# Paua Abalone Telesto



## ldb2000 (Jul 17, 2009)

This is one of my Telesto kitless pens made with Paua Abalone shell cast in PR . The pictures don't do this one justice . I wish I could figure out how to photo bright shiny shell pens . I used "AAA" grade Paua Abalone shell for this one , it cost more but worth every bit . I used the wire clip so it don't cover up the blank as much as the regular Telesto clip does .
Like all of my Telesto pens this one is made with an aluminum core but with this one I cast the shell strips directly to it . The rest of the pen is highly polished Brass and it uses a cigar style transmission and a parker type refill . The picture of the finial is bad but it was the best I could get . The finial is a shell dot (cut with a cigar tube in my DP) cast in PR as well even though it don't show .




 



 



 






As always , comments welcome


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## el_d (Jul 17, 2009)

WOW...... Very noice Butch.


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## skiprat (Jul 17, 2009)

Very cool Butch. Looks great:biggrin:


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## Jim15 (Jul 17, 2009)

Outstanding work.


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## TurnaPen (Jul 17, 2009)

Butch, very impressive, what is "Telstio", is it your own peculiar brand or something else I am ignorant about. Amos


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## mickr (Jul 17, 2009)

oh my..deleriously divine...your pens get better & better each showing..keep sharing & delight us


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## Dai Sensei (Jul 17, 2009)

Well done Butch, looks great 

I have a sheet of paua shell here some where I ordered years ago.  I was thinking of cutting it into strips, so you have given me some motivation


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## Rollerbob (Jul 17, 2009)

Nice work on this one, Butch. I like the overall appearance and combination of materials!


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## markgum (Jul 17, 2009)

great job.


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## cnirenberg (Jul 17, 2009)

Butch,
That is way cool.  I like it.


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## Dalecamino (Jul 17, 2009)

Looking good Butch !


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## leehljp (Jul 17, 2009)

Great work Butch! Beautiful Art in a functional package!


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## rjwolfe3 (Jul 17, 2009)

Stunning!


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## louisbry (Jul 17, 2009)

Great job Butch.


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## wolftat (Jul 17, 2009)

Nice looking pen Butch. Is it rounded or is it flat sided?


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## BRobbins629 (Jul 17, 2009)

Classy


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## workinforwood (Jul 17, 2009)

It's definitely a winner. Totally amazing where you've gone with your pens.  Too bad there's no casing part on there, or you'd be a real contender Butch!


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## DurocShark (Jul 17, 2009)

Very very nice!


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## workinforwood (Jul 17, 2009)

eyeee...I meant thank god there's no casing on this pen!!! Hard not to come back and look again.  Sorry bout any drooling.


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## hewunch (Jul 17, 2009)

Butch that is some fine work sir.


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## ldb2000 (Jul 17, 2009)

Thanks for all the kind words everyone . As nice as this pen looks in the pictures it looks that much better in person . It has more color and chatoyance then can ever be shown in a photo . 
This is the first time I have cast directly to the aluminum core tube and it seems to have worked very well . I'm going to make some more of these pens as practice for a Sterling silver Twindows pen I have been designing for a while now . I bought a bunch of different shell sheets looking for the best looking type of shell and so far the Paua and Awabi shells look the best . I discovered that the best way to show the chatoyance of the shells is to back them with aluminum foil to reflect the light through the thin sheets of shell . To cut the shell sheets I created a table saw that uses my Dremel and a diamond coated cut off saw blade . I used some corian for the saw table top and fence and some baltic birch plywood for the base . The fence on this one is fixed , I can change the strip size a little but I am going to build a better one with an adjustable fence so I can cut any size strips I need .
The Telesto style pen is my main pen style and so far it seems to work well with any kind of blank and the response so far has been good . No one that has bought one has had any problem with having to keep it polished . I explain that polishing it is a part of normal maintenance , just like waxing their car and if they keep it polished it will last a lifetime . It's great not having to worry about the plating wearing off .

Amos , the Telesto is my answer to the Sierra pens . After I had several complaints about the Sierras coming apart I wanted something that was about the same size and shape but would not fail and have to be returned to me to fix . I also like the finial operation and so do my customers it seems .

Neil , there are seven shell strips cast in PR so they look faceted but the pen is round .

Jeff , you are reading my mind so get ready for it , I just hope I have the time to finish my entry .


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## VisExp (Jul 21, 2009)

I just saw this Butch.  The pen is stunning.  I can imagine how difficult it would be to photograph.  It must look amazing in person.


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## jyreene (Jul 21, 2009)

I really like that material Butch.  The second photo looks like it shows off the shells colors really well.  I'm not an expert but it would seem if you could shine a light on the pen from both ends and take a picture from the side it might work.  You do amazing things kitless.  I think I would like it a little more if the...name of the part where the pen tip comes out of...were a bit longer with a slightly less of a curve.  Of course that might not even be possible (especially since I don't even know what that part is called at the moment, I almost said nib).


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