Bloodwood Pen with Custom Clip

This wood pen was custom designed for a special gift for a friend's husband. It shows one of the many possibilities if you're looking for a one-of-a-kind gift. Other shapes and clips and choices of wood are available - see below or visit my "Design Your Pen" page to walk through your choices. The double-concave shape is surprisingly comfortable to hold, and makes the pen stand out in a crowd.

Bloodwood comes in deep reds, from light like this to dark like other bloodwood pens I've made. It's very hard and dense, my personal favorite for pens. Bloodwood is actually a name for several types of reddish wood. It is hard and tough, with no smell at all, unless it's smoking hot, in which case it smells like coconut and sweet incense. Shavings are a striking bright red color, and it finishes nicely. Hard and strong, it's supposed to age to a deep brown color, but the finish will slow that down.

price: $42.50

Clip

Football Rifle Basketball Soccer Baseball Golf Fishing Medical Cross Jonah

Shape

Double Concave Rounded (shown) Double Concave Sharp Edge Concave Rounded Concave Sharp Convex Straight Tapered

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

Wood Slimline Twist Pen: Oregon Myrtlewood and 24k Gold

This hand-turned wood slimline twist pen is made from 24k gold Artisan pen parts and Oregon Myrtlewood. Oregon Myrtlewood, also called California Laurelwood, is a hardwood with a wide variety of colors depending on the minerals in the soil where it is grown - from light tan to dark brown, olives and reds, and blacks from spalting. It is noted as one of the world's most beautiful woods.

With this particular pen, I made it as plump as the pen clip would allow, as an experiment in form. This is the double-concave rounded edges form as thick and dramatic as you can take it. It's actually quite comfortable to hold, however, and the thickness is nice if you don't like really slender pens.

As with my other 24k gold Artisan Slimline pens, $25 for this pre-made pen. Order a matching pencil for a Pen and Pencil Set.

Wood Pen: Birdseye Maple and 24k Gold Slimline Twist Pen

These turned wood pens are from Birdseye Maple and 24k Gold Artisan Slimline Twist Pen parts. I tried another variation in styling that I really like on the second one - wider at the ends and tapers to the slim barrel quickly - this gives a comfortable look while retaining the slim look that makes slimline pens look so attractive.

Birdseye maple is one of the rarest woods in the world. Nobody knows for sure what makes the birdseye pattern - little dark dots of swirling grain, but whatever it is does not happen in wood very often, and when found, the wood is set apart and treated very carefully at the lumber mill because it fetches a high price. Rolls Royce uses it for dashboards of its cars, for example.

The pen parts are 24k gold plated, and supplied with a Cross style refill that features a premium Swiss-made carbide writing tip for smooth, consistent writing. The pen has a great feel in your hand - balanced and solid. Price as shown: $27.50 (higher than my other pens from the same 24k gold parts because the birdseye maple is more expensive.) Order a matching pencil for a Pen and Pencil Set.

Purpleheart and 24k Gold Slimline Twist Pen

This Purpleheart and 10k Gold Slimline Twist Pen is made from the same chunk of wood as the Purpleheart Bowl I posted last week. The interesting thing was, when I was sanding it with the 600 grit sandpaper, I accidentally rediscovered that this wood burns easily and turns a vivid grape purple when it burns. So I deliberately burned the surface of the pen with the fine paper before applying the finish. The effect is a beautiful deep purple, completely natural colored, pen.This second pen is also from the same chunk of wood, but I was careful not to burn it, so I could preserve the natural color of the wood. Also note the different forms - rounded verses custom-grip like the first pen.

Purpleheart, also sometimes called amaranth or violet wood, comes from several species of tropical trees native to Central and South America. The heartwood is a light purple when cut, and darkens upon exposure to sunlight, reaching first a darker purple and eventually a brown with a purple cast. It is hard and strong, and takes attention when turning, requiring sharp tools, gentle cuts, and a LOT of sanding. An interesting side note: every kind of wood smells different when turned. Maple smells kind of like pancake syrup, mesquite like warm raw meat, walnut like something sour. Well, the dust and shavings from this wood at first smelled kind of sweet, but as I kept smelling it as I was working, it started to smell more meaty, and then kind of like sweet warm old meat. Yuck. Wikipedia says the dust can cause nausea. I can see that. Don't worry, the finished work is scentless.

The pen parts are 24k gold plated, and supplied with a Cross style refill that features a premium Swiss-made carbide writing tip for smooth, consistent writing. They both have a great feel in the hand - that's one of the advantages of a custom made pen - you can make it fit your hand instead of making your hand fit the pen.

Price for either Purpleheart and 24k Gold Twist Pen: $25.00. Order a matching pencil for a Pen and Pencil Set.

Kingwood and 24k Gold Slimline Pen

This first Kingwood and 24k Gold Slimline Pen was made with the help of my son, Matt, as a gift for his teacher, Mrs. Burch. Thanks, Mrs. Burch, for taking such an active interest in my son's education, and in his social adjustment - he made leaps and bounds as he adjusted to all-day school. You know what I mean, and Liz and I are forever grateful for what you have done. The second pen is a more recent addition to my catalog, styled for comfort and elegance. Both pens are extremely comfortable to hold and write with- that's one of the advantages of a custom made pen - you can make it fit your hand instead of making your hand fit the pen.

Kingwood, also called Violetwood or Violete, is from a slender low tree native to Brazil. It is called kingwood because in the 18th and 19th century it was a favorite wood of French kings for their furniture. It is fairly rare, and its fine texture and stability makes it a prized wood for inlay work, wood turning, and fancy accessories.

The pen parts are 24k gold plated, and supplied with a Cross style refill that features a premium Swiss-made carbide writing tip for smooth, consistent writing. Price for pen shown: $25.00. Other choices of pen parts, colors, and woods are availalbe. Order a matching pencil for a Pen and Pencil Set.