How many pen kits do you own?

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tbfoto

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Dec 16, 2009
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Lafayette, Indiana
I make pens purely as a hobby. Yes, I have sold a few before but it is not my intention or goal. I make them because its fun to do. I've been trying to get my pen kits better organized so I know what I have on hand so tonight I sat down and made myself an EXCEL spreadsheet to keep track of what I have. I know I don't make nearly as many as some of you here do but was surprised to find out that I have about 75 kits. So it got me thinking......If you turn them just as a hobby....how many kits do you have on hand?
 
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Skie_M

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Aug 7, 2015
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Lawton, Ok
I have 22 different sets of bushings or mandrels on hand for my turning projects .... bottle stopper, razor handle, and 2 jewelry mandrel sets, so 18 different pen bushing sets, plus the 7mm mandrel bushings that came with my pen mandrel.

This means that I have the bushings needed for 19 different pen kits, possibly more if they double up, which some do ... I know my 30 cal PSI bushings can handle multiple pen styles in addition to the bolt action kits I've done.

I tend to buy just a few pen kits to make and sell, typically for myself or as a special order item from friends and family, so I don't keep a lot on hand ....

That having been said, I've recently found a few kits out there that were a great deal or bargain that are also excellent finished kits.

The Le Roi Elegant in chrome/black chrome was being sold out in 5-packs for 25 dollars a pack ... an excellent pen with a beautiful finish. I managed to grab 2 packs, and I've made 3 pens from it. This one was NOT the V2 or the "Long Barrel" ... it's the older one with the slightly wider barrel, so you'ld need to back-paint the blank or paint the barrel so it won't show through on acrylics. The barrel gets turned very thin, so blowouts may be common with this, but I enjoy the challenge and it's a very nice pen when completed.


The Slimline and Funline style pens are very cheap and easy to make. Excellent for showing off a wood or acrylic blank, and they fit nicely in the hand. I have some leftovers of a 25-pack in gold finish and a 10-pack in gunmetal finish that I got through a program meant for "Turning for the Troops", and while I occasionally turn a pen for a friend using these, I much more often turn a pen for the troops. Rather than send the pens on to be distributed through the usual system, however ... I live right next to Ft Sill, in Oklahoma. I like to personally hand the pens out to the troops. I think I have about 20 of these left, at the moment.

Most of the rest of my pens, I got as a 1-off or bought them as part of a "starter set". In reserve, I have 1 PSI Dragon pen in Antique Bronze, 2 platinum finish Sierras, a full size PSI Majestic, 2 PSI Majestic Jr - all 3 Majestics are in Rhodium/TiN Gold... I also have a spare PSI Bolt Action in Gold and an Antique Nickle Lever Action pen. I also have 3 Breast Cancer Awareness pen kits still laying about that I haven't turned yet. Those are popular with the ladies and girls year round, just cuz they're so pretty. I think I missed a few here and there .... oh, and another click pencil kit in a slimline style that I haven't turned yet.

All in all, I have less than 50 kits around the lathe.
 
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10, two of which also have a matching pencil. I do have a handful of pens I plan to take apart & do over either with new barrels or by reshaping the current barrels, maybe 15 total. I also have a few razor & razor stand kits.
 

keithncsu

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May 28, 2016
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Catawba, SC 29704
I "stocked up" right after Christmas to use my 10% code from Bear Tooth Woods. I use quotations because my stocked up is way different than others I'm sure. I don't know the exact count but I'd say it is around 30. Mixture of slimlines, Sierras, and a handful of bolt action. Also have about 4 various rollerball kits from someone selling on here. I have about 3 bottle stoppers and 2 razor handles/stands. Bought them to give them a try - haven't been able to turn them yet.

Right now they are stuffed in the flat rate boxes they came in. I too have been trying to figure out the best way to store/organize them. Keep hoping for some veteran wisdom to pop up here regarding that.
 

Rick_G

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Nov 30, 2007
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Bothwell, Ontario, Canada.
About 100 or more, most will be given away to our military or friends and relatives or others I meet that admire the pen I am using. None are overly expensive kits because it's a hobby for me and I want to keep it that way so I sell very few although I do stick with the better platings.
 

MTViper

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Jul 22, 2009
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Location
Clyde, Texas
I'm in the process of cleaning and reorganizing my shop. Part of that process is inventorying and thinning out my pen kit selection. Last fall I bought a lightly used midi lathe and it came with 30 or so pen kits, most of which were slimline derivatives. I don't like turning those so I thought I'd box up those along with the kits I no longer wanted to keep because I'd never turn them. I sent them to Sharon Wertz at Arizona Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired. After thinning my kits out, I still had 250 on my inventory sheet. I shoulda inventoried long ago.
 

jttheclockman

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Feb 22, 2005
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NJ, USA.
Never stopped to count and really does not matter to me. I buy if i get a good deal or if i need a certain kit I buy more than I need because I use those kits all the time. I will put it over 500
 
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Kansasville WI 53139
This is just a rough estimate , but right now I'm guessing between 100 and 150 kits. I bought quite a few kits a number of years ago both for my wife and I to turn, and for the kids that were in my 4-H woodworking group to turn. Then there was a period of a number of years where I didn't turn any, and at the end of last year I ordered about 50 or so more kits as I plan to get back into turning them again. Somewhere I also have a box of really old kits I bought off ebay about 15 years ago. I am not even sure where that box of kits is at, but they were old kits at the time I bought them. They were unlike any of the kits that were available anywhere at the time I bought them, and when I find the kits, I plan on posting a picture of them on here for the pros to tell me exactly what the kits are. I am a hobby turner as well, only sold a handful of pens years ago, but given many away as gifts.
 
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Edgar

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Probably in the 200-300 range - about half are slims, about 1/4 Sierra styles and the rest misc kits, in quantities of 1-10.

It's primarily a hobby for me & I give away or donate most. I might sell about 5 per year just because someone asks me to - I don't actively try to sell pens.

I might buy a single kit at the local Woodcraft from time to time, but I always up more than I need at the time when I'm ordering to get discounts & make shipping costs seem more palatable. So inventory keeps growing faster than I can turn, but I fully intend to live long enough to use them all up. :)
 

Don Rabchenuk

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Aug 18, 2015
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Middleburg, FL
I would guesstimate 100-150. Most are given away to police as thin blue line much like these.

538.jpg
 

RegisG

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Dec 15, 2016
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Mount Juliet, Tn
I would say 75-100 plus about 25 slimline pencil kits. But, I started Dec 2016. Only have given 3 away so far.
Isn't it a pleasure to make these. I need more blanks!!!!!
Regis
 

jcm71

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May 5, 2011
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Chattanooga, TN
Well, if my spreadsheet is correct, I have 317 uncompleted component sets and 304 completed pens in inventory. I have no idea how pen blanks I have. Approaching 1000 is a rough guess. Need to get busy.
 

flyitfast

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Sep 3, 2009
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San Antonio, TX 78247
I would say 75-100 plus about 25 slimline pencil kits. But, I started Dec 2016. Only have given 3 away so far.
Isn't it a pleasure to make these. I need more blanks!!!!!
Regis

Since you are kind of a newbie maybe you qualify for a box of blanks from somewhere here on IAP. I'm not sure who was supporting that program, but if no one else is I'll be happy to send a box of blanks along if that will help? Won't be many premium blanks but will give you something to wrap around all those kits.

PM me and I'll send a box along.

Gordon
 

hcpens

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Apr 7, 2013
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San Antonio, TX
Pen Kits

If I told anyone or let it slip on how many I don't know that I might have, somewhere in my garage, and my wife found out I would never be able to buy again. :embarrassed:
 

lyonsacc

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Aug 31, 2012
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Cincinnati, OH
30 to 40 pen kits
20 to 30 other project kits
Enough to keep me busy for 2 or more years (but I will probably pick up a few as "needed")
 

flyitfast

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If I told anyone or let it slip on how many I don't know that I might have, somewhere in my garage, and my wife found out I would never be able to buy again. :embarrassed:


Richard, with all the blanks you won in the SB pool you may need more kits - explain that to your wife!!:biggrin::biggrin::biggrin:

Gordon
 

OZturner

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Aug 5, 2013
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Sydney. NSW. Australia
Wow What a Surprise. :wink:
I was going to Say -
"Not as many as I would Like". (there are just so many Pens I would Love to try). :rolleyes:
"More than SWMBO knows about". :redface:
Then I looked up My Spreadsheet, it is >150, With a Landed Cost of Just Over $Au 2.7K (This shows the Impact of International Postage, and Foreign Currency Exchange) :eek:
If the Minister for War, Social Activities, and Treasury finds out, I will be in Deep Doo Doo. :frown:
And If I had a Dog, I would be Sharing Accommodation and all Meals with it. :dog:
Now I am Scared Stiff. :beat-up:
Brian.
 
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Joined
Apr 25, 2010
Messages
416
Location
Lawrenceville, GA 30043
My inventory

My inventory as of this past week was 146, plus a letter opener, 2 screwdrivers, and a seam ripper.

Hadn't done an inventory for quite a while and did this one just last week.

Blanks, well, that is another story. Don't even want to go there.
 
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