I received a pen lesson.

[pewink]

The guy that traded some beautiful woods for some of my pen stuff, offered to show me how he makes a pen from one of my kits.
He then had me give it a try. He said it came out incredible. I'm sure he was stroking my ego.
It's a plastic pen instead of wood.
It seems like a lot of investment in time, for such a little piece, and it definitely wasn't a relaxing experience as I seen mentioned.
I'm still uncertain if I want to get deeply involved with making pens. I've shown this pen around, and even though I got positive comments on it,
no one seemed interested in having one.
I did get one comment, that I was asked why spend the time, and money to make a pen, when a pack of 10 can be bought for a few bucks.
I guess I can see the point.

What exactly got your fire lit on making pens? Was it monetarily motivated? Gifts? A way to use up scraps? I'm just curious what got you started, and keeps your interest.

 

[crokett]

You're showing your pens to the wrong people, IMO. Everyone who has received a pen from me has appreciated it, at least as far as I know. I got started in making pens when I was given a cigar pen some years ago and I decided that I wanted to try making something that nice. The craftsmanship was evident. Prior to that I had no interest in making them but I saw the challenge of making something that nice,

 

[magpens]

The guy that traded some beautiful woods for some of my pen stuff, offered to show me how he makes a pen from one of my kits.
He then had me give it a try. He said it came out incredible. I'm sure he was stroking my ego.

It's a plastic pen instead of wood.

Please . . . . show us a picture of your pen !!

 

[SabertoothBunny]

For me, I wanted to try to turning and took a class at the Klingspore's closest to me. We made mallets and pens and I loved it. The pen kits are not terribly expensive but can get quite expensive depending on what you want to make. Pens require minimal time and minimal materials while looking really good.

It is not a monetary thing for me, I have sold a few to help cover my costs/habit but most of the pens I make end up being given away. That is mostly my wife's fault. Making pens is fun for me, turning for me is just therapeutic overall. Sometimes I can have a decent piles of pens because I just make them and that is ok. The quality of the pen is often dictated but the ink cartridge, the ones that come with most kits are crap so replacing them is not uncommon.

When getting them people are always amazed by them. With wood you have such unique grains, colors, striations, etc and this brings so much character to the pens. The weight, size, and general feel of the pen is better. People are always impressed and with a worthwhile ink cartridge the pen is far superior to the 10 pack of store bought plastic pens.

It is just something you personally have to enjoy doing. I don't do it for money and even if I did there is always someone out there trying to undercut you in an effort to just sell them wares. If making the pens is something you don't see value in or enjoy, that is perfectly fine. Just don't make them and focus your talents on other things, it isn't right or wrong. Wookworking in general just comes down to creating the things that bring you joy.

 

[howsitwork]

I broke my ankle dog walking and after 2 weeks of daytime TV ( think your american serial tv minus adverts but mind numbing) it was either get back to my lathe or suicide !!

I had tried pen making at the club and it was Ok anything big or long lasting was out of the question so bowls etc we're out . I got some more kits from a friend and made some balanced on a sack of shavings with potted leg on a foot,stool.

Enjoyed it, friends saw and liked them so made some as gifts, well received ….

And thus the downhill slope to Penmaggeddon started……

 

[howsitwork]

Then of course it became a challenge making engineering bits , bushings etc to further pen making..

Quick nurse fetch the screens ….

 

[magpens]

For me . . . .

I bought a lathe . . . . always was fascinated by spinning objects . . . .

Then . . . . what to do with the lathe . . . .

Voila ! ! . . . . I discovered that that local Lee Valley store sold . . . you guessed right . . . pen kits ! . . Berea pen kits .

I never knew such a thing was available . . . Pen kit ? . Who wants to make a pen ? !

A pen ! ! . . Something you get for free at the insurance agent, or get in the mail . . for free ! ! Buy a kit ? . To make a pen ? ? ?

That was quite a few years ago . . . . and QUITE a few pens ago ! ! ! . . . AND . . QUITE a few $$$ ago ! ! ! . . LOL ! . .

That is . . . $$$ spent . . . not $$$ earned ! . . Oh yeah, I've sold a very few . . but take a look around here . . . boxes and boxes of pens ! !

 

[Scry]

What exactly got your fire lit on making pens? Was it monetarily motivated? Gifts? A way to use up scraps? I'm just curious what got you started, and keeps your interest.

One day when I was working a morning shift alone and had the time to play on my phone for a bit I saw an ad for five 12"x 1" x1" Gabon ebony blanks and on impulse bought a set. I got myself a fountain pen kit and turned one out and decided that kit pens were boring to turn and the fountainpen ones were too heavy...
And so I went on a 1.5 month long stint of scouring the web and this forum for information on kitless pens and I came across Fred's ebony/ebonite/trustone kitless and said "I want to do this." I ignored all the posts saying not to get triple lead taps and dies when you haven't even made a single kitless yet and bought myself a set and several other things I'd needed. Learned how to sleeve wood, and then I watched RBJwoodturners kitless fountain pen series and got to work.
I never finished that ebony pen - as it turns out the glue I was using wasn't holding the segments together as well as i would have liked. But I did make a different pen out of DiamondCast, which I like to think turned out very well. (Until it got stolen...)

 

[mmayo]

I taught high school and a student showed me his pen made in woodshop. I was hooked from then on. I gave pens away at first and sell many per year now. You will grow as I did, your compliments will grow too. To those who want Bics, use a Bic. I'd rather have a rollerball.

 

[Woodchipper]

I took a penturning class at the local Woodcraft store. One of my grandson's got a class for Christmas about five years ago. Turned a kaleidoscope pen for his mother. Wrench pen for dad which was made from arbor vita. Took 30 minutes to drill it. Found it was used for bearing for submarines! Getting back into turning pens and a few other items.
I enjoy woodturning and turning pens. Might see about selling some pens this year.
Edit: I get tickled that people think a turned pen doesn't sell for $1.00. Had a lady that took some of my pens to her office. I think she was surprised when she saw the prices.

 

[leehljp]

[QuoteI did get one comment, that I was asked why spend the time, and money to make a pen, when a pack of 10 can be bought for a few bucks.[/Quote]

Pens are not just for "writing". While that is the basic function, and while pens can be purely utilitarian, they can be works of pure art and make writing an enjoyment. As one fellow told me a few years ago, (and I give most of mine away) "I want a pen that is one of a kind, that no one else has." The enjoyment for me is - making one of a kind that has artistic value, and the fittings have the highest tolerances (.001 or so) and the finish is glass smooth or perfect sheen. I enjoy the journey of making a pen, so time is not the point for me.

How I got started. I lived in Japan for 25+ years, houses are CLOSE together over there. I love woodworking - been doing that since being a kid in the '50s. Through the years, particularly in the late '80s, I got wood working magazines and catalogs. Some of the early catalogs had a jig for turning blanks round on a router table and even a drill press. I was not really impressed with those jigs, but the idea of pen making was put into my brain. I did a good bit of woodworking in Japan, but taking saws, and tools out and putting them back up each time was a chore, in addition to having to pick the time to do it because noise was a no-no in the early morning or evening. But still I did it on occasion. Back in 2004, I was home (USA) for a month and decided to give pen turning a try, since a small lathe did not take up much space in my small shop and I could smell the wood while turning, I bought a Taig lathe and took it back to Japan in my suitcase, and picked up a motor over there. Two years later, I bought a Rikon and had it shipped to Japan. One advantage that I had over there was quick access to quality wood in near pen blank sizes from around the world, that at that time wasn't readily available over here in pen blank sizes (USA), but is now.

 

[crokett]

As one fellow told me a couple of years ago, (and I give most of mine away) "I want a pen that is one of a kind, that no one else has."

That's the kind of pen that I like to make. I don't like repeating myself in anything I make. That's another reason that my wine glass sets don't match. I don't like making matched sets of anything.

 

[penicillin]

(Let me be clear that I am speaking only for myself and nobody else here. I respect other points of view. There is no "right" or "wrong", just different perspectives. I like and admire the beautiful pens that people share here. Not everyone will agree with me about pens and display art.)

My pens are either gifts, or for myself. Every pen I make is intended to be used. I don't want it sitting on the shelf for display. If so, why bother with refills? Just leave the pen empty, and there is less chance it may leak or make a mess. That is not me. My goal is to make beautiful pens for actual use. Sure, they are works of art, but if they aren't being used, how often will anyone notice them?

For me, if the pen doesn't feel right, balance right, and write well, then it isn't much use to me, however artistic it may be. Like the toys in Toy Story, if my pens aren't "played with" and used regularly, then something isn't right. The finish or plating may rub off or the pen may wear out. That's okay, I can always make more.

A family member recently gave me a turned rollerball pen. (I think it was an old gift they received, re-gifted. I can't prove it, but the Schmidt 888 ink refill in it was dry and unusable, so I replaced it with a Schmidt 5888.) First, I wondered why the family member would give ME a pen, knowing that I like to make them for myself. Still, I appreciate the thought. The problem is that the rollerball pen is too fat and too heavy to use. It is not comfortable to hold in the hand. If the cap is posted for writing, it has an awful balance. It is not very useful as a pen, the very thing it was supposed to be. I hope none of you made it. :-(

That pen may be a nice work of art, but not if it sits put away in a drawer, or it gathers dust on a shelf somewhere. That is not what I want to happen with my work. I make other woodworking projects that are both useful and have good craftsmanship, if not "art" per se.

That is just my 2 cents. If you disagree, that's fine. Flame away.

 

[Tim R]

I had been a weekend woodworker for a long time. I would see Penn State ads in many of my woodworking magazines. I wondered why anyone would be interested in making pens. Then I went to a woodworking show in the Detroit area a couple years ago. A local club had a setup where for $10 you could turn a pen, with the money gong to a charity. I made one, a rosewood slimline. I got back in line immediately and made a curly maple slimline. I was hooked. I spent a few months consulting the source of all knowledge (YouTube), and then jumped in. I've made a few hundred, sold maybe 10, and donated a handful more for a holiday auction. The rest I give away to people that I think would appreciate the effort. The vast majority do.

 

[leehljp]

(Let me be clear that I am speaking only for myself and nobody else here. I respect other points of view. There is no "right" or "wrong", just different perspectives. I like and admire the beautiful pens that people share here. Not everyone will agree with me about pens and display art.)

My pens are either gifts, or for myself. Every pen I make is intended to be used. I don't want it sitting on the shelf for display. If so, why bother with refills? Just leave the pen empty, and there is less chance it may leak or make a mess. That is not me. My goal is to make beautiful pens for actual use. Sure, they are works of art, but if they aren't being used, how often will anyone notice them?

For me, if the pen doesn't feel right, balance right, and write well, then it isn't much use to me, however artistic it may be. Like the toys in Toy Story, if my pens aren't "played with" and used regularly, then something isn't right. The finish or plating may rub off or the pen may wear out. That's okay, I can always make more.

That pen may be a nice work of art, but not if it sits put away in a drawer, or it gathers dust on a shelf somewhere. That is not what I want to happen with my work. I make other woodworking projects that are both useful and have good craftsmanship, if not "art" per se.

I think you are over reading and over thinking "art". MOST every pen I make is art and meant to be used. (I do make slimline on occasion, but I do put into them my same precision fitting and finishes.) I have been doing this for 16 years now and have not run into anyone who thinks that an "Artistic" pen is to be on display only. NO they are to be used. To be used does not mean it cannot be artistic or have tremendous artistic value.

Sam Maloof was well known for his wood art furniture, particularly the rocking chairs that started off at $25,000 back 13 - 14 years ago before he passed away. Some of his wood art furniture is in museums around the world. He made the statement several times to this effect: "My furniture is to be used and chairs sat in." Just because something is art or artistic does not mean that it should sit on a desk or shelf, or wall or in a museum.

Pens are to be used. But that also does not mean - that I am going to hold back on design or aesthetics just because it is going to be used. Make it as fine and beautiful and artistic as it can be made, but use it.

 

[jrista]

The guy that traded some beautiful woods for some of my pen stuff, offered to show me how he makes a pen from one of my kits.
He then had me give it a try. He said it came out incredible. I'm sure he was stroking my ego.
It's a plastic pen instead of wood.
It seems like a lot of investment in time, for such a little piece, and it definitely wasn't a relaxing experience as I seen mentioned.
I'm still uncertain if I want to get deeply involved with making pens. I've shown this pen around, and even though I got positive comments on it,
no one seemed interested in having one.
I did get one comment, that I was asked why spend the time, and money to make a pen, when a pack of 10 can be bought for a few bucks.
I guess I can see the point.

What exactly got your fire lit on making pens? Was it monetarily motivated? Gifts? A way to use up scraps? I'm just curious what got you started, and keeps your interest.

I think you need to show the pen to more people. There are people who just see a pen as a tool...but, there are people out there who just LOVE pens. There are legit collectors, and there are people who want pens for specific purposes (i.e. I'm working on getting a laser engraving system going so I can create custom pens for two companies that want to buy batches of pens for their employees, which could in total be well over 100 pens in the next few weeks here, and much more over the long term.)

I took a case of pens I'd made over the last 6 months to a housewarming party for my boss, long time friend of mine, to get some comments from some of the people I worked with and other friends what they thought... I had no intention of selling anything, I just wanted feedback, and I knew some of these people would give me some good feedback.

Some people weren't all that interested, and would just say "Oh, those look nice!" or maybe just nod their head. By the time I left, however, I'd unexpectedly sold hundreds of dollars worth of pens, one of them was $150 alone (a fountain pen with a trustone blank that took me quite some time to turn and make due to the brittleness of the blank material, so a lot of care went into making that pen, and given how easily it sold, I think I haven't been giving myself the credit I'm due, as I think the pen could have sold for even more than that...I was largely caught off guard by everyone wanting a pen!) Some people were just FASCINATED by them, loved them, found them very unique. A few people were downright pen connoisseurs, or had family members who were, and were very meticulous about how they evaluated each pen. We even got into discussions about inks, EasyFlow 9000 for the ballpoints and Schmidt 888 and 5888 refills for the rollerballs, and the connoisseur types were impressed that I was putting quality, easy flowing inks in my pens (an important point when you get into the higher end pen business, the people you might sell to often know pens, know what to expect from a GOOD pen, and demand good quality inks, as I learned that day!)

I'd given a few pens to some coworkers in the recent past, and some of their spouses or friends had already heard about my turning from them, and were apparently dead set on owning a "Rista Pen!" as they said. I'd had no idea that any of that was going on...I made some pens and gave them away to good people I've known and worked with for years (over a decade in some cases), as a matter of thanks for things they have done for me, etc. I never knew just how much they thought of my work, though, until that day.

I'd say over the course of the party, 50+ people overall showed up in total, although at any given time it was less than that. I was probably there for 6 hours.

 

[MedWoodWorx]

someday this will be prescribed!

That's what i thought the first time i used a lathe. I am a healthcare worker and as you can imagine for the last two years my life/work has been particularly stressful. Even going to bed wasn't easy; so i started watching youtube videos to fall asleep. the best videos to relax are restorations of simple tools i.e. old knives or chisels. But then the utube algo will find you and after spending some more time watching a woodlathe/woodworking video will come up. The rest is history: i bought the smallest woodlathe in the world (proxxon), a set of chisels and watched a quadtrillion of hours of youtube just to learn how to hold a chisel.
I was used getting my hands dirty but never on a lathe. The moment i completed my first pen i was so proud like the day i graduated.
Penturning is the pinacle of woodturning imho; you need to have the patience of a monk and the stable hand of a surgeon. The end result can be a disaster or simply poetry (in motion!).

 

[pewink]

I would like to thank those people that took the time to respond.

It seems that most people happened upon making pens, as opposed to seeking it out.
I actually seen some ads for it, and decided to order some supplies to try it. It's just turning a stick; how hard could it be, right?
Now I know.
While ordering the supplies, this website showed up, and I joined.
That's when life happened, and I never made the first pen.

I will probably give it another try in my spare time. I made a preparation board yesterday for a family that needed a specific
style to accommodate some little rubber cups.

The part of the process that fascinated me, was the part where the pen started out shiny, but after cutting it down to size, it was very dull.
I started the sanding procedure, and it slowly began to smooth out, and by the end, it was very shiny once again. Rather magical.

I would show a picture, but I can't take a picture to save my life.
Just imagine your first pen, and know it's probably worse than that.

 

[sbwertz]

One day when I was working a morning shift alone and had the time to play on my phone for a bit I saw an ad for five 12"x 1" x1" Gabon ebony blanks and on impulse bought a set. I got myself a fountain pen kit and turned one out and decided that kit pens were boring to turn and the fountainpen ones were too heavy...
And so I went on a 1.5 month long stint of scouring the web and this forum for information on kitless pens and I came across Fred's ebony/ebonite/trustone kitless and said "I want to do this." I ignored all the posts saying not to get triple lead taps and dies when you haven't even made a single kitless yet and bought myself a set and several other things I'd needed. Learned how to sleeve wood, and then I watched RBJwoodturners kitless fountain pen series and got to work.
I never finished that ebony pen - as it turns out the glue I was using wasn't holding the segments together as well as i would have liked. But I did make a different pen out of DiamondCast, which I like to think turned out very well. (Until it got stolen...)

Buy a little laser burner and burn your name or initials on your carry pens....and on the pens you make for others. They don't grow legs and walk away anymore.

 

[sbwertz]

(Let me be clear that I am speaking only for myself and nobody else here. I respect other points of view. There is no "right" or "wrong", just different perspectives. I like and admire the beautiful pens that people share here. Not everyone will agree with me about pens and display art.)

My pens are either gifts, or for myself. Every pen I make is intended to be used. I don't want it sitting on the shelf for display. If so, why bother with refills? Just leave the pen empty, and there is less chance it may leak or make a mess. That is not me. My goal is to make beautiful pens for actual use. Sure, they are works of art, but if they aren't being used, how often will anyone notice them?

For me, if the pen doesn't feel right, balance right, and write well, then it isn't much use to me, however artistic it may be. Like the toys in Toy Story, if my pens aren't "played with" and used regularly, then something isn't right. The finish or plating may rub off or the pen may wear out. That's okay, I can always make more.

A family member recently gave me a turned rollerball pen. (I think it was an old gift they received, re-gifted. I can't prove it, but the Schmidt 888 ink refill in it was dry and unusable, so I replaced it with a Schmidt 5888.) First, I wondered why the family member would give ME a pen, knowing that I like to make them for myself. Still, I appreciate the thought. The problem is that the rollerball pen is too fat and too heavy to use. It is not comfortable to hold in the hand. If the cap is posted for writing, it has an awful balance. It is not very useful as a pen, the very thing it was supposed to be. I hope none of you made it. :-(

That pen may be a nice work of art, but not if it sits put away in a drawer, or it gathers dust on a shelf somewhere. That is not what I want to happen with my work. I make other woodworking projects that are both useful and have good craftsmanship, if not "art" per se.

That is just my 2 cents. If you disagree, that's fine. Flame away.

I have one pen that sits in a display case. It was made for me from an elm tree that grew in the yard of the house where I grew up. When a friend who lived in my hometown heard they were having to take down that tree (It was our "climbing tree" when we were kids,) he asked for a piece of it and made it into a pen for me. It is a bit too big and heavy for me to write with comfortably, but every time I look at it, it brings back happy memories.

 

[sbwertz]

If you have some slimline kits, I have a suggestion. Make them up and donate them to people in the military. The pen sleeve on their uniforms is just the right size for a slimline. I take mine to the local recruiting offices, and when I travel I always take along a handful and give them to any travelling military personnel I run into on my trip. They are always delighted to have a pretty pen that will fit in the pen sleeve on their uniforms.

 

[jrista]

I would like to thank those people that took the time to respond.

It seems that most people happened upon making pens, as opposed to seeking it out.
I actually seen some ads for it, and decided to order some supplies to try it. It's just turning a stick; how hard could it be, right?
Now I know.
While ordering the supplies, this website showed up, and I joined.
That's when life happened, and I never made the first pen.

I will probably give it another try in my spare time. I made a preparation board yesterday for a family that needed a specific
style to accommodate some little rubber cups.

The part of the process that fascinated me, was the part where the pen started out shiny, but after cutting it down to size, it was very dull.
I started the sanding procedure, and it slowly began to smooth out, and by the end, it was very shiny once again. Rather magical.

I would show a picture, but I can't take a picture to save my life.
Just imagine your first pen, and know it's probably worse than that.

I forgot to mention in my post, that I also just kind of tried pens one day, and enjoyed it. My first few pens were all non-concentric, and had some lumpy surfaces, sanding was poor and they all exhibited scratches, and I often mixed up the direction of the blanks for two-segment pens so they didn't line up top and bottom once assembled, etc. However, they are fun, and actually relatively simple, fast little projects once you get used to doing it. I do bowls, platters, etc. but those tend to be larger projects that take a lot more time. (I've also had some problems with my big lathe lately, and it hasn't always been in working condition, so I've been turning pens on my smaller lathe so I have some turning to do.)

I also find woodworking to be relaxing. I've been in tech my whole life...and, I really do mean, my whole life. I started programming when I was 8, just a kid, and I've been writing software ever since. I've been in tech for over 30 years. When you sit in front of a computer screen all day long, it is really nice to get away from the technology, and work with something REAL, something NATURAL, at the end of the day and week. Turning wood, after a stressful day of bug hunting, client meetings, and looming deadlines, is a great escape.

I too love it when a turned blank shines up. Its great with resins, but getting wood to shine is a more challenging, and ultimately IMO more satisfying process once you finally achieve the proper shine. Most people use CA glue as their wood finish, which in effect turns your wood pen into an acrylic pen. I've never liked the idea of turning my beautiful wood into plastic, so I spent some time trying to find an optimal finish for my wood pens. I've settled on Doctor's Woodshop Walnut Oil and Pens Plus finishes. The walnut oil penetrates the wood as the first couple of coats, and helps bring out the chatoyance/shimmer of the grain. The Pens Plus is a friction polish with a microcrystalline wax in it that gives you a durable, shiny finish in the end, and one that thus far seems to be very durable (its a lot like a hardwax floor finish, once it dries, its hard, fingerprint and scratch resistant, and quite durable...although it can dent if you use enough pressure). I LOVE how a wood pen's grain comes out when its been properly finished and is all nice and shiny in the end:

 

[penicillin]

If you have some slimline kits, I have a suggestion. Make them up and donate them to people in the military. The pen sleeve on their uniforms is just the right size for a slimline. I take mine to the local recruiting offices, and when I travel I always take along a handful and give them to any travelling military personnel I run into on my trip. They are always delighted to have a pretty pen that will fit in the pen sleeve on their uniforms.

Not only that, but some clubs, guilds, and other organizations give away pen kits and blanks to be returned as finished pens for our active military and veterans. I have done a few, but some of the members of our club make hundreds of pens every year.

 

[Rick_G]

I started woodworking to give myself something to keep me busy during retirement. Saw to many of my co-workers die withing a few months of retiring because they didn't have a hobby or anything to keep busy at. Must have worked because Wednesday will mark 20 years retired. I started turning specifically so I could donate pens to our military here in Canada. Doing mainly flatwork up until then. Where I live small town in farm country selling a pen is nearly impossible so I give them away to friends, relatives any military or police I run across. I don't turn as many now as I used to, doing more bowls, pepper mills etc now but still like to turn the occasional pen. Lost my wife of 53 years in April of 2020 and because of the pandemic couldn't even have a funeral. I think getting into the shop and turning is the only thing keeping me semi sane now.

 

[RunnerVince]

What exactly got your fire lit on making pens? Was it monetarily motivated? Gifts? A way to use up scraps? I'm just curious what got you started, and keeps your interest.

I wanted to make something beautiful and useful. I also do Harry Potter wands, which give me a lot more freedom in the profile. And largely due to inexperience, I'm terrible at bowls. I wouldn't say so much that I turn bowls as that bowls are a great opportunity for me to waste sandpaper, because I use a LOT. But what I found with pens is that there are so many styles and kits out there, and people have so many varying tastes, that there's always someone who will find your work beautiful, and I never get bored.

If I do get bored, I think of something else to try with pens. Right now, I'm experimenting with ebonized wood using a solution of vinegar/steel wool in order to jazz up some of my lighter-colored wood blanks. I'm excited by my initial tests. I've just finished a large customer order, and have more time to experiment, and I can't wait to try some segmenting. Not to mention the seeminly infinte species of wood, wood/resin combos, and other materials that can be used. At first, there was a lot of stress. Mistakes cost me good blanks, and I didn't have a lot of money to replace messed up tubes. Ruining a kit was THE WORST. But as I've gotten better and started making a little money from my work, there's not so much stress. That's been replaced with the anticipation for how the pen will turn out, and what joy someone will get from it, along with my own satisfaction from having created something I'm proud of.

Even with mistakes, though I can't say they excite me, I say my cuss words and pout for a minute, then I think of what I can learn, decide whether I can fix it, and move on. Just the other day, I got a little too aggressive making a ring for my wife, and it flew apart. I was able to find the pieces, and even I can't tell in the final product where it was cracked. It looks amazing. The same thing happens with pens too.

Some people don't see the point when you could buy 10 for a dollar, just like some people don't see the point of a Ferrari when you could just buy a Honda Civic, and some would much rather restore a classic car. Some people appreciate a beautiful instrumet for writing. Some people appreciate the skill and artistry that go into making even a kit pen. And some people even appreciate it enough that they'll spend big bucks for the right pen. Everyone is different.

The question is, can you find joy in it? The awesome thing is that if you have a lathe and tools, you can get into penmaking for probably less than $50 (certainly less than $100) if you go straight to turning between centers, and even less if you already have a dead center and 60 degree live center.