Hello all!
Its good to be here! I am new to turning pens and from what I have seen I can learn great things from you all so let me express my appreciation first, Thank You! If you don't mind I will tell you how I ended up here as John deserves to have this story told!. A little less than a year ago a guy I worked with. Yes, named john who I had worked with for a few years and chatted with on and off began to talk more frequently. We had something in common now. John was sick with cancer and so was my wife ( now 2+ years cancer free). We talked more often and would always ask about each others situations. John always smiled and said he was good and was more interested in how my wife was recovering. One day while talking john pulls this pen from his shirt and shows it to me. It was a nice pen i guess from what I could tell.It was wood,. it was nice. It was a pen. I had seen many pens before, mostly plastic and cost pennies but this was a pen he made and he was proud of it!. I looked it over and he gave me a brief description about turning pens. While interested it really didn't cause me to want to drop my penny pen and start turning. About a month later while chatting with another worker he told me he and john went to shows and now he too turned pens and was quite enthusiastic about it Mike suggested i join he and John at a woodworking show and see what it was all about. It sounded interesting enough, why not! The next time I saw John weeks later I told him I was interested and would like to go. He was very pleased! They were going to see when the next show was around and we would all go together. John passed away before we ever made that trip. It was a great loss to our business and to us as well. A short time after, Mike asked if I was still interested in learning how to turn a pen. I was! I got a 3 hour crazed crash course that day on EVERYTHING pen. I have never looked at pens or wood the same way. I look at it the way john did, with a smile. I have spend my portion putting together my shop which I now love to come home to and and start my next project! John gave me something that first day that I think is pretty cool. A passion to create. Thank You John! RIP My Friend! Below is my first solo creation .. for my wife.. Teresa
Its good to be here! I am new to turning pens and from what I have seen I can learn great things from you all so let me express my appreciation first, Thank You! If you don't mind I will tell you how I ended up here as John deserves to have this story told!. A little less than a year ago a guy I worked with. Yes, named john who I had worked with for a few years and chatted with on and off began to talk more frequently. We had something in common now. John was sick with cancer and so was my wife ( now 2+ years cancer free). We talked more often and would always ask about each others situations. John always smiled and said he was good and was more interested in how my wife was recovering. One day while talking john pulls this pen from his shirt and shows it to me. It was a nice pen i guess from what I could tell.It was wood,. it was nice. It was a pen. I had seen many pens before, mostly plastic and cost pennies but this was a pen he made and he was proud of it!. I looked it over and he gave me a brief description about turning pens. While interested it really didn't cause me to want to drop my penny pen and start turning. About a month later while chatting with another worker he told me he and john went to shows and now he too turned pens and was quite enthusiastic about it Mike suggested i join he and John at a woodworking show and see what it was all about. It sounded interesting enough, why not! The next time I saw John weeks later I told him I was interested and would like to go. He was very pleased! They were going to see when the next show was around and we would all go together. John passed away before we ever made that trip. It was a great loss to our business and to us as well. A short time after, Mike asked if I was still interested in learning how to turn a pen. I was! I got a 3 hour crazed crash course that day on EVERYTHING pen. I have never looked at pens or wood the same way. I look at it the way john did, with a smile. I have spend my portion putting together my shop which I now love to come home to and and start my next project! John gave me something that first day that I think is pretty cool. A passion to create. Thank You John! RIP My Friend! Below is my first solo creation .. for my wife.. Teresa
