GRAVETTE -- A pen is a useful tool but Gayle Williams of Williams Woodcrafts in Gravette makes pens that are much more than handy instruments for drawing or writing letters. They are truly works of art. In fact, after creating pens for several months, Gayle says, "I still get a thrill every time I finish one. I think, 'Gee, that's really beautiful.'"
Gayle's obvious pride and satisfaction in turning out such objects of beauty are well justified. Her skill and excellent workmanship are evident in all of her creations. Each pen requires strict attention to detail and is the result of a series of intricate steps.
Williams said she did some woodworking about 20 years ago when her mother owned a ceramics studio in the mid '90s and encouraged her to get involved in crafts. "I built some bookshelves and other small wooden items but couldn't really focus on any one aspect of woodworking."
Her interest in working with wood was reignited recently when the pastor of her church asked her about turning a bowl for use in an Ash Wednesday service. She signed up for a class in Tulsa in July where she turned a pepper mill and found that fun. Then she watched several videos on pen turning and decided to give it a try. She ordered a beginning pen turning kit and soon fell in love with this new hobby.
Williams creates the pens in a workshop in her garage in rural Gravette. She has purchased all the equipment she needs for the job, including a lathe and a Shopsmith which is made up of five tools, two of which are a band saw for cutting her wood blanks and a drill press for drilling holes in each one. Several friends have given her some of the woods she uses and she has ordered other material online.
Gayle uses a variety of woods for her creations but says she prefers walnut and cedar because of their beautiful grain. Other woods she uses include cherry, oak, olive and exotic woods including zebra wood and cocobolo. She has ordered an assortment of wood blanks but says she really likes to make her own blanks. She has made a few pens from acrylic but says it tends to shatter.
The pens come in various sizes. Most are made from 3/4 inch or 5/8 inch blanks and the finished products range from 4 to 6 inches long. The clips, center bands and tips are made of copper, brass and pewter.
Several steps are involved in making each pen. First Williams measures and cuts the wood blank to the proper size, then she goes to the drill press and drills a hole in it. The tube from a pen kit is glued in place with a glue that is thicker than regular Super Glue. This glue dries quickly and in about an hour Williams is ready to take the pen to the lathe.
Gayle uses a protective face shield when she works on the lathe. She goes through five grits of sandpaper, coarse to fine, holding them against the pen as it turns on the lathe, then a thick cream containing abrasive granules is applied and polish is added with a cloth until the pen shines. In the final step, beeswax is held against the pen and the heat caused by the friction of the turning causes the wax to melt, forming a protective coating.
Williams creates pens in a variety of styles. A deer hunter style, popular with men, features a deer-head clip with antlers and a scope. The tip looks like a bullet. A pen with rifle clip design comes in a regular 5 1/2 inch bolt action style and a 4 inch mini-bolt action style. Fittings can be chosen in gold, gunmetal, chrome or black enamel. Some pens are made from actual spent .30 caliber cartridges. Civil War buffs would love the Civil War pen, which has a Springfield rifle clip with a mini-ball on the cap and a .44 caliber bullet on the tip.
An American patriot pen features a flag and eagle design with the words "God Bless America" around the center of the pen. A simpler pen with only a flag is available. Other styles feature clips in the shape of a skeleton key, a treble clef, a golf club and a cross. The cross pen is made with olive wood from the Holy Land.
Ladies might prefer the princess pen with red or blue rhinestones on the clip and the band. Another pen features the words "Faith, Hope and Love" on the band. A necklace pen hangs around the neck to keep it always handy for use.
Other specialty styles include a small pen that looks like a lipstick case, one that features a double-headed screwdriver and a flip pen that features a stylus on one end and a flashlight that reverses to a pen on the other.
Pens from Williams Woodcrafts are available at Austin Drug, Teasley Drug and Cardinal Corner Pawn Shop in Gravette and at Knoedel's Outdoor Tech in Hiwasse.
Williams is always willing to make custom orders for anyone who sees a pen they like but want it in a different wood. She can be contacted at [email protected] or by mail at P.O. Box 85, Gravette, AR 72736. Her phone number is 479-640-1606.
General News on 12/10/2014