Here at Alamo City Diverse Creations I take particular care to only use the highest quality materials in my products.
Woods
I use a wide variety of domestic and exotic woods. I go to great lengths to locate highly figured, rare and exotic woods. This does not mean that I don't use more traditional domestic woods as well, but most of these are by request. Burls contain some of the most dramatic figure of any wood and many are available for you to choose from. If you have something particular in mind, just let me know. Additionally, some woods may be stabilized for added durability.
Special Woods
Every now and then I obtain wood that has significance. Sometimes this significance is historical, sometimes spiritual. When possible these woods will be accompanied by a Certificate of Authenticity and any other documentation I can obtain. Below are several types of such wood and a brief description of each.
Heritage Live Oak Burl
This burl came from a Live Oak tree in San Antonio, Texas that was at least 300 years old when it was struck by lightning several years ago. So what makes this wood so special? Maybe nothing to some, but for a native Texan, or anyone with Texas heritage, this tree witnessed the battle at the Alamo. It also witnessed Texas' independence and later inception to the United States. Not to mention that it is old enough to have witnessed the travels of some of the Spanish Conquistadores.
Irish Bog Oak
This oak was imported from Ireland. In the last few years, old oaks have been dug from Irish peat bogs, carbon dated, milled and have been made available to woodworkers worldwide. This particular tree has been dated to be alive in the day of St. Patrick. A copy of the carbon dating will accompany with the pen.
Ancient Kauri
Another old wood is touted as being the oldest lumber in the world. It is ancient Kauri and is imported from New Zealand. Like Ireland, New Zealand recently began unearthing large fallen timbers. These timbers have been identified as being Kauri. Kauri is a wood that still grows in New Zealand, but not in the sizes being unearthed today. This wood has been dated to be at least 50,000 years old. A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany the pen.
Bethlehem Olive Wood
Another special wood may have spiritual significance to some. It is called Bethlehem Olive Wood and is imported from Jerusalem. No Olive trees are cut down to obtain this wood. The Olive trees in Israel are pruned annually to keep the trees healthy and the prunings are exported. This process is as it has been for hundreds of years and the wood pruned could easily be from a tree that is many hundreds of years old. A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany the pen.
Resins and Synthetics
I also use a large variety of synthetic materials. These range from imported fine Italian resins to Lucite, synthetic stone, and my own resin mixtures exclusive to Alamo City Diverse Creations. I also experiment with other materials from time to time. For example, you will find writing instruments created from a wide variety of materials like fabric. The fabric has been specially treated to become plastisized and is very durable. The unique look this creates is often amazing.
