Most Popular Pen Kit finishes

[allenworsham]

I started another thread about a good starting pen line, but I wanted to do this topic seperately.

As I am starting up my wood working/craft business, I want to get some idea of what are the most popular kit finishes so I don't waste a lot of time and money on something that won't sell. Of course antying that doesn't work out well to sell goes to my wife who tends to give away the things I make almost as fast as I make them.

Most of what I have done so far have been the basic chrome and upgrade gold as I have been on the learning curve and wanted to spend the least amount of money while I was learning. So while not every pen kit offers the same finishes, what seems to be the most popular by style (Slimline, Sierra, Cigar, etc.)? Upgrade gold, Ti gold, Black Ti, Rhodium, Chrome, etc.

Thanks for the help.

 

[gerryr]

24K, 10K and upgrade gold will not last and I don't use them. With the exception of satin nickel, I think the other satin finishes look really cheesy and cheap and don't use them. I use chrome, black ti, gold ti, rhodium and platinum. There are some kits that I would like to make but they aren't available in good plating so I don't make them.

 

[DKF]

Exactly what Gerry said......Gold Ti, rhodium, platinum, Sterling Silver, and an occasional Black Ti...IMHO, go high quality!

 

[GoodTurns]

what they said...I also use the Satin Silver with pink acrylics and pink ivory...it's the one satin one I like...

 

[rlharding]

Allen, I think that rather than asking these two questions that you should consider experimenting with what pens sell and what finishes work for you. I hope I am not a turning snob but I can't help shake my head when you say you have pretty much just started, haven't experimented with any/many kits, don't yet have a finish that works for you and yet you are setting up a business.

It would seem to me that you are putting the cart before the horse. Since you will improve your technique and comfort level if you just kept turning and experimenting for a while, I would have thought that would improve the quality of your product and your familiarity with what sells in your market. All we can do here is offer opinions and without having a knowledge base of your own it is difficult to decide which opinions fit and which don't.

 

[Tanner]

What Gerry said! Even that Rose Gold started changing color on me.

 

[allenworsham]

Originally posted by rlharding

Allen, I think that rather than asking these two questions that you should consider experimenting with what pens sell and what finishes work for you. I hope I am not a turning snob but I can't help shake my head when you say you have pretty much just started, haven't experimented with any/many kits, don't yet have a finish that works for you and yet you are setting up a business.

It would seem to me that you are putting the cart before the horse. Since you will improve your technique and comfort level if you just kept turning and experimenting for a while, I would have thought that would improve the quality of your product and your familiarity with what sells in your market. All we can do here is offer opinions and without having a knowledge base of your own it is difficult to decide which opinions fit and which don't.

Ruth,

No worries about being a snob. I understand your perspective from your experience and appreciate your comments. I am a home appraiser by trade and continually deal with people asking about getting into appraising as it looks like a cool job just carrying a clipboard, shooting pictures and collecting $$$. But there is much more involved and most never make it past their basic education requirements. Then I deal with those who have gone through their basic education and have their "Trainee License" with visions of grandior who don't know their clipboard from their...well...you know and will never be able to make it through their state mandated 2000 hours of training. So I get your point and it is well taken. So no worries.

But let me clear my position up here. I have been a hobbiest woodworker for many years and make a number of products and do custom orders as my time allows. Due to the increase in the demand for my work, as well as the increase in my available time to devote to woodworking,which I absolutly love doing, it's time to step it up a notch from a basic hobby into an official "small business" so that I can expand and deal with some of the legal benefits for writing off my addiction. As part of this,I need to add some additional products to my current line of regular items that are practical and that I enjoy doing. I have done my share of research on all of this, to the extent that it is available in my market area, and have enough information so that I am comfortable stepping into the waters. So while there are many different variables in the pen business, there are still some basic foundations to start with and can then be "tweaked" to match my market area. With all the options out there in the styles, materials and finishes available, I am looking to weed out some options that others with more experieince have found to be typically unproductive as well as moving forward with those that others have found typically productive.

So thanks for your input, No offense taken and I hope my comments did not offend. The more information available, the more specific help and advice can be given.

Allen

 

[rlharding]

Allen, no offence taken at all. I wasn't aware of your previous success with wood working. From what I read in your post I wrongly assumed you were new to both pen turning & woodworking. You clearly have a market and experience.

That said:

my finish for pens is usually lacquer, several coats. EEE, WD and Wax buff and it's done.

r

 

[allenworsham]

Originally posted by rlharding

Allen, no offence taken at all. I wasn't aware of your previous success with wood working. From what I read in your post I wrongly assumed you were new to both pen turning & woodworking. You clearly have a market and experience.

That said:

my finish for pens is usually lacquer, several coats. EEE, WD and Wax buff and it's done.

r

Well, I have been doing woodworking for a number of years, but I view my skills as not enough to be good but enough to be dangerous.

I am new to pen turning as of December when I picked up my Jet Mini and some slimlines. I hadn't been on a lathe since 1978, but it's all coming back to me...just like falling off a bike. I am still working on on the CA finish for consistancy, but I am getting there with a much lower percentage of "do-overs"