You are bidding on a beautiful and heavily figured  hand turned STABILIZED AND DOUBLE DYED BLACK & GOLD BOX ELDER BURL LETTER OPENER that was hand turned by me.  A stabilized pen blank is injected with an acrylic material under high pressure which dramatically helps both the color and figure of the wood to POP! In this case the acrylic was first dyed black and was then dyed gold, then injected allowing both the natural colors as well as the black and gold colors to be easily seen in the finished product. A "burl" is an abnormal growth that typically grow on the outside of the tree and usually near the tree trunk. Since each "eye" of the burl could have grown into a tree branch, this causes the grain to grow in every direction at the same time. A burl typically also has bark inclusions, voids, as well as other things making it difficult to turn. A burl also does not form on most trees so they are all very rare, yet contain the most desired wood and is worth all of the extra effort to turn, as you can see. This Letter Opener is both attractive as well as comfortable to hold and is about 7" long. All of my Letter Openers have been sanded to 1000 grit, then coated with a Shellac and Carnauba Wax based water-resistant finish. Finally, the item is the buffed using a 3 step process. The first buffing is done using Tripoli to remove any fine scratches or tool marks, then White Diamond to start to bring out the shine, and then buffed with pure Carnauba wax which not only protects the item but also provides a deep gloss finish.You will be shipped the exact letter opener shown in the photos.

I have been a woodworker for over 15 years, making everything from complete custom cabinetry, to bowls, boxes, and pens on the lathe.  However, due to health issues, I now only turn projects on the lathe in order to give myself something to do for the few hours a day I can stand. When you see pens which have same name, or look the exact same, the chances are that they obtain their kits from the same sources that I use. Since I do not need to "make a living" at this, I can offer the same product, made with great precision, and generally offer it to you for a much lower price.

I have 100% positive feedback, and will always ship within 48 hours of payment using USPS First Class Mail.  SHIPPING IS FREE! I will ship the letter opener in a 6” x 9” padded envelope.  I accept and prefer PayPal for payment. I will allow returns within the first 14 days of receipt. Just send me an email and I will issue a return.  All you have to do is pay for the return shipping.  If you have any questions or need additional photographs, please do not hesitate to ask.