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Discussion: How much do you have to work a blank before you can say you made the pen?

Pierre---

Full Member
Joined
Feb 3, 2016
Posts
231
Location
France
First Name
Pierre
In short, the more I can control diameters, lengths, materials and details, the more I think I make a pen. If I do not control that, I feel like dressing a kit.

It would follow the client's requests : "Hey you who made this pen, can you make another one with a shorter but wider cap, with a centre band made of another material, with a shorter clip made of nickel silver with an S shape? And for the fountain pen please use a sightly oblique (say 5% left-foot) stub nib." The more I provide myself with the means to say yes - even if I don't make it myself - the more I make a pen. The more I answer no, the more I dress kits.

Of course, there are limits : fp feeds and nibs, refills, converters and bp mechs have to be bought I suppose.
 

Gadget-UK

Fellow
Joined
May 18, 2018
Posts
1,044
Location
Nr Blandford Forum. Dorset. UK
First Name
Colin
Wow, what a thought provoking thread.
I am really NEW to pen making having only been playing for about a year now and still in awe at the pens that are shown in this forum.
I only use kits and turn the centre section and put the pen together, I am 100% honest with those that ask if I “Made the Pen” I explain the process and how the pen goes together.
I am now really enjoying making my own blanks and getting creative with different colours, woods etc

As has already been said a lot of time and effort goes into “making” a pen and the care - creativity - talent that is shown time and again not only in this forum but from others that post elsewhere.

Making a Pen, Building a kit regardless of what its called if your happy doing it and make people happy by selling or giving them away then does it really matter :wink:
 

silver

General dogsbody
Executive Member
Joined
Jun 29, 2013
Posts
6,304
Location
Somewhere in Staffordshire,
First Name
Eamonn.
This a type of thing comes up on engineering forums as well: If it’s made on a CNC machine did you make it? My answer is NO, you may have designed and drawn it on a computer but you didn’t make it.

This is exactly the same as the Architect, he just designs it someone else build it however he gets all the praise for the designs.. so in fact the CNC doesn't get the accolade of "making" it does it? :winking:


And don’t get me started on people that “build” their own computers. Plugging stuff in sockets and putting in a few screws hardly constitutes building.

I don't agree, thats all the UK car manufacturers do isn't it? They say it's "Built in Britain" :wink:

To me as I spsaid before and I agree with Peter (Penpal) that it doesn't really matter what it's made from, if you have had the ingenuity of designing and building a pen from parts readily available than its "hand made"

The thing here is "hand made". What I see is it's made by your own fair hands (or rough ars**d), if it hadn't been "hand made" by you would it actually be there in the first place?

Could a machine make it and untouched by human hand? So if it can't then it's "hand made". Simples..:thumbs:
 
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