How many pens do you have for yourself?

[Cmmarshall]

As a fairly new penturner I tend to want to keep almost every pen I make. (Don't judge, it's an addiction).

How many pens do you all keep for yourself? Daily use, special occasion, or holiday pens.

In all fairness, I have sold the pen our of my pocket at least once. I have also sold 8 commissioned pens now, though I am not currently trying to show or sell them.

 

[thewishman]

Every pen I make for myself has the same outcome - I sell it. Either I want to keep it and someone sees it, then they ask how much, then I give them a crazy price, and they say, "Okay" and my pen goes away. Or, I decide that i have had it long enough and I sell it for a regular price. I don't really have any long-term keepers.

 

[mecompco]

Ha ha, good question! I have one, and it's the very nice FP I received from Sprung in the last PITH. So, I have none of my own that are not up for sale.

Regards,
Michael

 

[wood-of-1kind]

Too many to count as I have an extensive collection made bosom every talented IAP folks. All available for sale with the exception of one made by Eagle.

 

[1080Wayne]

Too many to count as I have an extensive collection made bosom every talented IAP folks. All available for sale with the exception of one made by Eagle.

Think your spell checker had something other than pens on it`s mind , Peter .

 

[MTViper]

Been turning pens for 5 years or so. I have a box that holds 30 or so that are some of my early ones. I have a large mouth Mason jar beside my recliner with another 25 or so. I usually have 5-10 on my computer desk that are my "pen(s) of the day" cause I usually carry 2 - one with and one without a stylus. I also have sold the pen out of my pocket. Some of "my" pens I won't sell because of mistakes on them, but I will make more like them for customers.

 

[wood-of-1kind]

Too many to count as I have an extensive collection made bosom every talented IAP folks. All available for sale with the exception of one made by Eagle.

Think your spell checker had something other than pens on it`s mind , Peter .

Thanks Wayne, should read "made by some"very talented IAP folks.

 

[plantman]

As a rule I don't make pens to sell. I usually make them for someone as a present, to display, or for charity events. Over the last 25 years I have made and collected somewhere over 650+ in my present collection. No two are alike !! My most treasured are those received in the PITH exchange. I seldom , if ever, carry a pen. Jim S

 

[Herb G]

I kept my first one so I could go back & see the mistakes I made on it.
It's in a drawer here somewhere.

 

[Pat Keefe]

I have 5 pens, for me. The first one I made, 2 rollerballs that are my daily carry, as I still spend a significant portion of my working day writing and 2 recent pens I made for myself in the colours of Manly Warringah Rugby League club and Tooheys Old Beer bottle cap.

 

[avbill]

I personal have 7 active fountain pens -- Each is a different colour barrel. The ink I use for the seven pen are matched to the barrel. I have fun writing... Todays color pen is turquoise.

 

[Akula]

Right now, only pens I have for myself have been given to me by others, and they will never be used. I have tried to make myself a pen(s) and they always seem to find another home.

Only pen I made I wish I still had was my very first pen.

 

[Brooks803]

I have one for each milestone in my pen making journey.

 

[firewhatfire]

I like to keep my competition pens, they are the ones that were the most fun to make. I do have a few that would make me unhappy to see go, although the price would make it taste less bitter.

 

[D.Oliver]

I have one for each milestone in my pen making journey.

Curious minds want to know how many milestones there are so far. For someone so talented I'm guessing there might be quite a few.

 

[D.Oliver]

I like to keep my competition pens, they are the ones that were the most fun to make. I do have a few that would make me unhappy to see go, although the price would make it taste less bitter.

I hope you kept the light saber pen too! That is still my favorite pen of yours. I can also think of one contest pen I hope you didn't keep!:tongue:

 

[Bill in Buena Park]

I have one for each milestone in my pen making journey.

I do the same, keep the prototype, which general is slightly imperfect. This includes about 6 at present. The rest become gifts.

 

[firewhatfire]

you mean my very 1st competition pen(2nd place) I pull the string on that one anytime I wanna impress folks.:biggrin:

I like to keep my competition pens, they are the ones that were the most fun to make. I do have a few that would make me unhappy to see go, although the price would make it taste less bitter.

I hope you kept the light saber pen too! That is still my favorite pen of yours. I can also think of one contest pen I hope you didn't keep!:tongue:

 

[D.Oliver]

you mean my very 1st competition pen(2nd place) I pull the string on that one anytime I wanna impress folks.:biggrin:

I like to keep my competition pens, they are the ones that were the most fun to make. I do have a few that would make me unhappy to see go, although the price would make it taste less bitter.

I hope you kept the light saber pen too! That is still my favorite pen of yours. I can also think of one contest pen I hope you didn't keep!:tongue:

That's the one!:biggrin:

 

[Mr Vic]

I've got about 15 pens from trades that are "MINE" and my first a Zebra Wood Black Stripe Slim Line. I carry this pen when ever I'm at a show or market and on the weekends. Great conversation starter.

I also have a Sterling Silver Amboyna Burl Americana Fountain Pen I made for my self and the one I use as a Logo on my banner and business cards. That one is an Imperial Fountain pen I purchased from CSUSA on closeout back in 2008 when they still had the $500 limited editions. The imperial is covered with "Block of Bengal" from Exotic Blanks. I call it my Imperial Bengal Tiger. I display it at markets and show and when someone asks I tell them "If I would sell it, the price would be $300-$400". So far no takers, I have a second kit and a chunk of Bengal to make another.

 

[sbwertz]

Normally I have one...my purse pen, and from time to time I sell it or give it away and make myself a new one. My husband has four, and he rotates which one he carries. Actually, right now, I have none! I'm carrying one of my blind turners' pens until I get a chance to make a new one because I sold my purse pen again!

 

[Jontello]

I do not have enough!!!! I am a fountain pen guy and I always carry 3 around with me all the time but I rotate mine. I currently have 6 and my collection will continue to grow as we have more pen swaps. I am working on doing some collaborations with visual artists and those are ones I will keep. I am sure I will have many more in my future years. But you can never have too many.

 

[lyonsacc]

I have 8 on my desk here at work they are all either: received in a pen swap, the wood was given to me by an IAP member for some special reason, or my kids made it. I have a couple at home that either my kids made me or have a major flaw so I can't sell or give it away.

 

[sbwertz]

I don't count my pen swap pens! They are "collector items" not pens for use.

 

[Cmmarshall]

I am happy to see so many responses! I missed the last pen swap as I hadn't signed into the board in a couple of weeks. That was a bummer. I will try and hit the next one though.

 

[Sprung]

I have 11 pens that I've received from other pen turners. A few were PITH pens. Some were swaps on another forum. Others I either traded for or purchased.

I also have 18 that I've made (which includes a couple pencils and a stylus) that I have either made for myself or liked so much that I kept. My wife has a larger collection of pens I've made than I do - I think she's over 2 dozen now!

This doesn't include my case or trays of pens that I have that are for sale or for my wife and I to choose from for gift giving. Reality is though that we give away at least 4 or 5 pens for every one I sell as my wife and I really enjoy giving my pens as gifts.

 

[JimB]

I have only one pen for myself. My wife also has one. They are both Sierra style and were made years ago. Mine is cocobolo and hers is red cedar. I do have a few others in the house that don't have a new home yet. All other pens I have made have either been sold or given away.

 

[TellicoTurning]

I think I have two or three... one is an olive wood pen that was the very first I ever made, the nib is just a hair too far out, and the wood never got a finish on it, so it's darkened over the years from handling.... the other is an antler pen, also one of my earlier pens and the one I carry most often... I've chased truckers and warehouse men down the docks many many times to take it back after loaning it to them... I carry it now in my cash box at the weekly farmer's market I do every Saturday.

 

[gbpens]

My wife has about 15. I have none.

 

[TimS124]

I have 2 but one may end up going to a friend (it's a gun metal Glacia with antler for the body). The first one is a cigar pen with Silk Oak for the body...love the figure in the wood and the light weight of it on that pen. It rides around in my backpack when I travel but has held up amazingly well for the poor handling it routinely gets.

Everything else is either done on request so it goes to the requester or I get an urge to try something different and invariably, somebody sees it and wants it bad enough to pay for it.

 

[Pat Keefe]

Well I added another pen to the stable, specifically a Sketch Pencil from Woodturningz, in Isotope Inlace Acrylester. It has been rudely commented on as the ugliest pencil in the universe. My retort is that the colour suits it's purpose as being difficult to mislay in my shed and no one else would like to acquire it, bar my daughter.

 

[corgicoupe]

When I try a new type kit, I keep one for myself. When I try a new wood, I keep one for myself. When I attempt a modification (like a closed end), I keep it for myself.

 

[Scott]

I LOVE pens! So I have lots of them around. Maybe 50 or 60. What fun!

Scott.

 

[Cmmarshall]

I currently have 3. A "faith hope and love" pen I carry with my bible dressed in a blank I made. A euro style pen dressed in a "water" blank I carry as a daily. And a Wall Street III dressed in black and white ebony I keep with my checkbook. My wife has 4 pens I made for her and my daughter has a pen and pencil she picked out. So I guess as a family we have 9. But I can tell it will grow now that we are making our own blanks.