# Sea n' Shells



## Pioneerpens (Jul 31, 2010)

ok, i had to go to fly to orlando, drive 3 hours to Vanderbilt beach in Naples,  pick shells small enough to go on a pen, spend an entire week searching the beach and the gulf, resting in the sun when necessary(it often was), drive 3 hours back to orlando, fly back home, strategically place shells on a Sierra tube (painted light blue/green, cast in clear pr, turn and assemble on a Sierra chrome and black pen.   
The lengths I will go to for making a pen know no bounds :wink:

As always, comments, good or bad always welcome!

Thanks for looking


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## jimm1 (Jul 31, 2010)

That's going to be one expensive pen if you include all those costs. 
Looks great.


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## wizard (Jul 31, 2010)

Sounds like you had a great vacation and a beautiful pen to remind you of it!


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## Mark (Jul 31, 2010)

That is awesome. Great choice in background colors. Nicely Done..

Seems like that one works fine. Time to go back and collect more shells. :biggrin: Oh the hardship.... :biggrin:


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## Pioneerpens (Jul 31, 2010)

Thanks guys, Yes it was a hardship(NOT)...and Wizard it is a great reminder   had a great time and now i still get to play.


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## Mrs Rojo22 (Jul 31, 2010)

Very nice!

Robin


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## skiprat (Jul 31, 2010)

She sells sea shells on the Sierra sea shore:biggrin:

Looks great!!!:good::good:


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## Brooks803 (Jul 31, 2010)

Great pen! Now you need to sell it so you can write off all the travel expenses!


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## Pioneerpens (Jul 31, 2010)

i doubt i'll come close to recouping my costs on this one lol...
very good Skip lol


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## bitshird (Jul 31, 2010)

Jennifer that is about the wildest Idea I've seen, I think a Sierra Vista give a little more wiggle room, tubes are the same size but the outside diameter is a wee bit larger. I'm getting some for my snake pens, there isn't a lot of wall thickness at the ends on a regular Sierra, How big of a magnifying glass did you use to find that many Tiny Tiny little shells?


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## skiprat (Jul 31, 2010)

Pioneerpens said:


> i doubt i'll come close to recouping my costs on this one lol...
> ......


 
Ahhhh but good memories are priceless:wink::biggrin:


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## Pioneerpens (Jul 31, 2010)

Ken, that's a good idea!  I hadn't thought about the Vista since i don't have any! I will need to get a few for some other ones i'm doing too!  Oh and thanks for reminding me~ no magnifying glass BUT... as I was bent over looking for shells, a lovely wave came by and took my glasses ( on day 2) so I had to have my prescription faxed down so I could spend $400 on a new pair of glasses so I could continue my search for tiny little shells!!!!  
Skip~ these memories are getting more expensive the more I think about them LOL....I will be making lots of shell pens I think!


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## Toni (Jul 31, 2010)

Jennifer~Excellent Idea for the sea shells, love it!!


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## Pioneerpens (Jul 31, 2010)

Thanks Toni!


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## Toni (Jul 31, 2010)

bet all those little hermit crabs were running from you


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## Pioneerpens (Jul 31, 2010)

lol, i accidentally caught one...sent him right back...tyvm...i don't like them!


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## Dustygoose (Aug 1, 2010)

That looks great!!


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## wood-of-1kind (Aug 1, 2010)

A very unique pen with some wonderful memories 'attached' (pun intended). Yah, I really like this one Jennifer.


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## johncrane (Aug 1, 2010)

Jennifer i think that's a first here well done looks Awesome! sorry too here about ya glasses.


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## workinforwood (Aug 1, 2010)

Great execution Jennifer...I really like your pen.

I remember having that happen to my glasses more than once in my life...losing them to some lake or river.  I had the lasic surgery about 4-5 yrs ago..best investment I ever made in myself.  I never have to worry about going in the water blind.  The cost of glasses or contacts over a persons life is far more expensive that lasic.


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## Tanner (Aug 1, 2010)

That is awesome!!!  They could sell those in gift stores.


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## ldb2000 (Aug 1, 2010)

Awesome pen Jennifer . Are you sure you didn't catch one of them hermit crabs in there ? there seems to be one looking out and smiling (inside circle)


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## Pioneerpens (Aug 1, 2010)

lol Butch!!! just a happy shell! (i hope)

Thank you all for the nice comments!  I am glad you like it....


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## mrburls (Aug 1, 2010)

Beautiful pen Jennifer. Well done. 

Keith "mrburls"


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## maxman400 (Aug 2, 2010)

Great Craftsmanship, and a Beautiful Pen.


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## cinder_ladylocket (Aug 2, 2010)

Obviously Butch doesn't need any glasses!!!!  Jen.....what a wonderful pen you have put all together!!! Memories and cost...........it adds up to WOW!!!!


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## LarryDNJR (Aug 9, 2010)

Nice Pen!

I tried a keychain with broken shells few months back and one couple weeks ago with small shells.


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## Pioneerpens (Aug 9, 2010)

Thanks Max~ Keith~ Cindy~Larry now you have me thinking I need to make a matching key chain...they look great! did you also glue them to the tube first?


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## Stick Rounder (Aug 9, 2010)

Great looking pen.


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## animefan (Aug 9, 2010)

Very nice sea shell pens.


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## nava1uni (Aug 9, 2010)

Very cool pen.  I think that pen turners think outside of the box.  I think you went way outside on this one.  Think the IRS would allow it as a write off? LOL


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## Pioneerpens (Aug 9, 2010)

LOL Cindy, I don't think they'd go for it..and you are correct about pen turners thinking outside the box...I see a pen possibilites in everything....some work, some don't...but i keep trying some different 'stuff'


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## LarryDNJR (Aug 9, 2010)

Pioneerpens said:


> Thanks Max~ Keith~ Cindy~Larry now you have me thinking I need to make a matching key chain...they look great! did you also glue them to the tube first?




Jennifer, on the broken shell I did the glue on top I think I used Titebond CA Gel.  Rolled the tube in broken shells and packed it down a little to smooth it out.  Applied more glue and rolled it again.  I think I did that about 3 times.  I did have 1 shell that stuck out a little further than the rest for when I was turning it.  As for the full shell blank I dipped each little shell in a tiny bit of medium CA, applied each shell with a small tweezer doing my best to cover all the exposed brass.  This piece had some shells exposed as well.


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## PenMan1 (Aug 9, 2010)

Jennifer:
Sorry you had to endure all of this for the sake of a pen. Your methodology here should advance penmaking! I hope you were sure NOT to "rush" the on-site shell selection process. I have found that spending a week or so in this part of the process really enhances the final product.

Perhaps you should return to the collection site and this time slow down the process even more.


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## Pioneerpens (Aug 9, 2010)

Andy that insight is nothing short of brilliant!!!  I am sure I could slow down my process.  All in the interest of penmaking of course! 
Larry~ i'm working on making a few more pens and keychains with different variations i'm trying...will post when completed...thanks


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