My "unicorn" pen....

[Mark Hix]

If you saw the movie Gone in 60 Seconds....this is my unicorn, my Elenor...if not...well....watch the movie.....

This took 3 blanks to finish. Jr. Statesman wrapped in red Truestone. On the first blank, I started pressing in the cap (last step) and it chipped off....set it aside because it was the only one I had.

Picked up another, cut the blank for the cap, drilled it, mounted the tube, turned it, finished it and then......did it again! I had used the other part of the blank for another pen so.....back to the store.....

Third time was the charm. Elapse time......4 months. Now when someone asks how long, I can answer truthfully "4 months".

Thanks for looking...please ignore the fingerprints.

[James Combs]

If you saw the movie Gone in 60 Seconds....this is my unicorn, my Elenor...if not...well....watch the movie.....

This took 3 blanks to finish. Jr. Statesman wrapped in red Truestone. On the first blank, I started pressing in the cap (last step) and it chipped off....set it aside because it was the only one I had.

Picked up another, cut the blank for the cap, drilled it, mounted the tube, turned it, finished it and then......did it again! I had used the other part of the blank for another pen so.....back to the store.....

Third time was the charm. Elapse time......4 months. Now when someone asks how long, I can answer truthfully "4 months".

Thanks for looking...please ignore the fingerprints.

Very nice, great choice on the TruStone. I have turned a couple of the red ones my self. Another that is really sharp with gold hardware is the black with gold matrix TruStone.

[Michael James]

Ha ha.. I watched that again last night! Good analogy.
Looks pretty darned impressive. Im tempted with the turquoise, but a little skittish of the material as I have other stuff to turn.
+1 "attaboy" for perseverance and a good job on it!
mj

[David E Keller]

It's a great looking pen... 3rd time's the charm!:p

[Mark Hix]

.....someone pointed out a mistake I made in the assembly. In the last 15 minutes, I dissassembled it and reassembled it to correct that error....no new photos and if you don't make many pens, you probably would not notice it....I was so focused on matching the pattern from different blanks that I swapped ends on the barrell:eek:...the diffence is a few hundreths but it was not flush. Now it is the way it is supposed to be.

Everyone laugh, I did.

Probably won't write if I ink it now:p.

Thanks again for looking
--Mark

[Michael James]

.....someone pointed out a mistake I made in the assembly. In the last 15 minutes, I dissassembled it and reassembled it to correct that error....no new photos and if you don't make many pens, you probably would not notice it....I was so focused on matching the pattern from different blanks that I swapped ends on the barrell:eek:...the diffence is a few hundreths but it was not flush. Now it is the way it is supposed to be.

Everyone laugh, I did.

Probably won't write if I ink it now:p.

Thanks again for looking
--Mark
+2 on perseverance.... been there and done that one!

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Mark,

Beautiful pen and great story behind it....even laughed at your update. I didn't see it in the photos until I read your post.


I turned my first Tru Stone earlier this week and it's headed to south Texas.

[brian watts]

very nice. your luck is like mine for sure

[John Keeton]

Very nice pen, and particularly given the history of its making. Ms. Keeton says I am the king of the "lifetime supply" rule - I always buy extra of everything. She accuses me of getting a lifetime supply. My reply is - depends on how quickly I screw them up!!


Another that is really sharp with gold hardware is the black with gold matrix TruStone.JD, you are dead on with this one! While I don't do pens IMO that is, without exception, the class act of pen blanks!

[Bernie Weishapl]

That is a classy looking pen and well worth the effort. Great story.

[Mark Hubl]

Nice looking pen and certainly worth the wait!