Michigan U.P tap handle

I recently had a coworker leave for a promotion. I had worked with him for several years and wanted to make him a going way gift. He does some home brewing & is a native of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.

In the past I have seen him get a little perturbed when there would be a rendering of the state that did not include the U.P. I decided to make this tap handle with just the U.P. – which he considers the center of the universe.

The U.P. is made of walnut & the lower portion of the tap is made from a scrap that I don’t know the species. There were some voids in the bottom piece of the tap that I filled with 5 minute epoxy colored black. In more natural light-the pictures would have shown more of the character in the grain. The bottom is tapped with a 3/8 X 16 threaded insert.

The U.P. is ~5” wide while the bottom is ~6” tall. I finished it with a coat of G.F. seal-a-cell & multiple coats of G.F. arm-r-seal semi gloss.

Thanks for looking.

Bill in MI