First Pens

[Keith E Byrd]

These are my first pens - The one I'm holding is Bubinga and the other is Bloodwood. These are fun projects!
Please forgive the photography. My DIL is a photographer who will be here this weekend and will give me a few (lots) pointers. C&C Welcome.

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[Roger Chandler]

Those are nice Keith...........look out, you will be the pen king of Milford before long! ;)

[Lee Koepke]

Pretty nice!
one thing I learned (the hardway) is that if the belly of the pen is too big, then the clip gets pushed out too much and if you clip the pen into your pants/folder/shirt .... after a few times, the clip sorta bends and doesnt stay tight.

Pens are quite fun and can be addicting! What you will learn is that now, you can use even SMALLLER scraps of wood instead of feeding the burn pile, nothing goes to waste!!!!

[Keith E Byrd]

Pretty nice!
one thing I learned (the hardway) is that if the belly of the pen is too big, then the clip gets pushed out too much

Yep I found out on this one! Not sure if I should take it apart and fix or live it as a reminder!

[Steve Schlumpf]

Congrats on your first pens - both look pretty good to me! Looking forward to seeing your next ones!

[Jim Burr]

Live with it and learn on the next ones! Well done Keith!

[Bernie Weishapl]

Keith those are some nice pens. You will be making many more if you show them around. I learned the hard way to Keith on making the belly to fat. Had the same experience that Lee mentioned. Live and learn.

[Betty Fox]

Keith,
Most of the folks we sell pens to like the fatter pens. It seems there's a fine line between where the pen feels comfortable and when it's too fat. My parents-in-law find the fatter pens help with the little bit of loss of mobility in their fingers from age. A contoured shape is good for that too. Fatter at the top and skinnier in the middle and fatter at the bottom. I'd save the oops pen. I've got one of those in my portfolio. Keeps me from gettin' too big in the britches. :)

[James Combs]

Those are some good looking pens Keith. Looking forward to seeing more and seeing you in the pen exchange next year.

[Chris Burgess]

Much better than my First, which I actually disassembled and threw away. I started turning pens not to long ago. Beware!!!!!! I have spent a lot more money turning pens than anything else, a LOT ($200 order coming from PSI as I type and its not the first or last). I am not sure I have spent that much Total on turning bowls and such.

[Keith E Byrd]

Thanks Chris! I hope you are selling enough to cover those orders!!!

[Keith E Byrd]

Thanks James - With any luck I will get good enought to exchange with someone!

[Chris Burgess]

Not a one yet brother, but I more building inventory right now....or so I convince myself

[Rusty Smith]

There is a lot to be said for keeping the pen as a live and learn. I like to try to fix my less than desirable results which is also a learning process. I have taken several pens apart and "fixed" them after discovering that I didn't particularly like the outcome. Just my $0.02 - - and worth every bit that much.. :D

[ray hampton]

I made mine first pen body too short and the refill will not retract far enough