Monthly Archives: August 2014

The Chicago Symposium was Great!

The staff that ran the symposium was TOP shelf!  All of the rotations went smoothly, and were well attended.  The presenters were top notch, such as Binh Pho, Andi Wolfe, Dick Sing, Lyle Jamison, Nick Cook, Carole Floate, Trent Bosch, Rob Wallace, Jason Swanson and Steve Sinner.
The “Pen Turning for the Troops” Friday evening was very well attended, and over 40 pens were made in just a little over an hour with Jason Swanson and Don McCloskey pitching in and assisting people who had never made a pen.  Dick Sing was asked if he was in line to make pen, which I thought was pretty funny since he is the “Godfather of the pen world.”  He graciously said “No, but I can help you!”
The only minor set back was the 16” lathe that they wanted me to use was too big.  The banjo with the larger tool rest would not get close enough to the pen blank so I used a Turncrafter 10” Mini lathe from PSI. My rotations on how to create a pen from beginning to end, clear casting and segmented pen making went very well, and the attendees liked what I had to present. I demonstrated a CA glue finish and then compared it to a friction finish using Odie’s Oil so the attendees could see for themselves the look and feel of both finishes.  They liked the Odie’s Oil finish as a fast and easy way to apply a friction finish that will last a long time, compared to current friction finishes. The image with my hands to my mouth were tongue and cheek telling the audience contrary to popular belief that you do not need a pressure pot to clear cast with polyester resin – they liked the results!  The segmented turning rotation was really fun since I show them Jason Swanson’s segmented pen blanks he made!  Look for Jason’s blanks next week on the www.arizonasilhouette.com website.
All in all it was a very good symposium, and I would recommend anyone in the Great Lakes, Midwest region to attend this symposium in the future!

On The Road Again

It has been a whirlwind these past several days attending the Washington DC pen Show, and preparing for the upcoming Turn On Chicago Symposium.

The DC show went as expected, seeing old customers, selling lots of pens, and making some new friends! There were more “hand made” artisans there than in the past, but since we all had different offerings, we all did well!

I’m leaving today to head out to Chicago. If you’re in the area, stop by:
http://www.turnonchicago.com

Barry Talking to customers at his booth.

Barry Talking to customers at his booth.

Overview of vendor area

Showing some of the crowd from the balcony.

A Really Big Show

Stressed out – damn right!

I am sure that I am not the only one who gets stressed out preparing for a big show!

Mystical Fusion "Storm" Glow-In-The-Dark Fountain Pen

Mystical Fusion “Storm” Glow-In-The_Dark Fountain Pen

  • Do I have enough fountain pens and boxes?
  • Am I bringing the right refills and accessories?
  • Is my display lighted properly?
  • Are my pens packaged properly with the right “romance cards” in them explaining the pen, and the process on how the pen was made?
  • Will my credit card machine / cell phone work in the ballroom where I am located or do I have to bring the old “knuckle buster” to take credit cards?

These and many other questions plague me all the way up to, and during setup, for the “Big Show”.  But when the show is all over and done with,  I look back and say it was worth it because I took the time to do the proper planning and preparation!

The Washington DC Super Fountain Pen Show, which is held at the Tyson’s Corner Sheraton Hotel, is the largest fountain pen show in the world!
I will have a number of new pens there for sale, plus all my old favorites.  Some of the newer pens will feature the new “glow in the dark” pen styles such as the Mystical Fusion and the Storm pen blanks, along with some new themed dial watch pens.

If you are in the area of Tyson’s Corner VA. this weekend please stop by and check out all the vendors, pens and more – I would love to see y’all.

Here’s more information about the DC show:
www.pencentral.com