I'm sure, if you've seen any of my posts, cruised the shops or seen me on G+, you've noticed the tagline "carry a pen with a story". It may sound like a catchy marketing phrase, but it is something I take to heart.
I'm a history geek, always have been. Florida history has always been a favorite, seeing as it's my home state and all. However, I'm game for any interesting, offbeat story... those are the ones that make a place unique. When I started this journey, I just wanted to make a shaving brush, but pens captured my fancy. Once I saw a pen made with historic wood, I knew it was going to be my thing.
I'm a history geek, always have been. Florida history has always been a favorite, seeing as it's my home state and all. However, I'm game for any interesting, offbeat story... those are the ones that make a place unique. When I started this journey, I just wanted to make a shaving brush, but pens captured my fancy. Once I saw a pen made with historic wood, I knew it was going to be my thing.
It started with the Senator. When I read about this majestic, 3500-year-old cypress burning down, I immediately thought how I'd love to make a pen with that wood. A quick email later, and I was on the list for some remnants. It has truly been an honor to work with this wood, and help preserve the Senator's legacy.
Then came the Darkwaters. I was googling an old high school buddy, and saw that he worked on a crew featured on Axe Men, a History Channel show. I noticed that they recovered logs from the bottom of rivers, a practice known as deadhead logging. I had worked with some old heart pine in the past, and wanted some of this wood, knowing it was superior to any pine or cypress you can get today.
After sitting on the bottom of the river for over a century, the mineralization and oxygen-free environment has produced a beautifully preserved example of old growth wood, and it shows in each and every pen. These are available in both curly pine and red tidewater cypress, and are breathtaking examples of the vast forests that covered Florida in the 19th century. Special thanks go out to Joe and Liz Collins of Collins River Logging, for supplying me with this amazing wood to work with. All of the Darkwater pens I produce are made from wood recovered from the Suwannee River. There are Darkwater pens for sale in the shops, and the full Darkwater story can be found here.
It's not just historic wood, but any pen can have a story. From vintage Italian resin produced for the biggest pen companies, to metal composites, and stone composites... even homemade acrylic, I have a variety of pens with intriguing stories. See for yourself in either of my shops, and become one of the many happy people that carry a pen with a story.