The Norsk Woodshop - Handcrafted pens by Patrick Sikes

The Big Spin Top & Giveaway

Step right up! It’s the big top spin off! Win a $25 gift certificate to use on handcrafted fountain, rollerball, and ballpoint pens just by guessing how long the big top spins! Watch the video below to learn about the top, the giveaway, and see it spin. Visit http://www.etsy.com/shop/norskwoodshop to see what you could be winning!

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

Posted by Patrick Sikes in Uncategorized - (0 Comments)

Another great etsy treasury featuring gifts for the guy in your life including my amboyna & gold box elder burl fountain pen! Do you see something your guy would love?

‘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

Posted by Patrick Sikes in Etsy | fountain pens | Treasury - (0 Comments)

New etsy treasury featuring my Black Ash Burl and Mother of Pearl Fountain Pen. What’s your favorite item on this treasury?

‘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.

Upcoming pen shows in 2011

Posted by Patrick Sikes in shows - (0 Comments)

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

Miami Pen Show – July 16 & 17

Posted by Patrick Sikes in shows - (0 Comments)

Join me at the Miami Pen Show next weekend (July 16 & 17, 2011) at the Biscayne Bay Marriot right in the heart of Miami. There will be many vendors selling many pens from vintage, to new factory made, and of course I will be there with my handcrafted fountain pens, ballpoint pens, and rollerball pens.

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

See you there!

miami pen show

Ink Review: Caran d’Ache Amazon

Posted by Patrick Sikes in ink | review - (3 Comments)

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.

amazon, Caran d'Ache, ink, review

Ink Review: Diamine Red Dragon

Posted by Patrick Sikes in ink | paper | pens | review - (1 Comments)

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.

Diamine, ink, Red Dragon, review

Millenia

Posted by Patrick Sikes in giveaways | woodturning - (3 Comments)

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).

ebony, maple, platter

Pen & Ink: Discovering the quill

Posted by Patrick Sikes in paper | pens - (1 Comments)

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!

feather, ink, quill

So what is “Worthless Wood”?

Posted by Patrick Sikes in Uncategorized - (0 Comments)

Worthless Wood is an amalgam of wood and resin that makes it possible to make pens (or other items) from a piece of wood that would normally be headed for the firewood pile. Some of my favorite worthless wood blanks are made using “burl caps”. Burl caps are the rough outer edge of the a burl that has random edges, spines, and knobs. To make these blanks, a piece of wood is cut and placed into a pen blank sized mold (approximately 5 inches long by 1 inch square). Next, resin is mixed with the appropriate hardener and colors, dyes, and pearls are mixed in then poured over the top of the wood till the mold is filled. Finally the mold is placed into a vacuum chamber to pull all he air out of the resin to make sure there are no bubbles in the finished pen.

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.

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How To Enter

Fine Print

‘Gift Ideas For Him’ by kellyos

‘The unisex gift guide’ by YellowBugBoutique

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