Does anyone turn for the fun of it?

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Texatdurango

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I see a lot of posts with comments similar to... "I don't make slimlines because I can make a Baron in the same time and sell for 4 times the amount" or "I really like type X pens but they don't sell, so I don't make them" or "If I can't make four pens an hour, I'm losing money"....

It appears that the vast majority of forum members are only making pens for the money and some sound as if they aren't enjoying doing it.

Is there anyone out there who enjoys turning on some nice music, grabbing a hot cup of coffee, picking out a nice looking blank and actually enjoys the time at the lathe... regardless of how long it takes to make a single pen or worrying about the cost of CA when deciding on what kind of finish to apply? In other words, are there any "hobby turners" out there?
 
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I turn for fun and money. IF it wasn't fun then I would NOT be able to do it just for money . But I am a for profit turnner . :O) IF that makes sense . [:D]. I never rush a pen or try to get a cetain number done in the time I spend at it . What ever time it takes is what it takes I enjoy taking my time and shipping a well made IMO good well made pen . I am NOT a speed turner . I take my time relax and enjoy making pens . [;)]
 
You better beleive it!

I have the utmost respect for those who buckle down and take a swing at making a living (or some extra spending money) with their pen making. Certainly those that do gotta put their time, effort and capital outlay into the pens that sell and make the most money.

I have had a number of friends that encouraged me to make a little business out of my hobby. My response is allways the same. No way, then it will become work! For me it is all about quiet time making things... a stress reliever. I leave the kids inside with my wife, no funky cartoons on the TV, just me, the lathe, tools and some wood to reduce to little twisted shavings. I venture to guess I have made in excess of 100 pens over the past few years and with the exception of 20 I did for a friend at their cost, all are given away as gifts and/ or used by my wife and I.
 
I primarily turn just for fun. I have sold some pens and have done some commission work but for the most part it is just for stress relief and the joy of seeing what comes out of the blank.
 
I starting turning for the fun of it, now it is a business I am having fun at and enjoy working.
I very seldom will take an order over 5-10 pens, then, that is work. [:p]
 
I definitely turn for fun. Hopefully someday I will get to the point that I can make money doing this fun but so far not. Probably something to do with having never done the same thing twice. It is always the "I gotta try this" and when I've done it it becomes "ok, what to try next?".

GK
 
I turn for the fun of it. I do flat work for the fun of it too! But sometimes that gets me into trouble when I get pressured into making something for someone. I hate pressure in fun work. I do it to relax.

However, however . . . my son in law is working on his masters in ceramics, and has his work in a few galaries and has several shows / sales a year - and makes great money for being in school. He wants me to start making pens for him to sell beside his work. Last week on this forum, there were a few comments about selling at shows and booths and art shows. If I read it right, the "art" shows sold pens at a lot higher prices. My SIL said that I could get $100 minimum for my sierras and twice that and more for some of my FPs and rollerballs.

Fun just might have its rewards! [:D]
 
I sell pens but I have fun making them. I don't make a living at it but my wife said my hobby had to pay for itself. I stand by my signature line and have said it for many years!
 
I work in the shop just about every night. the kids are gone and its just the wife and myself. I enjoy the challenge of turning as well as the flat work. the fact that I sell a few pens has no bearing. If they are in a hurry they can go elsewhere. I also like trying new kits just to see how they look. when I have free time I turn freedom pens for the troops.
ken
 
Originally posted by fiferb
<br />I sell pens but I have fun making them. I don't make a living at it but my wife said my hobby had to pay for itself. I stand by my signature line and have said it for many years!
Click to expand...

'If it's not fun it's time to do something else.'

That thought has run through my mind on more than one occassion on some things. Very true indeed.
When I get the chance, I turn for fun mostly. Do sell one now and then. Did a 50 pen order once, that was work. It got un-fun at about the 10th pen!
 
Even though I have sold a few pieces, I turn primarily for the fun of it.
If I sell something it means that I now have more space on the shelves for something new.
 
I have only been turning pens since December, I currently sell a few hundred dollars worth of pens per month, and I use them for gifts, but my costs for parts & tools still exceeds the income. But I do it mostly for fun, and for the last 2 months or so I have always had pen orders I'm working on. Making pens is fun, always having a cool pen when I write something is fun, and selling them is the most fun. I have not started making the high end kits yet, I do sierra's, cigars, and slim lines mostly. When someone can get a bic pen for about 19 cents that will get the written words on paper just like one of my pens, but they are willing to pay $20 - $50 for one of mine, it tells me they appreciate my work, and that makes it more fun.
 
I turn for fun...and there are times when I stop for months (one time it was 8 months) just because I don't feel like turning.

I normally take 3 hours to turn and finish a pen (mostly 15 mins or less to turn)...not the speed for mass production at all. One pen I made was re-finished more than 4 times because finish wont take properly and I am not happy with it...took me more than 12 frustrating hours spread over 3 days. I could have easily threw the barrels and start over but it became a challenge lol (which is good).

This year I've turned less than 10 pens. Up until last month, I only turned one pen and it was a giveaway/free [:0]. These next few days I will have lots of free time and plan on turning and make-up for the lost time [;)] LOL. BTW, I did turn other stuff this year...just not pens [;)]

I miss the days when I start turning as soon as I can and stay as late as possible.
 
I turn primarily for therapy (read fun) to relieve the stress that comes from management. I'm fortunate enough to be able to make enough to keep me in supplies and ocassionally a new tool or two. And I'm looking forward to supplementing my retirement with my turnings. How successful I will be is up to me. [;)]
 
Originally posted by polarbear1
<br />I have only been turning pens since December, I currently sell a few hundred dollars worth of pens per month, and I use them for gifts, but my costs for parts & tools still exceeds the income. But I do it mostly for fun, and for the last 2 months or so I have always had pen orders I'm working on. Making pens is fun, always having a cool pen when I write something is fun, and selling them is the most fun. I have not started making the high end kits yet, I do sierra's, cigars, and slim lines mostly. When someone can get a bic pen for about 19 cents that will get the written words on paper just like one of my pens, but they are willing to pay $20 - $50 for one of mine, it tells me they appreciate my work, and that makes it more fun.
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amen polarbear1, i agree. i got into this about the same time you did and it's nothing about the $$, but the expression on my friends faces when i show them what i did for them. the $$ is nice........but it's not the reason i do this
 
I turn for fun and the excitement of doing something different. I love turning new woods, plastics, bone, antler...or whatever I havent turned before. I love the discovery, the smells (except on the antler thing...LOL) and understanding the nuances of each material.

I have started bowl turning and doing other stuff to keep the sense of discovery.

That all said, I have sold quite a few pens, enough to keep me in tools, equipment and blanks. Sometimes it is a struggle to have fun when production runs are calling, but I slow things down, and try to remember why I am standing at the lathe in the first place. Plus 200 watts of rock and roll coming out of the speakers is also helpful!
 
Originally posted by Ron in Drums PA
<br />Even though I have sold a few pieces, I turn primarily for the fun of it.
If I sell something it means that I now have more space on the shelves for something new.
Click to expand...

Sam thing for me, with one exception ... I turn for stress relief, and when I sell a pen (or whatever) I use that money to buy more supplies.

I figured out that if I HAD to turn "X" number of pens in "Y" amount of time, the fun just went away ...

I imagine that I have given away at least twenty pens for every one I have sold ...
 
I turn for fun and to give them as gifts. I have always been into "crafts" but turning is the most fun, challenging and rewarding for me. I have pens for sale in a consignment shop and if they sell, they sell.....if they don't, no biggie!

When the weather permits, I go turn outside and I don't have to answer the house phone, cell phone, do dishes, clean toilets........you get the picture, LOL!
 
I quickly realized that, although I was (and still am) a "hobby turner", I only need a limited number of pens, bowls, etc. and then they become clutter in my house. Similarly, I feel that if I give the same person multiple pens or other objects, the value of each is diminished - they go from being a one of a kind object to merely a commodity. So, I started looking at selling my pens, thereby allowing me to offset the investment I've made in the eqipment and the "few" blanks and kits I have sitting around. I also really enjoy making something for someone where the person has had a hand in the design. I may push them in certain directions (Jr. Statesman rather than an Emperor, for example, and a particular wood or synthetic based on their preferences), but it's really rewarding to have the customer receive a custom-made pen (and recognize it as such), rather than something from inventory.
 
I make pens to sell, but I have fun doing it. If I didn't have fun making them, I would quit and spend my free time flyfishing instead. I took on an order last year for 65 antler Sierras and that was really a lot of work. I think I've only made about a dozen Sierras since. I have trouble looking at them without thinking about that order. I have a much smaller order for a wonderful customer this year that in the end will bring me almost as much income but with a lot less hassle. I really enjoy making pens for this guy. He tells me what he wants, I tell him the price, he sends the money and then says "Take your time, I'm in no hurry." I just sent him part of his first order and he was absolutely thrilled with the pens. That's the best part, when you have a customer who truly is delighted with your product. Of course, the money doesn't hurt.[:D]
 
I live an amazingly good life, George!!!

I have turned HUNDREDS of pens. From time to time, I am really pressed to get stuff out (read right before Christmas). And, at those times, there is a feeling of satisfaction of being able to provide this person with JUST the GIFT they want to GIVE. I enjoy being able to do that, but there is some pressure to perform on time.

THE REST OF THE YEAR: I turn pens very quickly!! When a new pen is assembled and everything fits right and I look at the result - I LIKE IT!! I can put it out at the next craft show and listen to people "oooohhhh and aaahhhhh" and I ENJOY that. So, do I turn for FUN?? Not really, I guess. Although it sure isn't work, I turn to enjoy a result. After doing it for over a decade, I STILL enjoy the result.

And, if I walk home with a couple hunnerd bucks after a craft show - there's a certain "glee" I have gained.

So, define FUN and I'll see if I qualify!!![;)][;)][;)][;)]
 
I promised myself a number of years ago never to turn my hobby into a business.
Not that I probably couldn't make a few extra bucks selling my stuff at craft shows and art festivals and the like, but I do not want to go down that slippery path into turning my "down time" into "work."

I turn if/when I want. I turn because I enjoy it, and get tremendous personal satisfaction from it. I turn large (bowls, platters, vases) and small (pens, keychains, light pulls).
I also do a lot of "flat" woodworking.

My work has been given as gifts, or used in my household. It has been donated to charity for silent auctions. It has never been sold directly. It never will be.

This is a personal choice.
Like others have said, this is my therapy, and my lathe is my therapist.
 
I turn for the joy of it and finding out what is in the middle of that hunk o' wood. I turn to spend time with my 13 year old son. I turn for the relaxation. I will not likely ever "turn" a profit, but enough people now know I can and do produce very nice items that I will probably never be caught up on their requests. I do like that my sales now pretty much support my habit (as does my wife!).

If I didn't get some real pleasure out of it, I would stop doing it and have a mondo online yard sale. I still make pieces that I won't sell because there is not a price for them, once in a while I have to keep them because they are sooooo nice[:D].
 
Originally posted by Texatdurango
<br />I see a lot of posts with comments similar to... "I don't make slimlines because I can make a Baron in the same time and sell for 4 times the amount" or "I really like type X pens but they don't sell, so I don't make them" ....
Click to expand...

Ah, the joy of mixing fun & work. I've only been making pens since mid-December and do it for both fun & profit. I really enjoy making pens. I've done flatwork for some years now too, mostly as a hobby although I've also sold some pieces on commission.

Even though I hope that each pen I make will be fun, it is sometimes a challenge and frustration that something which worked perfectly last time doesn't go quite right this time. CA finishing is a good example -- I've experienced similar situations to Dario's post wherein I spent more time than was warranted because I wouldn't give up.
Having said that, IF I'm making a pen for sale, why NOT make a Baron or Jr. Gent rather than a Slimline. For the same time and <b>fun</b> I will make a more reasonable return.
However if a customer asks me for a slimline, that's what I'm making AND I'm going to make it as good as I can make it. If it's not done to be best of my abilities, it's not fun either. [;)]
For me, part of the fun is the nearly instant gratification of having finished something so quickly. Part of it is the fact that it looks good and is useful. Part of it is in the response from other folks as they ooh & aah over a well crafted piece of art. And, part of it is in the fact that a buyer is getting something that's one of a kind or nearly so for a really reasonable amount. Sometimes, they buy them as gifts; sometimes for themself -- so it's rewarding to help them fill their needs and wants too.

Gary
 
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