# Jim Bowie Tribute Pen~ Hero of the Alamo!



## seamus7227 (Jul 4, 2012)

Back around the beginning of April (2012), Darrell Eisner(Scotian12)  sent me an email to discuss the possibilities of working on a pen  together that would commemorate the life of Jim Bowie. [FONT=&quot]
"In February 2012 I was fortunate to win at auction, two cypress blanks of wood from The IAP. This wood was donated by Rick Roberson  who received it from developers of The Acadian Plantation in 2010 when the Plantation was being demolished. Among the many owners of the Acadia Plantation in Thibodaux, Louisiana, were James Bowie and his brother Rezin who owned the property from 1727 to 1831.
[/FONT]I appreciated the historical significance of the wood but was not sure how I could use it. Cypress is a soft wood with very little grain and would not show well on a full sized pen. Later in the Spring I was inspired from another project that I was working on (Titanic pen and Presentation case) and used elements of that concept to develop as he calls it “The Bowie Project”."
                    ~Darrell Eisner

 Darrell  located a coin that was made to commemorate Jim Bowie and found it to  be a suitable match for this pen. Because of its size, we agreed to use a  larger size pen, the Statesman. [FONT=&quot]The Texas state flag was chosen as a fitting backdrop to the Bowie coin. [/FONT][FONT=&quot]He had previously sent me the lower turned cypress wood for the lower barrel and I completed the pen by scrolling the metal coin, placing the Texas flag backdrop and coin on the cap. These were encased in resin and turned, completing the pen. [/FONT]

  Darrell also enlisted the help of John T. Hubbard of Huntsville, Alabama,  to assist with the construction of the presentation box. He and John agreed that James Bowie was bigger than life and that the Bowie Project should take on a very high profile and standard of excellence. John is responsible for the construction of the interior and exterior of a renovated cigar box and the artwork on the box. He skillfully molded the cloth interior to accommodate space for the pen, coin, historical U.S. Stamps and Bowie labeled, whisky scented ink.  

  At this point, I will only be posting pictures of the pen,  more of a teaser post than anything. The pen box is going to be a home  run for this project but unfortunately, those photos wont be available  until sometime later this month.


  This is a joint, international, collaborative effort at making a beautiful piece of artwork. You can be assured that the craftsmanship is of the highest standard and showcases the skills of the individual artists.


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## boxerman (Jul 4, 2012)

Wow wow you guys did awesome job on that pen. Can't wait to see the box. Kudos to you all.


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## seamus7227 (Jul 5, 2012)

Thanks Craig! I cant wait to see the finished pen box!


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## mrburls (Jul 5, 2012)

Great job by all. That Bowie coin is awesome. I want one of those coins cast for me. 

Keith "mrburls"


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## Akula (Jul 5, 2012)

Very nice


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## ALA (Jul 5, 2012)

BEAUTIFUL GUYS!


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## PSU1980 (Jul 5, 2012)

Whoa, that is an awesome looking pen.  Great job by all.  I can't wait to see the case.

Tim


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## Buteo2808 (Jul 5, 2012)

:RockOn: great looking pen!


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## Glen Schumann (Jul 5, 2012)

Like it!


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## Rifleman1776 (Jul 5, 2012)

Very well done. Beautiful.
The cypress wood could be stabilized for a more durable material. Often the stabilizing does not change the appearance of the wood and it retains it's natural looks and feel.


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## BSea (Jul 5, 2012)

That is fantastic.  I really like pens with a story.  And it's especially cool when the blank is part of the story.


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## Russknan (Jul 5, 2012)

Beautiful, beautiful pen! I'm really enjoying the stories of the joint projects by you masters. Seamus, have you ever talked or photographed how you do coins, or is that a "trade secret"? I'm sure it would be forever beyond my capabilities . . . and, perhaps, attention span! But I AM curious about how you thin them out, and wondering whether you cut them by hand or with a power scroll saw. If these are impolite questions, please feel free to ignore. Russ


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## OldGrumpy (Jul 5, 2012)

Great craftsmanship.  You continue to amaze with your creativity.


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## D.Oliver (Jul 5, 2012)

I think these themed pens have become your wheelhouse.  You knocked the last three (Titianic, Gold Star and now this one) out of the park.


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## seamus7227 (Jul 5, 2012)

Thank you everyone for the kind comments! 

  -Russknan-
   In response to your question, there are a few steps in the process of making my coin blanks that I do not discuss, this being one of them. But I do cut them using a Dremel 1680 Scroll Saw on full speed and with a magnifying lens "drop-down" hat.


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## glycerine (Jul 5, 2012)

Looks great Seamus!


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## cnirenberg (Jul 5, 2012)

Seamus, 
Well done, what a great collaboration on a fanatastic looking pen.


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## Toni (Jul 5, 2012)

Seamus~a gorgeous pen, well done!!!


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## Brooks803 (Jul 5, 2012)

Awesome story and even better pen! Can't wait to see the box myself.


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## seamus7227 (Jul 5, 2012)

The box is gonna look awesome! This will be the second box that I have seen constructed by John T. Hubbard and will highly recommend him to anyone looking for custom work on pen boxes. They aren't just a pen box, they tell a story.


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## BRobbins629 (Jul 5, 2012)

Up there with the best.


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## jeweler53 (Jul 5, 2012)

wow!


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## scotian12 (Jul 5, 2012)

Seamus....you did a beautiful job on the Jim Bowie pen. It was great to work with both you and John Hubbard on this project. As I write this I have been notified by John that the pen is due to arrive in Huntsville , Alabama anytime today. This is when the next part of the Bowie Project kicks in. John has been making a very special presentation box to house the Bowie pen plus some very interesting collectables to go with it. Next week the pen and case will travel to San Antonio, Texas, the home of the Alamo, for a special private exhibit. We will be back to you to show the pictures of the pen and the box.  Darrell Eisner


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## seamus7227 (Jul 5, 2012)

I'm really looking forward to meeting John Hubbard in San Antonio! I will post pictures in this thread as well. For anyone in the San Antonio area, I will be there from July 12-15 in case you would like to meet up!


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## seamus7227 (Jul 5, 2012)

I just had an update on the pen box! It is now complete, however, I am going to wait until the unveiling of the completed project in San Antonio next week before I post the new pics.


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## fitzman163 (Jul 6, 2012)

That is a piece of art guys great job.


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