Bill Grumbine
03-27-2004, 8:11 PM
Greetings everyone
Earlier last week I was happily turning away in my shop when I received a phone call from a man in our church. He had called to tell me that good friend of ours was turning 85 this week. We have a custom in our Sunday School class for everyone who attends, from infant to elder. Every Sunday during opening exercises, anyone who has a birthday that week goes up front and everyone sings Happy Birthday to them. Then they receive a pencil as a small gift. So my friend Don wanted to know if I could turn a pencil for Pepper as a gag gift. I said I would be glad to do so in honor of his reaching such an age and doing so well for it.
<img src= "http://www.enter.net/~ultradad/pencil01.jpg">
Here is a picture of my efforts. I turned this from poplar, and then started getting creative. The tip is a piece of artist's charcoal from the art supply store. The paint, both yellow and silver also came from the same store. The eraser was a bit of a challenge, but I have a box full of PSA backed rubber pads that were perfect in color and texture. Pepper sure is going to be surprised. Oh yeah, one more thing - this isn't your ordinary average pencil. for a big birthday, it needs to be a big pencil!
<img src= "http://www.enter.net/~ultradad/pencil02.jpg">
This baby is approximately 33" long and 2" in diameter. He will be able to write with it, but once he wears the point down, he is going to have a tough time sharpening it! As an aside, while I was sanding the tip of it on the lathe the other day, the UPS guy showed up with a package. He walks into the shop and says, "How's it goin"?" I replied, "Fine, I'm just sharpening my pencil here." I think he may have hurt his neck with the double take he did. Then he got a good laugh out of it. I hope you all do too.
Thanks for looking.
Bill
Earlier last week I was happily turning away in my shop when I received a phone call from a man in our church. He had called to tell me that good friend of ours was turning 85 this week. We have a custom in our Sunday School class for everyone who attends, from infant to elder. Every Sunday during opening exercises, anyone who has a birthday that week goes up front and everyone sings Happy Birthday to them. Then they receive a pencil as a small gift. So my friend Don wanted to know if I could turn a pencil for Pepper as a gag gift. I said I would be glad to do so in honor of his reaching such an age and doing so well for it.
<img src= "http://www.enter.net/~ultradad/pencil01.jpg">
Here is a picture of my efforts. I turned this from poplar, and then started getting creative. The tip is a piece of artist's charcoal from the art supply store. The paint, both yellow and silver also came from the same store. The eraser was a bit of a challenge, but I have a box full of PSA backed rubber pads that were perfect in color and texture. Pepper sure is going to be surprised. Oh yeah, one more thing - this isn't your ordinary average pencil. for a big birthday, it needs to be a big pencil!
<img src= "http://www.enter.net/~ultradad/pencil02.jpg">
This baby is approximately 33" long and 2" in diameter. He will be able to write with it, but once he wears the point down, he is going to have a tough time sharpening it! As an aside, while I was sanding the tip of it on the lathe the other day, the UPS guy showed up with a package. He walks into the shop and says, "How's it goin"?" I replied, "Fine, I'm just sharpening my pencil here." I think he may have hurt his neck with the double take he did. Then he got a good laugh out of it. I hope you all do too.
Thanks for looking.
Bill