Define A Bespoke Pen

[sbwertz]

The old root is "bespeak" which meant "arrange ahead of time".

 

[leehljp]

The old root is "bespeak" which meant "arrange ahead of time".

That is a perfect example of how "meanings" change over time and especially as it crosses regions & cultures.

ON another thread on this forum, the term "pop the grain" is used to "make the grain stand out visibly, or show itself". However, I grew up hearing the term among old timers in the 50's and 60's as "wetting and raising the grain in order to sand down smoother."

 

[jeff]

Something is only "beaten to death" if the person asking the question thinks so (and therefore unlikely to be asked). This forum/site is for sharing of information in pursuit and advancement of penturning etc among other hobby and non-hobby relates topics. It welcomes and serves turners of all levels. It is silent on the what can be asked or how often question about penturning can be asked. The IAP has some very simple rules which a minority of folks violate, but attempt to conceal them with smiley faces and telling us how they are not make an X or Y (prohibited statement). They must think I am stupid, and I am fine with that.

If the admins are listening, please let me know if the the IAP's charter has changed. I really don't want to hear from anyone else but the moderators on this. We want peace on the freakin' streets, but some can't accept a freak' word that someone chooses or more benignly, simply asks for a definition. I see the same cr#$ on the FB site (some were former members of this site). We are still talking about penturning right!? Unfreakin' believable. Now, my rant is over.

Sorry I missed this! Put an @jeff in the text to get my immediate attention.

The mission of the IAP has not changed. We encourage discussion and inquiry. Personally, I think that asking the same question (a) at different times, (b) in different ways, and (c) to a different audience yields some valuable differences in the answers.

 

[henry1164]

I'm still relatively new to pen turning and this forum. From pen turning, blank selling, COVID19, bespoke/bespoken/bespoked/be-whatever, pen finishing, blank making and even my recent post about how cheap I am in being able to make pens - these are all legit postings to me. If I see a posting that isn't as interesting to me as others I'll just mark it "read" and move on to the next post. I've learned a lot about pen making and associated issues as well as,......well, lots of other stuff. Please post, post and post.

 

[GaryMGg]

A recently closed thread referenced this one.
Historic information:
The word bespoke is derived from the verb bespeak, meaning to "speak for something". The particular meaning of the verb form is first cited from 1583 and given in the Oxford English Dictionary: "to speak for, to arrange for, engage beforehand: to 'order' (goods)". And as such the phrase crept into the tailor's lexicon.

I personally don't use bespoke, even though I understand what it means, because it doesn't roll off my tongue.
When discussing custom pens, I find kitless both easier to say and also—more importantly—the categorical divide between custom pens made from kits and those crafted without kits.
Bespoke pens could be in either of those two categories.

BTW, my wife is getting a new master bath bespoke vanity for which I am the craftsman. If I hadn't read the previous discussion and this old one, it'd just be a custom commissioned piece.