I start with wood, in the form of a 'blank' - an oblong piece of seasoned wood, sourced from all over the world, depending on the sort of pen, the type of colour, and the end result I am looking to achieve.

Sometimes I have clients who ask me for a certain type of wood - perhaps there is a significance to them, a private reason or fact known to them about a place, a country, or even a type of tree that means a lot to them, and they want a memento to remind them.

Once I have sourced the wood I prepare it by cutting, drilling and shaping it into a pen-shaped item, before fitting it together with a pen-kit, usually one that takes well-known refills such as Cross-type, or standard ink-refills if a fountain pen.
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This process of shaping wood is known as 'pen-turning' and is done in my workshop on a lathe, then finished using various methods leading to a beautifully smooth surface that is warm and tactile, sanded down using tiny-grained paper as small as 16,000 grit. (This is so fine it produces a finish like glass - a normal sandpaper is about 100 grit!) Its then polished even further and ends with a final Carnauba Wax coat. Then polished again!
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I then select the type of pen fittings - the clips and metal fittings at each end - I can use Antique Polished Bronze, Gold, Silver, Platinum-plated accent finishes or 12k Gold.
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The final results are spectacular, supplied with a velvet pouch in red, blue, pink, coffee or black, and cost a fraction of a branded pen, a gift to someone special - or yourself - with a real meaning.