Don from Wisconsin here. I got into pen turning by chance. I was looking for a band saw on a local eBay sale and when I went to pickup the saw and drill press the gentleman was selling he offered a Comet Mercury lathe to me for a steal. He said he used to make pens, so to make a long story short I bought the lathe and his pen making supplies he had and gave it a go. Now I am making and selling pens to pay for all the accessories and supplies I bought after getting the lathe. I worked on lathes a lot when I was in tool and die so I knew the concepts and best practices and I am getting rave reviews by the people buying my pens.