DRAFT: Pretty Resin Pen Contest Rules

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MRDucks2

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DRAFT*DRAFT*DRAFT
Pretty Resin Pen Contest

The Pretty Resin Pen Contest is new for 2019 and is not intended to compete with the Advanced Casting Contest or the Segmented Pen Contest. This contest will focus on the beauty of resin blanks used in a finished pen and will allow for either purchased blanks or those cast by the individual submitting the entry (self-cast). The goal here is to drive participation by all members, new as well as the long established.

This contest is geared towards the pairing of a beautiful resin blank with kit hardware for the combined Pretty Resin Pen. It will focus on the blank quality, quality of turning, quality of finish and appropriate pairing with the selected kit. There will be three (3) prizes awarded: A Grand Prize, Prettiest Purchased Blank Pen and Prettiest Self-Cast Pen (See Prizes, below)

In addition to the Universal BASH Guidelines, the contest rules are as follows:

Contest Rules:
For the Pretty Resin Pen Contest your Pen entry shall:
1. Be a completely finished working pen turned and assembled by the entrant.
2. Must use a readily available, complete, non-modified stock Pen Kit of less than $35 retail value for a single kit from an established pen kit supplier.
a. Any kit meeting the above criteria is allowed – single or double tube, ballpoint, rollerball or fountain pen.
3. Be turned from a single resin pen blank (multi tube kits must have all sections made from the same, single blank).
4. Blank may be self-cast or purchased (see entry requirements).
5. Blanks May use any type/mix of colorants and any additives to increase or enhance color, chatoyance, reflectivity, sparkle, etc.
6. Blanks WILL NOT; be hybrids; have any embedded objects including parts, pieces, printed items, etc.; be etched or printed upon; have any segmenting including other blanks or materials, sections, rings, bands or spacers.

Contest Entries:
1. Entries will be accepted beginning [START DATE] through [END DATE] at 11:59pm Eastern Time.
2. Only one (1) pretty resin pen entry may be submitted by a member
3. Entry must indicate if blank is self-cast or purchased.
a. If purchased, indicate supplier/maker (if known), resin type (if known) or trade name and blank name.
b. If self-cast indicate resin type, colors/constituents used and blank name (if any).
4. Photograph a maximum of three (3) pictures of the pen you would like to enter including at least 1 with the clip facing forward and one with the clip to the side.
a. Photos should be on a solid colored background using only a clear stand or no stand at all, no additional "props" or complex backgrounds will be accepted.
5. Email the above required information along with the photographs of your entry (maximum combined file size of 2mb) to [email TBA] in one of the following file formats: PNG, JPEG, BMP, or GIF.
a. Be sure to include your IAP Member Name, full name and mailing address.
6. The entry must be "specific" to this contest only. It shall not have been shared / shown in any way shape or form. (eg: at a meeting, on the web, in a catalog)
7. All photos will be resized to a common format as needed for voting purposes.

DO NOT POST PICTURES IN THIS THREAD

Contest Judging:
1. During voting, the blank details and whether it is purchased or self-cast will not be indicated. These details will be revealed after voting is complete.
2. This is a Pen Contest. Any type or style of pen will be accepted that meet all other criteria.
3. Winner will be determined via the IAP membership through popular vote.
4. The focus is on the prettiest pen with emphasis on the blank and the pairing with the kit.
5. The final poll will be posted and the voting results will be public at that time, including the details of the blanks and whether it was purchased or self-cast.
a. If there are 10 entries or less, there will be one poll, which will be open for 72 hours.
b. If there are 10+ entries there will be a preliminary poll and the top five entries will advance to a final poll that will also be open for 72 hours.
c. Tied votes for any entries to advance/win may result in additional run-off polls, or additional entries to advance to the final poll.

Prizes:
There will be three (3) prizes awarded: A Grand Prize, Prettiest Purchased Blank Pen and Prettiest Self-Cast Pen
Grand Prize, Pretty Resin Pen: This prize will be awarded to the entry that gets the single most votes, regardless of if the pen was made using a purchased or self-cast blank. This winner will not be eligible for the category awards, below.
Pretty Resin Pen, Self-Cast Blank: This prize will be awarded to the entry that gets the most votes in the category of Self-Cast blanks, other than the Grand Prize Winner should it be Self-Cast.
Pretty Resin Pen, Purchased Blank: This prize will be awarded to the entry that gets the most votes in the category of Purchased blanks, other than the Grand Prize Winner should it be Purchased.

DRAFT*DRAFT*DRAFT

Any input with regard to suggestions, changes or clarification are appreciated. All suggestions will be considered, all rules open to modification if the suggestions are well presented and supported.
 
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jttheclockman

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DRAFT*DRAFT*DRAFT
Pretty Resin Pen Contest

The Pretty Resin Pen Contest is new for 2019 and is not intended to compete with the Advanced Casting Contest or the Segmented Pen Contest. This contest will focus on the beauty of resin blanks used in a finished pen and will allow for either purchased blanks or those cast by the individual submitting the entry (self-cast). The goal here is to drive participation by all members, new as well as the long established.

This contest is geared towards the pairing of a beautiful resin blank with kit hardware for the combined Pretty Resin Pen. It will focus on the blank quality, quality of turning, quality of finish and appropriate pairing with the selected kit. There will be three (3) prizes awarded: A Grand Prize, Prettiest Purchased Blank Pen and Prettiest Self-Cast Pen (See Prizes, below)

In addition to the Universal BASH Guidelines, the contest rules are as follows:

Contest Rules:
For the Pretty Resin Pen Contest your Pen entry shall:
1. Be a completely finished working pen turned and assembled by the entrant.
2. Must use a readily available, complete, non-modified stock Pen Kit of less than $35 retail value for a single kit from an established pen kit supplier.
a. Any kit meeting the above criteria is allowed – single or double tube, ballpoint, rollerball or fountain pen.
3. Be turned from a single resin pen blank (multi tube kits must have all sections made from the same, single blank).
4. Blank may be self-cast or purchased (see entry requirements).
5. Blanks May use any type/mix of colorants and any additives to increase or enhance color, chatoyance, reflectivity, sparkle, etc.
6. Blanks WILL NOT; be hybrids; have any embedded objects including parts, pieces, printed items, etc.; be etched or printed upon; have any segmenting including other blanks or materials, sections, rings, bands or spacers.

Contest Entries:
1. Entries will be accepted beginning [START DATE] through [END DATE] at 11:59pm Eastern Time.
2. Only one (1) pretty resin pen entry may be submitted by a member
3. Entry must indicate if blank is self-cast or purchased.
a. If purchased, indicate supplier/maker (if known), resin type (if known) or trade name and blank name.
b. If self-cast indicate resin type, colors/constituents used and blank name (if any).
4. Photograph a maximum of three (3) pictures of the pen you would like to enter including at least 1 with the clip facing forward and one with the clip to the side.
a. Photos should be on a solid colored background using only a clear stand or no stand at all, no additional "props" or complex backgrounds will be accepted.
5. Email the above required information along with the photographs of your entry (maximum combined file size of 2mb) to [email TBA] in one of the following file formats: PNG, JPEG, BMP, or GIF.
a. Be sure to include your IAP Member Name, full name and mailing address.
6. The entry must be "specific" to this contest only. It shall not have been shared / shown in any way shape or form. (eg: at a meeting, on the web, in a catalog)
7. All photos will be resized to a common format as needed for voting purposes.

DO NOT POST PICTURES IN THIS THREAD

Contest Judging:
1. During voting, the blank details and whether it is purchased or self-cast will not be indicated. These details will be revealed after voting is complete.
2. This is a Pen Contest. Any type or style of pen will be accepted that meet all other criteria.
3. Winner will be determined via the IAP membership through popular vote.
4. The focus is on the prettiest pen with emphasis on the blank and the pairing with the kit.
5. The final poll will be posted and the voting results will be public at that time, including the details of the blanks and whether it was purchased or self-cast.
a. If there are 10 entries or less, there will be one poll, which will be open for 72 hours.
b. If there are 10+ entries there will be a preliminary poll and the top five entries will advance to a final poll that will also be open for 72 hours.
c. Tied votes for any entries to advance/win may result in additional run-off polls, or additional entries to advance to the final poll.

Prizes:
There will be three (3) prizes awarded: A Grand Prize, Prettiest Purchased Blank Pen and Prettiest Self-Cast Pen
Grand Prize, Pretty Resin Pen: This prize will be awarded to the entry that gets the single most votes, regardless of if the pen was made using a purchased or self-cast blank. This winner will not be eligible for the category awards, below.
Pretty Resin Pen, Self-Cast Blank: This prize will be awarded to the entry that gets the most votes in the category of Self-Cast blanks, other than the Grand Prize Winner should it be Self-Cast.
Pretty Resin Pen, Purchased Blank: This prize will be awarded to the entry that gets the most votes in the category of Purchased blanks, other than the Grand Prize Winner should it be Purchased.

DRAFT*DRAFT*DRAFT

Any input with regard to suggestions, changes or clarification are appreciated. All suggestions will be considered, all rules open to modification if the suggestions are well presented and supported.

Blanks WILL NOT; be hybrids; have any embedded objects including parts, pieces, printed items, etc.; be etched or printed upon; have any segmenting including other blanks or materials, sections, rings, bands or spacers.

Or this

5. Blanks May use any type/mix of colorants and any additives to increase or enhance color, chatoyance, reflectivity, sparkle, etc.


Could you explain this a little more please?? Are you saying that the blank can not have glitter, diamond dust, metal chips or sand or resin chips of any kind?? Thanks.
 

jttheclockman

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One other question, is there a way we can bump up the kit price to $40 because there are many mid range quality kits that are in the $35 to $40 range and would highlight the blank better. One plating maybe less but would look better with a different plating. Not sure how strict you are following that rule. Thanks.:):)
 

MRDucks2

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Pretty Resin Pen Contest

5. Blanks May use any type/mix of colorants and any additives to increase or enhance color, chatoyance, reflectivity, sparkle, etc.
6. Blanks WILL NOT; be hybrids; have any embedded objects including parts, pieces, printed items, etc.; be etched or printed upon; have any segmenting including other blanks or materials, sections, rings, bands or spacers.

Blanks WILL NOT; be hybrids; have any embedded objects including parts, pieces, printed items, etc.; be etched or printed upon; have any segmenting including other blanks or materials, sections, rings, bands or spacers.

Or this

5. Blanks May use any type/mix of colorants and any additives to increase or enhance color, chatoyance, reflectivity, sparkle, etc.


Could you explain this a little more please?? Are you saying that the blank can not have glitter, diamond dust, metal chips or sand or resin chips of any kind?? Thanks.

Hey, John - Thanks for the Question. No, they are listed in the Contest Rules As:
5 - Blanks May use any type/mix of colorants and any additives to increase or enhance color, chatoyance, reflectivity, sparkle, etc.

Then:
6 - Blanks WILL NOT; be hybrids; have any embedded objects including parts, pieces, printed items, etc.; be etched or printed upon; have any segmenting including other blanks or materials, sections, rings, bands or spacers

Specifically to try and indicate that constituents for enhancing the resin color or reflectivity such as fine glitters, diamond or other dust, metal fines, etc. are allowed.

What we want to avoid are imbedded objects that become a focal point of the resin blank. They should be submitted under the advanced casting contest. These would be items such as watch parts, gears, wood chips/flakes/pieces or other material/textiles, etc., chips and flakes, parts and pieces.

This could be a bit confusing for some, and hopefully this will help clarify the intent:
-Gold Dust could be used but not Flakes of Gold, Pieces or Gold or Gold Nuggets
-Metal fines/dust could be used but no tailings, cuttings, chips or pieces
-Coffee grounds/dust could be added but no coffee beans
-Sand could be used, but no sandstone or shells/shell pieces

The goal for this contest is for the resin to be the star, which includes those additives which enhance the resin as a blank but excludes those items for which the resin simply acts as a binder.

The Great News is that any Pen submitted that would otherwise qualify for this contest except for what is embedded in the resin would still likely qualify for the advanced casting contest.

Hopefully this conversation sparkes wording for the rules that can be sued to better represent the intent.
 

jttheclockman

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That is a very good explanation and glad I asked now because it takes my idea out of this contest. Will have to go to plan "B"

And the ruling on the second question???? :)
 

MRDucks2

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One other question, is there a way we can bump up the kit price to $40 because there are many mid range quality kits that are in the $35 to $40 range and would highlight the blank better. One plating maybe less but would look better with a different plating. Not sure how strict you are following that rule. Thanks.:):)

Thanks for the feedback, John.

We can really set the kit price at anything that is reasonable for all. I struggled with this one a little in seeing that regardless of where the cut-off is, there is always a pen in a design group that some will be below the cut off and one or two will miss it. The goal is to be inclusive of new memebers and not let a new turner who doesn't want to spend more than $10 for a kit get trumped by someone who has a Great Palace Vine Kit they are making for a customer and would like to submit to the contest.

I went with the $35 amount as it allowed entrants to get into some of the Jr. Series kits without quite getting to the point that the kit would dominate the blank itself. This was based solely on my opinion and 20 minutes of research.

I think this would be a good chance for me to get practice setting up a poll for others to vote on using $25, $30, $35 and $40 as the cutoff levels. There will always be a few who would want to spend just a couple of more dollars, so this way we can see what the group opinion is.
 

jttheclockman

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One other question, is there a way we can bump up the kit price to $40 because there are many mid range quality kits that are in the $35 to $40 range and would highlight the blank better. One plating maybe less but would look better with a different plating. Not sure how strict you are following that rule. Thanks.:):)

Thanks for the feedback, John.

We can really set the kit price at anything that is reasonable for all. I struggled with this one a little in seeing that regardless of where the cut-off is, there is always a pen in a design group that some will be below the cut off and one or two will miss it. The goal is to be inclusive of new memebers and not let a new turner who doesn't want to spend more than $10 for a kit get trumped by someone who has a Great Palace Vine Kit they are making for a customer and would like to submit to the contest.

I went with the $35 amount as it allowed entrants to get into some of the Jr. Series kits without quite getting to the point that the kit would dominate the blank itself. This was based solely on my opinion and 20 minutes of research.

I think this would be a good chance for me to get practice setting up a poll for others to vote on using $25, $30, $35 and $40 as the cutoff levels. There will always be a few who would want to spend just a couple of more dollars, so this way we can see what the group opinion is.

I did basically the same thing and used Exotic Blanks site as my base. I saw quite a few kits in the JR series and such that are $37 to $40 if you step up to a gold plating as opposed to $30 to $33 in other platings. I understand staying away from the $80 kits. I do not believe a poll is needed but you are in charge. If you allow a little leeway $5 to $10 either way should cover things. I do understand the desire to entice as many as possible and it is the blank that should be judged but you know yourself if you have a great blank it would just be natural to use a better quality kit for sales after the contests. Just was not sure if you were going to be checking on pricing of kits to stay within your parameters. Thanks.
 

jttheclockman

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If the focus is to be on the cast blank, maybe there should be ONE kit. All the same kit for everyone. Then voters won't be influenced by kit style, plating or anything but the cast blank. Just a thought!


I do not think you can do that because many people may not have that kit and to order one kit just for the contest. I basically asked the question because I have mid range kits and I know back when I bought they were less than $35 because I bought in bulk but kit prices have gone up some. :):)
 

Cwalker935

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"2. Must use a readily available, complete, non-modified stock Pen Kit of less than $35 retail value for a single kit from an established pen kit supplier.a. Any kit meeting the above criteria is allowed – single or double tube, ballpoint, rollerball or fountain pen."

Yikes, it looks like you can use a Slimline kit! If I were you I would save your slimline kit for this:

http://www.penturners.org/forum/f18/bash-slimline-contest-157472/
 

MRDucks2

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Time for tonight's feedback review, Gang:
Chuck/John - good idea on the single kit, I like it a lot. But, John has a valid point on the fact we could then be forcing people who may otherwise participate into buying a kit and maybe bushings and maybe something they are not quite comfortable with. I will hang on to the single kit idea for the future but not this year as we ride a new contest out of the gate. Let's see how the horses run.

Cody - Very good point on the Slim Line crossover, which we want to avoid. I will pull Slim Lines out and point them to the Slim Line contest.

Final call on the top price for a kit: Let's leave it at $35 or less retail as listed in the rules draft. As previously mentioned any cutoff will eliminate some kits in some families. If Rhodium is a better plating for your resin blank, you may need to step down a kit level to get it in.

I will verify prices on any of the kit families that push the upper limit as I have only bought a couple of some of them. Again, wanting to drive participation.

Keep the feedback coming, all. This is good stuff.
 

jttheclockman

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Time for tonight's feedback review, Gang:
Chuck/John - good idea on the single kit, I like it a lot. But, John has a valid point on the fact we could then be forcing people who may otherwise participate into buying a kit and maybe bushings and maybe something they are not quite comfortable with. I will hang on to the single kit idea for the future but not this year as we ride a new contest out of the gate. Let's see how the horses run.

Cody - Very good point on the Slim Line crossover, which we want to avoid. I will pull Slim Lines out and point them to the Slim Line contest.

Final call on the top price for a kit: Let's leave it at $35 or less retail as listed in the rules draft. As previously mentioned any cutoff will eliminate some kits in some families. If Rhodium is a better plating for your resin blank, you may need to step down a kit level to get it in.

I will verify prices on any of the kit families that push the upper limit as I have only bought a couple of some of them. Again, wanting to drive participation.

Keep the feedback coming, all. This is good stuff.

So there is no leeway give or take a couple dollars over the $35??
 

jttheclockman

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I will abide by all rules if you see fit to adhere to the $35. Just want to add an entry. Had to make one adjustment and I am sure I can do 2. Its your call. :):):)
 

skiprat

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JT.......I've seen most of your work and don't think you need to worry about breaking the $35 ceiling....:tongue:

Also, probably wont be an issue but it should be noted that you guys in the States can get a considerably better kit for $35 than we can if we buy here.:wink:
 

EBorraga

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Lots of nice kits out there for a reasonable price. Will a kit really make a difference on people voting? Most people enter for the fun of it. I'm sure you won't get disqualified if you pay $40.00 for a kit and use it. It's not like we have a Rules Enforcer! That kit cost $35.02, you're outta here :)
 

jttheclockman

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Lots of nice kits out there for a reasonable price. Will a kit really make a difference on people voting? Most people enter for the fun of it. I'm sure you won't get disqualified if you pay $40.00 for a kit and use it. It's not like we have a Rules Enforcer! That kit cost $35.02, you're outta here :)


And this is the crux of my question. Being Mr Ducks is running it and my $38 kit does not qualify under his rules I will abide. It is the first contest where there is a kit $$$limit placed that I know of.

The first part of your question, I believe yes. There is no scientific studies done but If the same blank was used on a cigar kit and another on a Emperor or even an Imperial would surely get my attention.
 

jttheclockman

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JT.......I've seen most of your work and don't think you need to worry about breaking the $35 ceiling....:tongue:

Also, probably wont be an issue but it should be noted that you guys in the States can get a considerably better kit for $35 than we can if we buy here.:wink:

There is a deep hidden message in there that will require some heavy equipment to uncover.:biggrin::biggrin::biggrin:
 
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