David and Leah Gessner
Handmade Maple Pens
93 March Davis Drive
Guilford, Vermont 05301
t. 802-254-5561
e.
leah@maplepens.com
w.www.maplepens.com
Vermont Treasures
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David and Leah Gessner Handmade Maple Pens t. 802-254-5561 Vermont Treasures |
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| At their woodshop in Guilford, Vermont, David and Leah
Gessner transform beautiful and unique pieces of wood into wood pens. Each
pen is handcrafted to reveal and preserve the exquisite patterns that nature
creates in wood. Their work begins with gathering special woods. They snoop around local lumberyards, loggers, other craftsmen and neighbors to find special pieces. They look primarily for highly figured maples such as spalted, tiger, birdseye, ambrosia and burls. Next they rough cut and sort the woods. Highly figured samples are stabilized with resin to create a smooth, lustrous surface while preserving the natural beauty of the grain and markings. After pen sized blanks are cut, drilled and fitted with a brass tube, they are mounted on a lathe and individually shaped with roughing gouges and skew chisels. The pen shape is sanded and burnished until a satin-like surface is achieved, then protected with a final finish. While they focus on locally available Vermont hardwoods, David and Leah sometimes cannot resist purchasing exotic woods from around the world. Visitors are always welcome at their shop in Guilford, where they are pleased to demonstrate their craft and display their pens. |
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