How to support the hobby

Signed-In Members Don't See This Ad

Draconias

Member
Joined
Feb 27, 2008
Messages
38
Location
Mulino, OR, USA.
For a pen press, you can use your lathe. Simply turn two blocks of a hard wood like maple with a morse taper that will fit into your lathe head stock and tail stock. Turn a small depression in the other end of the blocks. Then simply crank the tail stock to push the pen together. It is working well for me and gives me alot of control pressing the pieces together. Lots cheaper than buying a pen press or arbor press ;)

Ron
 
Signed-In Members Don't See This Ad

gbpens

Member
Joined
Jul 1, 2011
Messages
821
Location
Homer Glen, IL
In the long run I have found that giving away pens generates very little in sales. You need to do shows if you expect any sales. Start with local schools, churches in your area. See where you fit. Strive for quality! Each pen is your reputation. You will be entering the business world wearing many different hats. It's a real learning experience. Good luck!
 
Last edited:

OKLAHOMAN

Member
Joined
May 17, 2006
Messages
10,228
Location
Costa Rica
You need to define what is a hobby and what is a business, In my view a hobby is just that, I might sell enough to cove 50% of my cost and the other 50% spent is what my "HOBBY" cost. Now if your looking to recoup all your investment and put the time and effort into doing that it becomes a business, and besides the cost of materials, you'll have the cost of shows, transportation, taking credit cards, all the overhead of running your shop (Electric, tools, supplies, collecting taxes, paying yourself for the many hours invested at the shows, in front of the lathe,drill press,assembly station, travel (even if it's just to your local farmers market it is a cost.) This is just a drop in the bucket of costs involved in making your "HOBBY" pay for itself and it no longer is a hobby but a business. Been there bought the tee shirt.
 

Jim Burr

Banned
Joined
Feb 23, 2010
Messages
3,060
Location
Reno, Nv
Good point Roy!! I use pen sales...really up this time of year!, to fund my shooting hobby. I just picked up all the stuff for another M4 and put down cash. My wife said "Where did that come from?!!" My gun dealer said "Did you see these really cool bullet pens he makes?" She smiled and gave me a pat on the bottom. It's good to keep the Mrs happy during Christmas and still get toys!
 

plantman

Member
Joined
Jan 2, 2012
Messages
3,437
Location
Green Bay, Wi
:bananen_smilies046: You could be drinking, druging, hunting, fishing, snow sking, chaseing wild wemen, or paying it out in docter bills for theropy. Consider it money well spent !! You could also consider selling a few items once in a while. The giving is priceless and good PR, but doesn't buy you new equipment. Most people that make a living selling pen, also sell kits, blanks, write books or have some other connection with the craft. You could try setting up a web site, but you better be very good, or very cheep to compete with the number of people out there already. Have business cards printed up to give to anybody that shows interest in your work so they have something to go back to when 2 months down the line they need a pen. Mosts of the arts and crafts we go into are because we enjoy what we are doing. It's nice if we can sell something and get our costs out of them. It's a Godsend if we can actualy make a living from them. One thing I have learned over the years is that it's fun to do what you want to do, when you want to do it, it no longer becomes fun when you have a deadline to meet, a customer that wants something done in a manner that you wouldn't want your name tied to, or things just get out of hand. Moral of the story, "be careful what you wish for". Merry Christmas to all !!! Jim S
 
Last edited:

ALA

Member
Joined
Jan 21, 2012
Messages
343
Location
Bassett, Va.
When I started turning pens I was planning on giving most of them away but that stopped pretty quick. Just too costly for me. I still give a few away mostly to relatives but sometimes, like others, in hopes of making a sell. I still don't have near the inventory others here have but my kitchen counter is completely covered. :biggrin:
 
Joined
Jan 22, 2012
Messages
307
Location
Laurens,SC
eddiecastilin@cox.net
I have some other chissels.And i enjoy using them.But when I discovered this guy and his first carbide tool I was hooked.Not only the tool,the way he goes about teaching too.He is very generous with 152 videos on utube.Not speciallixed on pens,turning.He does demonstrate how good they work on pens.Shortly after the discovery he started offering a cutter.I started with that one and followed through.He offeres a very good selection now.You will be suprised how resonable they are.He also offers bars for them /our handles at great savings.If you have access to some ones grinder the bars are easy /fun to make.As are the handles.He has videos on this too.I only had to spend $10-$15 on each,compared to $90-$130+.Using a friends (aquaintance?-sp)wouldn"t be like trotting over there every time you need to sharpen.I did mine one or two at a time.Made it a lot easier.Lets have a lot of fun in this adiction.That is harder to do with injures.
 

plantman

Member
Joined
Jan 2, 2012
Messages
3,437
Location
Green Bay, Wi
The real secret in making money turning pens ......

Where is the real money in wooden pen making? « Woodcrafts

:search::search: Lenny; No truer words were ever written !!!! Thanks for bring up that article for all to see. Even though sometimes the truth hurts or sets you back a little, that doesn't mean that you shouldn't keep trying to be the one that gets to the prize. I would rather have tried something knowing that I gave it my best shot and learned lessons along the way, then to not have tryed and wondered forever if I was good enough to have done it in the first place. " Nothing ventured, nothing gained ". Jim S
 
Last edited:
Top Bottom