Phoenix Ballpoint pen in Desert Ironwood with Chrome hw

This is a Phoenix ballpoint pen turned out of a Desert Ironwood with chrome hardware. This pen looks like it is a click pen, but it is actually a single twist mechanism. It's about 5-1/2 inches long and weighs a bit less than 2 ounces.

The Desert Ironwood only grows in the washes and valleys of the Sonoran Desert below 2,500 foot elevation. The boundaries of the ironwood's habitat and that of the Sonoran desert are almost the same. Desert ironwoods are usually found in sandy washes where water is available. Desert ironwoods are from the pea family and their leaves and flowers resemble those of the sweetpea. They're the tallest trees in the Sonoran Desert, reaching heights of 15 to 25 feet, but they can grow as tall as 30 feet. They are one of the longest living trees in the Sonoran desert, and can occasionally live as long as 1,500 years. The wood these conditions produce is hard and quite dense, actually sinking in water. This makes it a fabulous wood to work with as it shapes cleanly and finishes smoothly.

A bit about of the process of creating these pens: I start with a hand-selected bit of wood and the bits that make up the mechanism of the pen. I then cut the wood to length and drill holes to make room for the mechanism. I then put the blank on the lathe and spend some time working the wood to be the proper diameter to match the mechanism. Sand paper is applied, through a number of grits, to get a nice, smooth surface. Several coats of finish are applied and buffed. The wood and mechanism are then combined to create a fabulous writing instrument.