How did you get started in Pen Making

[edicehouse]

I was in woodcraft, and someone I knew had started making pens and it was interesting. I was bouncing between Harbor Freight and Woodcraft looking at Lathes. Well I happened to be in Woodcraft and Heather came up, and by this time I decided to "hold off". I had decided to go with a "better" lathe than what was at Woodcraft, well through talking to me, she says she has a couple Rikon Variable Speed Lathes left over from the Black Friday Sales and will let me have it for (I don't remember how much now) the sale price. So I got that lathe, bought a bag of wood blanks, the $35 dollar 10 pack of slims, and a starter kit, with mandrel, bushings, glue, ect. Went to Harbor freight and bought the lathe tools.

I got home and took the lathe out of the box, and had it sitting on the floor behind my tractor. I literally sat on the ground to turn my first few pens, and did this until I made room. I wanted to turn so bad I didn't want to take the time to set things up.

So what is your story?

 

[rudya7]

I was at a Sears that had a returned lathe on final markdown, which meant I could afford it with the money I had in my pocket. I had learned how to turn in high school and thought it would be nice to try it again. I brought it home, set it up , and it sat for a while till I could figure out what I could make, and finish quickly, as I didn't have much free time back then. I found a catalog with pens kits and it was the beginning of the end. The first year I turned 10 kits, with wood from tomato stakes I had lying around in the backyard. Lucky it was cherry. I gave them to the guys I worked with as gifts and it became a tradition. The first 10 pens grew to close to 100 a year, and I took the same week off every year to prepare for Christmas, and have been doing so for the last 25 years or so. I didn't have the heart to get rid of that old lathe even though I haven't used it in years. I now have it on the bench ready for an upgrade, a VS 3/4 motor and controller from a treadmill. I'm looking forward to bringing the old lathe back to life.

 

[mark james]

In High School I was given a wooden pen (cross brand) and I always loved it.

in 1991 I bought a starter kit from Hut that allowed me to make pens on my drill press. No gouges, just keep sanding... I made 2 very poor pens and the kit sat in a box until I found it in 2011. I looked up Hut, and discovered that my drill press kit had been replaced by a lathe. I'd never used a lathe, so more exploring.

The rest is history and I still can make some poor pens!!!

 

[EBorraga]

I was at a show in Bardstown Ky. I met a guy by the name of Gary Max who turned some very nice bowls and pens. After about an hour of talking to him, he invited me to his shop to learn how to make pens. I spent a few Saturday's learning and then decided to buy a mini lathe. The rest is history!!

 

[Kenny Durrant]

I was at a family reunion and my wife's uncle always brought the small kids wooden toys he made. One year he brought pens to give out. They were plain slimlines he'd made out of scrap wood he had laying around. I've always enjoyed making things and when I saw the pens I was fascinated. He gave me a few catalogs to get the kits and Woodcraft was having a sale on lathes. Woodcraft had a kit that included a Jett Mini Lathe with the mandrel,tools and kits. The only other thing I needed to buy was glue. I'm not sure how many years ago that was but I've been hooked since.

 

[leehljp]

I have been around woodworking (on a farm) since the early 50's. I always loved the smell of freshly sawn wood. I have had a TS, BS and Radial Arm saw, along with routers since high school in mid-60s. In '86, I moved to Japan and carried a bandsaw and numerous hand tools with me.

Space is tight in Japan! It usually took me half an hour to get set up to make any project, and an hour to put things up and clean up. And I couldn't do it at night for the noise (neighbor's house literally 6 feet away). Most USA side projects that would take 2 weeks to 1 month were 2 to 3 years for me over there. Very limited work time. With the need for the smell of wood, I began to look to projects that I could make in an hour. I had been seeing pens advertised all the way back to the early '90s. Pens made on drill presses and on router tables.

In 2003, I began to look at lathes. Getting a lathe or any other large tool over was a once every 4 year shipment for me. Not wanting to wait until 2005/2006 to get a larger lathe over there, I bought a Taig lathe in 2004 - that would fit in a suitcase. I started making pens in December of 2004. In early 2006, I purchased a Rikon lathe from Woodcraft and had it shipped back to Japan. Still using the Rikon today back home.

I have put off pen making since 2010 because I have not had my dust collector hooked up. I am about to get it working - another 2 weeks or so. I have a severe allergy to CA fumes.

 

[Sappheiros]

This past September, I celebrated my 25th birthday. The family was having trouble figuring out what I would like. I can always find something to buy myself, but when others ask me, I can't think of anything. I told them I had everything I wanted. Now, my father is a collector of fine pens and he passed that on to me. On my birthday, I was handed a card that said to pick out my favorite pen and that would be my birthday gift. I delved into the catalogues we had and websites and searched around. I found a couple that I was deciding between.

That weekend, I picked up a catalogue from Woodcraft. I'd never really looked through it before. What were these pen kits displayed so beautifully? How could such fine pens be so cheap? I started looking into pen kits and found out that it's not just a build-your-own-pen sort of thing. I started watching all of the youtube tutorials I could find. I had made my decision. I would be buying a lathe and all the supplies needed for pen turning. On October 18th, I made my very first pen (and second). All of my money later, I'm loving it and I'm addicted!

 

[Edgar]

Having grown up on a farm, I began to learn carpentry as soon as I was big enough to hold a tack hammer. Woodworking has been one of my main hobbies ever since and, over time, I've accumulated a pretty good set of power & hand tools. I finally built the shop of my dreams about 25 years ago, but as I've gotten older and more involved in other things, 2-3 month projects were taking 2-3 years and it's hard for me to stay focused on a project that long so woodworking just wasn't as much fun as it used to be.

About 4 years ago, we changed churches and I met a couple of guys in our men's group who made pens. They described the process and invited me over to their shop, but before we had a chance to get together, I watched some You Tube videos and liked what I saw. Although I was a long-time woodworker, I had never tried turning anything on a lathe before and didn't even realize the possibilities.

There is a Rockler and a Woodcraft not far from where I work, so I checked out their web sites and saw that Rockler had their Excelsior lathe on sale for $200. I went over there after work that same evening "just to check them out". Well, after looking at the lathes and talking to a couple of the guys at the store, I walked out with a lathe, pen starter kit, a set of turning tools and a handful of blanks. I turned my first pen that weekend and I was hooked!

I especially like the fact that I can go out to my shop whenever time & mood permit and return with a completely finished project in an hour or two (sometimes).

 

[mecompco]

Somehow I got a catalog from PSI and ordered their free DVD. Decided I wanted to give it a try, and I already had some tools. I soon took delivery of an ancient Craftsman 12x36 metal lathe that I'd wanted for other purposes anyway. Made my first pens on that. HF had a Father's Day sale and I had a 25% off coupon so went and bought their Midi lathe. Not long after, my Mother gave me her never-used 20 y/o Delta Midi lathe.

Gave away some pens, then sold a few. I was hooked. I am glad to have three lathes as I use them all for different purposes--turn on the Delta, drill, square, sand, finish and assemble on the Craftsman and buff on the HF.

Gotta say this is a fun (and upon occasion frustrating) journey!

Regards,
Michael

 

[WIDirt]

This is a great story, hope you all like it.

Start, 31 years ago, tomorrow. I married my wife. She waits until our wedding night to inform me that she had a baby, 3 months before I met her, that she put up for adoption. Doesn't phase me, I love her to death, and, as you can tell, I am still married to her. Fast forward about 15 years. We decide to ACTIVELY start trying to find him. We figured at 15 years old, he would be able to decide for himself if he wants to meet Her and I. We run into roadblock, after roadblock, after.... You get the picture. We finally find out the adoption agency that was used was shut down by the feds. ALL records destroyed.... Devastation... Fast forward another 5 years, or so.
MIL gets a strange phone call. (She doesn't mention it to us until almost 1 1/2 years later.) FF 1 1/2 years. MIL gets a strange phone call, this time, the woman's voice on the other end, asks if she is the mother of "Lisa". MIL says "yes". CLICK, dead air. MIL tells us about both calls, we are stumped.... FF a couple months. MIL gets a phone call, this time the woman on the other end introduces herself, and says that she is the adoptive mother, and her son has asked about his birth mother. He is 22. Of course, we hear about this immediately, and, of course, we call her back, and of course we say "YES!". a week later, we are in Phoenix, meeting he and his parents for the first time! Turns out, the nurse at the hospital had screwed up. She put baby "and my wife's maiden name" on the placard for the bassinet. They had kept it for all these years, and finally decided to look for us. It was the only clue they had.

After meeting them for breakfast, we went to their home, and while talking it came up that Dad and son made pens for a hobby. Out to the garage, where I was introduced to a JET minilathe. I also made my first pen, which is currently sitting on the desk next to me.

FF, another year, and my parents, from Las Vegas, want to meet their "new" grandson! So ,we all trundle back to Phoenix. I had never mentioned the pens to my Dad, so you can imagine my shock, after he was shown pen making, when he says to me, "Do want my lathe? I haven't used it in 10 years, or so. It's in a box in my shed." Jaw on the floor...... You already know the answer!

So, that is how I got introduced to, and started making pens. We talk to them as often as possible, and we still trade turned items all the time!

 

[edicehouse]

This is a great story, hope you all like it.

Start, 31 years ago, tomorrow. I married my wife. She waits until our wedding night to inform me that she had a baby, 3 months before I met her, that she put up for adoption. Doesn't phase me, I love her to death, and, as you can tell, I am still married to her. Fast forward about 15 years. We decide to ACTIVELY start trying to find him. We figured at 15 years old, he would be able to decide for himself if he wants to meet Her and I. We run into roadblock, after roadblock, after.... You get the picture. We finally find out the adoption agency that was used was shut down by the feds. ALL records destroyed.... Devastation... Fast forward another 5 years, or so.
MIL gets a strange phone call. (She doesn't mention it to us until almost 1 1/2 years later.) FF 1 1/2 years. MIL gets a strange phone call, this time, the woman's voice on the other end, asks if she is the mother of "Lisa". MIL says "yes". CLICK, dead air. MIL tells us about both calls, we are stumped.... FF a couple months. MIL gets a phone call, this time the woman on the other end introduces herself, and says that she is the adoptive mother, and her son has asked about his birth mother. He is 22. Of course, we hear about this immediately, and, of course, we call her back, and of course we say "YES!". a week later, we are in Phoenix, meeting he and his parents for the first time! Turns out, the nurse at the hospital had screwed up. She put baby "and my wife's maiden name" on the placard for the bassinet. They had kept it for all these years, and finally decided to look for us. It was the only clue they had.

After meeting them for breakfast, we went to their home, and while talking it came up that Dad and son made pens for a hobby. Out to the garage, where I was introduced to a JET minilathe. I also made my first pen, which is currently sitting on the desk next to me.

FF, another year, and my parents, from Las Vegas, want to meet their "new" grandson! So ,we all trundle back to Phoenix. I had never mentioned the pens to my Dad, so you can imagine my shock, after he was shown pen making, when he says to me, "Do want my lathe? I haven't used it in 10 years, or so. It's in a box in my shed." Jaw on the floor...... You already know the answer!

So, that is how I got introduced to, and started making pens. We talk to them as often as possible, and we still trade turned items all the time!

Talk about family heirlooms (sp).

 

[triw51]

I read where a knife maker sold Damascus pens at the Atlanta knife show for big money. I make my own Damascus steel and had just picked up an old Atlas metal lathe (made in the 20's). But before I tried to make one out of steel I though I would learn on wood. Bought a kit and a few items at Craft supply in Phoenix, my first pen is in a drawer because I split the wood pressing the pieces together. Now I have several hundred under my belt and still making them. (Although I never made one out of Damascus).

 

[SteveG]

Short answer: Chronic BAD Back Pain.

Medium answer: (Chronic back pain plus chronic fatigue associated with back pain, and unable to stand up without leaning on something due to peripheral neuropathy.) About nine years ago the worsening of these medical conditions forced me to discontinue my custom furniture business, and pick up with the making and selling of small "gift" type items. (Living Hawaii...Koa wood primarily.) I was and am able to also do vendor table sales of said items. Eight years ago, someone then close to me suggested adding pens to the mix of items to make and sell. Within 18 months, the "mix" on the table had become about 90% pens. That is where I still am today, but looking to quit the vendor table within (about) a year. Pen-making will then become 100% hobby.

 

[Edgar]

This is a great story, hope you all like it.

Start, 31 years ago, tomorrow. I married my wife. She waits until our wedding night to inform me that she had a baby, 3 months before I met her, that she put up for adoption. Doesn't phase me, I love her to death, and, as you can tell, I am still married to her. Fast forward about 15 years. We decide to ACTIVELY start trying to find him. We figured at 15 years old, he would be able to decide for himself if he wants to meet Her and I. We run into roadblock, after roadblock, after.... You get the picture. We finally find out the adoption agency that was used was shut down by the feds. ALL records destroyed.... Devastation... Fast forward another 5 years, or so.
MIL gets a strange phone call. (She doesn't mention it to us until almost 1 1/2 years later.) FF 1 1/2 years. MIL gets a strange phone call, this time, the woman's voice on the other end, asks if she is the mother of "Lisa". MIL says "yes". CLICK, dead air. MIL tells us about both calls, we are stumped.... FF a couple months. MIL gets a phone call, this time the woman on the other end introduces herself, and says that she is the adoptive mother, and her son has asked about his birth mother. He is 22. Of course, we hear about this immediately, and, of course, we call her back, and of course we say "YES!". a week later, we are in Phoenix, meeting he and his parents for the first time! Turns out, the nurse at the hospital had screwed up. She put baby "and my wife's maiden name" on the placard for the bassinet. They had kept it for all these years, and finally decided to look for us. It was the only clue they had.

After meeting them for breakfast, we went to their home, and while talking it came up that Dad and son made pens for a hobby. Out to the garage, where I was introduced to a JET minilathe. I also made my first pen, which is currently sitting on the desk next to me.

FF, another year, and my parents, from Las Vegas, want to meet their "new" grandson! So ,we all trundle back to Phoenix. I had never mentioned the pens to my Dad, so you can imagine my shock, after he was shown pen making, when he says to me, "Do want my lathe? I haven't used it in 10 years, or so. It's in a box in my shed." Jaw on the floor...... You already know the answer!

So, that is how I got introduced to, and started making pens. We talk to them as often as possible, and we still trade turned items all the time!

Awesome story, Todd - thanks for sharing.
It's gonna be tough for anyone to top that one.

 

[JimB]

For me it was 8 years ago. Somewhere I saw information on taking a one day turning class at Woodcraft just a few miles from my house. As (bad) luck would have it I couldn't make the class. About 2 weeks later I saw something for a one day class at Rockler about 50 minutes away. It was a 6 hour class taught by Kurt Hertzog. Some of you know who he is. Obviously at the time I had no idea. The class was just a basic spindle turning class. He taught us how to use various tools. We didn't actually make anything but he had many of his own pieces with him including a selection of pens. A week later I had my lathe and started with pens!

About a year later, through the public schools Adult Continuing Education program I took bowl turning classes. It was a great deal. For $95 you took 8 classes, 3 hour each for a total of 24 hours of instruction. I was now hooked on turning bowls as well and the hobby became even more expensive as I needed new tools, a bigger lathe and a bandsaw!

 

[CREID]

I fell down and hit my head. I haven't been the same since.:biggrin:
Actually, I just wanted to learn to make square pieces of wood round. The rest is history.

 

[jttheclockman]

About 12 -13 years ago I started talking to a pen turner at a craft show I was doing and got interested. Then at the next woodworking show in my area Craft Supply USA was doing demos and the rest is history. Bought lathe, tools, and various other equipment there and was turning the next day. Then I found this site and also ran into a member here that does not come here any more and happen to live in my town. Here I am today. For me this is a distant secondary hobby though to my scroll sawing but it has consumed much funds for sure.

 

[dogcatcher]

I have been woodworking since JR High, I bought a lathe before I got out of high school. Years later I saw a wood pen at my attorney's office, I studied it and went home and gutted a gimme advertising pen. My first pen was a kitless pen. then I found out about kits. Pens are not my specialty, I have paid for my "stuff" turning a multitude of stuff.

 

[CREID]

This is a great story, hope you all like it.

Start, 31 years ago, tomorrow. I married my wife. She waits until our wedding night to inform me that she had a baby, 3 months before I met her, that she put up for adoption. Doesn't phase me, I love her to death, and, as you can tell, I am still married to her. Fast forward about 15 years. We decide to ACTIVELY start trying to find him. We figured at 15 years old, he would be able to decide for himself if he wants to meet Her and I. We run into roadblock, after roadblock, after.... You get the picture. We finally find out the adoption agency that was used was shut down by the feds. ALL records destroyed.... Devastation... Fast forward another 5 years, or so.
MIL gets a strange phone call. (She doesn't mention it to us until almost 1 1/2 years later.) FF 1 1/2 years. MIL gets a strange phone call, this time, the woman's voice on the other end, asks if she is the mother of "Lisa". MIL says "yes". CLICK, dead air. MIL tells us about both calls, we are stumped.... FF a couple months. MIL gets a phone call, this time the woman on the other end introduces herself, and says that she is the adoptive mother, and her son has asked about his birth mother. He is 22. Of course, we hear about this immediately, and, of course, we call her back, and of course we say "YES!". a week later, we are in Phoenix, meeting he and his parents for the first time! Turns out, the nurse at the hospital had screwed up. She put baby "and my wife's maiden name" on the placard for the bassinet. They had kept it for all these years, and finally decided to look for us. It was the only clue they had.

After meeting them for breakfast, we went to their home, and while talking it came up that Dad and son made pens for a hobby. Out to the garage, where I was introduced to a JET minilathe. I also made my first pen, which is currently sitting on the desk next to me.

FF, another year, and my parents, from Las Vegas, want to meet their "new" grandson! So ,we all trundle back to Phoenix. I had never mentioned the pens to my Dad, so you can imagine my shock, after he was shown pen making, when he says to me, "Do want my lathe? I haven't used it in 10 years, or so. It's in a box in my shed." Jaw on the floor...... You already know the answer!

So, that is how I got introduced to, and started making pens. We talk to them as often as possible, and we still trade turned items all the time!

I'm tearing up. Wonderful story.

 

[TellicoTurning]

My wife got me started wood turning... we were in an art gallery in Fredericksburg, Texas and just looking about... I admired a bowl that was turned from Red Mesquite... at any rate the bowl was bright red and the wood was mesquite... the bowl was gorgeous and I commented that it would be nice if I had the talent to do work like that.

She called my son and told him I wanted a Lathe for Christmas... he showed up with a Ridgid spindle lathe and a couple of pen kits. We started playing with the lathe in the garage that day and I got hooked. The lathe was too fast to start a bowl on, lowest speed was 750, but it was good for pens... a bit of overkill, but worked great.

My son liked it so much, he went home and bought himself a little Jet 1014 and played with it... he turned in the living room of his apartment... then got real busy with his job and didn't have time for turning, so he gave me the 1014... I still have it, but my main lathe is now a JET 1442.

I turned and sold a lot of pens for about 5 years in Houston before I retired and moved to Tennessee. Don't do many pens now, but still turn regularly.

I still carry the first pen we made that Christmas day... it's an olive wood pen, not sure of the kit, but it uses a parker refill and I pressed it a hair too far in or cut the bottom barrel a hair short, the nib sticks out slightly when closed, but I still love the pen... it stays on my dresser and anytime I leave the house and need to carry a pen, that's the one in my pocket.

 

[SteveAxelrod]

Last August my son and I took a woodworking class at a local community college and near the end of the course one of the teacher's assistants asked if I'd be interested in learning how to turn a pen. I've always admired turned bowls and such at art shows and turning was on my retirement bucket list (I'd retired a year earlier) so I took him up on his offer to visit his shop and try my hand at it. Turned out turning was easy peasy and my first pen made a great present for my dad. I bought an HF lathe to be sure it was something I wanted to continue to do and two carbide cutting tools. That lathe is now my sons and I bought a Jet 1224 because it turns out turning things other than pens is part of the addiction. Every day is a new adventure either turning or learning new things to do on the lathe. Life as a turner is GOOD!

 

[jcm71]

The one word answer is ego. When I was teaching NJROTC the special ed shop teacher used to teach his students how to make a pen. I was aware of what he was doing but never really took much interest. About six or seven years ago one of my special ed cadets showed me his pen that he had made. He was extremely proud of it. It was a Slimline turned with diamondwood. I started spending some time on my planning period down in the CDC shop, saw some the pens the instructor had made, saw how he did it, and decided I could do that, and I can do it better (my type A coming out). It took me a while, but I finally did. I'm proud of my work, however, I have yet to match the pride in my work that my cadet, Florestino, had in his Slimline. I'll always remember that.

 

[Bob in SF]

Great thread - I humbly appreciate reading the diverse and engaging stories about pathways into this fine art and craft.

This is an inspiring site, full of expertise and generosity of spirit.

Thanks.

 

[epigolucky]

First off, I love reading how everyone got into penmaking! So much awesome history here.

My mother-in-law made me do it. Not really, but now I have your attention. Anyhow, my MIL manages some rental properties and after marrying my bride I would travel to Southern IN to help with repairs and such.

Long story short, MIL has a handyman to take care of the majority of the repairs. I needed something to do when we went down there so I caught a youtube video of a man turning a bowl on a lathe - it really intrigued me. I looked into it more, saved my nickels and dimes and bought a HF lathe and some carbide chisels from Rockler. I think their 20 packs of blanks were on sale for thanksgiving for $10. So I ended up making a bunch of Christmas ornaments as gifts over the next month.
As I watched more youtube videos, I came across a video of someone turning a pen. Thought it was a great idea that I can create something that has use and not just decoration for a Christmas tree. So off to Woodcraft I went. Bought some slimlines and some Wall Street II kits. Totally messed up the first couple, but nothing was more awesome after pressing it together and being able to write with something you created from a piece of wood.
I've since moved my lathe up to Indy where we currently reside. I miss turning down in Southern IN because I would literally spend 8 hours a day doing nothing but turning. Little trickier now that i'm a homeowner and all those other responsibilities of adulting, but I still manage to put in some shop time during the week.

 

[Anglesachse]

At a local hobby market, there was a guy selling home made pens with a price range up to 750 Euros.

I knew ( no ego here) I could do that, even though I have never used a wood lathe before.

Gave it a try, Humbled, found out that I need to balance ego with capability.

Will still be learning for the rest of my life, but I love it.