A $250,000.00 pen

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Looks just like the Jr Gent I made last week [}:)] I think I screwed up only charging $75.00 for it...

Jest aside, that is some remarkable work...belongs in a glass case in a museum.
 
that's a nice pen. i actually have several pens in stock right now ready to ship in the .5 to 1.2 million price range. i'd post pics but i would require the submission of financials to screen out any looky loos. i have to protect my designs you know.
 
Originally posted by Monty
<br />Ever wondered what a $250K pen looks like? Check out the cover and page 84 in the November issue of Pen World.
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Yes, I have also wondered what the Tooth Fairy and Big Foot look like too but considering none of the above exist I'll just keep wondering. You will have a very hard time convincing me that any pen ever made is worth $250K.
 
Originally posted by btboone
<br />It's only a $250,000 pen if they actually sell it for $250,000 otherwise it's a nicely crafted cover page pen.
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A total of ten were made, only two remain unsold.
I guess it isn't done on a CNC machine.
It sure beats a lasered engraving.
 
I won't even take it if they give it to me FREE...IF there is a provision that I have to use it [:D][}:)]

Really, that looks nice and all but will give the user a lot of calusses.[B)]
 
Originally posted by btboone
<br />Yeah. Cnc machines and lasers are for untalented hacks.
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I didn't say that but if you clicked on the link earlier in the thread you would get an idea of why it cost so much.

They did not resort to computerized mass production.
 
I got the magazine. It looks like it was a lot of work. A quarter million dollars for a pen is definitely for someone with more money thn sense, no matter how it was made.
 
Originally posted by btboone
<br />Yeah. Cnc machines and lasers are for untalented hacks.
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No, just people too lazy to do the work by hand.

Sorry Bruce, I couldn't resist! [:D] CNC's and lasers are great for production work, precision, and repeatability. I certainly wish I had one or both.

The Loiminchay is a heck of a pen, and the time needed to make it with that level of precision certainly justifies the cost in my opinion, especially when you consider that it was done by hand.
 
Originally posted by btboone
<br />I got the magazine. It looks like it was a lot of work. A quarter million dollars for a pen is definitely for someone with more money thn sense, no matter how it was made.
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How much was the CNC machine?
You can do repetative work but the machine does not have the skill to do work like that and neither does the operator.
A word of note.
Theplates that print our currency are engraved by hand there are more than one and they are all alike.
That is Craftsmanship.
 
Your naive if you think CNC is only a production tool. And the rest of your comments follow that same flawed logic, I see a lot of crap made by hand.
 
Dan,
Not sure if you were responding to Eagle or me. I don't think CNC's are only for production work; they have a LOT of uses, especially for precision and repeatability as I said. The time that goes into programming a CNC to make a pen probably far exceeds the time it takes most of us to just turn one by hand.

And I agree, I've seen a LOT of crap made by hand, and that includes many of the pens I've made. Then there's the table I made in wood shop in Jr. High (my previous attempt at woodworking), the circuit board I hand wired in college, and... But you gotta admit, that pen is an amazing piece of craftsmanship, I don't care whether it was hand-carved, CNC'd, lasered, or spat out of the heavens.
 
My guess is that it was hand carved. Jade carving is a high art form in China and the people who are truly good at it are much revered.
 
Theplates that print our currency are engraved by hand there are more than one and they are all alike.
That is Craftsmanship.
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A someone who does engraving by hand, I can tell you the engraving on money plates is absolutely phenomenal.

I work with a microscope as it is, and I don't know how they get such fine detail engraved.
 
&gt;How much was the CNC machine? It was a lot. It also pays for itself every month and a half. If the $250,000 pen could do that, I'd probably buy one of those then too. Short of that, I would think that it's quite a lot to spend for a writing instrument, when pencils or Bics could serve that function. If it's for an investment, and you could be reasonably assured that it would appreciate greatly, I say go for it. Heck buy two.
 
It's just my personal taste, but I find that pen to be quite unattractive. Great crafting, but the result is not appealing, IMO.
 
My Bruce but we are a little testy.
It was your original post that had a "shirking" air to it qhewn you said

"It's only a $250,000 pen if they actually sell it for $250,000 otherwise it's a nicely crafted cover page pen.
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They have sold 8 out opf 10.
Now I don't care for Oriental design especially laser engraved plastic pens, I am not fond of jade though I appreciate natural materials and the beauty they hold.
I will never have enough money to buy a pen like this if I wanted.
I do admire the crafts person that made it.
Ther is a difference btween an artist and someone who turns the machine on even if he told the machine what to do.
 
Originally posted by ctEaglesc
Ther is a difference btween an artist and someone who turns the machine on even if he told the machine what to do.
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An artist is somewhat different than a craftsman. Craftsmen are usually defined as using manual tools. An artist has a much broader definition, that can include the design process.

I see a great deal of artistry in what Bruce does. His CNC is simply a very sophisticated tool for implementing his designs.
 
Yes, perhaps you've picked up on my getting testy with you constantly belittling CNC, lasers, and everything else I do. I simply stated that it's a lot to pay for a pen. Not a house, CNC machine, or large boat, but a pen. I think few of us would argue the point. It reminded me of the stuff you read in the Guiness Book of Records, like the World's Most Expensive Toothpick that's diamond and ruby encrusted. It's only that expensive if someone agrees to pay that much. I didn't read that they had sold 8 of the 10. Frankly, the pen looks silly to me and I wasn't interested enough to read the article. There is no denying that it took a lot of work to create them and that they are masters of their materials. It doesn't mean that it couldn't be done by CNC or that stuff of that complexity isn't regularly done day in and day out by CNC machines. I used to design very complex parts from plastic. Nearly every piece of plastic such as the uniform keys you are typing on has a mold or at least an electrode for EDM that's machined by CNC. I doubt that you would care to drive your car if the parts weren't made by CNC. I think you way underestimate the artistry and design skills it takes to make real parts on CNC. It's a bit more complex than sitting back and pressing buttons and getting perfect parts. CNC is used wherever accuracy counts. Molds for plastic parts routinely cost in the hundreds of thousands of dollars. It better be right the first time. CNC helps to do just that. Computer controlled grinding machines can make telescope mirrors to within 1/100 a wavelength of light.

I think you might have the wrong idea on what it takes to create parts in the computer and program the stuff. On my Flame pen, I spent hundreds and hundreds of hours working that out and writing code before ever making a part. It took several iterations to get everything dialed in. It's not a simple matter of sitting back and pressing the button. I sure as hell could have made several of them by hand in the time it took to develop that. Yes, I have the talent to be able to do it by hand, and no, I CHOOSE to make them with the machine. That certainly doesn't make them better or worse than handmade items, but at least they are repeatable and could be produced again if the market demands them.
 
A CNC machine, no matter what it is, is a tool, just like a lathe and a skew. Granted, technology takes away a large part of the hands on but it does require more ingenuity and planning!! And then, how much of our hands on is far less than the effort one had to put into turning prior to electric lathes and hi-tech materials in our turning tools?

I applaud many of the works of those controlling and programming CNC machines!![:D]
 
Chisel,
I very rarely make a disagree known. But I want you to think about this quote, "Craftsmen are usually defined as using manual tools. An artist has a much broader definition, that can include the design process."
I have to design every segmented pen I make. I know several others, including btboone, and eagle, that do the same thing. I personally consider myself an artist and always will because from start to finish, I sit with music playing, draw a design, and work my cuts out for the blank.
I find nothing wrong with the term craftsmen yet the line between craftsman and artist can be thrown to the side in a moment.
 
Just saw the PDF for the first time.

I'm not impressed. Now, I'm not saying I could do it, but I've seen tons of Japanese and Chinese carvings that look about the same as that pen.

Heck, I'd pay more for one of those stone balls that's inside another ball, that's inside another ball, and there's a frog inside of that. Now, that's some carving skill! Last I remember, you could get those for like $50 at the beach!

I dunno. Guess it's like baseball cards. People pay a ton for them. To me, it's just a piece of paper. No value at all.

Now this is cool:
138.jpg
 
Oh, and check this out: Ebay item # 150008168665

A <b>12</b> layer carved puzzle ball. Could be yours for $90 shipped.

2f_1.JPG
 
Originally posted by Ron Mc
<br />Chisel,
I very rarely make a disagree known. But I want you to think about this quote, "Craftsmen are usually defined as using manual tools. An artist has a much broader definition, that can include the design process."
I have to design every segmented pen I make. I know several others, including btboone, and eagle, that do the same thing. I personally consider myself an artist and always will because from start to finish, I sit with music playing, draw a design, and work my cuts out for the blank.
I find nothing wrong with the term craftsmen yet the line between craftsman and artist can be thrown to the side in a moment.
Click to expand...

Don't misunderstand me Ron. A craftsman can also be an artist as well.

I only drew the distinction because Eagle had stated:

Ther is a difference btween an artist and someone who turns the machine on even if he told the machine what to do.
Click to expand...

and

How much was the CNC machine?
You can do repetative work but the machine does not have the skill to do work like that and neither does the operator.
A word of note.
Theplates that print our currency are engraved by hand there are more than one and they are all alike.
That is Craftsmanship.
Click to expand...

While I may agree that much of what Bruce does might not be strictly considered craftsmanship, it is still an art form, and requires artistic abilities. I am not saying that other methods do not require artistic abilities. I hope that makes sense.
 
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