Category Archives: news

The Woodworking Shows Cancelled

AZ Shipping Box #1

Amid the Coronavirus concerns I am sorry to report that the Columbus and Syracuse Woodworking shows were

AZ Shipping Box #2

cancelled as well as Totally Turning in Saratoga Springs.

Last Thursday Lenora & I flew to Columbus, rented a car, went to the show and set up the booth which takes about 4 hours.  As we were leaving to go to our hotel, the Ohio Fair Grounds informed us that the Governor of Ohio had declared a state of emergency,  immediately shutting the show down. So we had pack up all the supplies, and put them back into the boxes and have them shipped back to us at the warehouse in Bensalem for arrival next Monday.

When full, Box 1 (as shown) holds approximately 2,500 pounds of pen kits and accessories.  Box 2 holds about 2,000 pounds of supplies, here it is just before filling it back up again!

I will now have time to fill you in on the Grand Central Holiday show, and start making some YouTube videos that everyone has been asking for.  If you have any suggestions for topics that you want to see on a video, please feel free to email me with those suggestions.

Thanks for the input – Happy turning – Barry

Arizona Silhouette’s Anniversary Month – Week 3!

Jumbo Box Elder Burl Blanks

Our 7th Anniversary Sale is going well with one more week to go.

This week we’re offering Colt drill bits, and other Colt items, at over 40 to 50% off!  Spalted Birch pen blanks are back in stock and on sale, as well as Jumbo Box Dyed Box Elder Burl and Gold Dyed Spalted Maple. This week’s pen kits on sale are Cigar pen, Carbara Pen and the Policeman’s Pen

It’s a good time to stock up while you prepare for Holiday craft shows and gift giving.

Happy Turning- Barry

Arizona Silhouette’s 7th Anniversary Sale Month – Save Big!

Moving Day 8/3/12 – 108 degrees!

Happy Anniversary – 7 Years and still counting!
Thank you to all of our loyal friends!

August is Arizona Silhouette’s Anniversary Month. It seems like only yesterday when we moved thousands of pounds of pen kits, wood and equipment 2,600 miles from Yuma AZ. to Bensalem, PA.  It was really hot that day,  they say that the heat in the desert is dry heat, NOT TRUE,  at 3 PM it was 108 degrees and we were sweating our #%&@ off!  The next problem was the moving company had an issue with their driver and all our products were delayed two weeks getting to our location in PA. But it ended well, and here we are 7 years later…..

To celebrate our 7th anniversary, each week for the next month, we are going to offer some of our best selling pen kits and pen blanks at great discounts!  We’ll be letting you know on the blog, and through our email list. Stay tuned for lots of savings!    

Happy Turning – Barry

 

Grand Central Holiday Show Update

Holiday Time at Grand Central

It is holiday time at Grand Central terminal and the decorations have come out both outside and inside.  This is a world famous cultural destination in Manhattan known for it’s shopping & dining. Right now, this is my home for the next 24 days!  Sales of pens have been brisk in the past several days after Thanksgiving,  so much so that I have to go back to my shop on Sunday and make more!  Big sellers have been the Kallenshaan inlay kits, watch part pens and my tobacco wrapped cigar pens.   The hours are long 10-8 but the sales are compensating for it.

Well its time to get some sleep and get ready for the Saturday crowd! Happy Turning – Barry

Grand Central Holiday Fair

Booth Image

Grand Central Holiday Fair is now open again and my booth got a face lift thank to my web designer

Right side of booth

Susan (thanks Sue).  One comment that the staff at the Holiday Fair mentioned to me last year was that I could improve on my signage and thanks to Sue we have done just that!  Now people can easily see what we are selling. Another comment from the staff was how the pens were made. We added some process shots on the walls so people can see just how the pens are made.  Of course we elaborate on the process to really get them focused on how much work goes into making one of the pens.

So far after 7 days of sales we are slightly ahead of last years pace but the real sales did not start until after Thanksgiving which is in a few days!  We will keep you informed!  Have a Happy Thanksgiving with your families and this will be the last day I have off for a while – Happy Turning – Barry

 

We Have A Winner! Pen Contest Results Are In


Congratulations to Grand Prize Winner Ronald Neely
for his Meteorite Blue/Green Opal Inlay Fountain Pen! 

The kit is a Sedona Black Titanium Fountain Pen Kit.
The judges had a very difficult time deciding on a winner but Ron pulled it out in the end!
Just some of the comments from the judges were “original,” “nice design,” and “great fit and finish.”  All entries in both categories were really great, but only one person could win the grand prize.
Advanced Category
First runner up:
Larry Morgan with his
segmented Ultra Cambridge pen
Second runner up:
Joe Spina with his
Rainbow Rhodium Venetian Fountain Pen
Beginner Category:
First runner up:
Oscar Fluitt with his
Shark Pit Elegant Sierra pen
Second runner up:?
Jim Burkett with his
segmented Gun Metal Cigar pen
Popular Vote Category:
Joe Tuinstra with his Black & Blue modified Cigar Pen
Joe managed to get 725 people to look at his pen, and 117 to vote on it as their favorite!
 

On a personal note, this was a lot of fun for us here at Arizona Silhouette.
It is really enjoyable to see all the great entries with the creativity and diversity in kits and ideas.
I want to thank the judges, Tom Barron, Don Ward and Curtis Seebeck also the staff at AZ for their valuable input on making this a successful contest.
We look forward to doing this again next year!
Happy turning – Barry

 

 

Pen Making Contest Entries Are Closed, But We Need Your VOTES!

Midnight was our deadline for entries to our first Pen Contest.
Many beautiful pens that have been entered! All of our penmakers, expert and beginner alike, have done a wonderful job with their creativity and craftsmanship.

Now we need you to VOTE!
The best pens in the beginner and advanced categories will be determined by our judges, BUT the most POPULAR pen will be determined by the public. Please share this link with your family, friends and on social media. A last minute push in votes can move someone up and give us a surprise winner in the popular category! Let’s have some fun!

http://arizonasilhouette.com/blog/pen-contest/

Voting closes November 5, and the winners will be announced November 6th.

Good Luck to all the entrants.

Happy Turning,

Barry

Announcing Our FIRST Arizona Silhouette Pen Contest!

Arizona Silhouette is proud to announce our FIRST Pen Contest!

Let’s have some fun going into the Fall season preparing for craft shows or making gifts for the holidays.
Arizona Silhouette is sponsoring our first pen contest. It’s easy to enter, lots of GOOD prizes, and hopefully, a lot of fun for everyone.

Below you will see the FULL details, but the short version is:
Pay your entry $10 feeclick here     You will receive $20 in gift certificates in the form of 2 – $10 gift certificates by email – we pay you to enter! Save the order number from your entry purchase, you will need it for the next step. Only ONE entry per person.
Fill out the entry formclick here     Fill out all the information on the form, and include your order number from your entry fee purchase. Upload the best photo that you can of your pen.
Upload your photo
Share with everyone!
 send the link to your pen photo to all your family, friends, penturning groups & forums and fans on social media. The Beginner & Advanced categories will be decided by our panel of judges, but the “Most Popular” category will be decided by how well you share, schmooze, brag, promote, etc. Honestly, you could have a horrible pen, but if you get the most votes on it, you would win. LOL!

Quick Links to the FULL details:

Prizes
Categories
Judges
Rules


Prizes

10” Turncrafter Variable Speed Lathe – Grand Prize

Grand Prize:
10” Turncrafter Variable Speed Lathe ($399.95 value US Only, No FPO, APO)
Best pen from both beginner & advanced categories combined, decided by the judges
1 grand prize will be awarded

1st runners up:
$75 gift certificate to Arizona Silhouette’s Store
1 First runner up prize will be awarded in both beginner & advanced categories
Best pen in both beginner or advanced category, decided by the judges

2nd runners up in both beginner & advanced categories:
$50 gift certificate to Arizona Silhouette’s Store
1 Second runner up prize will be awarded in both beginner & advanced categories
Best pen in both beginner or advanced category, decided by the judges

Popular Vote category most votes in either Beginner or Advanced Category:
$75 gift certificate to Arizona Silhouette’s Store
Only 1 pen can be the most popular! Decided by your penturning friends, family & fans. Post the link to your pen on all your social media accounts and ask people to vote for your entry!

Judging & Rules

Categories:

Beginner – a pen maker who has successfully made less than 500 pens
Advanced – a pen maker who has successfully made more than 500 pens
Popular Vote – This can be an entry from either category – this is a fan favorite pen. Use social media to get out the vote for your pen!

Panel of Judges:

Tom Barron – owner of Maneater Crafts  https://maneatercrafts.com
Curtis Seebeck - owner of TurnTex Woodworks   https://www.turntex.com
Don Ward - Author of “Turning Modified Slimline Pens”   http://www.redriverpens.com
The Staff of Arizona Silhouette   

The Rules:

  • Contest starts August 31 and runs thru November 1. All entries must be submitted by November 1, 2018. Winners will be announced on November 6, 2018 on Barry’s Blog, Arizona Silhouette email list, our Facebook Page and any other places that we can think of. Winners will also be notified by email.
  • Entrance fee for either category $10 – Once entered you will receive two (2) $10 coupons to AZ store. (we are paying you to enter the contest!) These special double your money discount coupons will expire in six months.  Only one (1) entry per person and only one coupon can be used per order. Buy your $10 entry fee here: Click Here
  • Put your sales order number from purchasing your $10 entry on the photo upload form.
  • The pen you are entering must be made from a pen kit purchased from Arizona Silhouette.
  • Only 1 entry per person. Yes, you can vote for your own pen. Only ONE set of 2 – $10 gift certificates will be issued per person.
  • Only 1 vote per person, per entry. A voter can only vote once for an entry, but they can vote for as many entries as they like, in all categories.
  • Pens can be made from wood, stabilized wood, cactus, antler, acrylic, acrylic you made, casted items, polymer clay, stabilized squirrel poop, get the picture?
  • Please no CNC made pens – pens are to be turned on a lathe.
  • Fill out the official Arizona Silhouette entry form on the blog Click here for entry form and send a good quality photo of your completed pen by November 1, 2018 for it to be considered. (max photo size 10MB, must be JPG or PNG)
    If your image is larger, you can use an online photo resizer website like https://bulkresizephotos.com/
    For some tips about “how to photograph your pen” click here
  • Judging of the pens will be based on quality of workmanship (fit & finish), originality in design and choice of materials and overall eye appeal – “Eye Candy.”
    The judging of the pens will be done by a panel of judges who are penturning experts including: Tom Barron – owner of Maneater Crafts, Curtis Seebeck – owner of TurnTex Woodworks, Don Ward – Author of Turning Modified Slimline Pens and The Staff of Arizona Silhouette. The decision of the judges is FINAL, and once announced, the winners will receive their prizes by mail or email.
  • After judges narrow down to the finalists in the categories, the finalists may be asked for further detail photos of their pen.
  • By submitting your photo entry, you are granting Arizona Silhouette the right to use that photo for marketing and promotional purposes on all our social media channels: Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter and others. You retain the copyright to your photo.

Short Vacation

Arizona Silhouette is going into our 7th year so it is finally time to actually take some time off.  Well I am only going to take a few days while Lenora will stay at the beach all week.  Arizona Silhouette will be closed for Monday and Tuesday but will open back up on Wednesday.  On Thursday, I will be off to the Washington DC Pen Show and be there for the weekend.  So if you are in the DC area come see me at the DC Pen Show.  Michael will be in the warehouse filling orders and answering the phones on Wednesday. thru Friday.Talk with you later – Happy Turning – Barry