How To Enter

Leave a comment on this post with your guess of how long the top spun and be sure to include the number of minutes & seconds and your email address so we can contact you.  Then be sure to Like our FaceBook fan page at http://www.facebook.com/norskwoodshop for updates & more contests. Don’t delay, the contest ends at midnight on Saturday January 14th, 2012.

Fine Print

The contest is open to anyone over the age of 18 years anywhere in the world.  The gift certificate has a value of $25 that can be used for merchandise & shipping charges on my Etsy shop at http://www.etsy.com/shop/norskwoodshop.  The gift certificate expires 6 months after the date of issue.  One guess per person.  Contest ends midnight January 14, 2012.  Winner will be notified by email.  If they don’t respond in 1 week, the next closest time will be notified.  If there is a tie for the closest time, I will use a random number generator to pick the winner.

‘Gift Ideas For Him’ by kellyos

iPhone case, cell phone case… chapinleather $35.00	Key Ring Secret Compartment … WoodcraftsandC… $12.50
Leather Journal Dark Chocola… tactilebookssh… $42.00	Amboyna & Gold Box Elder Bur… norskwoodshop $75.00
Man Cave Enter at Your Own R… Nesedecor $10.00	Reserved: Soap for men SEXY … WashableArt $72.00
Shaving Kit Set, Custom Craf… WadeCreations $279.95	Leather Briefcase Messenger … RusticLeatherC… $299.00
FATHERS DAY – Airplane PROPE… GlazedBlackChe… $19.99	Black Bird Handmade Glass Co… tzaddihome $33.00
Hand-Stamped Men’s or Wo… CarriesCustomD… $22.00	Acoustic Guitar Case – Pick … ashleysilverne… $20.00
Rice Bowl with Chopsticks/Wh… dkpottery $26.00	Men’s Silver Diamond Sha… NangijalaJewel… $82.00
Handknit Striped Scarf Mens … goodmarvin $25.00	Men’s Steampunk Gear Nec… asecondtime $40.00

Treasury tool by Red Row Studio.

‘The unisex gift guide’ by YellowBugBoutique

Felted Cobweb Scarf Unisex /… frenchfelt $58.00	Textured Ring-sterling silve… mujoyas $41.00
EBONY: retro modern mail let… PIGandFiSH $62.00	Single Bulbosa Air Plant Pod… seaandasters $11.00
HOME with Diagnonal Stripes … redtilestudio $28.00	Blackcurrant Souffle Cushion… kaftansarafan $98.00
30% OFF- White Water Bottle … natalya1905 $17.50	Original Collage Art for Rol… palimpsestic $78.00
cereal bowl soup bowl ice cr… JDWolfePottery $16.00	Vintage 1918 Gray’s Anat… VintageScraps $12.00
Vintage RUBBER STAMP Stand H… SwedeHeartVint… $30.00	VEGAN Steampunk Motorcycle D… studio724 $140.00
Metal Wall Art Abstract Deco… milesshay $110.00	Smart Simple Secure.5 slot d… Lavenderharves… $22.00
Crouse Hinds Search light Vi… AustinModern $550.00	Wood Fountain Pen Turned fro… norskwoodshop $95.00

Treasury tool by Red Row Studio.

Here are a few of the upcoming pen shows in 2011.  While I will not be attending any of these shows with my fountain pens, I wanted to suggest you attend a show in your area to meet some great people and look at some fantastic pens.

Washington DC – August 11th, 12th (Preshow), 13th and 14th, 2011 – http://pencentral.com/

Dallas, Texas – September 23 & 24 – http://www.dallaspenshow.com

Troy, Michigan – October 14 & 15 – http://www.michpens.com/html/mi_pen_show.html

San Francisco, California – October 14, 15, & 16 – http://sanfranciscopenshow.net

Columbus, Ohio – November 3, 4, 5, & 6 – http://www.ohiopenshow.com

For more information including hotel information, ticket prices, classes, and location, visit www.MiamiPenShow.com.

See you there!

Caran d’Ache Amazon is the first green colored ink that I have tried.  This is a great color and has awesome shading!  This test was done using a Pelikan Script 1.5 pen on a A5 Rhodia lined pad.  This was another sample from the Goulet Pen Company’s Ink Drop program.

This is the second Diamine ink color that I have tried out and I like this one a bit better than the Diamine Syrah I reviewed last year.  This sample was written with one our our Baron style fountain pens with the included medium point nib on Rhodia lined paper.

I liked the blood red color very much however it’s darkness left little room for shading (at least with this medium nib pen).  There was no evidence of feathering and the dry time was fine for what I normally see with Rhodia paper.

All in all, I think I will keep the rest of this Goulet Pens sample and may purchase a bottle at some point.

I would like to share with everyone one of my newest pieces , “Millenia”, a natural edge turned platter on a pedestal.  This piece will be traveling with me to Saint Paul next month for the 25th Annual Woodturning Symposium.  The platter is maple with burl and end-grain wood (with the pith intact in the center of the platter).  The pedestal is made from ebony wood.  The finish is high gloss tung oil.

Just for fun, I am offering a $25 Norsk Woodshop gift certification for my Etsy.com shop for the first person that guesses why I named this piece “Millenia”.  Offer good through Friday May 20th, 2011 at Noon (Eastern).

While perusing the gift shop at the fort in Saint Augustine this January I found a display of “historical writing instruments” including several different quill & ink sets.  I picked up one just to try it out and see what writing might have been like during the start of our great country.

All I can say is Benjamin Franklin must have been a patient man!  To get enough ink on the nib to even write half way across the page you end up with a big blob at the start of the word!  The line itself is quite fine if not a bit scratchy…but not that bad considering what you are actually writing with and the fact that I am sure that this is not the best quill available.

If you would like to try out writing with a feather quill, you have a few options.  Some light searching I found this site (http://www.flick.com/~liralen/quills/quills.html) that shows you how to make your own quills or at this site (http://www.nostalgicimpressions.com/Feather_Quill_Pens_s/155.htm) you can purchase a quill.  So give it a try and add another pen to your collection!

To actually make the pen, I use standard woodturning tools to shape the blank down to the sized needed for the selected pen kit and then finished to a high gloss.

Below are a few samples of worthless wood pens that The Norsk Woodshop has created in the past.