Now for something new.

As long as I've been making pens it has been a word of mouth sort of deal. In the past I've tried working with ebay and Etsy (with no luck) in order to entice people to purchase pens I think they want. While this isn't ideal, it would be nice to be able to continue making pens and not have it cost me money.

The most joy I see people get from my pens is going through the selection process where they get to pick hardware, then I work with them to find out what types of woods would fit well from them, give them a selection, and finally have them pick something out. When its finished, the person is left with something they had custom made for them and had a fun time "designing".

With this in mind, I'm trying something new in my Etsy store (http://www.etsy.com/shop/thepeninme). For starters I've enabled the option to request a custom pen from me on the sidebar of my store. Secondly I have made an actual listing for a pen that isn't made (http://www.etsy.com/listing/94814657/custom-order-handmade-wooden-pen). Hopefully this excites people and encourages them to be more of a part of the process than just going to Etsy and buying something already made!

A Slurry of new pens

A good friend of mine commissioned me to make 6 pens for him recently. I had a lot of fun picking various woods to match the hardware he requested.

The first one is Tamarisk Eyeburl burl:

The second is Red Mallee Burl:

The third is Honduran Rosewood Burl:

The fourth is Desert Ironwood 2-tone:

The fifth is the ever popular Amboyna Burl:

Last but not least we have Afzelia Burl:

A pen for a Gentleman

More orders coming in means more gorgeous writing instruments! I crafted this out of Honduran Rosewood into a rhodium/gold capped desk pen.

A new beauty

I finished up an order for a friend: One Artists Sketch Pencil made from Cocobolo in black chrome. When she requested black chrome on a dark wood, I initially thought it wouldn't turn out that great, but I must admit I am sold and quite jealous that this pencil isn't for me. It turned out great despite the awfulness of the picture. When I moved to Texas I lost the hot lamps I was using for photography previously so I need to hunt some more down. These will have to do... for now.

Back in the Saddle!

The time following graduation found me with much too much free time on my hands. I strayed from pen making and wood turning all together, spent more time with family and friends, and moved to Austin Texas! I've recently been contacted by someone who wants to commission me to do seven high end pens to give away to high paying clients as gifts. I also have been contacted by a friend to make a couple as presents, so stay posted and I will have much to show off soon.