source for pen kits

In message , william kossack writes

William, below are a few hint for pen turning.

I get my bits from Craft Supplies, get their catalogue there are loads of choices to be made, I must admit, I am not sure what the U.S. version is like as I live in UK but if it is anything like our choice, you will be well please. The coating they use does stand up to fair ware and tear, I have one I made in my pocket 24/7 and use it a lot and it still looks great.

Firstly, if you are going to do quite a lot of pens, and they vary considerably, get yourself the 'bible' of pen turning (my opinion and a few members of the International Penturners Association), Turning Pens and Pencils by Kip Christensen and Rex Burningham , forward by Dale Nish. Cost me £16.95, isbn number is 1-86108-100-6 printed by the Guild of Master Craftsman.

This site is great for help and also for showing off your pens, nobody has a go at you and they are very supportive. It costs nothing to join only your e-mail address. 99 percent of the members are from North America so you will get some first hand info.

Give it a try you will find some very nice ideas for pens there made out of anything from normal wood, polymer (look under 'roberts', they are mine ) and even the centre of a corn cob.

`S`

Take a look at Berea Hardwoods at:

Jack Novak Buffalo, NY - USA (Remove "SPAM" from email address to reply)

Packard Woodworks also has some nice pen kits. I like the black satin slimline kits.

-Jim Gott- San Jose, CA

I've already looked at most of these. When I think of pens you can buy there are 3 categories.

1) the cheap disposable plastic pens costing a few dollars 2) the cross style running under $10 3) the really nice pens which I've never owned. These can be found behind the counter at say office depot. Some of them run more than $100. I understand they are really nice but I've never actually used one. The one time I knew someone that had one and I needed to write something down, the person would not loan me the pen to use for 10 seconds so I had to find someone else to borrow something to write with (especially irritating as the guy that was giving me the info was the guy that would not loan me something to write with....kind of influences a working relationship for months afterwards)

Number 3 is what I'm look> OK, I'm nearly there.

Try the kits from Berea -- the chrome, platinum, solid silver and the black titanium all will last forever. Well a long time at least! Check the posts at yahoo penturners

and also penturners.orghttp://www.penturners.org/forum/portal.aspStay away from the cheap gold -- those are the ones people seem tocomplain about.

William,

I personally haven't turned a lot of pens, but those that have tell me to buy pen kits that will last. Most say to avoid the "standard" gold kits because the gold will wear off. They say to buy the cobalt and titanium type of gold to get the best wear. I believe that the Christiansen/Burningham book says similar.

Having said that, I know that both Craft Supplies USA and Woodcraft carries a number of products that meet this requirement. As a rule of thumb, you should expect to pay double or more for the good kits.

Why do this? If you are giving the pens as gifts, you want the gift to last for the receiver. If you are selling them, you want quality to build your reputation as a maker of fine items.

Only buy those that say "titanium gold" or "cobalt gold", or have a description provided stating that these wear-resistant metals are part of the plating.

If the kit is inexpensive and just says "gold", don't buy it. If the kit is $10 and says "gold" ask the seller what the contents are and ask them to compare the $10 kit to the $4-$5 kit. If they can't explain the difference, don't buy it.

Stick with a retailer that carries a lot of good pen stuff like Craft Supplies or Woodcraft. I don't have experience with Berea's kits, but they have several that say "titanium" in the description. Penn State kits seem to be the lower quality variety based upon description and cost.

Joe