MacGyver
Member
Hello Everyone, and thanks to the admins who allowed me to join.
I had been turning small stuff and making pens for several years prior to being struck by lightning. After that happened in mid 2010, I was unable to return to the shop for a plethora of health reasons. A lot of focus was put into my rehab and getting back into some kind of shape similar to that of how I was prior to the strike.
Just in the last months, I have returned, and started going through everything. I cant remember what a lot is for, and have started reteaching myself how to use the lathe and tooling. My wife has helped a lot.
One thing that I really wish I would have told my wife about was how I made bullet pens back then. To me and my wife's knowledge, I am the "grandfather" of making that unique style of pen having never seen anything like it at that time (back in 2002/2003, possibly a little earlier). I was making everything custom while using a certain brand of kit, and using actual shells I purchased in bulk among other items. I sold 308/308, and 30-06/30-06 pens, along with 308/30-06 pens. Maybe someone here on the forum will prove history wrong? I am curious to see if someone was making them longer than I have been. Maybe I can compare some notes with them to get me back up and running.......
People bought them so fast, I barely ever had any in stock. I kept the first versions of each, and found 2 more made from 21 gun salute shells. My big seller was untouched 21 gun salute shell pens. The way the shells came to me was how they were returned to the customer in a pen. I did those pens, according to my wife, for cost. She said I took great pride in those especially.
I have found some shop notes....... Just need to make sense of them, along with all these jigs I made from HDPE plastic. It is amazing to me how unfamiliar that side of my shop looks to me. I hope no one else suffers a similar experience.
At any rate, I am back and I am sure I will have questions as I get back into this all. I am busy trying to organize my work space and see what all I actually have before I proceed, and I have been practicing turning spindles in the mean time and sharpening my tools.
Any thoughts, or encouragement is well appreciated.
Sometime I will see how to post pictures and get some up for others here to see.
Again, Thanks!
Mac
I had been turning small stuff and making pens for several years prior to being struck by lightning. After that happened in mid 2010, I was unable to return to the shop for a plethora of health reasons. A lot of focus was put into my rehab and getting back into some kind of shape similar to that of how I was prior to the strike.
Just in the last months, I have returned, and started going through everything. I cant remember what a lot is for, and have started reteaching myself how to use the lathe and tooling. My wife has helped a lot.
One thing that I really wish I would have told my wife about was how I made bullet pens back then. To me and my wife's knowledge, I am the "grandfather" of making that unique style of pen having never seen anything like it at that time (back in 2002/2003, possibly a little earlier). I was making everything custom while using a certain brand of kit, and using actual shells I purchased in bulk among other items. I sold 308/308, and 30-06/30-06 pens, along with 308/30-06 pens. Maybe someone here on the forum will prove history wrong? I am curious to see if someone was making them longer than I have been. Maybe I can compare some notes with them to get me back up and running.......
People bought them so fast, I barely ever had any in stock. I kept the first versions of each, and found 2 more made from 21 gun salute shells. My big seller was untouched 21 gun salute shell pens. The way the shells came to me was how they were returned to the customer in a pen. I did those pens, according to my wife, for cost. She said I took great pride in those especially.
I have found some shop notes....... Just need to make sense of them, along with all these jigs I made from HDPE plastic. It is amazing to me how unfamiliar that side of my shop looks to me. I hope no one else suffers a similar experience.
At any rate, I am back and I am sure I will have questions as I get back into this all. I am busy trying to organize my work space and see what all I actually have before I proceed, and I have been practicing turning spindles in the mean time and sharpening my tools.
Any thoughts, or encouragement is well appreciated.
Sometime I will see how to post pictures and get some up for others here to see.
Again, Thanks!
Mac
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