LDC Woodcrafter

Shortly after I got my Shopsmith, almost 30 years ago, I visited a Woodcraft store. I was looking for something easy to make that wasn’t expensive. They introduced me to pen making. Since then. I have undertaken pen making, using them as gifts.

Recently, I have renewed my interest in making pens. I am experimenting with different materials and unique designs. Until now, I have made all of my pens from wood. I have watched You-Tube videos of pens being made from acrylic resin. I decided to try that medium.

In my opinion, acrylic pens are more attractive. That is not to say that I don’t like wood. I do like wood! I have a pen that I made years ago made from cocobolo. It is a rather plain design but the wood is beautiful!

Not all man made pen blanks are woodworker compliant. This morning, I was going to make a pen. It would have had white stars on a blue field. It would also have a red and white striped bottom. When I was drilling the bottom, the blank fragmented. Another wasted pen blank!

A couple of weeks ago, I had a honeycombed blank that was hard to turn. After several unsuccessful tries I had to switch to another material to finish the pen. The resulting pen was stunning; don;t you think? That particular pen also has a stylus tip on the non writing end.

I have made pens with the following characteristics:

• Christian – Faith Hope and Love pen made of olive wood from Bethlehem. I have also made Footprints in the Sand made of Bethlehem olive wood.
• Sportsman – 30 caliber bolt action with the themes: Patriotic, Support the Troops, Statue of Liberty, Bald Eagle.
• Motorsports – Motorcycle
• Slimline – The slimline is the basic pen kit. The pen may be fashioned to be thin, bulbous bottomed, thin waisted, or any shape you can imagine.

Slimline or themed? The slimline pens sell for about $20.00. Te themed pens sell for more than $50.00. The price depends on the cost of the materials.

I am trying to fill my showcase case to decide which design is more popular. Obviously, I have sold a number of themed pens. I have sold many of the slimline pens as well. Of the Slimline pens, which is more popular, acrylic or wood.

Let me know your opinion in the comments.