Over a year ago, I decided that I should work through the pens and notebooks that I have laying around. I had a bunch of inexpensive Hilroy notebooks, the ones you’d buy for back to school in junior high school. There were Bic pens, a few rollerballs, and a Parker Jotter in my desk drawer. Slowly, I’ve been using them up.
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This week, I turn a European Round Top pen using Holly wood and gunmetal hardware. The colour of Holly looks almost pure. I used a CA finish to give this pen a glossy look and glassy feel. The subtle curves on this pen really appeal to me, as well.
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I don’t know why I’ve been so reluctant to put my pens up on Etsy to sell. It’s the best way for me to move them. But, I’ve been putting it off.
Tonight, I sat down for a bit to update some Etsy listings. I’m going to try to do the same tomorrow. I should’ve done it earlier.
Maybe it’s because I know that there’s more work involved when I make a sale. It’s a wonderful feeling to have someone purchase a product that I’ve made but the small administrative things irk me so I try to avoid them.
I want to be better at this. I’m going to make more of an effort I hope.
I made this pen about a week ago. I like it but it’s not a style of pen that I would use, I don’t think.
In other news, I’m not sure what’s going on with the YouTube algorithm but my view count is way up. I keep checking it, thinking it’s not right. I’m excited to be making some headway, though.
Finally, the situation with the Ford government and CUPE is just absurd. I’m shocked that the government would act this way, like playground bullies. I also don’t like that online learning is now that workaround. I think that’s absolute horse shit.
I didn’t get up as early as I would’ve liked to today but I still made it to Scriptus, a stationery show. It was quite nice, save for the number of people filling the room. I bought one thing — a folio for storing pens. The show (more of an exhibition, really) was a good reminder that I’m only scratching the surface with my fandom.
And, I received another care package from my mom today.
It was a pretty good day. It’s a shame that the weekend is over.
I was only able to make one pen today. My lever for the tailstock of my lathe broke just over a week ago. It’s an easy problem to work around but it’s a nuisance. It took me at least a couple of hours, I think, to fix my self-centring vise today — the knob to tighten and loosen the jaws came loose. Still, I was able to make a pen today.
I made the pen below a few weeks ago but just got around to photographing it. It’s walnut with the RAW aluminum fountain pen kit. I used a CA finish on this one, something I’ve been doing more of lately.
Oh, and I put together a lightbox today. I’ve been using a large sheet of white cardstock, which has been working well. I thought that putting together a lightbox might help me control the light better. These pictures turned out okay but I’ve got to try a few different things.
I’m planning to go to Scriptus tomorrow. It’s a stationery show at the Toronto Reference Library. I’m actually quite excited for it.
This pen was a custom order. It’s nice to make something for someone knowing that they will enjoy it because they contributed to its creation. This wood — bloodwood — is just stunning.
Fountain pens are just fantastic. I think everybody should own one. And, use it.
One of the nicest things about making and selling pens is that it brings together a lot of my interests. Taking pictures of the pens I make has proven to be somewhat challenging. I’ve fallen into a bit of a pattern — developing a style — but there’s still plenty of room for improvement.
It dawned on me this morning that I haven’t been posting pictures of my pens on my blog. I haven’t really been posting about making pens at all. I think I probably should be.
Here’s the first step. The pen is made with wenge wood and RAW brass hardware.
I tried my hand turning a mechanical pencil tonight. I was aiming to emulate a mechanical pencil that’s got to be over 20 years old. In the end, it turned out all right.
