The International Association of Penturners (IAP) is an organization that recognizes pen making as a craft with unique and distinctive character. Pen making encompasses a vast array of techniques, materials, technical knowledge, and novel approaches to produce a functional, aesthetically appealing writing instrument. The goal of the IAP is to give pen makers a place to enhance their skills, share experiences, and promote the art of pen making.

The Organization:

The IAP is a virtual association of like-minded individuals. It has no formal governing structure or elected officials, no dedicated offices or facilities, and no assets other than the knowledge base developed over time from member contributions and discussions. The primary “meeting place” for our members is our discussion forum.

Policy-making and management is handled by a custodian and appointed advisers whose primary goal is to maintain a fun, friendly, orderly, productive environment for all members. While the site is largely self-policing, with members responsible for keeping order amongst themselves in the discussion forums, a team of moderators and the site administrator provide enforcement of the rules when that need infrequently arises.

Membership is free of charge and is activated simply by obtaining a username and password to access the Penturners.org web site. We are an all-volunteer organization and no one is compensated for their effort. Site operations (hosting, bandwidth, software, etc.) and professional services are funded through donations. You will find no paid advertising on our web site, although we do sometimes recognize vendors for contributions of contest prizes.

Our Web Site:

Penturners.org is the official Web site of the IAP. Along with very active discussion forums, we offer member photo albums, and a library of articles and instructions.

Contacting Us:

This document was posted on August 1, 2008