Is it out there? If so.....where is it?

[JCooper]

Newbie here,
I've made a few pens and I am fimilar with most of the kits out there. My question is: Are there "kits" or "parts" out on the internet somewhere that are as nice as the $40-$50 kits other than the ones listed at our favorite suppliers (CSUSA, Penn State etc)? I mean where do the parts come from in the $200-$1000. pen selling range come from? Are the metal parts made by the artist like we make the wood parts? I'm serious, I really do not know and can't find out. For example.....I hate to buy a $25+ kit and then turn a closed end pen and waste or not use the other parts. I guess I'm just a tightwad. Thanks in advance for any recommendation you might have. Also I have a website (in progress) and would appreciate any feedback. (Yes I am working on my photos and yes I know there is no order page yet). Please go easy, but your oponion (sp?) does matter. Thanks, Jack www.jackscustompens.com

 

[Penmonkey]

I think most 1k pens are 100% custom, like Bruce Boone's flame pens.

 

[jeffj13]

I think we have missed the point of Jack's question.

I think Jack wants to know if you can just buy the various components of a pen kit instead of the entire kit. Am I correct?

To the best of my knowledge, I don't think you can. However, there are many more knowledgeable than I that will hopefully chime in.

jeff

 

[DCBluesman]

The pen "kits" are proprietary designs owned by their respective distributors. On the very low end kits you can buy some of the components piecemeal. On the high end, I am not aware of any "kit" manufacturer that will sell individual pieces any more than Montblanc would sell just their finials.

 

[JCooper]

Actually what I meant to convey is that we are "all artists" and I am just trying to find out how I can make something a little different. I do think that marketing has a lot to do with the selling of any particular pen. I sell mostly El Grandes and the price range is all over the place from $24.95 on eBay to approx $100. elsewhere. That is mainly due to marketing and photography etc(marketing). What prompted me to ask the question was I went on eBay completed sale of pens, sorted on completed items and sorted by highest price sold. I was amazed at how much some sold for and why. Just trying to learn here and become a better overall woodturner. Thanks, Jack

 

[DCBluesman]

Jack - Msking money in this particular hobby/craft/art/whatever anyoone wants to call it is really no different than anywhere else. It starts with a quality product at the right price for the market segment you are addressing. Living in the Washington DC suburbs, I can't give away a beautiful slimline...it has no "snob" appeal. In other locales, the $20-$30 slimline is all the rage. Modifying pens to create a true one of a kind is noble from the craftsman's perspective, but it is the rare artisan who can consistently make good money doing so. Mark and Brian Gisi immediately pop to mind, and there are a few others. Having participated in and observed a few pen shows, I will tell you that differentiation is difficult when using a kit or even a style based on a kit. That's where marketing genius and/or salesmanship comes in. If you talk to the folks on this site who are consistenly selling $10,000 and more per year in sales, most will tell you that it's all in the marketing...highest quality is a given...a requirement...the cost of even having half at chance at pulling in that kind of money. If you want to make something different than most of what is out there, start with a flawless pen. Once you can consistently produce at that quality, do your marketing research and learn to sell. Remember, the guy that makes the Mercedes usually drives a Ford while the guy that sells the Mercedes drives a top-of-the-line Mercedes.

 

[JCooper]

DCBluesman,
Thank you. You have answered my question completely and even given me extra to think about. This is just a hobby for me, but I am a NASA engineer and "a little on the obsessive end of the spectrum". I enjoy the process and try to make each pen better than the one before. Maybe I'll get a metal lathe and turn some center rings to appease myself......or maybe sell a custom "Space Pen". Rats.....Fisher has already done that. I really appreciate your wisdom. Regards, Jack

 

[RussFairfield]

The short answer is "No", specific parts are not available.

However, the retailers take packaged kits apart to make up for missing, mismanufactured, and damaged parts in kits they have sold. Having done this, they do accumulate some partial kits, and random parts. You can sometimes get into this "goodie bin", but don't plan on it as a parts source, and don't plan on it being cheap.

If you are looking for parts from the commercial pen manufacturers, forget about it. They might sell you a few fountain pen nibs, but that's about it.

Meanwhile, we buy the kits and accumulate the parts we don't use. It's just a cost of doing business. The only option is getting set up to make them yourself.

 

[Ron Mc]

Jack,
The difference between selling a pen for $35.00 and $300.00 is a combination of marketing, sales, and what the potential buyers feel your works of art are worth. I am a firm believer in the fact that I do not create pens. I create unique works of art that happen to be writing instruments. Find your unique nitch in the market and excel at it until you are extremely comfortable selling your works of art for top dollar.
Personally I command top dollar for any commitioned project, but I know that the buyer will receive far more than they ever expected possible.
And remember don't ever stop having fun!

 

[jeff]

Originally posted by JCooper
<br />...This is just a hobby for me, but I am a NASA engineer and "a little on the obsessive end of the spectrum".

Nothing is JUST a hobby for a NASA engineer. Tell 'em Jack! You have triple redundant lathes and a $1M kit budget! []

(Just razzing you Jack, I work at GRC...)