My First 11 pens

[BigguyZ]

Here's a few pics that comprise the first pens I've done. 11 in all. The first one was simple, and done as a gift for a coworker going to another job. Then came the next 4. The third in the second picture was a combination of a couple of blanks- their corresponding halves cracked on the lathe. The last in the second picture was my attempt to do something more original.

In the last picture you see some varried attempts. I tried not to make the same design twice. Some were more successful than others. I re-turned my first cigar pen- which was Box Elder. I really like the way the acrylics turned out. Two of the cigar pens include additional bands of material. That was done as a fix when I trimmed the brass tubes a bit too much with the barrel trimmer. I think the workaround turned out well, and may be something I intentionaly do later.

[ragswl4]

Beautiful! Keep that up and I'll have to go buy a lathe. Very nice work.

[RayintheUK]

The third in the second picture was a combination of a couple of blanks- their corresponding halves cracked on the lathe.

You're obviously enjoying the pen turning and are producing some good results, so I'm going to hark back to a previous post (in which you were talking about pricing and marketing) and make a couple of observations.

Although combining two halves of different pens might seem like a good idea, regretfully, they rarely look anything other than exactly what they are - a jacket from one suit and pants from another. From a sales point of view - disastrous - plus the knowledgeable customer will know exactly what's going on. If I blow a part I start over, regardless.

I tried not to make the same design twice.

This is a laudable approach, especially early on, but can be counter-productive when marketing. Loads and loads of types and styles often results in a choice being made on price alone - not always what you want. More often than not, I've found that the same design, produced in a variety of wood or acrylic types, gives the buyer a similar range of choice, plus the added "confidence" that the style must be a good one, because it's a "constant" in your output.

For fun, for competitions, for any other number of reasons, different designs are OK, but for sales, the smaller number of designs seems to do better. FWIW

Ray.

[DonHo]

The pens turned out very nice and the "saves" are good, I can't tell by looking which they are

Keep up the good work,
DonHo

[BigguyZ]

Ray- Thank you for your input, it's much appreciated. I agree with everything you said 100%. the multiple blank pen wad just put together because I wanted to finish something and was never meant to be a sale-able pen. I've invested in a pen dissasembly tool for the 10mm size, and I'm sure I'll eventaully get one for the 7mm size as well. At that point, I'll take it apart and use another blank set.

As far as the styles go, I'm experimenting with what looks/ feel comfortable. I'm trying to stay away from the standard style, as I personally think that takes away from the uniqueness of the pens. When I can get my hands on some really good blanks, I'll let the wood speak for itself, but otherwise I wanted to try something different.

I'm not going into business just yet, but I think I'd need to sell what I have/ will make in the future as I don't need 20 pens and can't afford to make them to keep...

Edit- the saves are the 3rd and last pen in the 3rd picture.

Ray/ anyone- what forms do you think turned out the best?

[Ken Massingale]

Ray- Thank you for your input, it's much appreciated. I agree with everything you said 100%. the multiple blank pen wad just put together because I wanted to finish something and was never meant to be a sale-able pen. I've invested in a pen dissasembly tool for the 10mm size, and I'm sure I'll eventaully get one for the 7mm size as well. At that point, I'll take it apart and use another blank set.

As far as the styles go, I'm experimenting with what looks/ feel comfortable. I'm trying to stay away from the standard style, as I personally think that takes away from the uniqueness of the pens. When I can get my hands on some really good blanks, I'll let the wood speak for itself, but otherwise I wanted to try something different.

I'm not going into business just yet, but I think I'd need to sell what I have/ will make in the future as I don't need 20 pens and can't afford to make them to keep...

Edit- the saves are the 3rd and last pen in the 3rd picture.

Ray/ anyone- what forms do you think turned out the best?

I tried the wasp shapes and other variations to try to be unique and 'artistic'. Turned out that standard pen shapes, tapered to the bushings sell much better than those with humps on the stylus end, in the middle, etc.. I think people that pay for a hand-made pen look more at the detail of the fit and the finish than for something different. Those that want something a little outrageous will usually buy a <$5 piece of plastic. That's my experience anyway.

[RayintheUK]

I'm experimenting with what looks/ feel comfortable. I'm trying to stay away from the standard style, as I personally think that takes away from the uniqueness of the pens. When I can get my hands on some really good blanks, I'll let the wood speak for itself, but otherwise I wanted to try something different.

I'm not going into business just yet, but I think I'd need to sell what I have/ will make in the future as I don't need 20 pens and can't afford to make them to keep...

Ray/ anyone- what forms do you think turned out the best?

You've got the answer right there: "When I can get my hands on some really good blanks, I'll let the wood speak for itself," because it truly will and will be far more important that the shape overall, in my experience.

In the UK, slimline pens are the norm, cigar pens a comparative rarity. There may not be as much of a pen (weight, bulk, etc.) in a slimline design, but they certainly are very elegant and the blank has to speak for itself when the shape is limited. Therefore, blank quality and finish are both key elements - the kit quality is a given.

I like the slimlines (probably because that's what I'm used to) and the dark maroon acrylic best, although the spalted pen is also very nice. As Ken Massingale says: "Those that want something a little outrageous will usually buy a <$5 piece of plastic," so there's a fine line to tread here.

If you make what some might consider to be an "outrageous" shape, your buyer will have to be doubly keen to buy it - firstly because of the price premium (as it's a hand-crafted piece), secondly because of the design. One, or the other, may attract sufficient buyers, but including both will reduce the marketability. Sorry, but that's just how it usually is.

Ken Massingale again: "Turned out that standard pen shapes, tapered to the bushings sell much better than those with humps on the stylus end, in the middle, etc.. I think people that pay for a hand-made pen look more at the detail of the fit and the finish than for something different."

Over here, that's absolutely the case and - if you think about it - it's true of most classic best-sellers. A conventionally-shaped bowl, beautifully finished and made out of a quality blank will always outsell a quirky-shaped design for a variety of reasons. Sure, the quirky one will sell eventually, but you've got to wait for that doubly-motivated buyer I mentioned earlier.

I don't mean any of this long-winded comment to detract from the obvious progress you're making in your pen turning. The finish on the pens you have showed us here is excellent and you're not afraid to experiment. Down the road a little, I'm confident you will settle into a style and design for which you will become known. That - and the resultant word-of-mouth recommendation - is what makes for a solid customer base.

Ray.

[John Hunter]

Very nice.

[lrogers]

You sure make it difficult to choose a favorite, but after careful consideration, my vote goes to the second one from the bottom.

[mater]

It looks like you have been busy. Beautiful work.

[bthere]

Several interesting designs. I have been resisting the itch to turn pens, but when I see results like yours, it makes it hard to keep from scratching that itch.

[BigguyZ]

Several interesting designs. I have been resisting the itch to turn pens, but when I see results like yours, it makes it hard to keep from scratching that itch.

BE CAREFUL! Once you start- it really is addicting. I'll be watchign TV and be like "Man, I'd really like to make another pen"...

My last stint, I went to the shop just to spend maybe a half an hour to touch something up, and ended up doing a marathon 2 1/2- 3 hours!

[bthere]

BE CAREFUL! Once you start- it really is addicting. I'll be watchign TV and be like "Man, I'd really like to make another pen"...

My last stint, I went to the shop just to spend maybe a half an hour to touch something up, and ended up doing a marathon 2 1/2- 3 hours!

That's half of what I'm afraid of. The other half needing about 10 gazillion more specialized tools -- not that I'm normally shy about packing more new gotta-haves in my no-more-space shop.

[BigguyZ]

That's half of what I'm afraid of. The other half needing about 10 gazillion more specialized tools -- not that I'm normally shy about packing more new gotta-haves in my no-more-space shop.

Yeah, there's definitely a lot of crap to buy. But a lot of it isn't really tools, but the CA glue, and the finishes... The actual chisels I used are the same as I use for bowls. I was told a while ago to stay clear of the smaller "pen chisels" because the larget ones give you greater controll and can make just as fine a cut. So far it's worked for me.

[leehljp]

Wow! You did some great work. I too would like to comment on good pen blanks. Sometimes something that looks ordinary turns out spectacular. And some blanks that look spectacular will turn out ordinary looking. DAMHIKT

Mostly though, for me, blanks fall into two basic categories:
1. interesting grains - of burls, curl, wavy, sheen (chatoyance), twist, contrasting, animal skin types such as beefwood, snakewood, leapord wood, zebrawood and others like lacewood etc - all special grains, then multi colored grains such as zebrawood, cocobolo.

2. unusual solid colors in straight grain such as holly, bloodwood, blackwoods, redheart, yellowheart, purple heart.

Keep on trying and experimenting. Often the experienced will come up with new things, but I have found out that the enthusiasm of a beginner drives to just as much creativity and more at times.

Keep on with what you are doing.