancy to check. Used extensively for woodwind instruments, giving one of the best tones. Turns well, often used for carving. Capable of an excellent finish.

These Artisan Rollerball pens are cool - there's a spring inside to keep the writing pressure on the tip optimized for comfort and clean writing. This pen, or one like it, is available for $45.00, $55.00 for the same thing with fountain pen components instead of rollerball.

European Wood Twist Pen - Tambootie and Rhodium

This is a European style wood pen, with Tambootie wood and Rhodium-plated components.

Tambootie (or tambuti) is a small African tree with an average height of 30' and a fluted and often hollow trunk. Heartwood is rich brown with distinctive dark brown to almost black veins. The wood is oily to touch, with a pale to bright yellow sapwood. The grain is straight to slightly irregular, with a fine even texture: reddish-brown with darker streaks, a satin-like lustre and extremely fragrant sweet, spicy smell. The oily timber exudes a white, poisonous latex when freshly cut, and campfires that burn tambuti fuel give off noxious fumes contaminating meat or other food grilled on the flames or coals. The latex is used as a fish poison, and applied to arrow-tips.

Rhodium is a hard silvery white and durable metal that has a high reflectance. The primary use of this element in automobiles as a catalytic converter. Plated rhodium, is extremely hard and is used for optical instruments. This metal also finds use in jewelry and for decorations. It is also used as a filter in mammography systems because of the characteristic x-rays it produces. It is used in high quality pen surfaces due to its high-resistance characteristics. As of October 2007, rhodium cost approximately eight times more than gold, and 450 times more than silver. Rhodium has been used for honours, or to symbolize wealth, when more commonly used metals such as silver, gold, or platinum are deemed insufficient. In 1979 the Guinness Book of World Records gave Paul McCartney a rhodium-plated disc for being history's all-time best-selling songwriter and recording artist. Guinness has also noted items such as the world's "Most Expensive Pen" or "Most Expensive Board Game" as containing rhodium.

Price for this pen: $40.00

Wood Pen: Bocote and Tactile Slimline

This Bocote and Tactile slimline pen is another pen I am very fond of. I deliberately matched the black Tactile components to the Bocote wood because of the black grain - I thought it would look cool and I was right. The black Tactile components of this pen feel almost like rubber, though it is a hard, durable finish.

Though bocote is supposed to have a creamy brown color with wavy black stripes, the color of the wood in this pen is a mustard yellow, making for striking contrast. Bocote is from a small tree native to Central and South America, sometimes called Mexican Rosewood. Because of its striking color and grain, it's popular for accents and turnings.

Price for this pen: $25.00

Wood Pen: Burmese Rosewood and Chrome Slimline

Made from Burmese Rosewood and Artisan Slimline parts with chrome finish, this twist pen turned out beautifully with a deep shiny luster and attractive grain. The shape of this pen is something I've tried twice now and like a lot - tapered towards the ends, thick and rounded in the center- comfortable to hold, and attractively symmetric.

Burmese Rosewood is a medium sized tree that usually grows no larger than 20" diameter. Heartwood is light red or reddish brown with distinctly darker grain lines in most trees, yellowish with darker lines in others. The color darkens with exposure to sunlight. Turns well and produces a high and lasting polish.

Price for this pen: $25.00. Order a matching pencil for a Pen and Pencil Set.

Slimline Wood Twist Pen - Bubinga and Black Titanium

This is an Artisan Slimline wood pen made from Bubinga and with black titanium components. Black titanium is a dark and shiny metal, probably half way between silver and black, and is as durable as it comes for wood pen components - the parts have a lifetime guarantee.

Bubinga, often referred to as African Rosewood, is a popular choice for musical instruments, fine decroative pieces, archery bows, and furniture - especially large slabs for table tops. Lexus also makes use of the wood in their luxury vehicle interiors. The wood from West Africa, its color varies from red to violet with fairly evenly spaced purple stripes, it's hard and heavy and fine-grained, and what nobody else on line seems to say about it is that it smells sour and poopy when you cut it - I kept wondering "what is that smell?" till I realized it was the wood I was sanding on my lathe. Don't worry though, the pen smells just fine, and looks awesome.

Price for this pen: $35.00

Slimline Wood Twist Pen - Padauk and Satin Pearl Finish

These Artisan Slimline pens are made from Paduak, with Satin-Pearl finish for the clip, band, and tip. The Satin Pearl gives it a unique appearance, different from the more traditional shiny plated pens, and at an acceptable wear resistance rating. With this wood, it contrasts nicely for a striking pen.

Padauk is a large tree reaching diameters as large as 45". Heights of 130' are not uncommon. Heartwood varies from yellow to brick red, but most commonly seen in a dark red-orange. An excellent turning wood that takes a very good polish. Incidentally, some Padauk's are also used for an herbal medicine for treating skin parasites or fungal infection. No guarantees as to the efficacy of using this pen for such things though...

The first pen pictured is available for $30.00.

The second pen has sold but I can always make another for a $10 more if I have to special-order the materials. By clicking on "Order Now," buyer agrees to these terms.

Slimline Wood Twist Pen - Olive and Gold Titanium

This Artisan Slimline Twist Pen is made form Olive wood and Gold Titanium. Titanium is the most durable of the pen finishes available. Gold titanium is shown here. The pen parts have a lifetime guarantee.

Olive wood is a sentimental choice for a pen. Some olive trees have been alive since the time of Christ. A long-lived gnarled tree with a short bole, often with numerous holes and cavities, olive wood is one of the world's most beautiful woods. Heartwood is light brown to dark brown with irregular streaks of grey, brown, and black, giving a marble-like appearance. Irregular, interlocked grain is dense, turns easily and cuts very clean. These aromatic blanks are selected for figure and color. And aromatic isn't putting it mildly - when cut, this wood smells very strongly of opened green olives and olive oil - I guess that shouldn't be a surprise.

Price for this pen: $35.00

Wood Twist Pen: Macassar Ebony and Black Chrome

This Artisan Slimline twist pen is made with black chrome finish, which matches the black grain in the ebony so nicely it's really quite impressive. I don't usually include two photos of the same pen in a listing, but this pen was just too cool - Macassar ebony has such deep dark grain though that neither photo does the pen justice. Normally turning a pen I pick a shape to go for, but as I was turning this, the wood practically inspired me to shape it like this - tapered towards the ends, rounded in the center, a shape I haven't seen or tried before, but perfect for the grain in this wood. My favorite pen yet by far!

The Macassar Ebony tree grows to heights of 70- feet. Heartwood is dark brown to black, streaked throughout with darker and paler bands, stripes, and splotches. Sawing can be difficult due to the hardness of the wood. Finishes well with high luster.

Price for this pen: $30.00

Zebrawood Jr. Gentlemen Pen

This wood twist pen is hand turned from Zebrawood, with 10k gold components. The Jr. Gentlemen pen is a ballpoint pen with dual-direction twist that is silky smooth. A premium pen kit, it is only available in 10k gold and rhodium. A thick, masculine and yet elegant pen, it is perfect for business, and has a hefty, sturdy feel when writing. All my pens are hand-turned form solid hardwoods, and finished without stains or dyes. Gloss or satin finish is available.

Also called Zebrano, African zebrawood trees can reach in excess of 150'. Diameters commonly measure between 5' and 7'. Heartwood is light golden-yellow with streaks and veining of dark chocolate brown. Dries slowly, and tends to surface check and end-split during seasoning. Coarse texture and interlocked grain must be surfaced wih care. High-luster finish on this wood makes it extremely decorative.
Order one like this for $65. Until it sells, the pen pictured is available for $55.00. Order a matching pencil for a Pen and Pencil Set.

By clicking on "Order Now," buyer agrees to these terms.

Jr. Gentlemen Wood Pen - Ambrosia Maple and Rhodium

The Jr. Gentlemen pen is a ballpoint pen with dual-direction twist that is silky smooth. A premium pen kit, it is only available in 10k gold and rhodium. A thick, masculine and yet elegant pen, it is perfect for business, and has a hefty, sturdy feel when writing. All my pens are hand-turned form solid hardwoods, and finished without stains or dyes. Gloss or satin finish is available.

The wood of this pen is ambrosia maple. Ambrosia refers to the fungus that causes the black streaks. It's introduced by beetles that cary the spores with them. They burrow in to dead maple trees, lay eggs, and leave, and the spores they leave behind begin to break down the walls of the hole into food the larvae can eat. When they grow up and leave, they take the spores with them. The fungus only exists in symbiosis with the beetles, and the beetles can't live without the fungus. Cool stuff. The resulting staining pattern in the maple is distinct, dramatic, and beautiful.

Rhodium is a hard silvery white and durable metal that has a high reflectance. The primary use of this element in automobiles as a catalytic converter. Plated rhodium, is extremely hard and is used for optical instruments. This metal also finds use in jewelry and for decorations. It is also used as a filter in mammography systems because of the characteristic x-rays it produces. It is used in high quality pen surfaces due to its high-resistance characteristics. As of October 2007, rhodium cost approximately eight times more than gold, and 450 times more than silver. Rhodium has been used for honours, or to symbolize wealth, when more commonly used metals such as silver, gold, or platinum are deemed insufficient. In 1979 the Guinness Book of World Records gave Paul McCartney a rhodium-plated disc for being history's all-time best-selling songwriter and recording artist. Guinness has also noted items such as the world's "Most Expensive Pen" or "Most Expensive Board Game" as containing rhodium.

Order one like this for $75.