$398.50 Ebonite Jr. Emperor

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Stevej72

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Apr 30, 2006
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Billings, MT, USA.
Awhile back I posted asking for suggestions on making a $500 pen for a customer. I compiled and presented the suggestions to the customer and he decided on a Jr. Emperor with black/red Ebonite and an 18K Nib. The customer stopped by the house last night to pick it up and he was thrilled with it. He said that he was somewhat envious of the person that would be receiving it (it is to be a 30 years with the company gift). My final price ($398.50) was lower than he wanted to spend, but that is how I calculate my prices. Some customers have told me I don't charge enough and maybe they are right.

I showed him some of the other pens I had for sale and he bought a Jr. Statesman FP for himself for $94.

The ebonite came from ExoticBlanks.com and the 18K nib from HeritagePens.com
 

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Steve, you know you can always put full tilt retail on a pen and sell it at a discount if you like. This is what I do and it seems to work well.

By the way, that's a mighty fine looking pen you made for him. The ebonite is stunning. I've yet to turn any of it yet.
 
Great looking pen Steve. Well done on the sale. I would have a hard time charging $500 for it too. Not that there is a thing wrong with the pen, I just can't take that much profit on the amount of work and materials involved to make that pen. It's all about personal choice, and you came out well enough ahead to be plenty happy I would think. I'm sure you probably just obtained a repeat customer too, which is going to pay off in bigger dividends down the road!
 
great job
I remember when you were talking about this pen The quality of the pen is worth the price you got I would even say that they got a steal
 
Steve,

The important thing is you did what made you feel right!!

Remember, however, NOT everyone could make that pen, you possess a certain amount of expertise, gained through education or experience.

Years ago, we ruined material learning--factor that into your future pricing. How many $50 blanks did I blow up?? Don't know, but there were a few!!!

Wanna tell us HOW you got that gorgeous shine??? If not, that's OK, too!!!

Great work, shows a level of expertise for which you deserve to be paid (YOU determine how much):cool::cool::cool:

(NONE of this is meant to criticize your pricing, just things to think of when you decide on pricing!!)
 
Thank you for all the great comments! This is the second time I've turned Cumberland Ebonite. It's a good thing I have a poor memory or I would never have agreed to make a second pen out of the material. Getting the tiny, little, itty bitty, micro scratches out took so long that more than once I had decided to give up the project and refer the customer to one of you one this site.

After turning it to the final shape and getting it sanded, I went to micromesh, Novus scratch remover and finally the buffing wheel. Not sure if I should admit that I disassembled the pen 3 times because I wasn't happy with the shine. It looked good in the shop, but when I put it together I would notice some of those tiny scratches.

It seems that I had the best luck leaving the lathe off and using the finer micro mesh and Novus lenghtwise by hand. After assembling it the last time I was happy that I took the time to get it right. Not sure the finish is perfect, but it is about as close as it get to perfect.

I bought a long stick of that ebonite and my next pen will be closed on both ends.
 
Classy pen. I'd say with the combined price of both pens sold - I would feel good about the pricing. Of course, everyone tells me I'm underselling my pens and I'm trying to get things up into a reasonable retail range. Did you purchase the case or make the case?

Martin
 
I have the same problems with ebonite.

View it in natural light BEFORE you assemble the pen.
(now if you are young and have GREAT vision, you MAY ignore this--I don't know!!)
 
I think the problem is that I am not young, my eyes are not what they used to be and I need a new eyeglass prescription.

I forgot to mention that I ordered the case from kallenshaanwoods.com and he engraved the top of it thanking the person for their 30 years of service.
 
I certainly think the customer is getting a very good deal considering it's Ebonite on a kit that is no longer available and has an 18 Kt. Nib. And is a true thing of beauty that also can be quite useful, the price sounds like a bargain to me.
 
Congatulations on the sale.

Your pen is beautiful, and still would have been worth it at $500.
I can't imagine pricing a pen that high. I know our pens are worth this, I just can't figure how to come up with the number. Right now my prices do not really include an "Artistic" markup. Pricing is one of my biggest dillema's.

Materials: easy
Labour: easy ($/hr)
ability/craftsmanship: ??? I have no clue
uniquness/artistic: ????

I understand that these things are involved with our work, I just can't wrap my head around the amounts.

Darrin
 
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