What's in the box?

[fionaspens]

Conversation at teatime three weeks ago (names changed to protect identities).

9yr old son "Mum/Dad, can we sell some of your pens at the school fair?"
Mum "Perhaps"
9yr old son "Great I've already told Miss Dales, you'd do it"
Dad "When is this fair then?"
9yr old son "Oh I don't know - you'll have to ask Miss Dales"

Three weeks later

9yr old "Dad / Mum - What's in the box?"

Well, we've been busy! Hopefully we've got something that might sell. This is only our second outing into the big wide world. Preparation hasn't quite been hiccup free as Dad managed to superglue his shoes to the garage floor. Unfortunately he was wearing them at the time.

Kind regards Fiona

View attachment 2882

 

[yorkshireman]

For some reason I can't open the attachment but good luck anyway.

keith

 

[fionaspens]

Apologies - try this

For some reason I can't open the attachment but good luck anyway.

keith

Sorry not very good with computers

 

[Woody]

Very nice you have some flashy pens there Fiona well done were did you get the inlay blanks from my wife would love the flower one
I opened a new bottle of supper glue yesterday and the nozzle wasn't screwed on all the way all of a sudden I could feel my finger getting hotter I spent the rest of the day picking paper towel and dried super glue of my fingers good gob I didn't scratch my head LOL

 

[Terry]

Lovely pens Fiona. Well done you!!!!

 

[bluntchisel]

Very nice pens, Fiona! Miss Dales is gonna go wild!

Bob.

 

[paulm]

A lovely set of pens, you should do well at the sell.

 

[dotslad]

Beautiful selection of pens Perhaps you can give us all the SP on the inlaid blanks

 

[Jim]

A lovely set of pens Fiona, all with a very good finish on them .. Can you tell us what finish is used on them please ...

Good to know that there are other plonkers than me when it comes to using CA Glue ...

 

[edlea]

Lovely portfolio (can you call it that ?) of pens ,Fiona...there will be something amiss if you don't sell a goodly few of those, plus you will probably get a merit star from Miss Dales for excellence.

 

[Woody]

Good to know that there are other plonkers than me when it comes to using CA Glue ...

I would hold my hand up to that Jim if I could they are a bit stuck in a rut at the moment

 

[Doug]

Beautiful pens Fiona, very well made

 

[yorkshireman]

No trouble selling them Fiona

keith

 

[yorkshireman]

I opened a new bottle of supper glue yesterday and the nozzle wasn't screwed on all the way all of a sudden I could feel my finger getting hotter I spent the rest of the day picking paper towel and dried super glue of my fingers good gob I didn't scratch my head LOL

Could have been worse Woody mate, much worse.

 

[fionaspens]

Hi Woody,
We like the inlay pens and they tend to sell well. They are quite expensive though. We decided to bite the bullet and buy two or three of the cheaper ones and gave them to friends and family as presents. Since then, there has been a very slow drip of orders (one a month). In the UK we get the inlays from Turner's Retreat - however due to the cost they stock a limited range. My husband more commonly imports them from the USA. There are three main suppliers he uses (1) Kallenshaan Woods - although for some reason he buys these from Beartooth Woods as he prefers their website. Both these companies are friendly and they bend over backwards to help. One customer wanted an Epee sword inlay and after a few back and forth e-mails a one off was made and sent over. We've tried to get more one off's done but sadly if the design doesn't fit with the market in the States you have to order in bulk (10-20 kits at a time).
My favourite inlay is the butterfly which comes from (2) Lazerlinez (USA) along with the segmented mozaic inlays. My husband prefers the Kalllenshaan inlays which he finds easier to make up. He has Parkinson's Disease which makes putting these together quite a challenge. The bear paws come from (3) Wooden Whimsies.

The flower you identified is a Poinsettia (Laserlinez). Other flowers include the Rose, Daffodil and a very delicate set of sunflowers. I/We like the wood coloured inlays best although they are all nice. My husbands favourite is the Killer whale. We enjoy making them and would encourage others to have a go. Kind regards Fiona

Websites Bear Tooth Woods Kallenshaan Woods Personalized Laser Engraving Wood-N-Whimsies | Page 1 of 1

 

[fionaspens]

Hi Jim,

All pens finished with CA application. 4-5 coats of medium thickness, lathe set at slow speed. Finished with micromesh pads (wet) and polished with Hut ultra-gloss. Ocassional use of thin CA when wood is porous (eg spalted beech). Occasional use of linseed with first coat.

Kind regards. Fiona

 

[Penpal]

Fiona beaut pens an interesting story as well.

Kind regards Peter.

 

[fionaspens]

Strange what sells and what doesn't

Conversation at teatime three weeks ago (names changed to protect identities).

9yr old son "Mum/Dad, can we sell some of your pens at the school fair?"
Mum "Perhaps"
9yr old son "Great I've already told Miss Dales, you'd do it"
Dad "When is this fair then?"
9yr old son "Oh I don't know - you'll have to ask Miss Dales"

Three weeks later

9yr old "Dad / Mum - What's in the box?"

Well, we've been busy! Hopefully we've got something that might sell. This is only our second outing into the big wide world. Preparation hasn't quite been hiccup free as Dad managed to superglue his shoes to the garage floor. Unfortunately he was wearing them at the time.

Kind regards Fiona

View attachment 2882

Just a quick update. Thanks for everyone's comments. Had a good school fair today - sold 15 out of 55 pens in 2 hrs. Generated a bit of intrest and took a further 8 commissions. Just how do we predict what sells though ? Today the cheaper credit card and bullet pens sold quickly along with the more expensive inlays. Last time the middle range pens sold best and no one touched the inlays or cheaper selection. I'm certainly not complaining - next time we might find it's different again! There's no accounting for taste! Kind regards Fiona

 

[Woody]

Thank you Fiona for the info and well done on your sales and a good post

 

[Jim]

I agree with you Fiona, it is very difficult to predict your sales, but a sale is a sale and keeps us going towards our next set of kits ...