Desert Iron Wood

[kiddo]

Desert Iron Wood - Black Titanium Barron.

File size appx: 1.4M

http://pen.st/misc/Armstrong.jpg

Thank you for looking;

kiddo

 

[gerryr]

Looks like a nice pen, but the background is exceedlingly confusing and fights with the pen. Try photographing it against a plain white background. It will make it a lot easier for people to comment on the pen.

 

[pete00]

nice looking pen, but what gerry mentioned....

 

[Rifleman1776]

It's called 'show off your pens', not fancy studio work. Trying to block out the picture, I do see a very nice Baron.

 

[mrcook4570]

Other penturners may not like all of the 'junk' in the photo, but I'll bet it goes over well with customers.

 

[Trapshooter]

went to look at the pen, I have dial up internet and I lost interest waiting for it to down load. As an internet customer, I would never see this pen.

If I was to see the photo in a store I would more than likely appreciate it, sorry I did not wait to see your work.[]

 

[thewishman]

It is a pretty pen.

 

[kiddo]

Hi again;

Thank you for looking at my work and telling me your thoughts.

I know that modem users can find my pictures a little on the ‘heavy’ side as far as download time. I design for print, but hope to soon have a very nice web page with properly sized graphics. I have much to learn in this regard…


As far as the “junk†in the picture, it is intentional. I present my work here to you as my customer sees it. I consider it part of the entire process of making a pen.

I understand that for most here, it is its own reward to wipe the last fingerprints off of a newly minted pen and to marvel at your own craftsmanship, to wince at your own errors, and to be awed by the beauty of a splendid piece of wood. We wish to see others work as we see our own.

But let’s face it, this is an expensive hobby and if we did not sell a few pens now and then, sooner or later we would be up to our ears in pens (or broke).

I do not believe that the polishing is done when the last swatch of micro-mesh is set aside… Today’s customer not only needs to be told what to buy, they WANT to be told what to buy. What car to drive, what jeans to wear, and even what pen to buy. Who tells them? You do.

As someone here wisely observed, “the majority of people are like fish or crows and are attracted to shiny objects.†I would add to this observation that: “people today are conditioned to respond to attractive advertising.†They rely on it, subconsciously, to tell them what they need or want. A shiny gloss finish will certainly catch their eye, but a polished presentation will make them feel “warm and fuzzy†about opening their cheque book.

So for these reasons, I present my work, junk and all, as a finished product.

As we are most often our own best (or worst) critics, I will add my own comments to yours…

The pen itself, is by the standards of creativity and craftsmanship I see here, fair to average. A standard issue kit, built to spec with a nice piece of wood from a popular supplier.

As for what I call the ‘soft’ polish, ie: the artwork, I can be much more critical.

There are many errors that need to be fixed before printing…

• The moons surface is being illuminated from the right while the earth in the background is being illuminated from the left.
• Lowering the pen to not obscure the flag puts it too far outside the center of the action and makes it look like it is flying out of Mr. Armstrong’s dupa. As I would feel ashamed to obscure the flag with my pen I decided on the compromise of letting the obscured part bleed through and remain visible. Unfortunately, I also applied this effect to the leg of the LEM and it looks dorky and lessens the cool-factor of the flag bleed through.
• There are no stars in the sky. Space should have stars.
• “Don’t leave home without one†Too obviously a rip-off of you know who.
• Everything on the moons surface casts a shadow except for the pen. Need to add.
• There is a cloud formation just on the horizon that looks like a smiley face.
• The top of the earth looks rough and jagged.
• Need to check graphics used for any licensing probs.
• The rest of the sheet is empty. Still have to finish the page with advertising copy and supporting graphics/layout…

All these things and probably many more I haven’t noticed yet need to be fixed or completed before running off to Kinko’s to print off a few nice glossy spreads.

Is this Soft(ware) polish worth the extra work? Is worrying about subtle visual cues necessary? Am I a babbling idiot? A crappy photographer? Of course! This nice but rather average pen will sell for $175.00 within a week of printing. A monumental historic event, NASA, a famous explorer and national hero, and the Earth Moon and Stars guarantee it.

Thank you for reading my BS;

Kiddo

 

[Johnathan]

You do what you have to. I would only express concerns in using Neil Armstrongs name. This could lead to legal problems down the road.

The picture didn't come up very clear so I really can't comment on the pen but I do know that a great presentation means good sales. The client/customer really needs to feel from you as the penmaker that this is something that is a must have in every home and a unique work of art worth every penny.

 

[Jim Boyd]

Got to like a person who goes against the grain and answers back with tact and grace[][] The only thing I didn't like was the flag pole and luner lander leg visable through the pen.