I hope this doesn't sound too much like an ad, but i found this place on Ebay
and they've been very good..

Just getting dragged kicking and screaming into turning pens, I went on Ebay to
see what was up there for pens..
I found a pretty good deal on some red heart blanks and bought them.. the seller
was very fast and very helpful.. also sent a "gift" with the blanks, 2 zebrawood
blanks..

I then checked out the Poc web site and they became my pen turning supply place!
http://www.pocwoodworking.com/
I've ordered from them 3 times in the last 30 days and their/her customer
service is incredible.. also, her prices beat anyone else that I can find...

The reason I HAD to post this is a recent mistake on my order:
Part of my order was 3 purple heart bottle stopper blanks for $195 each... when
I got the shipment, I found 3 purple stabilized blanks instead, which were $4.99
each..
I email Sheila there and told her about it, she asked me to send the blanks back
and she's send my the ones that I ordered..
I found out that it was going to cost me/her $500 o send them back, sort of
killing the $6 she had lost by sending the wrong blanks.. she told me to just
keep the blanks, which was probably common sense...
Today, I got an email from her saying that she had sent me the 3 original blanks
that I'd ordered, at no cost...

As much as I bitch about other vendors, I had to post this positive one...

I would definitely recommend giving them a try, I'm very happy...



Mac

https://home.comcast.net/~mac.davis
https://home.comcast.net/~mac.davis/wood_stuff.htm

SNIP

also, her prices beat anyone else that I can find...

SNIP

Part of my order was 3 purple heart bottle stopper blanks for $195
each...

SNIP

I out that it was going to cost me/her $500 o send them back

I don't know about how good the prices really are Mac.

Seems the shipping back was almost as much as the $585 for the
stoppers.

Sure, I can see the $585 for three stopper blanks, but NOT $500 for
shipping.

;^)


Robert

Go to www.penturners.org. You will find all you need to know about pen
turning and other providers like P.O.C.

Bob `S`

In message , mac davis
writes
I hope this doesn't sound too much like an ad, but i found this place on Ebay
and they've been very good..

Just getting dragged kicking and screaming into turning pens, I went on Ebay to
see what was up there for pens..
I found a pretty good deal on some red heart blanks and bought them..
the seller
was very fast and very helpful.. also sent a "gift" with the blanks, 2
zebrawood
blanks..

I then checked out the Poc web site and they became my pen turning
supply place!
http://www.pocwoodworking.com/
I've ordered from them 3 times in the last 30 days and their/her customer
service is incredible.. also, her prices beat anyone else that I can find...

The reason I HAD to post this is a recent mistake on my order:
Part of my order was 3 purple heart bottle stopper blanks for $195 each... when
I got the shipment, I found 3 purple stabilized blanks instead, which
were $4.99
each..
I email Sheila there and told her about it, she asked me to send the
blanks back
and she's send my the ones that I ordered..
I found out that it was going to cost me/her $500 o send them back, sort of
killing the $6 she had lost by sending the wrong blanks.. she told me to just
keep the blanks, which was probably common sense...
Today, I got an email from her saying that she had sent me the 3
original blanks
that I'd ordered, at no cost...

As much as I bitch about other vendors, I had to post this positive one...

I would definitely recommend giving them a try, I'm very happy...



Mac

https://home.comcast.net/~mac.davis
https://home.comcast.net/~mac.davis/wood_stuff.htm

--
Robert Strudwick

On 16 Mar 2006 21:30:59 -0800, wrote:


I out that it was going to cost me/her $500 o send them back

I don't know about how good the prices really are Mac.

Seems the shipping back was almost as much as the $585 for the
stoppers.

Sure, I can see the $585 for three stopper blanks, but NOT $500 for
shipping.

;^)


Robert

Robert... those damn decimal points are too confusing... that's why I turn wood
and don't write instructions.. *lol*

Her prices are great, though... she sells the slimline pen kits for $1.70
each...
(did I get that one right? )
Mac

https://home.comcast.net/~mac.davis
https://home.comcast.net/~mac.davis/wood_stuff.htm

Mac, just havin' a little fun at your expense. Nothing personal as I
make typos all the time. Sometimes I post something that I have
chopped out in the wee hours on the keyboard and even I don't know what
I was trying to say.

BTW, I think $1.70 is pretty good price for a quality slimline.

I don't know why you are going "kicking and screaming" into pen
turning. I turned and sold enough to pay for about $700 - $800 dollars
of new lathe toys a few years ago. Even though I don't turn them now
except rarely (currently working on lathe turned wood jewelry) they
make excellent one-of-a-kind gifts. I know some turn their noses up at
turning pens, but if I can sell it or make somebody happy with it, I'm
turning it.

Robert

On 17 Mar 2006 19:37:01 -0800, wrote:

Mac, just havin' a little fun at your expense. Nothing personal as I
make typos all the time. Sometimes I post something that I have
chopped out in the wee hours on the keyboard and even I don't know what
I was trying to say.

BTW, I think $1.70 is pretty good price for a quality slimline.

I don't know why you are going "kicking and screaming" into pen
turning. I turned and sold enough to pay for about $700 - $800 dollars
of new lathe toys a few years ago. Even though I don't turn them now
except rarely (currently working on lathe turned wood jewelry) they
make excellent one-of-a-kind gifts. I know some turn their noses up at
turning pens, but if I can sell it or make somebody happy with it, I'm
turning it.

Bravo, Robert-

I turn whatever strikes my fancy, and while that hasn't yet included
pens, I've made plenty of stuff that others may (or may not) turn up
their noses at. (Last project was a bowl made of laminated scrap
construction ply, just to see how it'd look) I figure that I've made
the investment in expensive toys, and now it's my privilege to do
whatever I feel like with them- irregardless of the general status
quo.

After all, if you're not having fun, what's the point?

Prometheus wrote:

I figure that I've made
the investment in expensive toys, and now it's my privilege to do
whatever I feel like with them- irregardless of the general status
quo.


After all, if you're not having fun, what's the point?


Amen, brother, amen. A lathe is simply a tool; no more, no less. It
is no different to me than one of my nailguns or my drill press. It is
provides a means to the ends I want.

Robert

On 17 Mar 2006 19:37:01 -0800, wrote:

Mac, just havin' a little fun at your expense. Nothing personal as I
make typos all the time. Sometimes I post something that I have
chopped out in the wee hours on the keyboard and even I don't know what
I was trying to say.

BTW, I think $1.70 is pretty good price for a quality slimline.

I don't know why you are going "kicking and screaming" into pen
turning. I turned and sold enough to pay for about $700 - $800 dollars
of new lathe toys a few years ago. Even though I don't turn them now
except rarely (currently working on lathe turned wood jewelry) they
make excellent one-of-a-kind gifts. I know some turn their noses up at
turning pens, but if I can sell it or make somebody happy with it, I'm
turning it.

Robert

Never any offence taken.. i know a fellow smart ass when I see one.. *g*

I just wasn't into the small amount of turning time involved in pens, partly
because I thought that the assembly would take a lot longer than 5 minutes...
Still very little "turning" involved and a huge amount of sanding time..

I'm still not crazy about them and would much rather have shavings flying while
turning bowls, but my wife and neighbors like them and I might sell a few..

I'm doing the "cigar" type now and like them a lot better.. more wood to turn
and no "wasp waist" look as in the slimline kits that my wife got me..
Mac

https://home.comcast.net/~mac.davis
https://home.comcast.net/~mac.davis/wood_stuff.htm

On Sat, 18 Mar 2006 01:44:28 -0600, Prometheus wrote:

I turn whatever strikes my fancy, and while that hasn't yet included
pens, I've made plenty of stuff that others may (or may not) turn up
their noses at. (Last project was a bowl made of laminated scrap
construction ply, just to see how it'd look) I figure that I've made
the investment in expensive toys, and now it's my privilege to do
whatever I feel like with them- irregardless of the general status
quo.

After all, if you're not having fun, what's the point?

that's me, also... it's not that i think pens are low class or anything... just
so little wood to turn..
Kind of like having a craving for a pint of ale and going to a wine tasting with
those itty bitty cups.. *g*

I'mm working out the design of a "pointy" stick pen though.. maybe a 12 or 16
inches should be long enough..

Mac

https://home.comcast.net/~mac.davis
https://home.comcast.net/~mac.davis/wood_stuff.htm

Mac - after I learned how to make pens, I decided to make some money
with them. Since hand turned pens are everywhere now, it may or may
not be possible. But if you want to turn out something that you could
sell a few of and be proud, I studied how the others around me failed
and went the other way.

This is how I did it.

I turned the best pen I could using the best materials available. Best
kits, best woods. I used real ebony, real horn, and any eye catching
piece of exotic wood that looked really unusual. I turned the wood
pieces to fit the kit pieces, not to the bushings. So I turned to
withing a couple of thousandths of the bushings, and then finished up
turning the pieces with my calipers set to the actual piece it to fit.
Anything that didn't pass muster went in the trash. I actually went
back to WC and bought several bags of brass tubes so I could make sure
I had more on hand in case a piece went to the circular file.

I carefully finished each pen with a variety of finishes, making sure
each was as good as I could get it.

Then I went down to WoodCraft and bought their $1.99 box to put the
pens inside. I carefully pulled up the bottom panel, and pulled it out
of the box. I made some small cards out of 20# card stock with the
type of wood, where it came from, and a description of the hardware
(24K gold plated and hard black anodized) etc. Everything was on one
side of the card.

On the other side, I put a "Care of your new writing instrument" card
in it. All the stuff of any wood project was there; wipe with warm
cloth, never used detergents, and the fact that the patina will build
from use. I put my lifetime warranty in writing, and told them which
refills to buy, along with my phone number.

I ONLY made the old 30's style Schaeffer pen, and that was the pen I
was known for. Now, here's how they sold so well: I offered laser
engraving for $15. A guy that does trophy engraving has an XY machine
and he burns them for $5 a line. (Backfill that ebony with some super
high end gold paint and you really have something.) So the pen was
customized to a person, not just a nice piece of woodwork.

I sold engraved pens to sweethearts, top sales guys, "in appreciation",
you name it. One year when our local 2A baseball team won their Texas
League Series and were champs, I made pens out of a broken bat. The
pens were engraved: "San Antonio Missions - 1997 League Champs". I
slabbed out the blanks from the bat pieces, then cut the slabs on 45
degrees to the grain to make the ash look more exotic. Clear coated
them with 50% thinned urethane a couple of times then lightly buffed.
I'll bet some are still in use.

9 or so years ago, my competitors sold their pens out of their shirt
pocket or velvet bag, and the got about $25 to $30 (max) for their
pens. I sold mine for $65, plus engraving. To let you know where the
market actually was, I only sold a few pens that weren't engraved. So
I made my market the gift/award/keepsake group.

I sold about 60 pens or so, then quit because I wanted to do some other
things with my turning. Plus... it was boring!

I would be glad to get some fun money with that now, though. I have
often thought of starting that up again.

Robert

On 20 Mar 2006 09:57:01 -0800, wrote:

Mac - after I learned how to make pens, I decided to make some money
with them. Since hand turned pens are everywhere now, it may or may
not be possible. But if you want to turn out something that you could
sell a few of and be proud, I studied how the others around me failed
and went the other way.

Very cool, Robert.. I printed this out..

This is how I did it.

I turned the best pen I could using the best materials available. Best
kits, best woods. I used real ebony, real horn, and any eye catching
piece of exotic wood that looked really unusual. I turned the wood
pieces to fit the kit pieces, not to the bushings. So I turned to
withing a couple of thousandths of the bushings, and then finished up
turning the pieces with my calipers set to the actual piece it to fit.

yeah, i've found that the bushings are just a guesstimate... and not always
accurate.. I'm new at this, but I've made a set of undersized bushings for both
slimline and cigar pens and use them after the pen is roughed out... especially
for sanding and finishing..

Anything that didn't pass muster went in the trash. I actually went
back to WC and bought several bags of brass tubes so I could make sure
I had more on hand in case a piece went to the circular file.

hmm.. I can't be that extreme yet... The ones that I don't like get taken apart
and reused... (I stocked up on tubes as POC)

I carefully finished each pen with a variety of finishes, making sure
each was as good as I could get it.

Then I went down to WoodCraft and bought their $1.99 box to put the
pens inside. I carefully pulled up the bottom panel, and pulled it out
of the box. I made some small cards out of 20# card stock with the
type of wood, where it came from, and a description of the hardware
(24K gold plated and hard black anodized) etc. Everything was on one
side of the card.

On the other side, I put a "Care of your new writing instrument" card
in it. All the stuff of any wood project was there; wipe with warm
cloth, never used detergents, and the fact that the patina will build
from use. I put my lifetime warranty in writing, and told them which
refills to buy, along with my phone number.

wow.. certainly the "extra mile" and hopefully made you stand out from the
competition..


I ONLY made the old 30's style Schaeffer pen, and that was the pen I
was known for. Now, here's how they sold so well: I offered laser
engraving for $15. A guy that does trophy engraving has an XY machine
and he burns them for $5 a line. (Backfill that ebony with some super
high end gold paint and you really have something.) So the pen was
customized to a person, not just a nice piece of woodwork.

I sold engraved pens to sweethearts, top sales guys, "in appreciation",
you name it. One year when our local 2A baseball team won their Texas
League Series and were champs, I made pens out of a broken bat. The
pens were engraved: "San Antonio Missions - 1997 League Champs". I
slabbed out the blanks from the bat pieces, then cut the slabs on 45
degrees to the grain to make the ash look more exotic. Clear coated
them with 50% thinned urethane a couple of times then lightly buffed.
I'll bet some are still in use.

Lots of market research.. something most of us don't do..

9 or so years ago, my competitors sold their pens out of their shirt
pocket or velvet bag, and the got about $25 to $30 (max) for their
pens. I sold mine for $65, plus engraving. To let you know where the
market actually was, I only sold a few pens that weren't engraved. So
I made my market the gift/award/keepsake group.

I sold about 60 pens or so, then quit because I wanted to do some other
things with my turning. Plus... it was boring!

I would be glad to get some fun money with that now, though. I have
often thought of starting that up again.

Robert

Thanks again!

(I posted a few experiments on ABPW today)

Mac

https://home.comcast.net/~mac.davis
https://home.comcast.net/~mac.davis/wood_stuff.htm

mac davis wrote:

I hope this doesn't sound too much like an ad, but i found this place
on Ebay and they've been very good..

Just getting dragged kicking and screaming into turning pens, I went
on Ebay to see what was up there for pens..
I found a pretty good deal on some red heart blanks and bought them..
the seller was very fast and very helpful.. also sent a "gift" with
the blanks, 2 zebrawood blanks..

I then checked out the Poc web site and they became my pen turning
supply place! http://www.pocwoodworking.com/
I've ordered from them 3 times in the last 30 days and their/her
customer service is incredible.. also, her prices beat anyone else
that I can find...

The reason I HAD to post this is a recent mistake on my order:
Part of my order was 3 purple heart bottle stopper blanks for $195
each... when I got the shipment, I found 3 purple stabilized blanks
instead, which were $4.99 each..
I email Sheila there and told her about it, she asked me to send the
blanks back and she's send my the ones that I ordered..
I found out that it was going to cost me/her $500 o send them back,
sort of killing the $6 she had lost by sending the wrong blanks.. she
told me to just keep the blanks, which was probably common sense...
Today, I got an email from her saying that she had sent me the 3
original blanks that I'd ordered, at no cost...

As much as I bitch about other vendors, I had to post this positive
one...

I would definitely recommend giving them a try, I'm very happy...



Mac

https://home.comcast.net/~mac.davis
https://home.comcast.net/~mac.davis/wood_stuff.htm

Mac,

Most of what POC sells looks like tha same stuff they sell at Penn
State Industries. Here is a link...

http://pennstateindustries.com/

POC's prices look better on the pen kits, but PSI has a better price on
tools. Always good to have more options to shop at anyhow.
--

On Sat, 08 Apr 2006 18:30:03 -0500, "Dale R Dankulich"
wrote:

mac davis wrote:

I hope this doesn't sound too much like an ad, but i found this place
on Ebay and they've been very good..

Just getting dragged kicking and screaming into turning pens, I went
on Ebay to see what was up there for pens..
I found a pretty good deal on some red heart blanks and bought them..
the seller was very fast and very helpful.. also sent a "gift" with
the blanks, 2 zebrawood blanks..

I then checked out the Poc web site and they became my pen turning
supply place! http://www.pocwoodworking.com/
I've ordered from them 3 times in the last 30 days and their/her
customer service is incredible.. also, her prices beat anyone else
that I can find...

The reason I HAD to post this is a recent mistake on my order:
Part of my order was 3 purple heart bottle stopper blanks for $195
each... when I got the shipment, I found 3 purple stabilized blanks
instead, which were $4.99 each..
I email Sheila there and told her about it, she asked me to send the
blanks back and she's send my the ones that I ordered..
I found out that it was going to cost me/her $500 o send them back,
sort of killing the $6 she had lost by sending the wrong blanks.. she
told me to just keep the blanks, which was probably common sense...
Today, I got an email from her saying that she had sent me the 3
original blanks that I'd ordered, at no cost...

As much as I bitch about other vendors, I had to post this positive
one...

I would definitely recommend giving them a try, I'm very happy...



Mac

https://home.comcast.net/~mac.davis
https://home.comcast.net/~mac.davis/wood_stuff.htm

Mac,

Most of what POC sells looks like tha same stuff they sell at Penn
State Industries. Here is a link...

http://pennstateindustries.com/

POC's prices look better on the pen kits, but PSI has a better price on
tools. Always good to have more options to shop at anyhow.

Yep.. they tell you on the first page that they're a PSI dealer...
I buy pen kits (especially the slim ones for $1.70) and tubes, and some
accessories there, but not things like tools..
Her focus is on pens and that's where her best deals are..

Great service, too...
I put in an order a few weeks ago and got both an email and phone message saying
that part of the order was out of stock and would be sent later.... on the same
day that I placed the order..
Mac

https://home.comcast.net/~mac.davis
https://home.comcast.net/~mac.davis/wood_stuff.htm