Welcome to the step-by-step section on how I make my pens! I recognize that the concept of a handmade wooden pen may be new to you, so I will walk you through how I make your pen from start to finish.
Let’s say you order a Wall Street 3 pen with Gold hardware made with Bocote wood. An excellent choice! I have many different types of exotic wood, which I precut specifically for making pens and organize by species. I hand select a fine piece of Bocote wood, selecting it based on the figure of the grain and color of the wood that I know will complement the style of pen and hardware you chose. At the compound mitre saw, the wood must then be cut to length, which varies depending on the style of pen. After cutting, the wood (called a “blank”) is ready to be drilled. I have specific diameters that must be drilled for each style of pen, which I drill at my drill press. Once the blank is drilled, I sand and glue in the metal tubes (called “barrels”) made for the specific pen that will hold the different pieces of the hardware together once the wood is turned. Safety first! Although I look strange in my gear, it’s important for me to protect myself when working with sawdust and heavy equipment. After the glue dries, I sand the blank to precise length at my disc/belt sander, and it is then considered “prepped” for turning on the lathe. I mount the prepped blank on the lathe, using specific bushings that give me exact diameters for the wood to transition to the pen hardware. These bushings are different for every single style of pen. I flip on my dust collector, flip on the lathe, and turn away! Using my chisels, I turn the wood down to the diameter of the bushings for that pen style, creating contours and profiles as I go. Once close to the final profile, I put away the chisels and break out the first of many levels of sandpaper. Just look at them all! Using several grits and types of sanding products, the wood is then ready for my multi-level finishing process. I created my own unique finishing process, that took me over 3 months of intensive research, trial, and error to discover. When the wood is all finished and inspected to my satisfaction, it is ready to be assembled into your finished pen! Using pre-packaged hardware kits, I press the various parts of the pen together, ensuring a snug fit and flattering grain alignment. This pen is ready for years of enjoyment from you or whoever you are giving your beautiful handmade pen to!
It all begins with an order that you have specified. After you choose a pen style, hardware option, and wood, you may wonder what happens from there. Well, here’s exactly what happens.
