Process
I am often asked how long it takes to make a pen. The answer is ‘Yes.’ There are actually several steps I go through to make a pen, and depending on my mood, and how inspired I am on any given day, there are many variables to be considered.
Sometimes, the process starts with deciding that I want to make a certain style of pen. As can be seen by the numbers of each on my Etsy Shop, my favorites are Cigar Style and Sierra Style Pens.
The Cigar style has been the pen I have carried for the past few years and have really liked it. My wife likes them, as do her co-workers. It makes a somewhat hefty pen that you definately know is in your hand, but not too heavy to carry in the shirt pocket or purse (per my wife). There is plenty of body to show off a pretty piece of wood and is quite a dependable pen to use.
I have come to really like the Sierra Style Pen as well. Made with a single tube, this pen provides a somewhat larger canvas to show off grain, or anything else that is done, whether it be engraving or a pretty piece of acrylic or a glue up piece that has taken weeks to piece together.
When I started turning pens, I did a lot of European style pens. Relatively simple in design, they were are really fun to make, and were inexpensive enough to allow for some mistakes to be made without breaking the bank. The design that I drifted into was what I called a modified spear-point, or dagger shape. The cap end would be basically straight sided while there would be a sharp indention just below the center band and from there the wood was left thicker then tapering down to the point.
I liked the design myself, but my wife fussed about it all the time. She just never did like the look of it. I guess it’s all good though as I started making cigar pens predominately and moved into some pens that were really too expensive to try out new ideas on.
