The first TB Bolt Action on UK Soil???

[Jimjam66]

{RANT ALERT}

I spent a number of years in Johannesburg, South Africa, where we had the 'R50 divorce'. (R50 is about £3.50 these days.) R50 hired you a gunman with an AK47 who made sure your spouse soon became an ex-spouse ... If you think I'm exaggerating - well, you'd be right. The going rate for an execution was actually R5,000 (about £350). Africa is awash with Russian, Chinese and US weapons sent in shiploads to arm one or another bunch of 'Freedom Fighters' but now used to 'earn a living' since 70% plus of the population live in poverty so severe it is beyond the understanding of people who only know the First World. Wonderful things, AK47s, they last pretty much forever (some of those still in use in Africa can trace their provenance to the Korean War), still fire after decades of misuse and abuse, and 7.62 ammo is cheap as chips. And don't get me started on the land-mines provided by generous benfactors the world over ...

Needless to say I don't nor will I ever make bullet pens ... I lost too many friends to senseless violence.

{RANT OVER}

 

[Old Corky]

OK Brother David, This is my last post on bullets and firearms. I own one .38 revolver that I received as a gift from my father when he was an Inspector for the Houston Police Dept. and I was a special commissioned officer in another Dept. of the city of Houston and had to wear one with my job.
I know it is in the house somewhere, but I haven't seen it in at least 30 years.
So, you don't have to preach to me about firearms.

Now lets talk about creating and selling pens. What type of pens are most popular sellers in England? In small town Texas I have only sold 2 Fountain Pens this year out of 82 pens sold and 20 of the slimline type and 31 of the unmentionable types and 29 other assorted types.

I know I am selling a little to cheap, but again it's small country town, Mine sell for $15.00 to $25.00 with the average profit running $10.00 or $12.00. How does that compare? Actually,I at my age am kinda stuck in a time warp, I still remember that a loaf of bread should cost $.25 instead of $2.50 And cigarets should be $.55 a pack instead of $2.50. So $10.00 for an hours work doesn't seem to bad to me. I was making $.63 an hour when we married in 1949.

Old Corky

 

[Jim]

Corky, i don't smoke or should i say i haven't for about 9 years now, but the price of cigs here are around £7.00 a packet so your $2.50 sounds like a give away ...

I mainly make slimlines and sell them for £10.00, if i do a Celtic cross or segment it then they go for £15 .. The other pen that sells well for me is the Baron and this goes for £20 regardless ...

 

[Old Corky]

Sorry Brother, My dat burn "Part Timers" (Memory) kicked in again or I made a typo. Cigarets are currently about $5.50 or 3.57 pounds (one Google said). You are right, that still seems half of the Britt. price. Must be a heck of an import tax. Or y'all are a lot smarter then us in trying to stop smoking, or both When I quit in 1980 they were .55 cents a Pack.

Regarding your Slimlines, at 10 Pounds should be about $15.40 US, which is about the same as my price. I usually pay $2.55 each for 10 gold Slimlines plus shiping from Pen State Ind. which as I said is about $12.00 PROFIT. I also buy some stylus tips and make some up as stylus pens. Sell for them for $20.00.

I also buy some 10 inch 7mm. tubes and cut pieces to match my scrap cut off material from blanks. I make "Stubby" stylus' from the scraps with stylus in one end and extra Slimline pen caps (Or key ring caps) in the other end. Get $10.00 each for them.
I buy 1 1/2 inch square turning spindles and rip them into four 3/4 inch square sticks for blanks. Lots cheaper and no waste

Old Corky

 

[The Wood Bucket]

Dang Corky you did start a mess. LOL just kidding. If Clumsysod won't apologize, for his rant, I will. I am sorry you had to be put though this in a pen turning forum, while talking about a pen. I would also like to Thank You for your service, which gives me the freedom to live the life I have today.

Gary (aka The Wood Bucket)

 

[clumsysod]

Dang Corky you did start a mess. LOL just kidding. If Clumsysod won't apologize, for his rant, I will. I am sorry you had to be put though this in a pen turning forum, while talking about a pen. I would also like to Thank You for your service, which gives me the freedom to live the life I have today.

Gary (aka The Wood Bucket)

I am not going to bite and revive this arguement except to say I have nothing to apologise for.
Perhaps you should learn a bit about me before you start bringing my name into statements about freedom.

 

[The Wood Bucket]

I want to start by apologizing to all the members here that have to read what I am about to say. I also understand if Jim wants to delete this, or remove me as a member.

Well Mr. Clumsysod, you are correct I do not know anything about you as a person except what you have written here. From what I have seen that is enough for me. You started this with your anti-gun chatter. If you are against guns, that is fine. But that doesn't give you the right to trash talk others who don't feel the same way. Law obeying gun owners are not the people killing other people, it is the ones that don't own them legally. You took a post about a pen and made it out to be an evil item to make and enjoy. If you didn't have anything nice to say, or helpful hints for improving the finished pen, you could have just went on to the next post. But no you had to make it political, and then get your panties in a knot when others don't agree with you. My understanding of this group is to try to help each other get better at something we all enjoy.

Now as for mentioning your name in a statement about freedom. I didn't, your name was not part of the section were I thanked Corky for the time that he spent away from his family, so that I have the freedom today to turn any style pen I want.

 

[Jimjam66]

... you could have just went on to the next post.

You could have, too, WB. Personally, I'm sorry you didn't.

 

[clumsysod]

I want to start by apologizing to all the members here that have to read what I am about to say. I also understand if Jim wants to delete this, or remove me as a member.

Well Mr. Clumsysod, you are correct I do not know anything about you as a person except what you have written here. From what I have seen that is enough for me. You started this with your anti-gun chatter. If you are against guns, that is fine. But that doesn't give you the right to trash talk others who don't feel the same way. Law obeying gun owners are not the people killing other people, it is the ones that don't own them legally. You took a post about a pen and made it out to be an evil item to make and enjoy. If you didn't have anything nice to say, or helpful hints for improving the finished pen, you could have just went on to the next post. But no you had to make it political, and then get your panties in a knot when others don't agree with you. My understanding of this group is to try to help each other get better at something we all enjoy.

Now as for mentioning your name in a statement about freedom. I didn't, your name was not part of the section were I thanked Corky for the time that he spent away from his family, so that I have the freedom today to turn any style pen I want.

Everything you say just backs up my arguement. Thanks.

 

[Terry]

Please cool it gents. This a friendly PEN TURNING forum!!!

 

[The Wood Bucket]

You could have, too, WB. Personally, I'm sorry you didn't.

I completely agree with you. I wish I did too. Clumsysod just got under my skin with his BS.

 

[Jim]

I am sorry this has got to where it has, the sad thing about all this is that the majority of pen turners who have made this pen have probably made it for "Help for Heroes" or some other charity ..

So let us end this here on this note, and get back to what we do best ...

Thank you all for your contribution to this thread, but i now believe that it has run it's course ...

Jim