On July 29, 2004 I made a pen and pencil set at the Woodcraft in Springfiel, VA. The class cost $90. For my $90 I enjoyed an evening out and at the end of the evening I had a cocobolo set that not only worked, but looked pretty good, considering I have no talent and had never been a woodworker. I also made close friends with the instructor, Rod, who took the time to make sure I had at least a modicum of success. An evening of entertainment, a new pen and pencil and a new friend for $90? Seems like bargain, to me. Rod and I have maintained that friendship over the years.
I let a few weeks pass, figuring that the last thing I needed was a hobby that required skill. For some reason, on the evening of August 22, I searched the internet to see if there were any places, beyond Woodcraft, that had "pen stuff". One of the first sites I found was www.arizonasilhouette.com (Arizona Silhouette). Wow! I had no idea that there was so much "stuff", and Bill's "eye candy" really caught my eye. I bookmarked that site, although I still didn't think I would ever make pen #2.
The next site I found was www.woodturnerruss.com . Little did I know, but I had found the pen making "grail". I read each of Russ's articles on making pens (The Slime-Line, The Fat-Line, The Russ-Line, etc.). Of course, with the pictures, I was quite certain that I would not be able to master the requisite skills to ever make pens seriously. Again, I bookmarked the site.
At that point, I remembered seeing some links on the Arizona Silhouette site, so I went back and clicked on a link to www.penturners.org . The first thing to strike me was "Hmm, this looks like an easy site to read." It sure is a lot easier to follow than the BBS's I had "grown up" with. I spent at least an hour reading. The more I read, the more my interest grew.
Of course, education has it's drawbacks. I suddenly had questions. In order to ask questions, I had to become a member. Dang! I hate to pay to join an organization just to ask a few questions. But wait! Membership is "free". So, danged long story just slightly shorter, I joined on August 22, 2004. I also posted my first questions. (I didn't even introduce myself!)
Within a few minutes, I noticed that folks were actually welcoming me to the group. Wait! Why the heck were they welcoming me? With all due respect to Groucho Marx, "I DON'T WANT TO BELONG TO ANY CLUB THAT WILL ACCEPT PEOPLE LIKE ME AS A MEMBER."
Scott Greaves welcomed me. Then Jeff Brown. Old Griz. Kenn Osbourne. Bill Young. Russ Fairfield. (Russ Fairfield? Isn't he the guy who wrote all of those articles?) it's_virgil (I thought they called him Mr. Tibbs). Penworks. Eaglesc. Bev Polmanteer. Daniel. And the welcoming notes kept coming.
Then the answers started rolling in. Answers to questions I asked and answers to questions I should have asked. Answers to questions I didn't know needed asking.
Needless to say, I came back. Regularly. And frequently. And I added a cyber-family.
And I am learning to make a better pen, thanks to you all.
They say it takes 10 years to master a skill. Four years in, I'm finding that's probably about right. I hope you good folks don't mind me hanging around for another six years...at least.
A special word of thanks is needed. Jeff, thank you for keeping the site going, for making it better and better and for all of the things you do behind the scene that benefit people like me. None of us would be here if not for you.
I let a few weeks pass, figuring that the last thing I needed was a hobby that required skill. For some reason, on the evening of August 22, I searched the internet to see if there were any places, beyond Woodcraft, that had "pen stuff". One of the first sites I found was www.arizonasilhouette.com (Arizona Silhouette). Wow! I had no idea that there was so much "stuff", and Bill's "eye candy" really caught my eye. I bookmarked that site, although I still didn't think I would ever make pen #2.
The next site I found was www.woodturnerruss.com . Little did I know, but I had found the pen making "grail". I read each of Russ's articles on making pens (The Slime-Line, The Fat-Line, The Russ-Line, etc.). Of course, with the pictures, I was quite certain that I would not be able to master the requisite skills to ever make pens seriously. Again, I bookmarked the site.
At that point, I remembered seeing some links on the Arizona Silhouette site, so I went back and clicked on a link to www.penturners.org . The first thing to strike me was "Hmm, this looks like an easy site to read." It sure is a lot easier to follow than the BBS's I had "grown up" with. I spent at least an hour reading. The more I read, the more my interest grew.
Of course, education has it's drawbacks. I suddenly had questions. In order to ask questions, I had to become a member. Dang! I hate to pay to join an organization just to ask a few questions. But wait! Membership is "free". So, danged long story just slightly shorter, I joined on August 22, 2004. I also posted my first questions. (I didn't even introduce myself!)
Within a few minutes, I noticed that folks were actually welcoming me to the group. Wait! Why the heck were they welcoming me? With all due respect to Groucho Marx, "I DON'T WANT TO BELONG TO ANY CLUB THAT WILL ACCEPT PEOPLE LIKE ME AS A MEMBER."
Scott Greaves welcomed me. Then Jeff Brown. Old Griz. Kenn Osbourne. Bill Young. Russ Fairfield. (Russ Fairfield? Isn't he the guy who wrote all of those articles?) it's_virgil (I thought they called him Mr. Tibbs). Penworks. Eaglesc. Bev Polmanteer. Daniel. And the welcoming notes kept coming.
Then the answers started rolling in. Answers to questions I asked and answers to questions I should have asked. Answers to questions I didn't know needed asking.
Needless to say, I came back. Regularly. And frequently. And I added a cyber-family.
And I am learning to make a better pen, thanks to you all.
They say it takes 10 years to master a skill. Four years in, I'm finding that's probably about right. I hope you good folks don't mind me hanging around for another six years...at least.
A special word of thanks is needed. Jeff, thank you for keeping the site going, for making it better and better and for all of the things you do behind the scene that benefit people like me. None of us would be here if not for you.
