What to do with the money?

[watch_art]

Okay - so the kickstarter project has been a bigger success than I could have imagined and it continues to grow - and I STILL CAN'T believe it. I'm overjoyed - but still sort of in disbelief. :biggrin:

Once this money comes in, I have an idea about what to do with some of it, but I'll need some help with the details.

I want to make rollerballs, mechanical pencils, and ballpoints with components along with the FPs I'll be making. Any suggestions on what I'll need (I haven't a clue really). I know something about mandrels and bushings, but not much else beyond that.

I'm going to get a dead center and a live center with a smaller tip so I can get my tool rest in there easier. Going to get a couple more cutting tools - especially a parter.

Lots of nibs, clips, blanks, ink has been taken care of with Noodler's, and....

Lots of sandpaper and micromesh.

Probably a shelf or cabinet to hold all this mess.
A space heater for sure.

Suggestions for ventilation? Right now I'm just using a big 3M dust mask. And I have a full face sheild which is awesome. Not very comfy but it works a charm.

What else will I need? I don't expect to try to spend it all at once - that would probably be daft - but what will I probably NEED that I just haven't thought of? Should I get better drill bits? A 3 jaw chuck? What have you found to be essential in your shop that you wouldn't have thought of otherwise?


Thanks!

 

[studioso]

If you don't know you need it, dont buy it!

Other brilliant advice I can give is:
It's good to have drill bits sets, but if you want to make high quality work you should rather buy better bits, one at a time as you need them

Tap and die sets, are even more critical: don't bother with the sets! Only buy as you need.

Do you have packaging for your pens? You want to give them in a box or something, and the more expensive the pen , the nicer the box will be expected ( and vice versa!)

A proper dust collection is crucial for your lungs. A dust mask is just not enough, you still breath some of the smaller particles, and they linger in the air long after you take it off. And it's annoying to have to collect that dust later!

 

[Haynie]

Here is a bit of advice that served my father-in-law well in his business.
1-Buy the best tools you can afford and buy two of each. Even the best break when you need them the most.
2-Inventory. If you need one you really need at least three. (This did not apply to motors but you won't need those)
3-Save what you can so it is there when you need it and you WILL need it.
4-WANT and NEED are two different things. Focus on the latter. If you are not sure wait.

Now advice from a teacher who also runs a business.
Those lesson plans every teacher hates are crazy beneficial right now. When I get stuck at the shop with too much that needs to be done I write a lesson plan starting with the objective and the assessment. It helps me break it into doable steps and focuses me on on what I need to accomplish each task. It is way to easy to get off track and end up buying what you don't need.



You are doing something admirable It just got bigger than you thought it would.

 

[watch_art]

Excellent advice - thank you both very much. THe lesson plan advice is very good advice.

Thanks.

 

[Haynie]

Only a teacher would understand that one

 

[Simplex]

congrats on the success. Do you have a link to your Kickstarter page?

 

[watch_art]

Here it is.

Custom Fountain Pens for Kids by shawn-newton — Kickstarter

 

[Simplex]

Nice! The $1K pledge is definitely impressive. Looks like you will be busy for the next 10 years....

 

[watch_art]

Yeah - that one got snapped up in the first hour. I couldn't believe it.

Hopefully I'll keep good and busy for longer than 10 years. I want to be able to make pens for my students as long as I'm teaching.

 

[OKLAHOMAN]

Shawn, the one thing you won't need for a while is blanks....a big box full is coming your way tomorrow, the IAP members have done you proud.

 

[watch_art]

:biggrin::biggrin::biggrin::biggrin::biggrin::biggrin::biggrin:

 

[whegge]

Another idea is to get some books on Calligraphy.

An excellent author is Margaret Shepherd. She has several books out for teaching and learning the worlds different alphabets used through out history. Since you teach Art some of your students may find the 'Art' of calligraphy fascinating. Her website is: Margaret Shepherd, Author, Calligrapher, Transformer of Words Into Art (margaretshepherd.com) .

You may like this website also, The International Association of Master Penmen, Engrossers and Teachers of Handwriting. Welcome to IAMPETH
(iampeth.com)

Just a thought.

Wes

 

[watch_art]

Oh yeah! That's a GREAT idea! I knew about IAMPETH, and that stuff is just insane. Some of the kids already love dip pens, and those are so cheap I could get some of those to give out to anybody who wants.

For calligraphy - will give the kids the option of the book - some of them might want italic nib grinds after they see what they can do.

Thanks!

 

[Smitty37]

Hmmmmm

Only a teacher would understand that one

Oh I don't know about that --- in my business we called them test procedures.

 

[whegge]

For the dip pens, find some bamboo (or feathers) and show them how to cut it to make the dip pen. The "Learn Calligraphy" book by Margaret Shepherd has a page showing how to cut them.

 

[watch_art]

I did bamboo dip pens last year. It didn't work out too well. Some of them worked, some didn't. I couldn't really figure out why. Maybe some were too green or too dry. Maybe they have some kind of oils in them? I dunno. But most of them the ink would just ride UP the bamboo and you'd have to shake it to get the ink down, and then it would just splatter on your page.

 

[Haynie]

Go to a craft store and get big plumes and have the kids make quill pens.

I stumbled on this last night How to Cut Quill Pens from Feathers