Fountain Pen Community's Opinion of Us?

[bgray]

My question is pretty similar to the "commercial vs turned thread", but I don't want to hijack that thread since my question is a little different.

I went to the Fountain Pen Network, and searched for all threads pertaining to "wood". I found hardly anything. One guy started a thread that he was looking for a good wooden pen. The members there didn't mention anything about guys like us who turn pens out of wood. Finally, one of us chimed in, and linked his website. A guy commented with...

"Not all wooden pens are worth it. There are unfortunately many wood hobbyists who make beautiful wooden pens and then buy low-quality bad-writing nibs to put in them. So if you buy a hand-made one, make sure it has a good nib."

The penmaker responded to say that sure, there are cheap hardware kits out there, but most of the custom wooden penmakers are using hardware and nibs of the same quality as commercial pen-makers.

The thread continues, and no one really even comments further, just adding their thoughts on more commercially made pens that might be made from wood.

If you want to read the thread, it's here...
http://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=9969&hl=wood

My question is...what can we expect the fountain pen aficionados opinion to be of even our best pens?

I've gotta make a couple of assumtions, here...the audience in question will to drop a grand or more on a pen. This probably makes them a little leary of any pen-maker who is creating pens from a "kit". (maybe we should start selling our pens for $1,000 to make them feel better )

Next...perhaps this audience is really not that aware of us. I don't know the whole history of our craft, but I don't remember Craft Supplies offering the Gentlemen's, Statesmen's, or other higher end pens five to ten years ago. And then the Emperor came out (I'm guessing) 3 years ago, while the Imperial and Lotus have only been available this year. (If I'm correct...)

So my point here is that perhaps this group of pen buyers just haven't seen much of our work in the last 3-4 years. I think that the high end of our craft has really changed dramatically in the last few years. Perhaps his statement about not finding high quality nibs on our pens was actually true 5-10 years ago.

Any thoughts here? I'm just wondering why that market (to the best of my knowledge) has not really taken advantage of our better prices, when the quality difference isn't there? Honestly, most of us don't sell our highest end pens for more than $200 (many for less), unless there is a special material, or something else unique about the pen.

Maybe the simple answer is the fact that the audience in question doesn't feel like they have quality unless they get it from Tiffany's, Sak's, etc...maybe a guy who spent $100,000 on a Porsche is not interested in someone who built an AC Cobra for $30,000 out of his garage, even though they both perform well.

Thoughts?

 

[Rifleman1776]

Your last paragraph nailed it. Ye answered yer own questions.

 

[wood-of-1kind]

Originally posted by bgray43050
<br />
So my point here is that perhaps this group of pen buyers just haven't seen much of our work in the last 3-4 years.

"this group" actually contains some of our own here. I'm a subscriber to both groups but much prefer the company at IAP. We're 'makers' here for the most part, can't say that the same holds true for the FP group. "They" know of us, just ask OLD GRIZ(Tom Mullane) who is now 'there'.

-Peter-

 

[Blind_Squirrel]

When describing the pens I make I stay away from the word "kit" for the reason that it makes the pens sound cheap and easy to make. I tell them that one of the things I buy is the metal hardware.

 

[bgray]

Originally posted by wood-of-1kind
<br />

Originally posted by bgray43050
<br />
So my point here is that perhaps this group of pen buyers just haven't seen much of our work in the last 3-4 years.

"this group" actually contains some of our own here. I'm a subscriber to both groups but much prefer the company at IAP. We're 'makers' here for the most part, can't say that the same holds true for the FP group. "They" know of us, just ask OLD GRIZ(Tom Mullane) who is now 'there'.

-Peter-

Did that come out derogatory? That wasn'y my intention, and offer apologies if it did.

bg

 

[PenWorks]

Russ always seems to use the word SNOB, when associating fountain pen users. There is some truth to that.
I think I make nice pens, but I still find myself clamering for some of the higher end commercial pens.
Just got to have that name and some of the pizaz that goes with them.
Most of the folks at that site (just guessing here) probablly associate hand made wood pens, with the likes of the average wood crafter selling pens at craft shows, instead of the higher quality work we are use to seeing by most of the members here.
It has only been a couple of years, since some penturners have been doing pen shows and are starting to make some good inroads and sales at them. Higher end parts have only been available for about 2 years as well.
All the talk in the world is not going to change their opinion, until they actually see some of the finer pens being made by independant penmakers.

 

[Firefyter-emt]

I too subscribe over there and have not seen the "high end snobery" to be honest, there is a lot of love for some real cheap pens over there. I had rave reviews on a couple I posted over there. I personaly have not been given the cold shoulder for having "hand made pens" in fact it's been the other way around. I think for the most part it's just a diffrent world and there is no "one name" to put on them.

This post might make you all feel better, it's the thread from a photo I shared when I re-bodied my Jr. Statesman with some Cocobolo.
http://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=19969

 

[RussFairfield]

There are penturners who have made their way in the fountain pen world. Some of them sell $300 fountain pens, and some of them sell hjigher priced than that.

They share 4 things.

Their pens LOOK like an expensive fountain pen.
Fit and finish are perfect.

Their pens WRITE like an expensive fountain pen.
We can argue the merits of the $5 plated steel nib foreveer, but it is a fact that the dedicated fountain pen user can tell the difference and will demand a solid gold nib in an expensive pen.

They have taken their pens to where the buyers of expensive fountain pens go to purchase their pens, and that is the pen shows. We can't sell a $300 fountain pen at a craft show. We have to follow the money.

They have done their hopmework and learned the language and the penmanship of the fountain pen. We can't sell a $300 fountain pen if we don't know how to use it.

My experience has been that, when we have done these things, the fountain pen community thinks well of us. Others may have different experiences.

 

[Scott]

I have been participating at the Fountain Pen Network (FPN) for a while (since I acquired a nasty pen-using habit!), and I think most of the people participating there would be open to the better kinds of pens made by us. I would typify them as "Pen Users" as opposed to "Pen Collectors". A user will be more open to pens based on how they work - do they write well? A collector has to have the pen because it fills some need other than writing. Oh, they may write with it too, but for a collector to be interested in it, it has to be something more.

This is why the users at FPN will ooh and aah over a hand finished maki-e Danitrio worth thousands, but when they buy something they'll buy the raw ebonite Danitrio for under $200 because it works and writes well! And if you want to see what we have to compete with, look at the raw ebonite Densho from Danitrio. It is a big black, fairly plain pen. It looks kind of like a double closed-end Gentleman pen made from a black resin. But the fit-and-finish is flawless, it is light as a feather, and the 18K nib is a dream to write with! So if you want to sell a pen to the users there for around $200, remember what you're up against!

That doesn't mean I'm trying to discourage you! But you will need to produce a pen that honors the fact that the average fountain pen user is a fanatic! They don't use fountain pens because they are handy or convenient. They use them because they love them! They really enjoy the act of writing with their fountain pens, and appreciate the subtle differences between pens that make them a joy to write with. They are passionate about their pens! And if you cannot be passionate about your pens, then you will not be selling pens to them!

I have seen some hand made (turned) pens get good reviews at the FPN. They will give you a chance to provide them a pen to love. But they will not put up with just a hunk of metal, plastic and wood. It has to inspire a certain romance in their hearts! Come on, you can do it! Just think romance!

Scott.

 

[bob393]

Originally posted by Rifleman1776
<br />Your last paragraph nailed it. Ye answered yer own questions.

Ditto: Threre are some people with more money than you know who. Just flip through a volume of Pen World Mag.

By the way does anyone have a link to the artical in Pen World Mag about the pen turning community that was published a couple of years ago?

 

[gerryr]

http://www.penmakersguild.com/articles.htm
It's listed on this page.

 

[Firefyter-emt]

Scott, you could not of said it any better.

...as I sit here with 3 diffrent colors of blue ink on my fingers from testing a couple new blues I got in the mail today, and am awaiting a bottle of Noodlers Nightshade [] Good thing I can't afford to buy even $200 pens or I would be in trouble!

 

[bjackman]

Originally posted by Firefyter-emt
<br />...as I sit here with 3 diffrent colors of blue ink on my fingers from testing a couple new blues I got in the mail today, and am awaiting a bottle of Noodlers Nightshade [] Good thing I can't afford to buy even $200 pens or I would be in trouble!

HEY!!!!, I resent....errrrr, resemble that comment.... [B)]

 

[jahlg]

I did a classic americana fountain pen for a gift, for one of the doctors my mother works with. She did not know he was a fountain pen collector with quite a collection. Well needless to say he does not use the fountai pen, ,it has been entered into his collection!! This person also has a fountain pen from the 1800's, and he was offered 14 grand for. Which hee figures is worth double that. So it makes me feel good that mine made it in the collection. Boy could i do a better one now!!!!

 

[Mark4583]

Ive found that many people dont think there getting a quality item unless there paying out the nose for it or has a specific brand name.
I personaly wouldnt pay over $5 or $6 bucks for any pen just to write with, but I am very happy that there are many that will pay a nice price.

 

[bob393]

Originally posted by gerryr
<br />http://www.penmakersguild.com/articles.htm
It's listed on this page.

[]Thank You[]

 

[TellicoTurning]

There is a store in NYC that sells pens, If you look at some of the materials, they are very nearly the same type of materials we buy. One in patricular that I remember is the acrylic "cracked ice" that you can get at Wood Crafters... I saw one of his catalogs that had pens for as much as $3700.

His web site is: http://www.artbrown.com/