Koa Twist Pen

Koa wood twist pen.  Refillable ink.  Handmade on the Big Island of Hawaiʻi from sustainably harvested Hawaiian koa wood.  Approximately 5 inches.  Comes with a black velvet drawstring bag.

About the wood:

Koa, a dramatically grained Hawaiian wood, varies in tones from deep rosy brown to gold. It is a major component of the native upland forest, and was used by Hawaiians to make their calabashes (bowls), weapons and their indispensable canoes.

About the artist:

Timothy Van Cleave is Hawaiian Woods Craftsman on the Big Island of Hawai`i.  Proudly a Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business.  

From his first pieces, Tim understood the preciousness of the native Hawaiian woods resource, and employed sustainable practices in every step of his art. Tim gathers wood primarily from lumber mill reject and tree trimmings. Occasionally, a customers’ treasured but storm damaged tree will become the medium. Back in his shop, Tim analyzes each piece of stock, deciding the best shape for each piece. He creates bowls that are large or small, wide or narrow, and with a finished or beautiful natural edge. Once the design is decided, Tim then subjects the pieces to the “coning” process which hollows out the block into a bowl shape in such a way that results in saved pieces large enough to be used to make smaller bowls, pens, or the handles for coffee scoops. Coning takes a high degree of skill and is a dangerous undertaking, but it is a practice that makes Tim feel responsible and efficient with the resource. When forming each piece on a lathe Tim also employs the “cutting” method, which allows for cleaner cuts and thinner walled bowls. The exquisite satin finishes are the result of five to six steps of sanding and buffing. Finally, each bowl is hand rubbed with mineral oil.