Question on wood blank selection

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Bowhnter

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I selected this piece of wood specifically for the contrast and purposely drilled to the side so I could get as much of the white as possible.

My wife has never told me she does not like a pen until now.

Do folks like the contrast or is it something I should stay away from if making a pen (or anything else) to sell?

I personally like them, but maybe it's not something I should be looking to do?

Thanks, Mike
 

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Jim Burr

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Personally...your pen and wood selection is just fine!! As a suggestion...ask STMBO what she would like and make her about 6 pens in that model. Move on from there with 5 to sell, 2 for her. Again...good pen!
 

Bowhnter

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Thanks, it wasn't for her, but her comment got me to questioning if the person I am making it for was just being nice...
I have a habit of making what I like rather than what other people may want.

Thanks for the input!
 

Tim'sTurnings

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I had the same problem with making my pens with the colors and components that I like. Well when my stock went down from sales and lack of making more to replace, what I had left was mostly the ones that I liked. The ones I made by guessing what others liked sold out first. So you are not the only person that has that problem. I think the pen looks ok, but I wouldn't make any more like that.
Tim.
 

dtswebb

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Mike,

Personally, I like what you've done.

If you're turning for hobby, turn what you like. If you're turning to sell, that's a tougher question. Someone may like the pen and be willing to purchase it; someone else may not like it.

I do one show a year, for a charity. I turn one pen for a raffle drawing and sell whatever else I can so I may not be the best person to help you with "what sells". I do ask everyone that purchases a pen why they're willing to part with their money for what they're buying and that helps. But mostly, I turn for myself, so if a particular pen doesn't sell, I don't take it personally. I've had many pens that won't sell one year, but have sold the next.

My beloved wife is my "matchmaker". For example, I may turn a Retro fountain pen. I'll take Denise the blanks after they are finished and she'll help me match the blanks to a particular plating. I've found that Denise has a better eye for matching a kit plating to the finished blanks than I have.

For what it's worth.
 

mark james

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Personally, I like to colors! The colors match, and the heartwood/sapwood colors are great.

Beautiful blank. Beautiful pen.
 
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To my eye the heartwood/sapwood contrast isn't an issue. I like it. But I don't care for the pen due to the dark streaks in the cap. I think they make the pen look "dirty".
 

avbill

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If you search commercial pen companies you'll find 99% of the plating is silver toned. Any other questions... I'm not saying the other plating are bad but the big boys have done your homework already. I use Rhodium or Sterling silver 99 percent of the time Black Titanium and Gold Titanium make up the other 1% I'm considering the new Stainless steel
 

Bowhnter

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Thanks for the input everyone. It seems some like it some don't. I am still fairly new and have not tried to sell many yet.
I like the responses as this will help me learn.

To my eye the heartwood/sapwood contrast isn't an issue. I like it. But I don't care for the pen due to the dark streaks in the cap. I think they make the pen look "dirty".

I never really thought of that...Since we won't really know until it is turned exactly how it will look, do you just toss the blanks and start over?


If you search commercial pen companies you'll find 99% of the plating is silver toned. Any other questions... I'm not saying the other plating are bad but the big boys have done your homework already. I use Rhodium or Sterling silver 99 percent of the time Black Titanium and Gold Titanium make up the other 1% I'm considering the new Stainless steel

That is good input. If I plan to sell many, I better start making what other people like, not what I like. I have made a lot of gun metal...because I like it.
 

Gord K.

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If/When I get a piece of wood with that amount of colour difference I do my best to highlight it. It is a character you may not find in a lot of wood blanks and it makes the pen stand out. In my opinion, your mileage may vary, etc, etc.
 
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Mike - I hate to toss a blank, but when it sucks, it sucks. Yours doesn't suck but you get my drift. Light colored wood like the sapwood in your blank can easily pick up dirty grey highlights from the bushings while sanding. You can often see this happening and sand with a clean portion of the paper outward so you don't drag the metal into the blank.
 

Quality Pen

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I selected this piece of wood specifically for the contrast and purposely drilled to the side so I could get as much of the white as possible.

My wife has never told me she does not like a pen until now.

Do folks like the contrast or is it something I should stay away from if making a pen (or anything else) to sell?

I personally like them, but maybe it's not something I should be looking to do?

Thanks, Mike
I like two toned woods. Some 2 toned amboyna is awesome to see.

However, on this piece of wood (at least the single picture we can see) the 2-tone looks more like a single blotch in an otherwise reddish wood. In other words, it could be seen as an imperfection. I believe this is because there is a lack of symmetry in the wood and, thus, pen.

Is it ugly to me? Not at all. And I'm sure it looks better in person and feels good.

But the lack of symmetry and general "clashing" does not appeal to me. The concentric rings are facing different directions and the one bit of white off to the side are the biggest contributors in my eye.

That's my opinion :)

It might be neat if you put that white spot on the reverse side of the clip and then engraved a couple letters such as your initials, or a company logo.
 

sbell111

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If everyone liked the same exact thing, then we would all make the same pen, over and over and over. Instead, there is a huge variety to the 'likes' of others. Some customers are like your wife, some are like you, and still others like totally different things. That's why we end up making a few hundred varied pens for shows. The ones that sell fast, we duplicate. Those that languish, we don't.
 

kovalcik

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IMO, I don't care for the small patch of sapwood. I think it should either be across more of the pen or not there at all. Also, as someone else mentioned, the black streaks between the sap wood and heart wood also throw it off for me. I think your intent was good, but this was not a good blank to practice it on.

Again, just my personal preference.
 

ed4copies

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As we did shows, I came to believe there is a buyer for ANY product you make!

However, it may take years to find the ONE buyer who likes a given pen, so it is easier to make pens that more people will like.

So, continue to make them all into pens----just try to make more that more people will like!!

FWIW,
Ed
 

sbell111

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I like the blank that he used and I would have used it similarly with the sapwood on the cap. What bothers me about the pen is that the grain doesn't align when the pen is closed.

Since we display the pens for sale closed, I make sure that the grain always aligns with the pen closed. That way, it gives the best possible first impression.
 

Bowhnter

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Thanks for all the feedback. This was my 2nd FP, and about 30th pen overall. Some of you make that many in a weekend ;-) so I can sure use these comments to learn from going forward.
I think I need this N Tx club to get together!
 

robutacion

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Well, I like nothing better than 2 tone woods, is your blank a 2 tone one, not really but, I don't mind it at all...!

The question of, do you make what you like or what others like, the answer is not as easy as some people may think. Can you do day in day out things that you don't like only because they sell...???? good luck to you if you think like that, somewhere in between these 2 differents worlds, there has to be a balance...!

Making pens exclusively for sale, and unless they are a very specific order, you will never know what people would like until you offer them for sale so, I would be making the ones that I like, first...!

The variety of kits, platings, blanks, shapes and finishes, are what determines the sale, you can have the most expensive kit with the most expensive and exoctic blank, poorly shaped, fitted and finished and you would be pressed to sell it at cost, if at all. The opposite would offer you a much more successful result...!

Each pen turner, has its own preferences and this is what makes the world of pen turning grow so much these last few years, I would like to think that, each turners would present the result of their work, imagination and likes, the customers will either like it or not, they are your style and you should stick with it, as your own identity unless, you just want to be one more in the "mob".

That decision, only you can make, copying everyone else's work or market something different and unique to you, as the maker...!

Sure, you have to start somewhere, and imitation may be a easier way to get around but, is that all you want...???

Again, only you can answer these questions, bad habits are very difficult to change, if you would like to be different, start doing different things and focus on how you present your work to others and you will find that, what others sell most, is not that important to you, anyway...!

Best of luck...!

Cheers
George
 

WriteON

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Funny you should ask. I used a piece of Bacote that had a similar contrast. I loved it..the recipient did not. I also use a white/black ebony that I decided to keep. It really does something for me.
BTW...I told the Bacote guy to give me the pen back for an exchange...turns out one of his relatives really liked it. Her gave it to her.
 

Cmiles1985

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I personally like two tone woods. I like including a little more sapwood if possible. In other words, if the blank has 10-20% sapwood, it will likely turn off and make a purely heartwood pen. That's fine. Where you'll find the right amount of inclusion is either by luck or by cutting your own blanks (which pays for a bandsaw, good blade and good fence fairly quickly I might add). As stated above, be careful sanding lighter woods. Pen making (for most) is a hobby. Make what you like to make. I currently have 130 pens that I like, but they have a price tag on them. If I was making custom orders every day I'd be happy, but I don't have that kind of business built up. Usually I'll make a pen that's unique to my collection, and I'll carry it for a day or two to flash around work and any public places I go. The pens will garner some interest, then I introduce them to my FB page. Odds are, that pen is for sale there.
Here's how I do two tone:


FWIW,
Clark
 

randyrls

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Mike; Good execution! The original photo makes the pen look like the blank isn't grain matched; the nib grain points upward, and the cap grain points down.

Grain matching is important for continuity. The sapwood may or may not be an issue depending on the customer. I would either put the sapwood under the clip to hide the sapwood or opposite to highlight the sapwood.
 
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Bowhnter

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Ahh, everyone who has mentioned it, I clearly see what I did and was able to correct the grain issue. I will move the clip to see where it looks best, but I appreciate everyone's input.
 

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