PAT NOLAN ADJUSTS the clear protective goggles over his eyes and flips the switch on his lathe. Shavings fly as he lightly guides the steel gouge against the rapidly spinning raw material before him. A distinct smell, one usually associated with the work of orthopedic surgeons, permeates the work area.
Need to bone up on your penmanship? If so, one of Nolan's deer antler creations may be just the ticket.
Antlers are remarkable, considering they grow within just a few months, evolving from soft, velvet-covered shapes brimming with blood and nerves into hardened, exposed bone. Nolan transforms small sections of deer antlers into writing pens and pencils.
His spacious Hartwood garage is also a woodworking shop, employing a variety of large tools used to craft everything from Adirondack chairs to wooden bowls to writing implements.
"I started making wooden pens for myself and friends and just giving them away. Then friends showed friends and I just started selling them," Nolan said.
"I thought if I could drill a hole in it, I could make a pen out of it," he continued. "So I started making pens out of deer antler. I like antler because each one is different; no two look the same."
The coloring and patterns left by the trimmed, polished antler vary considerably, with some having a polished white look and feel. Others may have patches of brown or a slight piece of the exterior of the antler still showing.
Nolan doesn't need a huge set of antlers to make a pen and has encouraged customers to keep their nice deer racks intact. Any antler (or piece of antler) that's about an inch in diameter and can generate two straight sections of a couple inches each usually will suffice.
"The problem with antler is it has to be straight enough for me to drill a hole through it. Sometimes that's a problem. I might only get one pen out of an antler from a four-point buck," he explained.
Nolan first cuts the antler into appropriate lengths, then drills through the center to insert and glue a brass tube that will hold the pen's ink cartridge. The sections are then placed on a lathe, where he carefully chips away the antler and shapes the pen. He asks if the pen is to be used by a man or a woman, usually giving the pens made for a woman's smaller hand a more slender feel.
The finished product is sanded and then sealed.
He says wooden pens are much easier to make than those crafted from deer antlers. Wood is more easily turned and shaped on the lathe.
Nolan has made pens from a variety of woods, including pecan and cocobolo. One unique project he's undertaking is crafting pens from small pieces of wood recovered from the original 1854 crib dam that was near the Embrey Dam on the Rappahannock River.
"That old wood turns like butter," Nolan said.
Nolan said some of these pens are being sold via Historic Woods of America, Inc. (273-1349 or histor icalwoods.com), on behalf of the Friends of the Rappahannock organization.
Nolan is a deer hunter, often taking his young daughter with him to sit on the deer stand. He tries to maintain a supply of deer antlers for people who want pens but cannot provide their own antlers. Keeping a ready supply can be a challenge.
"Thankfully, Mike and Jerry Silver at Silver Ridge Farm have given me a good amount of horns, along with some business, from hunters who did not want to keep them. I thank them for that, but I always need more of them," he said.
He also receives some antlers from New York, exchanging pens in return.
"The good part [about using your own antlers] is it's your deer, a piece of your hunt. It's something for the hunter to hold on to," Nolan said.
Many deer hunters have old antlers laying around garages or sheds. Nolan suggests, instead of letting the antlers become food for mice, pick one out and have it transformed into a pen.
A newspaper press operator by trade, Nolan has turned his hobby of making pens and furniture into a small part-time business. His pens make for an interesting keepsake or gift. He charges $30 for pens made from antlers you bring, or $40 if he has to use his own antlers.
Pens handcrafted from wood (nonhistoric) and corian--the same stuff used to make many countertops--go for $20. His turnaround time is quick.
You can see more about Nolan's antler pens at nolancreations.com or can call him at 540/752-0457.
Motts may open earlyAccording to Don Minor at the Motts Reservoir Boathouse, the reservoir may be open Friday through Sunday during March from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. if weather permits. The official opening day is April 1. The reservoir will then be open from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. through Oct. 31.
Fishing reportCan you compile and edit detailed fishing information from a wide variety of sources into a tightly written, timely fishing report on a weekly basis? You may be interested in compiling the report that appears on this outdoors page. For details, contact sports editor Steve DeShazo at 540/374-5443.
KEN PERROTTE can be reached at The Free Lance-Star, 616 Amelia Street, Fredericksburg, Va. 22401, by fax at 373-8455 or e-mail at kmunicate@aol.com.