Three More Segmented Pens& One Plain One

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William Young

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Jul 8, 2004
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Wynndel, British Columbia, Canada.
I applied the finish to these last night and they were ready to assemble this morning
From top down
Birdseye maple and walnut
Birdseye maple and purpleheart
birdseye maple and honduras rosewood
padauk with maple band

I have tried different ways of modifying the profile of the segmented pens to see which sell best but it seems no matter what shape I make the segmented ones , they are the first to sell out of a whole kit of different ones.
Am I underselling myself at $40.00 each for these :?: I'm afraid to go higher for fear that they will stop selling.
The plain one at the bottom just goes for $30.00 around here.
These are all just modified slimlines. The wood was mostly free and we all know how much those kits cost.
W.Y.

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Really nice William. I'm also a big fan of the wooden centerbands although I seem to forget to do them a lot of times. I sell my segmented pens for $25-30, depending on how detailed and what types of wood they are. With those prices it sounds like you're in a great market.
 
Mac Those prices are in Cdn. dollars... those little wee ones. [:D]

OK, I just tried something different. It has been raining so much lately here that I have been taking pictures indoors with artificial lighting. We have a nice day here today so I tried this picture outside in natural lighting and what a difference from the picture posted above.. The pens look more like they really are now.

I am pullin at straws to figure out why my indoor pictures are so horrible under flourescent lighting and it just dawned on me that I have never cleaned those flourescent tubes in ages and they are open to the room without a cover over them. Could it be that all those lines and bumps etc that show on my pens when taken under them could be the light filtering through dirt ? (sawdust etc.) ? ? These pens are actually as smooth as glass when seen other than in a picture. It would take a magnifying glass to detect inperfections.
Pen making... great fun
Picture taking,... aargg.
W.Y.
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These look great, William. I think it is reasonable to charge a bit more for laminated pens. It adds a true level of complexity. Beyond that, I think your pens should sell for what you believe you have an acceptable market for.

I vary my prices by pen type with slimlines being the least expensive and the capped fountain pens being the higher price items.
 
Nice looking pens William, I really like that segmented look...and I really sympathize (and relate) to you on the photography. As for myself, if I had to make a living shooting pictures - I would have starved by now ;(

JohnPayton
 
Charlie
I just cut them on a 45 degree angle but you can choose any angle you wish. Then I sand those surfaces very flat on my disk sander with a little jig I made..
Then I put them on a sheet of wax paper and put some thick CA on one piece and rub it back and forth on the mating piece to distribute the glue and then just let it sit to cure. Sometimes I spray the joint with that stuff that makes it set up right away. I just drew a blank on the name of it (senior moment ) but you probably know what I mean ;-)
Probably other ways of doing it but that has worked so far for me.
I tried carpenters glue as well but too much slipping and sliding on the longer open time. Hard to clamp because they want to slip sideways.
W.Y.
 
OK John.
It's off topic but seeing as you asked. ... Here's a couple of my clocks . Takes longer to make one like that than it does a pen.[:D]
Blue ribbon is first place in USA , Red is first in Canada. I have heard that is because there is no blue in our flag here.
Top one is the Dome clock. 52" tall.
The bottom one is the Roman Cathedral. 37" tall. I also made the parlor table with drawer that it is sitting on.

What finish is on them [?] [?] .. You guessed it.. WB laquer.[:)]
W.Y.
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William- Your pens are great. The angle joint effect is superb. I got to try that and the way you join the pieces makes it a lot easier. On the picture question, you may know this but flourescent light is very green or at least not close to sunlight. I shoot most of my pens inside but I use a flash. I can go from low to normal to high intensity on the flash. On a close shot like pens even that is sometimes to much and I will hang a piece of white cloth or napkin over the flash. Even with flourescent light, the flash will correct the color. Personally I like the highlight on the pens. I don't know what causes the grainy effect on your shots, but using a flash would probably eliminate it.
By the way, I just got my order of WB lacquer and I am experimenting with it. I don't have a spray set up so I have to try something else
 
Good luck with trying different methods other than spraying it. You will find that it starts to dry very fast so if you are applying it with a small foam brush or similar applicator you need to give it a nice heavy *wet* coat and then keep turning it back and forth by hand for a minute to make it self levelling. You cant apply it like paint and then back brush if it was too thin and requires a little more because it is already half set up and will only make it worse.
I tried a few ways before I switched to my HVLP gun like I use for bigger stuf and that was the answer for me.
I hope you can find a good way of applying it (other than spraying).
Please let us know how you make out with other forms of application

TIP... keep that product well stirred from the bottom up every time before using it. I use one of those paint stirers on a metal rod in my cordless drill on high speed . Available at any paint shop.
DO NOT shake to mix,.. stir only or you will have air bubbles if applying by hand. DAMHIKT.
Air bubbles dont matter all that much if spraying because it is getting atomized but you dont want them for hand application.
W.Y.
 
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