Pen kit supplier question

[jimr]

Since I got hooked on pen making I have ordered everything from the woodturners catalog. I was looking in the penn state catalog recently and they have some pen styles and stuff that woodturners does not have. My question- If I order some pens or kits from Penn state, is it necessary to also get all new basic stuff like mandrels, drill bits, busings, etc if it is all the same size as what I got from Woodturners. I would like to try the Penn state stuff but hate to start over from scratch. Also, are these two suppliers of about egual quality in merchandise?
Thanks for any comments.

 

[Daniel]

In my Opinion the Woodturners Kits are just a notch above P.S.I.
But that may be more of a taste thing than actual better quality.
I like the selection of bands and finishes from Woodturners.
Having said that so far the majority of my pens are P.S.I. due to the price of the kits.
I havn't needed a different mandrel for the Woodturners Kits. But i get bushings for anything I havn't made before. Many of the "like" kits will use the same bushings. Cigar Pen, etc. But I woudl ask before ordering anything and leaving out bushings. It's frustrating to have a new pen on the shelf because of a $4.00 bushing set.
A simple way to get all the kits from both companies with one order is to get them from Pens of Color. the price is lower as well on the P.S.I. stuff and the price on the woodturners kits is the same as the catalogue. you can find Sheila around here somwhere and they have a link in the links section. I'm trying to get some pencil kits from them but of course I had to make it difficult. I want a pair from both P.S.I. and Woodturners and I am able to leave the hassle of gathering them all up to someone else. It is only a bit slower in getting the kits to me because it has to go through them first. but that only requires a little planning on my part. I make sure I am ordering my next kits before my last supply ran out. and being involved in the FPP (Freedom Pen Project) there is not much danger of running out of pens to make any time soon. I have made over 100 of them so far this year.
Woodturners has been a great supporter of the FPP.