Feuding Household - To clip or not to clip

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mprans

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Hi all, I'm the "Queen of Clay"s dh :biggrin:

So we have somewhat of a raging debate in the house right now. I like Toni's slim line pens without the clip, and Toni now likes them with the clip.

My argument is simple, the slim lines are targeted at the female gender, and you see very few women walking around with a pen clipped in a pocket. They are generally found next to the kitchen sink in the bottom of their pocket book or hand bag. And, whenever you try to extricate a pen with a clip from a pocket book, you invariably snag other "must have" items, which can lead to awkward moments or hysterical fits of laughter.

So the questions are these:

1. Should Toni's slim line pens have a clip or not (the original way)?
2. Do women really like pens with clips on them?

Thanks,
Mark

ps. Toni - Sorry dear - :worship:
 
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Hmmmm.

Mark, you are a man. Toni is a woman.

You a man want to decide how a woman makes pens for women.

Do they have dog houses in New Zealand? (You will need one.)


:biggrin::biggrin::biggrin:
 
Mark,
Toni must be very happy that you are taking an interest in her hobby/business. Man to Man?... I would shower her with praise and beg forgiveness for coming here to ask for support for your argument, before she cuts off your gonads. Leave it alone, man...let her do as she pleases, thats what we men do, it keeps us in the saddle. I wouldnt give that up over a clip.
Oh , and by the way...let the customer choose, they can be removed easily.
 
Im sideing with Toni because her avatar's is cuter than yours. In all fairness your opionon doesnt count. Only the customers opionon is the right one as they put money down on the counter.Heres a Stupid solution, make both.
 
Hi Mark, welcome to the site. Toni appears to be doing well making the pens without the clips, but if she wants to try some with clips, go for it. Having a mix to choose from never hurts. Oh ya, remember these two words to keep a happier household and yourself out of the doghouse, "yes dear" DAMHIKT :)
 
Hey Mark; Good to see you on here. Lots of interesting opinions on the original subject and even more on the wisdom (or lack thereof) in trying to get backup in winning an argument with the wife.

Obviously it's not a real disagreement, just an opinion thing. I would of course say make both, and let the the customer choose. That's what Cross does with their slender pens. Of course the clipless version comes with a nice little leather case to protect it in the bottom of a purse. Which, if I recall correctly somebody around here sells a very close approximation of.

To reopen a discussion I have been having with your better half for quite a while, When you are selling gold plated slimline pens on etsy for small money, a case, box, sleeve or what have you is probably not necessary. But, if you are going to make higher quality kits, and retail them as top quality products, you will probably need to look into some sort of container. What kind of container depends on what kind of pen, but for sure, having some TI gold or platinum slimlines without the clip in a nice little leather sleeve is a good idea.
 
I say do both and as stated above look up SWMBO!!! That will lead to a happy relationship for you anyway....LOL
 
Hey thanks for the feedback :rolleyes:, so what have I learned here.


  • Rule #1. "Yes Dear", "Sorry, you are right dear".
  • The definition of SWMBO :worship::worship::worship: see rule #1.
  • Let the customer choose.

As for an avatar, hell I can't compete there. Just as the photos of Toni's art work don't do them justice, neither does her avatar. For me, she just rocks.

James, your points are well taken. I have done a wee bit of scouring of the pen kit suppliers but have found very few kits that have a threaded end for the clip that would allow the customer to add or remove the clip based on their personal preference. Am I missing something here or is this something that pen turners generally make themselves.
 
All the "round top" "european" "flat top american" "classic" type pens have a screw in cap or finial (usually black enameled brass) that secures the clip and can be easily removed to add or subtract the clip "in the field" with no tools. As for the slimlines, most pens that have the brass tube glued into a wooden or resin blank can withstand having the cap of the pen pulled off of the transmission, a close fitting pin, large nail or old drill bit inserted and tapped with a hammer to back the metal finial out of the top of the tube to remove the clip. I'm not sure how that would work with PC blanks however. Might be worth going ahead and finishing a reject tube to test though. Just in case that one customer absolutely loves a particular pen, but just can't live with (or without) the clip.

I have done a wee bit of scouring of the pen kit suppliers but have found very few kits that have a threaded end for the clip that would allow the customer to add or remove the clip based on their personal preference. Am I missing something here or is this something that pen turners generally make themselves.
Click to expand...
 
Originally Posted by mredburn
........make both.

cnirenberg said:
I'm with Mike on this one. Clipped and clipless both serve a purpose, but ultimately it is the end user who makes the choice. Or if you don't like that, get some jello and wrestle for it. 2 out of 3 wins.
Click to expand...

Remember, without video, it never happened!! :biggrin:
 
i agree with the Make them both" suggestion. one another note my wife has very little interest in my turning activities. i'm not sure if its a blessing...i just do whatever i want without her butting in, or oa curse...she doesn't buy me gifts related to the hobby.
 
It is about what the customers seem to buy the most of. Toni does seem to have a niche market even among pen turners. I think that she is one of the few on this sight that many have bought from.

I am not married but I have taken alot of wisdom from others who are. There is always a honey-do list. Listen, respect them and when you are wrong admit it. Never forget to say I'm sorry
 
I made clipless pens for my wife. She hates them. She only has one for her checkbook. The rest she gave back to have clips put on. Something about chasing rolling pens down the counter...
 
Toni sent me two pens which my wife still has not let me handle. She loves that they do not have clips on them. She carries one inside her checkbook, and won't tell me where the other is. Count this is a vote for no clips from my wife.
 
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