Review of Pens of Color new pen blanks...

[YoYoSpin]

Its too early for Halloween, but thought I'd post this anyway...no, really...this pen blank was recently sent to me by Sheila, over at Pens of Color. I like this bowling ball material a lot and will definitely be getting more. It will probably make acrylic pen blanks obsolete. The 10mm hole was drilled at about 500 RPM with zero burning or blowout. Turns like a dream, with 10-foot long ribbons of material flying off the lathe, and no dig-ins or grabs of any kind. Sanded to #400 followed by micromesh to 12,000 grit. I'm sold.

 

[Julie]

Very Nice Looking Pen !!

 

[pecartus]

Ed, Very nice looking pen, please don't make AA obsolete [], I need my fix on eye candy. Explain something to me and I have read a few posts regarding bowling ball blanks, is this material from the outside Dia. of the ball and how thick is the raw blank you turn, or are these blanks made from the same material a bowling ball is made from but not actually from a bowling ball? Does this multi question make sense?

 

[YoYoSpin]

Patrick, these blanks were purpose made for pens and are available from http://www.pocwoodworking.com . They are very large, measuring about 1" X 7", so I made a bottle stopper from the end piece that was left over. BTW, the stopper (pictured below) was dry sanded to #600, followed by a Beall buff...no scratches and no need for micro mesh...cool. Cutting up a bowling ball on a bandsaw is very dangerous and not recommended.

 

[Daniel]

How do you get teh picture so big with only 90 kb I am defenitly doing soemthing wrong with my editor. I have Microsoft Digital Imaging if anyone can give me some tips. definitly gets the details out there

 

[pecartus]

Ed, the pen and the bottle stopper are gorgeous, very impressive. No, I wouldnt attempt to cut a bowling ball, the purpose behind the question, over on yahoo group a few weeks ago they were discussing using actual bowling balls as pen blanks and the thread became quite confusing. So basically the material you used is the same as they use for making bowling balls, correct?

 

[kennosborne]

Daniel, that picture is stored on Ed's site and is 268 kb. Your not doing something wrong. You just have to paly with the compression and smoothing to get a good picture at a small file size.

Patrick, Yes it is the same material.

Ed your work is always top notch in my book and these items hold up to that. I think I will have to get some of these and try them out.

 

[PensofColor]

Hi, everyone. Ed, great work, those are more stunning that I had hoped. I want to clarify the questions about the material itself.

A couple of years ago, we were going to yard sales and Pro Shops looking for used bowling balls. We had them cut up on an industrial saw, mainly because of the unsafeness of cutting them, but also because our band saw wouldn't accommodate the size of the ball.

After cutting up a few balls, and lots of trial and error, we were only able to get a couple of sellable pens from all those balls. So, we thought, there has to be a better way.

We went to a bowling ball manufacturer, explained what we were trying to do, and asked if he could make pen blanks for us out of the bowling ball material. After I conviced him that I was not crazy, he agreed to try it.

Several prototypes and color runs later, we had ourselves a product. So, we applied for a patent (which is multi-scoped and complicated), and now we have our own product.

The Bowling Ball Pen Blanks are made from the same exact material as the outer covering of a bowling ball and they are just as durable. They drill, sand, turn, and polish the same as wood or any other plastics, except a whole lot better! These are resin and/or epoxy based...they are not plastic.

Feel free to ask any other questions...we're happy to be of assistance.

 

[pecartus]

Kenn - Thank you for answering my question, and I am going along with you and maybe order a few of these myself to try out.

Shiela - Aren't you located in St. Louis, MO.(My memory is failing me)? and if so do you sell wholesale or at least sell retail to another MO resident with a Tax ID?

 

[PensofColor]

Hi, Patrick. Yes, I'm in St. Louis. And if you have a tax letter to keep the hounds at bay at taxtime, I would be happy to sell to you tax-free. Call me and we'll talk!

888-Wood-Pen (888-966-3736)

 

[leenollie]

A pretty interesting idea, Patricia. There is a Columbia 300 bowling ball plant here in San Antonio. I may give them a call and see if they could make up some blanks for me and my pen turning buddies here. Thanks.

Lee Biggers
The ever curious pen turner []

 

[pecartus]

Lee,

The name is Patrick, but I have been called worst [:d], if you were responding to me or were you posting to Sheila. Don't worry, I'm not upset if the response was to me. I would like to know what you find out from buddies there in San Antonio.

 

[PensofColor]

Everyone, I am glad and excited that the Bowling Ball blanks have generated as much interest as they have, and I don't want to seem rude or offend anyone, but we before we offered them for sale to the publice, we took steps to protect our idea and our product.

<b>We are <b>Patent Pending</b> on the manufacturing process used to make the bowling ball pen blanks, and also on the Specific Use of the bowling ball material. Our patent application was multi-scoped and very complicated.</b>

It was a very, very costly endeavor for us to create and produce these blanks. That is why we have applied for the patent...to protect our interest in our product. Those are made in custom molds, which were very expensive, and because of that, we had to make a huge contractual commitment to purchase a very large quantity of these before the manufacturer would agree to make them for us.

<b>I do not mean any harm or wish to offend anyone, just want to make sure everyone is well-informed. Feel free to call us if you have any questions at 888-Wood-Pen (888-966-3736). </b>

 

[Doghouse]

No offense should be taken. If people like you did not invest in developing new ideas, where would we be without the light bulb?

One thing that I find true in every craft person I know is that at some level we are cheep! If we think we can save 1 cent by doing it ourselves, we will try. At the same time, I think you are going to make a good deal of money off that patent even if it is just from infringement fees. That being said, I think you have clearly and in a non offensive way stated that this is your turf! Congratulations on your genius and I look forward to them arriving in my mail box!

Lee, please do not take offense. Having gone through the patent process I can tell you it is not fun and has a lot of "hidden" costs. So please understand the sensitivity of the subject.

 

[leenollie]

No offense is taken on my part. Once they told me what the price of the process would be, I would have tore out of there like a scalded cat. [:0]

Also, sorry Patrick. I was posting for Sheila. [:I]

Lee Biggers
The ever curious pen turner []

 

[ilikewood]

Hi Sheila,

I work in as a chemist in an R&D facility and we are always patenting work that we do. Just a note to help you here....get yourself the best lawyer you can find that specializes in patent law. From what I have found out (as a company we are in constant battles with patent infringement problems), that patents don't mean a thing unless you have the guns to back it up. Protect yourself early!! If you are going to make alot of money on this, you are going to have to spend alot of money on this...above and beyond what you have already spent.

I hate to sound like a fatalist, but considering the experience I have with this, I know for a fact that you have to protect yourself beyond the patent. Maybe you will never have to battle someone (and hopefully that is the case), but it is better to be safe than sorry.

 

[PensofColor]

Hi, Bill...thanks for the advice. We do happen to have one of the best Patent and Intellectual Property Law firms in St. Louis on our payroll, so I have total confidence in them. I sincerely hope that we will never have to use them again, once the patent is granted, because I think am a easygoing and friendly person by nature and not at all aggressive.

So, I hope everything is peachy keen with us and our ventures, with no problems. You guys can wake me up anytime now...I do live in a dream world sometimes!

 

[debturnswood]

hi, Sheila, what a genious. I have been perusing the photo albums for the first time tonight. (my lathe is busted so hey why not be on the pc educating myself right?) and what an education.... I am on fire about these blanks of yours and am off, as soon as I post, to contact you with a small order. Thanks for sharing. I think the bottle stopper and pen pictured are SUPER!!! i got to get me some a dat! My real goal should be to turn as quality of a product as all of you that have displayed your art in the albums. I am super impressed. It has motivated me to keep trying to improve. I have a lot of new ideas, and am so thankful to have found these forums. Deb

 

[PensofColor]

Deb, thanks so much for your comments and praises! I have to say, though, that the exquisite craftsmanship is that of none other than Ed Davidson, of Davidson Woodworks (aka YoYoSpin). He took our pen blank and turned it into 2 works of art. So, he gets the credit for the pictures and the work.

I will, however, take credit for inventing and creating the Bowling Ball pen blank! We think they are the coolest pen blank ever!

 

[debturnswood]

well the KUDOS to Ed, and please do not take offense... in being new to posting I easily get lost in who is doing what and who is whom, and what is on second.... You will be pleased to know Pens O Colour will be recieving a check (albeit a small order) for the incredible ten variety pack. if my postal knowledge and caclulations are correct, I should be recieving the new blanks about the same time my replacement lathe arrives! (speaking of living in a dream world. [])Thanks Ed, for sharing your masterpiece, and you Sheila for sharing your vision

 

[PensofColor]

No offense at all...I am excited you are so excited! Your blanks are on the way per your order! Thank you!

 

[debturnswood]

Hi, posted two item s I made today with lovely bowling ball blanks. I hope to be able to finisht the pens a little better when I make pens with the blanks. I love them thanks again sheila!Deb

 

[roberts]

WOW, looks great, like the texture and translucence.
Just a quick question, can these blanks be obtained in the UK or do I have to brave the Customs officers here?[}] If they need to be sent, how much (international money order I suppose) will they cost. Please do not hold me to anything, just an enquiry.[]
Thanks

Bob `S`

 

[PensofColor]

Keep up the good work, Deb. Those look great!

Bob, right now the Bowling Ball pen blanks are exclusively available via our website or via email, here in the US. So, you would have to brave the Customs people. However, we are looking for distributors, so if you have anyone in the UK who might be interested, get with me offline.

Anyway, about the blanks and your questions:

They are 4.99 each, or a 10-pack (one of each color) for 39.99, and that price is good until midnight June 30. After that, our introductory pricing ends, and they will be regular price (5.99 each and 44.99 for the 10-pack)

As you can see from Ed's pictures, you can get a pen and a half out of one blank, or a pen and a bottle stopper or even a matching key chain, all from one blank. So, basically, every 2 blanks may get you 3 pens, depending on the kit you are making. That makes the blanks average out to just 3.33 each, which is a terrific bargain.

Also, these are the 1" version, so you can turn any kit available. We will be introducing a 3/4" version soon for those making smaller pens like the Slims.

This was probably more answer than you needed...sorry. I tend to get a little excited when I talk about our BB blanks!

 

[Daniel]

No Need to apologize Sheila, as far as I am concerned you have broken some ig ground withthe introduction of this product. a patented (or nearly) material specifically for making pens (that won't last long). shows penturning is rising in it's rank as a craft. I have alrady talked to a friend that ownes a Bowling Pro shop and he has agreed to carry a line of pens made with the Bowling Ball Material. I need the whole set but I need the money first. I'm working on that but not soon enough to get in on the special. ah well the agony of juggling multiple projects.

 

[YoYoSpin]

Daniel, that's a tremendous idea...guess I'll have to pay a visit to my local bowling shop and see what we can see.

 

[ilikewood]

Dang!! Good idea Daniel!! Going there this week!!