What are your Most Prized Pen Blanks?

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egnald

egnald

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Greetings fellow IAP members,

I was just going through my box of One-Offs and other Prized Blanks and I figured I must not be the only one that has a few prized pen blanks, so I am posing the question to the community -- Do you have a few extra special prized pen blanks in your collection?

It was hard for me to narrow the list because I have many - many favorites, but these are what I would consider Prized:
- a few Khamphi Rosewood Burl blanks, some are two-toned (from the cluster bomb and mine fields of Laos).
- a few Genuine Lignum Vitae (from the shaft bearings of the MV Doulos Phos that was decommissioned in 2009).
- a few Beeswing Red Narra (They are becoming hard to find. These came from Laos).
- some ****'tah/****'tim (from a tree that was legally removed from a quarry in the Sinai Desert).
- some Spalted Rambutan Burl (from Laos - Rambutan is already rare but the spalting makes them extra special).
- some Bois de rose (from Madagascar before all of the the export and import bans).

So, what are yours?

Regards,
Dave
 
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My collection of (largely) vintage cellulose acetate and celluloid blanks.
FF22B6F7-7F20-4B3B-9840-AD5BA905C06E.jpeg
 
I've got about 20" of midnight blue, 8 swirl NYH ebonite left, and right now don't have any source for more. I don't know if it's exactly prized, but I'm not going to use it for anything frivolous.
 
Just like John and Fred before me, I too prize my vintage cellulose acetate blank collection...
IMG_3371.jpg


Unlike my wood blanks, those things don't grow on trees!

As far as wood blanks, the sister blanks to the Amboyna fountain pen I recently posted (example pictured below, right) hold a top spot along with the Honduran Rosewood burl blanks I purchased from someone on this forum (pictured left)...
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While not a rare species by any stretch, the Southern Silky Oak I got from a craftsman on Easter Island are super special to me (one processed billet resting on a log in the foreground)...
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hokie said:
Just like John and Fred before me, I too prize my vintage cellulose acetate blank collection...
View attachment 360872

Unlike my wood blanks, those things don't grow on trees!

As far as wood blanks, the sister blanks to the Amboyna fountain pen I recently posted (example pictured below, right) hold a top spot along with the Honduran Rosewood burl blanks I purchased from someone on this forum (pictured left)...
View attachment 360873

While not a rare species by any stretch, the Southern Silky Oak I got from a craftsman on Easter Island are super special to me (one processed billet resting on a log in the foreground)...
View attachment 360874
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I think recognize the rubber ties on the cellulose rods, I have a vague impression that we have the same source... 😅
 
Fred Bruche said:
I think recognize the rubber ties on the cellulose rods, I have a vague impression that we have the same source... 😅
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Haha, maybe! Does he have a passion for vintage things if you catch my drift? However, I found another guy selling them the same way, so who knows what's going on in the vintage cellulose acetate/galalith underground economy.
 
hokie said:
Haha, maybe! Does he have a passion for vintage things if you catch my drift? However, I found another guy selling them the same way, so who knows what's going on in the vintage cellulose acetate/galalith underground economy.
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Told ya I recognized the vintage passionate rubber bands... 😅
I found Tony as well but haven't gotten any from him.
Also for Galalith there was a vendor that decided that the seller's fee was too much (just guessing here) and opened their own galalith.store a few years back. Haven't dealt with them recently but I was pleased by what I got in the past.
 
Well put me in that Italian cellulose category. I too have many of those rods as well as The Italian rods I have been making pens with and have shown lately here. I also have a bunch of Omas blanks that are sweet. I have some Hondorous Rosewood that is nice. A bunch of other burls too. I have way too many to mention and then there are the blanks I have not made yet. I have some great ideas for some blanks and will make some nice pens.
 
I haven't been making pens long enough to have a collection, but those vintage cellulose collections are impressive.
 
Fred Bruche said:
Told ya I recognized the vintage passionate rubber bands... 😅
I found Tony as well but haven't gotten any from him.
Also for Galalith there was a vendor that decided that the seller's fee was too much (just guessing here) and opened their own galalith.store a few years back. Haven't dealt with them recently but I was pleased by what I got in the past.
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Galalith is one material I never got my hands on so far. I heard rumors it shouldn't be anywhere near moisture or something like that? Scared me away since I like to wet sand and I'd hate to make a pen that I have to add an extra special warning for anyone receiving I'd potentially make from it.
While we're on the topic of vintage material... the vintage bakelite rods being sold for thousands of dollars per half-dozen blows my mind. I *think* I know why, but if anyone else could explain, I'd love to hear. Might explain why I don't see much of it here. haha.
 
Blanks from trees in National Cemeteries that were taken down by storms. Nothing fancy in color or figure, just that they provided shade for some heroes for a long time.

A section of deck from the USS Franklin.

Blue Mahoe which is super hard to find.

Sections of old (broken) fishing rods and arrows that belonged to deceased family members.

Spent shell casings from military funeral honors of family and friends.

A selection of "worthless wood" (hybrid) blanks from when they first made for pen turning.

Small selection of vintage cellulose acetate blanks.
 
I would like to personally thank jalbert and hokie. I thought I had a hoarder issue. I too value the cellulose acetate. I have a little bit of everything, been making pens over 20 years. But nothing compares to vintage acetate. All my favorites are made from it.
 

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carlmorrell said:
I would like to personally thank jalbert and hokie. I thought I had a hoarder issue. I too value the cellulose acetate. I have a little bit of everything, been making pens over 20 years. But nothing compares to vintage acetate. All my favorites are made from it.
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No wonder I can never find the stuff. The three of you have cornered the global market on vintage acetate. ;)
 
Now that's a tough question!!! Not sure I have a favorite blank. I have several materials I cherish for sentimental reasons or hard to get. I have wood from family members places from trees that they grew up on and horn that was passed on to me from fellow IAP members. I have a small stash of ivory that I purchased years ago and use very sparingly. I have wood from a few famous war ships. I have some snakeskins that I accumulated on trips with friends. I try to look for materials with a story with more emphasis on the story than the material. I give most of my pens and related things away so I like to make them as personal as I can. When I first started making pens there were a lot of people doing so. Because of that I wanted to find a way to set myself apart from the crowd. This is one of the ways I've managed to do that. I know I wonder med away from the original question but I thought I'd explain why I don't have "A Favorite ". I guess that's why my hobby room is a mess because it would be tough to throw anything out.
 
hokie said:
Galalith is one material I never got my hands on so far. I heard rumors it shouldn't be anywhere near moisture or something like that? Scared me away since I like to wet sand and I'd hate to make a pen that I have to add an extra special warning for anyone receiving I'd potentially make from it.
While we're on the topic of vintage material... the vintage bakelite rods being sold for thousands of dollars per half-dozen blows my mind. I *think* I know why, but if anyone else could explain, I'd love to hear. Might explain why I don't see much of it here. haha.
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I have made a few pens with galalith, threads well, with no issue with wet sanding, and the pens are still looking fine. From knowing more now I would probably do a finish with Gluboost. Go for it!
 
Thought I'd get in on the fun since I have drawers full of blanks yet.
Lots of dyed and stabilized quality wood blanks.
Then there is the vintage materials, Cebloplast, Cellulose Acetate (not near what I use to have since selling most of it here on IAP), Celluloid Nitrate, Galalith, Conway Stewart, Italian Resins, M3 blanks. A few slabs. And who knows what's in boxes tucked here and there.
Enjoy the pictures.
 

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egnald said:
Greetings fellow IAP members,

I was just going through my box of One-Offs and other Prized Blanks and I figured I must not be the only one that has a few prized pen blanks, so I am posing the question to the community -- Do you have a few extra special prized pen blanks in your collection?

It was hard for me to narrow the list because I have many - many favorites, but these are what I would consider Prized:
- a few Khamphi Rosewood Burl blanks, some are two-toned (from the cluster bomb and mine fields of Laos).
- a few Genuine Lignum Vitae (from the shaft bearings of the MV Doulos Phos that was decommissioned in 2009).
- a few Beeswing Red Narra (They are becoming hard to find. These came from Laos).
- some ****'tah/****'tim (from a tree that was legally removed from a quarry in the Sinai Desert).
- some Spalted Rambutan Burl (from Laos - Rambutan is already rare but the spalting makes them extra special).
- some Bois de rose (from Madagascar before all of the the export and import bans).

So, what are yours?

Regards,
Dave
Click to expand...
I don't have anything special in my lot right now. But I always treasure Curly Spalted Mango. It is really hard to find these days.
 
Like so many here, mine are largely a collection of vintage ceblox and acetate. Here's a sampling. Top half are all ceblox. Most of the bottom is vintage acetate. The king of the entire bunch is a piece of Waterman Silver Ray, pictured sixth from bottom. The last two are old Conway Stewart materials. The darker one is, I've been told, a ceblox-type acetate. The bottom is an Italian turquoise crush resin that I desparately wish I had more of than what is pictured! I've also got some other Conway materials that I like, and some gorgeous Omas stock. On the wood side, my favorites are a collection of stadium blanks that my wife gifted me from all of my favorites--Wrigley Field, Soldier Field, and Notre Dame Stadium!!
 

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I have some cool stuff but not to the level of what I am seeing here. My top four would be a piece of walnut that was cut from a rejected stock blank from the Ithaca Firearms company that was gifted to me by a friend that passed several years ago, a few pieces of vintage Mopar prototype Fordite, some maple burl that I cut from an old dead maple tree while cutting firewood with my grandpa on his farm, and some hickory that was cut from an evener blank that I found while cleaning out one of my grandpa's sheds after he passed. It was a blank that he intended to finish someday for his horse hitch but most likely forgot about it. I also made the trim pieces for his urn from the same blank.
 
woodwzrd said:
I have some cool stuff but not to the level of what I am seeing here. My top four would be a piece of walnut that was cut from a rejected stock blank from the Ithaca Firearms company that was gifted to me by a friend that passed several years ago, a few pieces of vintage Mopar prototype Fordite, some maple burl that I cut from an old dead maple tree while cutting firewood with my grandpa on his farm, and some hickory that was cut from an evener blank that I found while cleaning out one of my grandpa's sheds after he passed. It was a blank that he intended to finish someday for his horse hitch but most likely forgot about it. I also made the trim pieces for his urn from the same blank.
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" ... some maple burl that I cut from an old dead maple tree while cutting firewood with my grandpa on his farm ... "

That's as good as anything any of us have posted. For me, many of my most prized woods are because of the story behind them, not because they're worth a lot of money or are super pretty.

G
 
BoonareeBurl said:
" ... some maple burl that I cut from an old dead maple tree while cutting firewood with my grandpa on his farm ... "

That's as good as anything any of us have posted. For me, many of my most prized woods are because of the story behind them, not because they're worth a lot of money or are super pretty.

G
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Agree with this 100%
 
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