my opinions keeps my diversity down?

[hughbie]

hello all, i'm just wondering if others feel the way i do. granted i've not been doing this very long, but, there are certain kits that i won't buy because i think they look cheap or i just don't like the lines. then there are the lighter shades of wood, that to me, look cheap.
i know this keeps me from exploring the differences in both the kits and the woods.

do others make pens from kits and materials that just don't look or feel right to yourself in hopes of selling to others?[:I]

 

[dalemcginnis]

Don't avoid turning a particular wood because of your initial impression of it. There have been woods I've been slow to turn because I thought they looked plain. When I finally got around to turning them I couldn't believe how good they looked. I've found that many woods have a much plainer appearance when they're in a square shape than they do when turned. Now when I'm not sure about a wood I will turn it to a round shape before deciding what kit to use it with.

 

[DCBluesman]

There are two approaches to light woods. First, there are more than enough dark woods to keep you turning for years. The second is some of the light woods can be darkened with BLO, dyes, etc. As for kits, if your heart isn't in it, don't make the kit. It will show in your workmanship or salesmanship one.

 

[Fred]

I learned early on that a lighter wood is usually hiding some inner beauty. This beauty does not show up until the wood has been 'worked' a bit to eliminate the roughness. A little bit of finish often pops the hidden beauty right out into the open.

If you think it is plain looking, take a piece of it and sand down one side to a reasonable degree and put some favorite finish on it ... THEN make a determination. You just may be surprised as to what was hidden inside. Different finishes also make a big difference.

 

[GBusardo]

One thing I have learned is that what does not look to me, might look great to someone else. There have been a few pens I thought I would never sell that have been snatched up. To each his own One of my all time favorite woods for pens is curly maple. I think it looks awesome while others are trying to figure out why I like it so much. after all, its only maple.

 

[Firefyter-emt]

You also never know what the buyer will like. I had a new hire for work riding with me for training so like always I brought a batch of pens for him to choose one from. He picked a very plain cherry Euro. Now don't get me wrong, I was very happy because the pen was plain, boring and had not sold for a long time! However, he said that he loved the wood compared to the "dark ones".

However, there are quite a few kits I no longer make because they stink. That pair that I posted a while back that went to Austria I had told myself that I would not make anymore of them. However, the buyer really wanted that kit soo.....

 

[R2]

Like a mate of mine once said "I'm try sexual. I'll try anything!![}]