do you sign your pens?

[Dvoigt]

I was showing my pens to my wifes grandpa today and he thought that the craftsmenship was very good and insisted that I find a way to mark them. Maybe initals under the clip or something. Do any of you do something like this? If so what do you use? I wouldn't want to hand engrave it because I would want the sizes to be consistant and not have 1 letter larger then the other

Thanks
D

 

[shull]

You might check out the following thread
http://www.penturners.org/forum/showthread.php?t=39809&highlight=signing+work

 

[leehljp]

Here is a link to Micro Stamps:
http://www.microstampusa.com/

 

[rjwolfe3]

I don't but I have thought about it!

 

[Dvoigt]

I checked out that site as best I could... I'm on vacation and limit to my blackberry. Does anyone use those stamps? Could you use a flat stamp long ways on a round pen since it is so small? Or would you just use something like that on the clip?

Thanks!

 

[Seer]

Why not sign the piece if it is wood before you put the finish on it. It would need to be small as i would in my case put the clip over it, even a small makers mark would be hidden by most clip I would think.?
Just thinking out loud, scares the heck out of loml when I do that

 

[its_virgil]

I don't understand why one would want to go to the trouble to figure out a way to sign one's pen and then want to hide the mark under the clip. Shouldn't we be proud of our work and art creations? Shouldn't our signatures be easily found? As I walk around my home I notice that most of the art I have is signed in places that are easily seen but not in places that would draw attention from the art. Just thinking out loud here.

Also, no one has suggested using a laser. lasers can engrave quite small and unobtrusive marks or signatures. I've seen some that were quite tastefully done. In fact, almost unnoticeable and they were in plain sight and not hidden. Again, just thinking out loud.

Now I'll shut up. But, I do wish I had kept a log of each pen I;ve made with the info about the pen such as kit, wood, finish, date, and who now has the pen. It is too late for me to start that now....or is it?

Do a good turn daily!
Don

 

[Seer]

I just thought of that to identify our work is all. I would love to have mine laser engraved but I would probably have it done just under the edge of the cap with my sig but then some clients may not want it on there pen either you never know.

 

[its_virgil]

Like other artists, figure out a unique and clever way to add your sig or mark to your pens. I've seen some that should not have been done the way they were and I've seen others where the sig or mark were there but done with elegance and taste. Think small, clever, and unique. Most everything we purchase has a name, brand, trademark or similar stamp on it.
Do a good turn daily!
Don

I just thought of that to identify our work is all. I would love to have mine laser engraved but I would probably have it done just under the edge of the cap with my sig but then some clients may not want it on there pen either you never know.

 

[Stick Rounder]

Derek,

You could sign your pens like Barry Gross does in cursive just above the center band. He sends his to Kallenshaan Pens for ingraving. I have not yet done this but am considering it for the high-end pens I create, and will certainly do it for the from scratch pens.

 

[RAdams]

Yes. It is like the Nike "Swoosh" or the Levi Pocket seams, and little red tag. Or, on the other hand, it is like the "Big boy" statue outside the "Big Boy restaraunts.


If your signature is a sweet trademark, and you put it somewhere cool, then it would add to the pen. Kinda like Lou's nibs with his company logo etched on the top of the nib.

My thoughts would be to laser etch the clip, or the cap on certain kits (slims) and not the material. I want the material to be absolutely spotless. Not to mention, some of the homebrew blanks, a signature would be very hard to do.

And there ya have it. My two nickels.

 

[twoofakind]

Search for "chigdon", I know he has a logo and a serial number lasered on his pens. The purchaser can then register the pen by the number on the pen on his website and he knows who purchased it and can follow up with any problems should they arrive.

 

[Dvoigt]

Well I think that laser engraving would be the best option, hands down. But if you are doing that to all your pens at $5 a pop or maybe even $10-15 if you need to mail it back and forth it is really going to add up fast. But then again are you really going to send 30k on a machine to do it yourself? I've been keeping my eyes open for a cheap used laser just in case....

 

[PR_Princess]

Search for "chigdon", I know he has a logo and a serial number lasered on his pens. The purchaser can then register the pen by the number on the pen on his website and he knows who purchased it and can follow up with any problems should they arrive.

Chris Higdon? http://www.higdonpens.com/

I think that if you are going to sell your pens, and you are in it for the long haul, establishing a brand certainly helps! And signing your work is one step on that ladder.

But whether it is on the pen or the fittings, the real trick is to make sure that it is tastefully done.

 

[Dvoigt]

Here is a link to Micro Stamps:
http://www.microstampusa.com/

Anyone use them? I sent them an email to the only address that I could find on there site, and haven't heard anything back yet.

Thanks,
D

 

[John Eberly]

Trademark feature

I've thought about incorporating a common element into a series of pens. Something like Mont Blank's white rosette on the end cap.

Something small and simple that could be done on each pen quickly in the normal course of production.