Chicagoland IAP Chapter - April Email

[mg_dreyer]

Those of you that I did not get an email for here is the "newsletter" I just sent out.

After a great turnout for our initial meeting, I wanted to send a friendly reminder that the next meeting is just around the corner.

Mark your calendars - we have secured the following dates for our meetings for the rest of the year (2017).

April 22 - Feature Don McCloskey - Celtic Knot / Challenge - Acrylic Pen
June 10
August 12
October 14
December 16

All meetings are from 10 am - 1 pm

Location:
Rockler Woodworking and Hardware
139 South Weber Road
Bolingbrook, IL 60490

Demo Challenge:
Each month we will have a new challenge. Since last month was the turning acrylic demo, the challenge is to bring an acrylic pen you created. We will ask you to take a few seconds to talk about it, and there will be a vote and a winner of a door prize.

Blank Exchange:
Because this is a new event – I am suggesting the following. Bring some blanks to throw in a bag. We will throw them all in at the beginning of the day, then during a break you will select a blank (un-seen) from the bag one for every one you bring. If you would like to bring one extra just to feed the bag to start that is nice (but not mandatory).

Show and Tell:
Please bring any pens you either loved making and just want to show off / are having trouble with a techniques and want help / want feedback on / or just want to put on a table. This will be an open forum to help each other. You will find two things out – one helping others is fun and two you know more than you think you do and others will benefit.

Looking for demonstrators and / or topics. If you have any interest in doing a demo email me. Also if you have suggestions for a demo you would like to see email me back.

Thanks

We had a few people I need to thank for the last meeting:

Rockler – thanks for donating the facility and the gift cards
ExoticBlanks.com / Ed Brown – For bring the IAP information and the pen kits which I hope we all turned
L & R Collectables / Rich Rossio – For the gift certificate
The Wisconsin IAP members – For the Craft Supplies Gift Certificates
Mark James – Coming from Ohio for the support from the IAP

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Also the best pen making gathering is week after next. It will be held April 7 and 8. Having done this event for many years, it sincerely gets better and better.

The topics look great:

FRIDAY:

12:00 - 2:45: Vendor/Venue set-up
3:00 - 3:45: Welcome/Announcements
4:00 - 4:45: MARK DREYER (mg_dreyer) - Steampunk/Medallion High End Pen
5:00 - 5:45: GLENN McCULLOUGH (Glenn McCullough) - Turning a 2-Dimensional Angle-Cut Pen Body
6:00 - 6:45: JIM SWANK (arkie) - Bottle Cap Blanks
7:00 +: Gather for dinner

SATURDAY:

8:45 - 9:00: Welcome/Announcements
9:00 - 9:45: MARK DREYER (mg_dreyer) - Turning Alternate Materials
10:00 - 10:45: Hand's-On Tables /Vendor shopping
11:00 - 11:45: ED BROWN (ed4copies) - Closed-End Pens
12:00 - 1:00: Lunch/Socialize - Pizza/Beverages
1:00 - 2:15: Contest Voting/Vendor Introductions-5-10 minute talks/shopping
2:30 - 3:15: JOHN UNDERHILL (JohnU) - Alternatives To Casting
3:30 - 4:45: Door Prizes/Contests
4:45 - 5:00: Snack Platters/Beverages Ava
5:00 - 5:45: BARRY GROSS (2bgross) - Turning a pen from start to finish
6:00 - 6:45: FRED WISSEN (PTownSubbie) - Decal/Label Blanks
7:00 - 7:45: DAVID BELL (Bellsy) - Pen Blank Inlays
7:45 - 8:00: Closing Comments
8:00 +: Gather for dinner

Hand's-On Tables:

Bob Jackson (bobjackson) - Polymer Clay
Tom Bell (m4skinner - Label Casting
Jim Pratt (Badfrog) - Casting - Specific Topic TBD
Mark Dreyer (mg_dreyer) - Turning Acrylic Blanks

URL:
The Midwest Penturners Gathering​ - HOME

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And finally, if you have not done so yet, please check out and consider joining the IAP. Free website with literally of thousands of active pen makers discussing a wide variety of topics.

URL:
Penturners.org

We have our own page on the site:
Chicagoland - International Association of Penturners

 

[Randy Ward]

Pen Blank Exchange for April Meeting

As mentioned at the meeting in January, anyone who wants to participate in a pen blank exchange can bring up to 5 blanks, wood, or acrylic, or 2 of one and three of the other, whatever. I will arrange to have either plan brown paper bags to "toss" them into, or perhaps a couple of bins. 1 for acrylics, one for wood. perhaps put a piece of masking tape on the blanks you bring, and put your name, or initials on it so as to insure you do not get your own back. If you brought 2 acrylics and 3 woods, you should go home with 2 acrylics and 3 woods, but of course, from someone else's stash. I think maybe bottle stopper blanks can also get tossed in if there is an interest, which I would set up a separate container for. Post if anyone is interested in doing that! Lets have some fun with this, and bring in one thing you made from the exchange to the next meeting!
Randy Ward

 

[Randy Ward]

Pen Blank Exchange

Ah, it may also be helpful if the wood blanks you toss in, you can indicate what it is, for those of us that are not really good at identifying wood species! (That is of course, assuming you know what it is)
Thanks, again,
Randy Ward

 

[mg_dreyer]

Just a shameless bump and quick reminder. Any questions - please let me know.

Thanks and see you there.

 

[Barnmb7117]

Looking forward to the meeting.