Thread: RIP pen contributions

Originally Posted by Penpal

Where are the penturners these days?

Peter.

My shed packed up for a shift in next week

Sent from my SM-G960F using Tapatalk

Originally Posted by coffenup

My shed packed up for a shift in next week

Sent from my SM-G960F using Tapatalk

I was born in Mt Gambier in the first third of last century. Man you sure are copping the heat where you live,stay safe and look for a huge shed in the move.

Peter.

Originally Posted by Penpal

I was born in Mt Gambier in the first third of last century. Man you sure are copping the heat where you live,stay safe and look for a huge shed in the move.

Peter.

Going from fully lined workshop with 15 plus double power points to a half of a double garage at the new place. But as we all know happy wife quite life

Sent from my SM-G960F using Tapatalk

Originally Posted by Penpal

Where are the penturners these days?

Peter.

I keep looking too Peter... maybe they are still holidaying or its too hot for shed time. Watching the tennis or cricket perhaps?
I've made my contribution in providing some interesting, colourful & figured woods, but maybe there are reservations in using them?
We would love to see some in the finished state. One fine local pen-maker shared pics by email with me but I haven't seen them appear here yet.

Eugene

I'm not nor have ever been a prolific pen turner but I still do them. One later today actually. I'll post it if it turns out.

Pete

I'm on day 3 of my hunt for my 31/64 drill, as my daughter wants a matching pen made from the Zebrano offcuts from the knife handle she's making.
It'll be the first pen in a looong time ...

Its been at least 4 months since I turned a pen, as a result, I have been a less frequent visitor here.
But I have been a regular contributor here in the past. As you know Peter, it can get a bit discouraging when you post pics of your new pen and it doesn’t even raise a comment, gets plenty of views, but nobody can take the time to comment or to post their own work to help maintain the community.

I seem to remember an exodus here a few years back, where they went to Facebook, I’ve never been a member, so didn’t follow or even go for a look. From what I can gather, those old members, still came and looked, which accounts for the masses of views, but add zilch to this community.

The Photo Forum is another case of plenty of people coming for a look in, but adding nothing. As a result it died off too.

Unless people post stuff of their own ( not just look), to help a forum grow and maintain its interest, the future is bleak.

Sorry for the rant.

Originally Posted by Ironwood

As you know Peter, it can get a bit discouraging when you post pics of your new pen and it doesn’t even raise a comment, gets plenty of views, but nobody can take the time to comment or to post their own work to help maintain the community.

Sorry for the rant.

Don't be sorry, sadly you are correct, almost all forums are suffering the same fate.

Personally, in the past few years I have been dealing with a couple of medical / health issues that restrict what activities are "safe" for me to undertake. So I have been directing my energy towards the things that I can do and preparing / designing new "stuff."

Originally Posted by Mobyturns

Don't be sorry, sadly you are correct, almost all forums are suffering the same fate.

Personally, in the past few years I have been dealing with a couple of medical / health issues that restrict what activities are "safe" for me to undertake. So I have been directing my energy towards the things that I can do and preparing / designing new "stuff."

I know well the feeling of being restricted in what you can do. Late last year I had what should have been a minor accident at work, but it resulted in me tearing my right bicep tendon from the bone, had an operation to reattach, and am going through the slow process to get back to having full use of my (dominant) right arm again . My shed activities have been pretty much nonexistent.
This past week I have got the brace off my arm, and have been pottering about in the sheds a bit, another member here who has taken up penturning fairly recently, did me a very good turn. As a thankyou, I have been going through my mountain of pen blanks which are mostly boxed and spread across three sheds, picking out likely candidates and cleaning the faces up on the table saw. It’s been an enjoyable experience after being laid up for so long . I have a box full now, and if I get into town tomorrow, I will get it on it’s way south to him. Hopefully he will post pics of a pen or two that he makes with my blanks that I had been collecting over the last 30 years , I turned my first pen in 1990. The kits available back then were very limited , and most were poorly designed and not very good quality.

Getting back to the topic of struggling forums, I worry about the younger generation coming through, they don’t seem to be getting involved in forums like the ( I will take a guess that the age bracket for regular contributing members is 45 - 80, there will always be some exceptions of course) ones who are contributing now. The internet is constantly changing, and the younger ones have different wants and needs, so who knows what the future holds.

Last year during my Dental revue the main Dentist at the Health Dept looked over my medical update,flatly stated he would never do any work on me. I spent ten minutes without drawing breath and suggested he reconsider me questioning his ancestry,his professionalism,personal safety and how quickly he can run. After that he settled down and did some fine work for me and we became friends.I have found 2nd opinions with health Surgeons more than helpful as well.

Visiting a new heart man the preliminary Echo Cardiogram was performed by a women who five minutes into said and why are you here? I said for a second opinion when she said I was not entitled to one bla bla for the next hour. Got right into the Specialist Professor ,told him to keep me away from that harpy woman. He listened carefully and thanked me for my sharing with him. It turned out it was his wife.At a rah rah bring your cheque book meeting of previous and present Directors of the National Heart Foundation ( I was a director of the Aussie body located in Canberra in the eighties) the Prof was there as well so I said you must have had quite a laugh at my expense with your wife,his reply stunned me it was thanks very much for your feed back.

Peter.

Originally Posted by Penpal

Last year during my Dental revue the main Dentist at the Health Dept looked over my medical update,flatly stated he would never do any work on me. I spent ten minutes without drawing breath and suggested he reconsider me questioning his ancestry,his professionalism,personal safety and how quickly he can run. After that he settled down and did some fine work for me and we became friends.I have found 2nd opinions with health Surgeons more than helpful as well.

Peter.

Haha ... I had a chuckle after reading that Peter & could not resist a reply. Although we are drifting a ways from pen making and showing.. its kinda related eh, what distracts us from what we love or would prefer to be doing.

In recent years my own dental bills have skyrocketed and a new bridge is looming large (and thats not a new harbour bridge) following a tooth break up. (Interestingly my siblings have much better teeth but then they are post fluoride introduction into water.) My dentist talks incessantly and I wish he would concentrate more on what he does & its quality. Anyway, this bridge will cost almost 4K. Some may have noticed my cryptic comments re “my dentists thanks you” . Well that refers to paying for this bridge from the wood bank.

By the way, following your request, I sent you some pics of nicer woods I have for pens, but even they are just the "tip of the iceberg”

Cheers and good health to you & Wilma
Eugene

To answer the original question "Where are the pen turners" I guess the answer is they are still around and in some cases, very busy, and in my case "waiting to have something to show and hoping to get better photos". So, here is the first contribution of one of the newer members and C&C are most welcome. With assistance from Ironwood, I hope to be able to submit better pens, and with better photography, in the future.

And one suggestion if I may - could the name of the pen kit be shown, as well as the timber, with photographs. I often admire pens, but wouldn't have a clue which kits they are from. So I'd better make sure I do exactly that in the following.

Conkerberry - Cigar
Conkerberry Cigar.jpg

Wild Olive - Streamline
Wild Olive Streamline.jpg

Mango - Streamline
Mango Streamline.jpg

Cheers,
Gary H

Love the subtle grain in that conkerberry...
Thanks for sharing, great job on all of them

Very nice pens Gary.

Getting back to the topic of struggling forums, I worry about the younger generation coming through, they don’t seem to be getting involved in forums

There are a few of us around ironwood but as was mentioned above it is demoralizing when you go to the trouble of posting something and you get no feedback in return, I might start requesting comments on any threads I create and also posting more replies. I think part of it is that many people don't think about replying, they just want to read and see pictures and go, I was certainly that way inclined.