Laser work (rant)

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R

RAdams

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Well, I am officially getting nervous.


Last week i took a pen to a local trophy shop for lasering. Being my first laser work on one of my pens, I was unsure where to take it. I know i could have sent it to Ken, But i am in a hurry and figured a local shop could whip it right out.

I got the shop info from the local Woodcraft store. I guess this is where all the local pen guys take their pens for laser work. When i got to the shop, It was not the experience i was expecting. The people at the shop seemed almost bothered by me needing laser work done. I asked a few questions about fonts and letter sizing and such when i was prety much shut down. They pick the font, They decide the proper size.

As the lady carried my pen to the back, I noticed she was carrying the pen (to me what seemed) very carelessly. I asked her to please be careful with the pen as it is a gift for a dear friend, and worth quite a bit of money. She then asked me exactly how much the pen was worth. I told her $400. When she heard that, her attitude got even worse. She even went so far as to tell me that they should increase the price to laser my pen because it was worth so much.

Now, it has been almost a week, and i am getting nervous. The shop is an hour away from my house, so i paid them extra to mail the pen back to me. I think i am going to call this morning and check on it. Crazy how I am now powerless over all the hard work i put into that piece.
 
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Ken, Constant or Stan Cook would have had the pen back in your hands by now (and you would have been very happy with any of their work!) We should stick to the vendors who know and appreciate our business!
 
In the future, don't go with an unknown vendor when you're needing the job to be done quickly and professionally...especially since you're getting it mailed back to you anyway. As an example, Ken does engraving within 2 days, and has it back in the mail to you...all for five dollars. Ken's just and example - The other engravers that frequent the site are just as good, I hear.

Did the woodcraft guys send such high-end pens there, or were they all slimlines with wax finishes?

I would have walked out the door after they refused to let me have any say in the fonts or artistic part of it - that can make a big difference in the final look.

Next time, go with one of the vendors that others on here have used, esp. with a high-end pen.

I hope it turns out ok for you! Let us know! In the future, try one of the guys on here! :)
 
GoodTurns said:
Ken, Constant or Stan Cook would have had the pen back in your hands by now (and you would have been very happy with any of their work!) We should stick to the vendors who know and appreciate our business!
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Hear, hear, agreed. Ken would have made you a happy camper/turner by now. Go get it.
 
GoodTurns said:
Ken, Constant or Stan Cook would have had the pen back in your hands by now (and you would have been very happy with any of their work!) We should stick to the vendors who know and appreciate our business!
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Yeah Constant does really good work and he is ver friendly
 
Ron and anyone else I hope this is ok for I am going to throw in some 2 cents as a former laser owner although the laser is right next to me still. My guess is please do not go back and use the IAP guys here. The laser is a great machine and could do lots of many different things. However they are doing trophies and that is what the do. Your pen is something different and not the thing they do. 2 different animals. Its like being a bowl turner or a pen turner use the same tool but we love one or the other more. This guy is not the guy for you as you are just the job that gets in the way but he needs the $$ to pay over head and all. Remember just because someone has the tool to do the job does not mean they have any passion for it or want or are good at it. The set up for a pen is much different than a setup for any flatware engraving or even doing glasses. The fact alone that you could not choice your font is crazy its just a click of the mouse in Coral Draw. Perhaps limited choices so your not at the counter for 2 hrs trying to decide. You are not a big customer with your pen and this guy is trophy guy and that's what he cares about not pens. He most likey has a cheap paper mate on his desk. Good Luck please update us with your results and I wish you good luck and all the best with the safe return of a nicely engraved pen.
 
Well i called today. They told me that it was dropped in the mail yesterday. It didn't come in the mail today, so we will see tomorrow.

I can't say if the woodcraft guys send any pens at all to this shop, I just know it is the place they send their customers for pen laser work. I am not completely convinced that the local woodcraft guys even turn. Most of them are as lost as i am in the store, and have to go find one or two specific people that seem to have all the knowledge.

I will not be going back to this laser shop in the future. After getting a free laser cut blank at the chapter meeting, I owe it to Ken to use his services anyway. If i would have known i could have used him and had my pen back already, i would have done just that!

Something i left out of the original post. I all but got into an argument with the lady at the laser shop over the orientation of the words on the pen. She tried to tell me that their laser could only put the words going in one direction, which would have been upside down when in the writing position.

I learned a VALUABLE lesson on this project. I just hope they didn't ruin the pen.
 
Ron, I think i know the place. Did you go in the left or right door? Sounds like the left door....Silly that's the laser hair removal place. No wonder they gave you the business.

Seriously i use a local guy whose I found through signage on the side of his pickup at Safeway. I too was in a rush but leary of having an expensive pen destroyed. After getting lost in the fog and then finally finding his house, we went our back to his shop. The first think he asked for was a scrap of the materila so we could test to get the right settings, cut depth and font. Set my mind right at ease. He did great work and I've been back several times since then..
 
Ron, there are three places here that I have used locally. The best one sold out a while back, and at first the new owner did not want to do pens. SO the search for a new place began. I found another trophy shop about 20 miles away and started using them, Good work, a bit slow on the return. Another place does decent work, but takes up to 2 weeks to get to it. I don't use them any more. Anyway, the first place has started taking my pens again and does great work. Long story, but it is a pain to find one you can trust. If I didn't have this around here, I would definately be sending to Ken, or one of the others from this group.
 
As a business person, there is a saying that I try to follow......"We are not doing the customer a favor by us being here. The customer is doing us a favor by visiting us and buying our products".
We all have a choice who we spend our money with....too bad there are so many businesses out there who seem to overlook this simple element of being a successful business.
 
Well i got the pen back today.


Don't really know what to say about it. I am afraid i am just too picky. The actual laser work is astounding. Each letter is perfect.

But only a penmaker could find something to complain about right?

The letters appear to be ever so slightly out of alignment with the pen. It isn't bad, but i can see it with my naked eye. And the clip is on the wrong side of the words. When the pen is capped, and laying on a flat surface, the words roll beyond vertical (does that make sense?) I tried to repair the problem by knocking the top of the cap loose to readjust the clip, but Holly wood is pretty soft apparently because there is a dent in the wood from the clip, so turning the clip is now out of the question... The letters are all caps. Some of them are smaller in size but all caps none the less.

If this pen was for a regular person, I don't think it would much matter. It is for a MARINE though. I feel like it isnt god enough. I want to throw it in the trash. Kit and all. Excuse me while i go get sick.



P.S. Don't ask for pictures. I don't even want to look at it, let alone photograph it.
 
hammering.gifGo get a rope, I'll find a tree.
 
At this point not much to say, my only suggestion is for next time. Research,research, and more research. Sorry does not really do any good but I'm sorry to hear of your misfortune.
 
Ron,

My condolences on your pen. I think it would be good to find a local engraver, but not if you're unhappy with the job. I believe you'll generally get better results if the engraver is also a penmaker - at least he'll understand your concerns. I used to go to a local trophy shop, but he didn't really want to engrave pens. He was a nice guy though, and would do them once I made a jig to hold them in place. Now that I have my own engraver, he's actually sent pen jobs to me.

Before I bought the machine, I also sent pieces to Ken Nelson, and I was always pleased with his work, and his turnaround time. Others here have also praised Stan and Constant (et. al.).

If you are truly unhappy with the pen, I can only suggest that you make another and send it to someone with a good track record. As long as you specify what font to use, and where to place the engraving, you should get exactly what you want.

Regards,
Eric
 
The shop i went to never mentioned just sending in the tubes. That would have saved alot of headache. Unfortunately the damage has been done. The pen is going to my Sister in law, so this one will be fine for now and i can make her another pen later. Live and learn i guess.
 
I think your being a bit melodromatic aren't you?

Seriously though, your sister in law is getting a hand made pen by you that you put your heart and love in to making especially for her and no one else.

Do you think she will care that it's not perfect down to the .001"? Will she even notice?

Do you have anything that your kids or maybe your dad or grandfather made that you keep even though it's seen better days or maybe isn't the nicest thing in the room?

You keep it around because of the love and care that went into making it and the memories of that person who gave it to you, not to be constantly reminded that the engraving is slightly off.

So morale of the story? Stop flipping out about something that 9 out of 10 people will never notice. Give it to her with all the thought, love and care that went into making it, and enjoy the smile on her face when she opens it up.
 
Justin, I totally get what you are saying. Just so you know, I turned down a set of Alt. Ivory blanks pre turned and polished, delivered to the laser shop of my choice for free as replacement tubes for this pen. If i seem to be melodramatic, I apologize. I am only trying to be informative.

No offense meant to the person that offered the Alt. Ivory tubes. I know they are more than competent to help me. In fact, I am sure the tubes would be at least as high quality as anything i could do, But they weren't turned by me. Even with the flaws, it is important to me that she get a pen that I MADE.

I totally get what you are saying about having my dad's old crusty tools and stuff, But this is different to me. It is hard to compare the ceramic Christmas tree candy dish my 13 year old daughter made in art class to a pen. I personally strive for every one of pens to be flawless. I want to impress the Guild one day, and i figure the best way to start is to be Crazy picky. 9 out of 10 is O.K., As long as the one person that notices it isn't her and doesn't say anything to her. So, If 100 people see the pen, that is 10 chances for someone to criticize the flaws. I don't like my odds.

Anyway... to each his own. I have recently learned that alot of turners have different definitions of "passable".
 
Here is the laser person's viewpoint. So you have a $400 pen? Not sure how it got that expensive, but lets use your value. The laser guy is probably getting less than $10, maybe half that, to take a chance on a lawsuit for ruining your $400 pen, and have a unhappy customer. Pens have a very small area to work with, and only certain fonts and sizes are even available for that less than 1/4 inch of space, that the customer thinks is the size of a billboard. I laser stuff for my customers just as a compliment to the sale, and if I ruin something I can always build another identical pen and be more careful and still have a happy customer. I laser other penturner friends things for free, since it is not worth asking my friends for fees. Just me! Lasering and personalizing items is not going to make every customer happy. Even if it were perfect, it would not always be perfect enough!
 
This is odd... I don't understand exactly what is going on here. I posted about being unhappy with the way something came out. A few people came and posted advice (which i appreciate) then it turns into a criticizing tournament against me?

I am melodramatic, i expected too much, i dont know how to price my goods, etc. etc. etc. Geesh... Sometimes i wonder why i even hang out on this website.
 
i have taken pens to steve (sberger here on IAP) and actually watched him take 15 minutes and more to set up a pen worth maybe $50 to laser engrave a name on it, then charge peanuts to do the work. i wouldn't do it! glad he does. so i get to see both sides of the picture. its not a job to him, its a matter of pride. i had him engrave a peppermill w/my wifes name on it as a test and she loved it. point is, its like everything else. some are in it solely for the $$$$ and some for the pride.
 
RAdams said:
This is odd... I don't understand exactly what is going on here. I posted about being unhappy with the way something came out. A few people came and posted advice (which i appreciate) then it turns into a criticizing tournament against me?

I am melodramatic, i expected too much, i dont know how to price my goods, etc. etc. etc. Geesh... Sometimes i wonder why i even hang out on this website.
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Ron,
I won't criticize or offer advice... just condolences... I know where you are coming from... if it ain't right or what you wanted, it makes sense to be unhappy... I've always told my wife, be sure you are happy with what ever.. the least bit of dissatisfaction will only grow as time goes by.

Hopefully all will work out for you... and don't stop hanging out here... we're really a good bunch of guys/gals.
 
Ryan
What type of kit is it?
I sometimes give the clip a little "tweak" before assembly just to take away some of the pressure it applies to the cap.

Jeff
 
It is a Jr. Gent II. I will keep that in mind next time for sure!


P.S. my name is Ron... lol
 
Ron, i think we all know we are our own worst critics. i see flaws in my work all the time that no one else ever sees but, it's because i take pride in what i do and want it to be as perfect as possible.
 
Ron,

If I were in your place I think I would be more choked about the whole attitude you had to endure than the actual final result. As for the comments....well......unfortunately par for the (internet) course. Your SIL will love the pen.

Cheers,
Chris
 
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