Thread: 11 pen blanks in excange for a finished pen!

Hi RBTCO,

I haven't had a chance to have a crack at the timbers yet - I've changed jobs from being a govt worker to private consulting... Working many more hours in the day!!! Hopefully I'll have a chance this weekend to unwind on the lathe for a while.

Cheers,
Dave

Hi
I posted a package back to you today - hope they fed the pigeons lots and it doesn't take too long to get across the desert!

JD

Out of curiosity robutacion , how successful would you rate your offer and response to it. I have been watching closely and thought you would have had more takers than you appear to have. Especially when I see how generous you have been with your packages. How many pens do you think you will end up with out of this?
I feel you will be well short of your hopeful anticipated total, which is a shame seeing as you have gone to so much trouble and effort.

For myself, I initially thought 11 blanks was a reasonable trade for a pen with a bunch of postage - more for fun than anything else. Of course robutacio's very generous bag will have a pretty big impact on the choice of pen kits and the number of them...

I'd be surprised if there were too many people who pulled out. I have had a serious lack of time on the lathe so from me it will be better late than never!

Cheers,
Dave

Originally Posted by munruben

Out of curiosity robutacion , how successful would you rate your offer and response to it. I have been watching closely and thought you would have had more takers than you appear to have. Especially when I see how generous you have been with your packages. How many pens do you think you will end up with out of this?
I feel you will be well short of your hopeful anticipated total, which is a shame seeing as you have gone to so much trouble and effort.

Hi munruben,

Your perceptions are quite right, only a small number of people have actually showed and expression of interest, and even a less number of these have sent a prepaid bag. Disapointment? yes, in the first few days, but after I read what was going on in the pen making forum, I realized that my timing wasn't right!
In any case, and with due respect to those that did/are participating, I may have not achieve quantity but, my goodness, I'm in the quality!

I can't be sure of how many pens I'm going to end-up with, as some forumates did offer to do me 2 pens for the 25 blanks I sent, I've got 2 packages send overseas so far, and I'm still receiving bags from the initial lot. This, in numbers, represents a total of 14 expressions of interest, 9 bags/packages sent (including those overseas), 3 pens received, including 1 from today's mail. I understand that I should have at least a couple more by the weekend (that I know of), and maybe a couple more bags!

Is no ones fault, nor I'm "upset"/disappointed about it any more, I may have had higher expectations on the number of people interested, reason why I spent 7 full days doing nothing else but make pen blanks (2,200 of them) but in reality, this has open another door for me, or should I say plan B...!
Close the offer down soon, put the blanks on eBay, buy my own pen making gear with the sales money and make my own pens, I'm not short of blanks am I...?
Is anyone out there, sick of making pens and wants to sell all their pen making gear? (only if in good condition)

In fact, I was trying not to get involved with pen making for some time, as I've got other thinks to take care of but really, if I can spend all that time making blanks, organizing and running the "show", surely I can find some time to do my own pens then, huh?

I'm quite surprised how much I've learn about pen making in these last 3 weeks or so, was like and "express compact jumbo course" on pen making and pen issues, with one very "hot potato" being targeted for "discussion" very soon. As I was saying, the amount of search, reading, video viewing, and web sites visited on this issue, as nearly consumed all my waking hours since. Oh, and am I excited about making some "rifle cartridge bullet pens" for myself, I like those the most (for personal/obvious reasons!). I'm not ashamed to admit that at 51 year of age, with a "few" things done in life, the first time I became aware that pens could be made of rifle empty cartridges and real projectiles, was after I started this thread, and the very first one I ever seen and/or touched, was the very first pen received and made by our forumate, gawdelpus.

As mentioned previously, I will show all the pens I received together with the makers names and info on the pen, as soon as I close the offer and give time for our far away forumates to send the pens to me.

One on the possible negatives of me getting involved with pen making, is that fact that is going to be a very slow way to decrease my timbers volume/quantity (so I have to sell more of it),and the firewood pile will dramatically reduce in size (that is no good). So far, my smaller bits were for egg making, 2"x2"x1' round or square (makes 4 eggs), that is obviously been changed recently, huh? right....!

Anyway peoples, is all fine I know that I'm going to get some more beauties soon, they will end-up being my samples of how pens should me made and look like, and that is raising the bar quite bloody hight, as far as I'm concern

PS: Again, Wednesday mail (yesterday), did only produce 1 pen and no bags.

Cheers
RBTCO

Hi RBTCO...... i was wondering if you have any blackwood burl..... or any similar blanks??

I'd like to take you on this offer...... but the problem is....i cant send a pre-paid bag...... would it be possible for me to send you cash via paypal instead??

Regards,
Gary

Originally Posted by garypeck

Hi RBTCO...... i was wondering if you have any blackwood burl..... or any similar blanks??

I'd like to take you on this offer...... but the problem is....i cant send a pre-paid bag...... would it be possible for me to send you cash via paypal instead??

Regards,
Gary

Hi Gary,
PM sent!

Note: A advised on a previous post #58 near the bottom "As from today, Thursday the 12 March 2009, 4 names are left in my expressions of interest list, one from overseas, one will pick -up, and the other 2 haven't send the bag yet. These 4 people will get exactly the same as the ones already sent, after that, only the original offer stands, until further notice!"

With this said, and because the 3kg bag will take the 25 blanks easy, if you request the full collection (25 different timber species), I will expect 2 x pens made in exchange, sounds fair...?

OFFER CLOSES SOON...!

Cheers
RBTCO

Hi RBTCO.....

sending you 2 pens is not an issue...... the problem i am facing is that i am not in Australia, so will not be able to send you a pre-paid bag..... How do we go round this?? Do i send you money?? Also, how much would that cost??

Regards,
Gary

Originally Posted by robutacion

Hi Gary,
PM sent!

Note: A advised on a previous post #58 near the bottom "As from today, Thursday the 12 March 2009, 4 names are left in my expressions of interest list, one from overseas, one will pick -up, and the other 2 haven't send the bag yet. These 4 people will get exactly the same as the ones already sent, after that, only the original offer stands, until further notice!"

With this said, and because the 3kg bag will take the 25 blanks easy, if you request the full collection (25 different timber species), I will expect 2 x pens made in exchange, sounds fair...?

OFFER CLOSES SOON...!

Cheers
RBTCO

Would you have any timber that is BLACK in colour??

Regards,
Gary

If you have 14 expressions of interest, that sounds pretty good participation to me, as I'd guess there's probably only around 25 regular contributors on this forum anyway.

As I said originally, if I wasn't so time poor, due to only being home on weekends, I'd have considerd the offer. My BIL ordered two pens about 3 weeks ago, and I haven't even started his pens yet, although I have done a couple of others for other people in that time. I don't want to commit to making pens for people if I can't deliver for a month, although things are getting better.

My production time should actually get a little better from today too, when I pick up my new drill press, as currently that's the most frustrating part of pen making for me, with the dodgy equipment I have. Of course my wedding anniversary tomorrow means another weekend gone I'd imagine.

Russell.

Originally Posted by garypeck

Hi RBTCO.....

sending you 2 pens is not an issue...... the problem i am facing is that i am not in Australia, so will not be able to send you a pre-paid bag..... How do we go round this?? Do i send you money?? Also, how much would that cost??

Regards,
Gary

Hi Gary,
PM has been sent with freight costs and payment solution.

About the African "ebony" look a like black timber, sorry. I've got some ancient gum that is very dark brown, a lot darker than the other ancient gum I cut for the pen blanks, but still not black...!

Cheers
RBTCO

Originally Posted by robutacion

Hi Gary,
PM has been sent with freight costs and payment solution.

About the African "ebony" look a like black timber, sorry. I've got some ancient gum that is very dark brown, a lot darker than the other ancient gum I cut for the pen blanks, but still not black...!

Cheers
RBTCO

Hi RBTCO,

If you dont mind..... i'd like to have all the blanks in Ancient Gum if that is possible.....

Regards,
GAry

BTW..... thats a lot of blanks you have there...... would you be selling them in time to come??

Originally Posted by BoomerangInfo

If you have 14 expressions of interest, that sounds pretty good participation to me, as I'd guess there's probably only around 25 regular contributors on this forum anyway.

As I said originally, if I wasn't so time poor, due to only being home on weekends, I'd have considerd the offer. My BIL ordered two pens about 3 weeks ago, and I haven't even started his pens yet, although I have done a couple of others for other people in that time. I don't want to commit to making pens for people if I can't deliver for a month, although things are getting better.

My production time should actually get a little better from today too, when I pick up my new drill press, as currently that's the most frustrating part of pen making for me, with the dodgy equipment I have. Of course my wedding anniversary tomorrow means another weekend gone I'd imagine.

Russell.

Hi Russell,

I understand your predicament and the message within. When I mention that I would expect some returns (pens) after about 4 weeks from the timber blanks being posted, this wasn't set in cement nor it could be as I have people overseas that accepted to have their blanks sent by sea-mail, this will represent in the best scenario about 6 weeks in transit, plus whatever the time it will take before the pen(s) is/are actually made, then plus the time that will take for them to get here so, as you can see, and irregardless for how long I will keep the offer open, some of the pens will take a while before I see them...!
Now, and with this said, is obvious that I wouldn't expect to be made to wait 2 or 3 months to have a pen made and sent by our forumates here in Australia either but, I'm a lot more flexible than that, mainly if people talk to me and tell me what they can do.

In relation to the number of expressions of interest, you're maybe right and you maybe not! really, there are various ways to look at the situation, yours is one of them, to which I have no problems with. I'm satisfied that I offered the best I could, in within my own limitations, for some that is/was enough, for some others that may have not been sufficient, or the offer didn't provide what some people need, in either case, I'm OK with it as the original idea is opening a few other doors for me so, nothing lost, really...!

Now, coming back to your situation Russell, I have a very simple way to resolve it, as I'm pretty sure you would love a full bag of my stuff, huh? no problem, you just send me the 3 kg prepaid self addressed bag to the address I'm going to PM to you, find 2 timber pen blanks from your stash that I don't have listed (if possible) and I will send you the full collection (25 species) for you to play with! You will find the time to make the 2 pens, when you can, I'm sure!. How's that sound?

Well, you're getting new equipment so, you need blanks to practice on, do you?

Cheers
RBTCO

Originally Posted by garypeck

Hi RBTCO,

If you dont mind..... i'd like to have all the blanks in Ancient Gum if that is possible.....

Regards,
GAry

BTW..... thats a lot of blanks you have there...... would you be selling them in time to come??

Hi Gary,

Settle down man...! have a look at post #58 on this thread. Some timbers are obviously limited (small quantities) but I'm not expecting to run out of any of these species in a hurry, unless I'm visited with a few semi-trailers trucks

Now, and before you get the wrong idea, "ancient" timber can mean a lots of things and according to lots of discussions here in this forum and elsewhere, there is no such thing as a unique and or a correct definition for "ancient" when it comes to timbers. So, like so many other times, some will agree with me some don't, that's beyond the point, I don't have either "petrified wood" or 5,000 year old timber that still has its natural timber texture and not "rock"!, I call ancient timber, to pieces that are found from things done by the first white man in Australia. Some of those items and commonly found still today, are the fence posts used to divide the land into paddocks in the 1800's, some of these posts were cut 200 years ago from gum trees that could have been hundreds of years old. Knowing that only the bigger and mature trees were cut in those days, I'm satisfied to believe that some of this posts are at least 300 years old, some maybe more, some less, no one really can tell for sure but, for me, any timber that is at least 200 year old is ancient to me, and that is that. If I ever can find a piece of natural wood that still is wood and that is officially certified as being thousands of years old, I wouldn't be nearly giving it away or cut it into pen blanks, every square inch would be worthing thousands of dollars...!

Coming back to reality, don't be fooled, not by me anyway..., what you see is what you get, and what you get is what I say you will...!

Cheers
RBTCO