A couple of pens and a request for help

[Donn Morris]

The first two pictures are of a pen that falls into the category of nothing ventured, nothing gained. It is an olive wood pen that I am planning on giving to my mother. As I was sanding the pen I had the great idea to brand a cross into the lower barrel. I carefully bent a cross out of some wire, heated it with a torch and press it into the barrel. The results were less than hoped for. :( Has anybody ever experimented with branding a pen? If you have any advice, I could really use it. The second pen is a mini key ring pen turned out of blood wood. I love the way blood wood takes a French polish. The picture doesn't do it justice.

Critiques and advice are more than welcome!

[Steve Trauthwein]

Donn,

I think you would need a decent woodburner to control heat to have success burning a cross like this. What I have done is carve a small cross and inlay crushed turquoise. Turned out really nice. You could probably salvage this pen by dismantling the lower barrell, sanding it and then carving a cross in this area and inlaying with what you have on hand.

Regards, Steve