Where is pen Making Going???

[jttheclockman]

Thought I would post this here because this is a topic about pen making. Here is the question:

WHERE DO YOU THINK PEN MAKING IS HEADING???

I ask this question because on another forum a statement was randomly thrown out there and it got me to thinking and that hurts most time so I thought I would try everyone else here. Here is some thoughts I had. Now this is not to offend any one so please do not read into this more than what the words are. This is the greatest forum on the net when it comes to penmaking hands down and that has been proven over and over by the membership.

Here are some thoughts. I think penmaking has evolved over the years to new heights that may or may not be perceived by others as a good thing. One thing for sure is we have more and more new kits entering the market everyday. We have more and more suppliers entering the market and weather they are just resellers is mostly the case. But I think the biggest change that has come is the materials we are now making our pens with. I think we all agree that wood was the premier material years ago. You have many new acrylics which are commercially made or members made. You now have laser kits and I am thinking that there are only 2 real big players in this field that I know of and these kits are getting better and better everyday. We have new metal blanks showing up along with many new blanks with all kinds of things clear casted in them. We have people making blanks with all kinds of designs and segments in them and they are great. Unfortunately some of these ideas have been exploited into the commercial stage and that may also be looked upon as either a good thing or a bad one depending how you view it.

But before I get too long winded here I will again ask the question, WHERE ARE WE HEADING?? Are we still pen turners or just assemblers??? Is the penturning artform going down the right path??? Are we becoming too big and pushing ourselfs to so much competion that it is hurtful in the long run??? Will the market bear all the new penturners coming along everyday. Will the public get tired of us???

Just curious what everyone else has to say. Some thoughts to ponder. Thanks for replying.

I will post some of my reactions later after some of you share your thoughts.

 

[its_virgil]

As long as I turn pen barrels for use with kits I will consider myself a penturner who assembles pens. If I ever start making my own parts and designing my own creations then I will be a pen maker. Even when I make my own blanks I would still consider myself a penturner. If I make a pen from a laser cut kit them I am still assembling a pen. Notice what I said....I, I, I ... If a penturner wants to consider him/herself as a penmaker who am I to disagree?

Having new and better kits along with unique and better materials does not change the fact that I still turn pen barrels and assemble the pen kit.

Do a good turn daily!
Don

Thought I would post this here because this is a topic about pen making. Here is the question:

WHERE DO YOU THINK PEN MAKING IS HEADING???


Just curious what everyone else has to say. Some thoughts to ponder. Thanks for replying.

 

[ROOKIETURNER]

My 2 cents...from a newbie - ROOKIE - perspective. I don't think that there as many turners as you think. I had never heard of turning until I met a guy at church, who brought a new pen in every week. I was very impressed.

I never in a millions years thought that I would turning pens myself. With the help of my friend, CHICAGOHAND, and this forum I have been able to within a few pens turn a fairly descent pen.

But let's face it, there are very few wood workers, period. They are a thinning breed, not dying, but thinning. The world is going so fast, and people want things now, now, now. They don't want to sit in front of a lathe for 30-40 minutes turning a chunk of wood.

Yes, technology is ever moving forward, but variety is good. I don't care if someone wants to laser cut a medical symbol and sell it in an inlay kit. Makes selling a neat pen, affordable and quick.

I didn't get into it as a main line of income, but a hobby that will hopefully pay for itself and make me a little bit of spending cash (and from what I hear that spending cash will go into more turning stuff).

The pens still have to be turned, finished and assembled. Putting out a quality product is still a skill. The satsifaction that comes from a fine looking pen is up there.

Well, those are my thoughts...

 

[chriselle]

Agree with Virgil..


Today I am a pen turner. One day I will enter the rare air of pen making....limitless.... unbounded. :yin-yang:

 

[RAdams]

I think pen turning has finally started to catch up to technology. There are new innovations every day just about. Because of these innovations, I think people are getting a bit more "stingy" with what they share on the site.

Unfortunately, forums such as this one tend to blur the lines between cunsumer and supplier. Any time the suppliers can "hang out" with the consumers it has a two sided effect. Especially in a learning forum such as this one. On the good side, the suppliers keep in tune with current trends of their customers and can meet the demand. On the bad side, these same suppliers may be faced with the opportunity to "commercialize" something that someone else did.

I have been trying to learn a certain technique for something from a certain someone for some time now. This person will not share the "secret". This same person profits from this "secret" and is in fear that i might try to commercially sell the "secret" or the finished products. I only want to add the "secret" to my personal portfolio, but this person cannot be sure of that, so i get no scret. I can't say that i blame this person... After seeing some things created by members, and stolen from other people for profit, even I am leary of posting some things, which again, hurts the overall outcome.

 

[daveeisler]

Evolution, we need to grow, to experiment with new products, to push the envelope, rise to new heights, you get the point, I have used everything you listed to turn, I love trying new things, and even if some Chinese factory produces a zillion of my pen, it's still not my pen, handmade by me, but understanding that, I have turned in another direction, I let the people I make pens for do their own design, I have a chart, I made, with 60 samples of material, and 12 pen clips, to show color and style, then on the flip side of the board, are photos of finished pens, to further give them an idea of what they want, but I do have a favorite, a pen made of horse hair, from a horse my wife and I had for 23 years until he passed,

 

[NewLondon88]

I agree with what Don said. A couple of years ago I changed my avatar on
another forum so the tag line reads "Just a Penturner' .. I don't create the
kits, I simply make something round and shiny to put onto a kit that would
work without our intervention. But that's ok .. that's something I enjoy.
But it's also the reason I don't post many pics.. unless I really create something
new and different, I'm just making a round, shiny thing to stick on someone
else's kit.

I think penturning will grow a bit more in the short term and then fade back
into obscurity when something new comes along. Unfortunately, that means
that the kits will get more expensive and thus, harder to find. It is enjoying
a wide popularity and acceptance now, but in a few years it may be seen the
same way as we now look back on things like pyrography or hand printing
in a darkroom.

I also think that you'll see some of the penturners become penmakers as
they hone their craft and get tired of some of the limiting factors in kits.
Most won't go this route, they'll move onto something new that catches
their attention. They'll either look fondly at the dusty pen kits sitting on
their shelves for so many years .. or they'll put them in the classifieds and
forget all about it.

But once in a while, you'll see a new product somewhere .. maybe online,
maybe in a magazine. And you'll see a familiar name attached to it.

 

[snyiper]

I think Most approach this as a hobby. Yes there are some vendors that make a profit that hang here but to me thats fine they deserve to, they do a lot of work to make things available to us. I think we are deep into heading towards materials never before thought of for pens, Theme pens, lazer pens, pens cast with cactus and Poly clay pens. I think the group as a whole does not hold back, yes a few will not just give you a technique but they will give you enough to develop one yourself. I have never asked for help and not been overwhelmed with answers and help. I asked a particular member here about his bullet pen blanks (now he sells these) He replied with all the info I would ever need and sent me a pen 3/4 done so I could put eyes on it. To me that was over the top and that is what makes this site so great and he never put stipulations on making and selling these and we dont live but a couple hundred miles apart. I think as we all learn new process and technique we are also just as eager to share with others and I think that is what seperates IAP from other groups. It is like having a hobby with a giant think tank of some of the most skilled and Knowledgable people in the world. I think we are headed to more "off the wall" non wood blanks, I see us spreading to other items like bowls and chess tables and just all in all getting better and more diverse as we go. heck I even see casting bull manure in Acrylic just for that special boss or coworker thats right a new idea is born!!!!

 

[PenMan1]

I agree totally with Don. I am a penturner who sometimes is a penmaker. The pens that I have made are of good quality and interesting design. But in the end, the kits that I turn and assemble look and feel better that the ones I make. I want to be a pen MAKER, but it is hard to compete as a pen MAKER when robots and computers make precise little parts that sell for $10. To count my time at $10 per hour, it would cost me about $100 to make the components that I buy for $10.

With that said, I really wish that the supply houses ONLY sold components, instead of kits. I think that would inspire many of us to step out of the norm AND all the pens wouldn't look so much alike.

(climb down from the soap box). Until technology changes to the point that I can competitively do my own platings, millings, etc at home. I'll live in the pen world that we have and keep assembling the pens that I have turned AND ocassionally MAKE a few pens.

 

[PenMan1]

You can be a good cook without being a chef. You cannot be a Chef without being a good cook. I am a good cook, Bruce Boone is a chef.

 

[witz1976]

With that said, I really wish that the supply houses ONLY sold components, instead of kits. I think that would inspire many of us to step out of the norm AND all the pens wouldn't look so much alike.quote]

Andy, There are places to find individual componets you have to search them out. Some of the people here on this forum sell these componets. It is something you need to hunt and find, unfortionatly the Supply Houses youa re referring to are going to be the walmarts and home depots of the pen turning world. They are good to get you what you need, but to find the specialized items you need to go to your local hardware store...if that makes sense.

Anyway...as for me, I have been penturning for a year now and like most this is a hobby for me. Granted the more I explore and try new things the more excited I get about eventually trying to become a true pen maker.

One thing I wish I could find is the Regency pen kit. I have seen photos and it seems that this would be a good kit for those who want to bridge into pen making.

As a young'in I think this is a great time to be part of the pen turning community and I look forward to what the future brings for us all.

 

[RussFairfield]

If my remote corner of the world is at all representative, I don't agree with the assesment that pens are a passing fad. From its humble beginnings 20 years ago when the SlimLine was the only kit avable, pens have grown to where they are today. They may level off, but I don't see them disappearing any time in the future.

I see greater numbers of people who are new to pen turning than ever before. More penturning clubs are being formed, and our local pen club is now 1-year old with 30 members, and we have a new store in town that is devoted to making and selling pens. A lot of penturners are expanding into other forms of woodturning and are contributing to the growth of all woodturning.

The numbers of people modifying kits continues to grow, and I see more closed end pens, recessed caps, one-piece pens, and other kit modifications every month. The numbers of people making kitless, or almost kitless, pens continues to grow in numbers, as more penturners are cutting their own threads and buying small metal lathes.

If the past has been any indication of the future, the Vendors will make more individual parts available to the custom pencrafters, just as they have made more kits available to the new people who are discovering pens.

 

[PenMan1]

.


If the past has been any indication of the future, the Vendors will make more individual parts available to the custom pencrafters, just as they have made more kits available to the new people who are discovering pens.

I agree Russ, and I look forward to being able to readily find just the few components I need, without having to do my own plating.

 

[keithlong]

Well I have been a wood worker for almost 30 years, to me it has always been a hobby. Yes I have made some good money with this hobby and I still today cosider myself a fairly good woodworker. I always liked turning wood with a lathe, and last year decided to give pen turning a try and I love it. I, just as many do, turn the tubes and put them on kits. It takes skills to do this and as you turn more the better you hone your skills. I love working with wood and always have. I never used any exotic wood until I began turning pen tubes, then I ventured into turning deer antler and I love working with it as well. Even though I use kits, I consider myself a pen turner. I have sold several pens and I have gave a lot of them as gifts. I enjoy watching someone looking at my pens and saying WOW! you made that. That is why I do it. I also will always have a never ending supply of pens to use for myself. As long as I can get kits, i will continue to make em. I also want to venture into making canes as well. I am always amazed at the fine skills that are shown and shared here. This is a wonderful site and I am proud to be a member of it. And for those of you who enjoy making pen parts and all the nice custom blanks tha i see, keep it up. I enjoy seeing what other members are into.

Keith

 

[TomS]

As long as the vendors keep making quality kits and parts so that the turner can use his or her skills and imagination to make a great pen, I think we'll be OK. Hopefully they won't take the same path as Baseball Card vendors. As soon as the card manufacturers realized there was a lot of money to be made, they flooded the market with product. They created their own world of Premium Cards, and alienated the true collectors. That caused the quick death of collecting as a hobby. As long as "kits and parts" are available for us to use as tools, we're OK. As soon as you see "closed end kits" or "one piece body kits" being sold by major vendors, we may be in trouble.

Tom

 

[KenBrasier]

OK, I turn Pens, so I'm a Penturner, I make other stuff from wood, so I am a woodworker. If nobody buys what I make, it is a hobby, If I sell something I'm a business man. But everything I make, I try to make unique and different, so I feel like an artist. Even if I don't sell anything, I'll keep doing it as long as it brings me pleasure, satisfaction and I get to keep communicating with you guys/gals..

 

[kennspens]

i consider myself a woodturner who turns pens. not a pen maker yet because many times i have heard from someone your pen writes nice. i had nothing to do with that, as was said earlier it would have written without me.

 

[papaturner]

As long as I turn pen barrels for use with kits I will consider myself a penturner who assembles pens. If I ever start making my own parts and designing my own creations then I will be a pen maker. Even when I make my own blanks I would still consider myself a penturner. If I make a pen from a laser cut kit them I am still assembling a pen. Notice what I said....I, I, I ... If a penturner wants to consider him/herself as a penmaker who am I to disagree?

Having new and better kits along with unique and better materials does not change the fact that I still turn pen barrels and assemble the pen kit.

Do a good turn daily!
Don

I totally agree.

 

[its_virgil]

The Regency kit is available from Woodchuckers in Canada. I get them there...no problem with service. Here is the link to them: http://www.woodchuckers.com/pens.htm While there check out another kit they sell that I really like...the ambassador. Be aware there are no bushings for these kits.
Do a good turn daily!
Don

One thing I wish I could find is the Regency pen kit. I have seen photos and it seems that this would be a good kit for those who want to bridge into pen making.

 

[Kaspar]

As long as I turn pen barrels for use with kits I will consider myself a penturner who assembles pens. If I ever start making my own parts and designing my own creations then I will be a pen maker. Even when I make my own blanks I would still consider myself a penturner. If I make a pen from a laser cut kit them I am still assembling a pen. Notice what I said....I, I, I ... If a penturner wants to consider him/herself as a penmaker who am I to disagree?

Having new and better kits along with unique and better materials does not change the fact that I still turn pen barrels and assemble the pen kit.

Do a good turn daily!
Don

Agreed. Until I get here, this is where I'm headed. ( I doubt I'll ever get there, but who knows?)

 

[witz1976]

Oh, fantastic!! Thanks for the link Don!

 

[ElMostro]

I was (am still) a woodworker, then a penturner NOW...a blank maker
but stil turn pens occasionally.

 

[Lawrence Witter]

Re: Where is pen making going?

Six months ago I couldn't spell "pen maker" but now I've turned about 25 pens and consider my work passable but not good enough. I've progressed from assembler to trying to make each pen perfect. Some I've rebuilt 3 or 4 times and still I'm not satisfied.

Now to answer the question. From my limited experience and research I've seen that pen hobbyists have benefited from a quantum leap in materials available to them. Who ever heard of making a pen blank involving feathers or scraps of denim, old watch parts or snake parts? We've seen more and better tools and equipment, better finishing materials and classy packaging for our wares.

The future I see holds more of the same. Better materials like titanium will be affordable to the hobbyist, new home plastic chemistry and, most important, new and more talented makers. I can only hope to improve my work to keep pace.

Wow, you can see a mile from up here on a soap box, I'm gettin' dizzy.

Best wishes,

L Witter

The life so short, the craft so long to learn. - G. Stickley

 

[bitshird]

For now, most of my time is spent making tools, I would like to join the ranks of Grayson Tighe, and the Gisi Brothers, I'd even settle for catching up with George, (texatdurango) I enjoy turning pens, and have several prototypes in various stages, some may get done and when that happens I will become a Pen Maker. for now I'm just a pen turner. But I have fun with it, and make a few Sheckles in the process.

 

[Glenn McCullough]

I agree with the satement someone else made, that there are a lot less penmakers than you think, but plenty of penturners. Still, though I am a penturner, I dont have any competition that I know of in the circles I frequent, excpt those that I choose to be around. There are plenty of customers for the mass, inexpensive penturners who make the better turners look good for those that appreciate a better pen and then there are penty of customers for the penmaker, who finds his clients through yet different venues.
I like the direction penmaking/turning is going. I started not too long after there was a slim in gold and chrome and that was about it. I look forward to doing so for many years and maybe more, too, God willing .

 

[concho_joe]

It is amazing at what you can turn to a pen and all the differnt types of wood and materials period! I am new to turning and pen turning. It is amazing my dad has been turning pens for about 6 months and all the different shapes of pens as well as differnt types of wood!! Sorry I love wood pens!!! My dad mad a roller ball navigator with Box Elder Burl wood for an older gentlemen that is a cabnet maker of really fine wood. We sometimes get scrapse from him, any ways. The older gentleman was looking throught all the other pens my dad had made and my dad said if there is a differnt pen that you would like you are welcome to it. He picked out a cigar pen made of splated hackbarry!?!!!??!! It amazed my dad that he would pick that pen and not a more what we consider "sharp" looking pen!
There are still many people that do not and won't take the leap and make something like that on there own and they are amazed at what we pen turners can do! Not much just a rookie!

 

[jttheclockman]

If my remote corner of the world is at all representative, I don't agree with the assesment that pens are a passing fad. From its humble beginnings 20 years ago when the SlimLine was the only kit avable, pens have grown to where they are today. They may level off, but I don't see them disappearing any time in the future.

I see greater numbers of people who are new to pen turning than ever before. More penturning clubs are being formed, and our local pen club is now 1-year old with 30 members, and we have a new store in town that is devoted to making and selling pens. A lot of penturners are expanding into other forms of woodturning and are contributing to the growth of all woodturning.

The numbers of people modifying kits continues to grow, and I see more closed end pens, recessed caps, one-piece pens, and other kit modifications every month. The numbers of people making kitless, or almost kitless, pens continues to grow in numbers, as more penturners are cutting their own threads and buying small metal lathes.

If the past has been any indication of the future, the Vendors will make more individual parts available to the custom pencrafters, just as they have made more kits available to the new people who are discovering pens.

Well I am torn with your reply Russ because I agree that great strides have come to the world of turning and in particular pen turning because so many more afordable lathes are hitting the market. Turning itself will live on forever just as woodworking in the general sense. But with that said Over 25 years ago I started another hobby and that was scrollsawing. It started out slow just as this hobby. Then more and more pattern makers came to light. More computers were able to reproduce these patterns. Scroll saws started out as one speed and then two speed pin end saws. Then they evolved as more and more people started getting into it. Along came the cadillacs of saws, pinless blades and the idea of pierce cutting was born, as more and more companies started making them. Clubs started turning up all over and there still are some today. Forums on the net started forming. Picnics which are a resemblence to symposiums for turners started showing up throughout the USA. Some of these still are in existance. Magazines started relating to nothing but scrollsawing. Many of the picnics are just a handful of people showing up. Drastically down from years gone by and this was well before the economy going south.

But over the past 5 or so years that interest, that calling to go out and buy a scroll saw so that you could sell your product, that clamering for patterns has diminished and is fading fast. Now the question becomes what happened. Did we as scrollers overflood the market place, did the public loose interest in what we make, or was it just an economy thing that forced the craft circuit to dry up and everything else just followed??? It definetly was not from a lack of new techniques hitting the market because there is a field that I saw evolved with standard yard ornaments to fret work to 3D work to marquetry to many other forms of scrollsaw work. With the lost of interest we now see scrollsaws becoming a tool that manufactorers are not going out of their way to make. We lost some big players and probably will lose more.

So to say this can not happen to pen turning, I am not so sure. Some other hobby comes along that catches fire could throw this pen turning circuit in a downward spiral. I hope it never happens and there will always be pen turning as there always will be scroll sawing but maybe not on the magnitude it is today. We are sort of jaded here because this forum is just about pen turning per/se.


Listen I am not trying to be gloom and doom because this is an artform that I have come to love and enjoy just as much as scrollsawing. Just throwing thoughts out there.

Agreed. Until I get here, this is where I'm headed. ( I doubt I'll ever get there, but who knows?)

Now that is pen making to its highest level. Wow.


Thanks everyone for taking a few minutes and putting your thoughts down in print. Hope to read more pen turners and pen makers thoughts.

 

[Parson]

Pen use overall will diminish in the next century. We'll use keyboard for most everything.

 

[ROOKIETURNER]

I guess that I am confused.

It seems to me that everyone has a slightly different definition of a "pen turner" and a "pen maker".

The Regency kit is still just a "kit". So is it the number of parts in a kit that crosses you over to a pen maker? How many parts? Who decides?

I looked at the link to the site with the fancy metal pen. Looks to me like work done a cnc machine. Looks like the pen wizard got ahold of it. I mean, he lists Titanium as a metal he uses. That takes special equipment to turn and cut. So is it the amount of money I spend on fancy equipment that makes me a "pen maker"?

If we take the arguement to the it's logical end, "that you have to actually make the parts to be a pen maker", then I would say that you would have to make all of the parts, not just the one's that you are able or capable of producing, but all parts, down to the pen cartridge or the quill. You can't say, oh that's too extreme, no it's the logical end of the arguement.

Look at it this way, is Nissan a car "MAKER"? Sure they are...but wait, they have other people make the parts for them and then they assemble those parts. So I guess they are just a car assembler. I know they tell the manufactures what specs to make the prodcuts with, but I don't have to, the pen kits are already at spec.

Here is my take. If you buy a kit, turn the blank, finish the blank, assemble the kit and blank, you are a "pen maker". If that hits the pride of someone who makes "most" of their own parts, or feels that their standards have not been met, then ego's and pride must be put aside.

My brother in law is a farrier (someone trained in horse shoeing and the medical corrections applied). Blacksmiths also shoe horses (with a lot less schooling and training). A Master Toolsmith also shoes horses. Now they all do the same job, shoe horses. One is a novice, one is a specialist and one is an expert, but they all Shoe Horses.

I consider myself an apprentice pen maker, learning my craft, honing my skill and enjoying every minute of it.

I leave you on this...when you show someone your pen, and they get that look on their face and say, "Did you make that?" What do you answer?

 

[jskeen]

Not that I feel myself qualified to make sweeping statements about where pen turning as an activity is going, so I'll just offer a few small thoughts on where pen buying might be headed. At one time long long ago, Almost everybody wrote stuff down on paper. This was a change because prior to that most people didn't posses the training to read or write. Not a matter of smart enough to, just not enough of a need to write to justify the time and energy to learn. Only fairly recently in human history, Like in the last hundred years, have enough people had the ability, the need, and the desire to write stuff down to actually support a writing instrument manufacturing industry. So began the golden age of writing instruments. Names like waterman, parker, and montblanc became prized first as the most reliable and comfortable tools to use, then soon after became status symbols and collectibles. As more and more people needed to write, and the technology developed to produce writing instruments for them to use, price pressure began to drive the quality of the instruments themselves down, even while their reliability increased. Also, as the act of writing itself became more common, the interest in celebrating it as an art, and it's utensils as objects of desire and gratification declined. Thus the birth of the disposable bic pen.

Observe the Nadir of the writing instrument as a cherished possession, symbol of ones status as one of the literati. If almost everybody can write, and you can get a pen that writes more reliably and with less fuss for pennies, why bother with something special.

Now, enter the digital age, and the personal computer as the preferred medium of communication for an ever growing segment of the population. Less and less does Joe Sixpack need to fill out a stack of order forms over at the widgit factory on a daily basis. Mom types up the grocery list and emails it to herself on her iphone before leaving for the store. Purchases are made with the swish of a plastic card and the press of a few buttons. Who needs a pen with their checkbook all the time? As the volume of writing diminishes, people begin to see a hand written invitation or thank you note as something of a novelty, and perhaps worthy of investing some time and cash in. The market for a hand crafted fountain pen begins to reemerge from it's long dark hiatus.

Man, I really gotta quit drinking so much coffee after midnight when I'm on the road!

Bottom line, I suspect that the market for hand crafted pens will continue to increase, as more and more people begin to see writing as something worth doing well, and doing with an elegant instrument too. Does that mean I would sell off my stock in bic? Not necessarily, there's a whole lot of the world that still has not gotten onto the whole literacy for the masses bandwagon yet, and a lot more where the digital superhighway is very short of onramps. Plenty of people to buy plastic ballpoints for the forseable future. But, I think that in the developed world, all levels of handmade pens will see their pool of potential purchasers increase, from the $25 walnut slim, to the one of a kind custom made ebonite fountain pen.

 

[its_virgil]

Father and son, actually.:wink:
Do a good turn daily!
Don

... and the Gisi Brothers...

 

[skiprat]

Well, I think pen making or pen turning is alive and kicking. It's growing at a good rate in the UK too. New vendors are popping up all over the place and our variety is getting better and better.

But I think the most startling thing is the progress that many people are making. Newbies are joining with absolutely stunning work, where before we used to see pens that were so far under or over turned that you could clean your fingernails with the edges!!! When was the last time you saw a poorly made pen here on IAP??? There certainly isn't one that I can see.


Do you remember when doing a Celtic Cross or Eagle Feathers were all the rage? That was leading edge stuff not so long ago. But look at what is doing the rounds right now. Mind blowing stuff!!! HB360's, PC like Toni has introduced us to, Bruce's cast silver/gold plated parts, Charlie and GreenMountain Guy......the list goes on. Every day someone is posting something outstanding. More and more new kits are being brought out and many people are now even doing their own metalwork on regular wood lathes and using off the shelf taps and dies.....

No, I reckon pen making ( or turning, if you prefer) is here to stay!!!:biggrin:

 

[snyiper]

Pen use overall will diminish in the next century. We'll use keyboard for most everything.

People thought the same when the cartridge pen came about then the roller ball as well as the Gel. I feel we will always need a signature and for that a pen is the tool. Usage may diminish but its hard to have a computer or blackberry everywhere you need to take notes....besides we all still jot things down....