Pen turning has to be my new favorite wood working project. You can work with few tools and any type of wood, or in some cases, no wood at all! Pens have quickly become a favorite Christmas item and have begun to sell quite well.
I started woodworking at a very young age, playing in my dad’s basement workshop. That grew into the shop class in high school which is when “the bug” really bit! Although it has always been a passion of mine, it has always remained a hobby, until recently. The more I build, the more I seem to get noticed. I started turning pens about two years ago. I was looking for something small that had a faster turnaround time than the larger pieces I wanted to build. With very limited shop time, the pens were something I was able to go from start to finish in an evening.
The kits I use are available through various suppliers and the turning material choices are endless. I turn wood, acrylic, custom cast epoxy, and perhaps my favorite, deer antler.
Much like a sculptor, you never really know what is going to come out of the blank until it is turned. You are really only limited to the diameters of the ends of the pen. My favorite by far are the fountain pens. I find that I lean toward making them the most. Fountain pens tend to garner the most attention and therefore, sell at a higher price point.
Finishing the pens can be the trickiest part. I use between 3 to 13 costs of ca glue on all my pens. If you know how fast that stuff dries, you can imagine the challenge. The finish is then sanded starting with a 600 grit then micro-meshed through 12000 grit. I follow up with automotive scratch remover and a coat of wax before they are carefully assembled.
My favorite piece by far, and the prize of my collection is the Bluenose II pen made from a piece of the original Bluenose II that was re-launched in September 2012.
It’s been said, but I will say it also … beautiful pens …. what is the going rate on these?
Keep turning Marc.
Nef.
thank you all for the great comments. makes me want to run out to the workshop again.
One of he best things about pen turning is you don’t need to have a lot of equipment to do it, just a lathe, a saw (table or band saw), and a drill press (but not if you drill on the lathe) and that’s about it! Also, the small size of the pens allow you to use woods that you would never want (or could afford) to buy a whole board of. You can get real creative real fast.!
I’m with all the rest of the folks. These are beautiful.
Very proud of you son! Your work is so beautiful. Maybe you can get out of paint and into pens some day!
Marc:
Very nice work. I have made several slim line pens as gifts for friends but nothing at your level.
Great photography also.
Looks like a lot of fun. Almost like jewelry making. Which lathe do you use? Sherline, Taig, Unimat or something else?
Which one is the Bluenose II pen, or is it not pictured? I’d like to see one of the deer antler pens also.
DD
thanks daniel. the lathe isn’t a big name one, luckily with pens, small lathes work fine, the bluenose pen is not pictured, but the woodwhisperer crew was nice enough to put a link to my site if you click on my name in the quick look window and the top of this page.
Very nice work, Marc, including some superb photography.
I like the fact that each piece is unique. Your pens are gorgeous.
Marc,
Those are beautiful, I just started into pen turning last week. I have not moved beyond the standard SL’s yet into the more exotic fountains yet. Yours have that beautiful museum quality look to them.
I have purchased 2 ball point pens and 1 fountain pen from Marc, as a graduation present from me to me when I finished my last degree. I love the pens and cannot imagine not writing with them every day.
They are a beautiful gift for yourself or for someone special that you want to surprise.
Marc, beautiful pens! Where is the best place to sell pens like yours?
up till now ben it has been word of mouth advertizing, but that may all change now
These are beautiful. I can understand why they sell well for you. I have seen lots of turned pens but never fountain pens. I especially am drawn to those. It makes me think of my Dad. He always used a fountain pen. I recall many times with him at the pen store as the nibs would wear down from use. Is it possible to get replacement nibs for these?
Hi emmrys,
I’ve been writing with fountain pens for years (from the first day at school when I was learning to write until today). I’ve destroyed some nibs by pushing on them too hard or dropping them, but none have ‘worn out’.
These pens are beautiful! I will have to go and try turning myself some time…
emmrys, you can replace and upgrade nibs, they change out quite easily, it is just a matter of picking the right nib for the size and style pen.