Do I have a Pen Obsession? Maybe 

Ever since I can remember, I have been very fond of writing pens and pencils. While most kids were spending their extra money on baseball cards and bubble gum, I was in the stationary isle checking out all the cool pens and mechanical pencils. I liked to write with pens and was very happy to be able to change colors on my written reports. I was also the nerdy kid who had a zippered pouch in my school binder full of a collection of different pens and mechanical pencils. When I say full, I mean the zipper almost couldn’t close. I loved math too, and my teachers always taught me to use pencil while solving math problems, so that I could erase my mistakes as I discovered them and continue on with the problem solving.   

When I finished college and started my professional career, Yes, I was the guy with a couple of pens and pencils in my shirt pocket. Never leave home without it. While working I was a diligent note taker. I carried a journal notebook with me everywhere. Every meeting, every phone conversation, every encounter that I had during the day, I would write down something about the encounter in my daily notes journal. I dated the top of each page so that I could remember what was said, what was important, why it was important and when it happened. I still practice this today. But the beauty of this is that I always had to have a high-quality pen on hand to jot down my notes. But every time I found a “new” beautiful, high-quality pen, I had to have it. My wife used to ask me, “don’t you have enough pens?” My response was always, “But this one is different.” I easily have a hundred pens in various locations around the house, but always my “favorite (of the day) pen tucked in my journal.   

Over the years, I developed a dislike for cheap plastic pens. Sure, they are disposable. When someone steals it off your desk, it wasn’t a big loss. But I learned that it was just as easy to have a really nice pen, that was a joy to write with, and so one-of-a-kind, that I could immediately spot in in the hands of the office pen thief. I could easily say, “hey, that is my pen, I need it back!” Of course, the pen thief would always say that I was obsessed before giving it back. Me, obsessed? Never!   

I then began to believe that everyone needs a good pen. If a person has a really good pen, they won’t lose it, they won’t lend it, they will not let others get away with stealing it. Then I discovered making pens myself, an artform perfect for me. It opened up a whole new world and allowed my creative urges to be fulfilled, while feeding my… ur, uh, Okay, okay, my obsession. There I said it!  

  So, what makes a good pen? What makes it a high-quality pen? Here are my top 10 traits:  

1. Consistent and smooth ink flow: A top-tier pen should write effortlessly, delivering a steady, skip-free line every time it touches paper. This relies on a well-designed tip or nib and a reliable ink feed system.
2. Superior materials: Quality pens are made with durable, premium materials that contribute to their longevity and feel. Examples include high-grade      resins, polished woods, or metals like stainless steel, brass, and even      sterling silver.
3. Excellent weight and balance: The pen should feel natural and comfortable in your hand, with a balanced weight that prevents fatigue during long writing sessions. It should not feel noticeably heavier at the front or back.
4. Flawless craftsmanship: Meticulous attention to detail is evident in seamless      construction, even finishes, and perfectly aligned components. There      should be no rough edges, gaps, or other imperfections.
5. Durable and eliable mechanism: Retractable pens should feature a sturdy and smooth click or twist mechanism, while pens with caps should have a secure, airtight seal. All internal parts should be designed for repeated, flawless use.
6. Refillable design: High-quality pens are designed to be used for years, if not      decades. A refillable design allows for continued use and can also be more      environmentally friendly.
7. Smudge-free and vibrant ink: The ink should dry quickly to prevent smearing and produce a clear, vibrant, and legible line. This is especially important for gel and liquid-based inks.
8. Ergonomic and comfortable grip: The design and grip should accommodate long writing sessions without causing hand strain. Grips can be contoured, cushioned, or textured to provide extra comfort and control.
9. Clear aesthetic appeal: While subjective, a high-quality pen has a visually pleasing design that showcases its materials and craftsmanship. Its finish should be consistent and even, whether polished or matte.
10. Reputable brand and warranty: Established brands have a reputation for consistent quality and reliability. Many offer robust warranties or customer service to support their products, indicating confidence in their      craftsmanship. 

The variety of materials out in the world to make pens is almost endless. But for me, I wanted to stick to pens with wooden bodies, or pens that had unique patterns in the body material. The development of beautiful, highly differentiated acrylic blanks opened up a whole new world, at least for me.  

 Wood bodied pens fueled the beginnings of ASH Woodshops. More to that story later in another post. For now, let’s focus on the pen bodies themselves and the hardware trim that is combined with the body material to make something really special. There will be a bit about how they are made.  

  I first saw pen kits at a woodworking store that I visited. I was amazed at the variety. I picked out a couple of them that had gold-plated hardware. Next to the kits, there were bins full of wood pen blanks. All the blanks were ¾” X ¾” X 5”. I love dark woods, especially with spectacular grain. In one of the bins there was this dark brown, chocolate-looking blank with golden grain and some yellowish wood on the edges and corners. This turned out to be Cocobolo Wood. I picked up the drill bit that matched the tube size for the pen, and the bushings needed to match up with the metal trim parts. I could not wait to get home to my workshop and try this new hobby. This was more than 30 years ago.  

  Since then, I have made thousands of pens. Yes, thousands. At first, I gave them away as gifts (after keeping some for myself of course…. You know, my obsession?) They make nice unique gifts. As my skills improved, so did my desire for more complicated materials, and higher-end robust pen components. Then came the fact that I needed a way to fund this new found pen making hobby, so I decided to start selling the unique handmade pens to support the continuation of making more of them.  

  What I discovered, and how the designs evolved over the years, was that for many people, particularly women, pen bodies made of wood are too plain. People want bright or deeply colored patterns, or truly unique materials. This is where acrylic pen blanks became prevalent. Where I went with this was to always have a variety of plating on the hardware combined with both wood and acrylic bodies in my offerings.  

  Different types of pens are attractive to different people. At a live event, such as a craft fair, it is really fun to learn what drives the likes and dislikes of people. You can only learn this by talking with them. The most popular styles are divided between men and women. Men like the golds, chromes, and gunmetal colors of trim finishes paired up with darker wood, burl woods, and more warm hues of wood colors on the pen bodies. Women like bright acrylic colors more than wood, but the same three basic trim colors; gold, chrome and gunmetal.   

  Men like a heftier thicker pen body, while women like thinner, slimmer pen bodies. Regardless of men vs. women, both like unique, both like stone like a theme. Generally, men like golf, guns, fishing and bullets. Women like horses and sea turtles, crystal stones, shiny, brilliant, but also dark purples, reds, blues and blacks. Put a natural burl wood pen on the table next to a brightly dyed burl wood pen and 90% of men will pick up the natural burlwood pen and 90% of women will pick up the bright color dyed burlwood. Stick a pen made from Abalone shell on the table and everyone picks it up first. It is so unique that it draws everyone’s attention, and thy always ask, “Is this real Abalone Shell, and then how could you make this?” Put an abalone shell bodied pen in rollerball next to the same body style but a fountain pen and the results are similar. Men like the fountain pen, women like the rollerball. People love a pen that meets their special interest.  

  This helped me to determine how to merchandise my pens, and how to refine which patterns to consistently make.  

  What are my most popular pens today? First, they all have to meet the top 10 quality attributes that I stated at the beginning of this post. If a pen that I make does not meet these standards, then I won’t sell it. That said, here are my top sellers.  

 Ballpoints and Rollerball pens 

1. Slim line pens; gold trim dark purple, dark red, dark blues, primarily to women.
2. Fishing themed, particularly with dyed blue and green burlwood bodies, Antique Brass trim, and/or trout inlayed designs in the body. Mostly purchased by women as gifts for men.
3. Sea Life themed pens, sea turtles pens in particular with bodies made from acrylic that mimic ocean themes, waves, or beach themes. Mostly purchased by men as gifts for women.
4. Pens made from upcycled, previously fired bullet casings.
5. Victorian Style Pens with colorful acrylic bodies, particularly the Black White and Red swirly color called Brimstone, and white pearl acrylic. Standard colors that are available and the combination is very popular. 

Fountain Pens 

1. Nouveau Sceptre Pens, very high-quality expensive plating, paired with abalone shell body.
2. Corporate Executive style fountain pens; The CEO, The COO, The Chairman Pen, The Vice Chairman Pen, all with dyed burl wood bodies, Smooth, glossy, finish. Purchased by both men and women, mostly as gifts for the opposite. Men buying for women, women buying for men. Every way you dice up the data, these are a popular gift.
3. Triton and Sedona fountain pens with bright acrylic bodies sell very well too.
4. Victorian Style Fountain Pens, similar to their ballpoint cousins, but these have a longer body, have more ornate fixtures. The antique brass plating is beautiful. These pair well with Marble Simm Stone, Brimstone, White Pearl which looks similar to ivory and colorful, dyed burl woods.
5. Sea Life fountain pens. These are a conversion from the rollerball listed above. I sell them in both formats.
6. Typical nib sizes are #5 and #6 with the latter being a larger, wider nib. It is critical that the nib is tipped with iridium, no matter what the nib itself is made from. Many are stainless steel, but some are platinum and 22k gold plated making for a beautiful pen.  

  I love writing with my fountain pens. There is something about the way the ink flows through the nib tip that is so smooth, there is nothing else like it. The ink is water-based and flows via capillary action and on good paper it feels like ice skating with your hand.  

  Rollerball cartridges also use water-based ink and a ceramic ball to roll the ink onto the page. For me this is the next best thing to a fountain pen. The precision hard ceramic ball is lubricated by the ink and is a delight to write with. Very smooth. The caps are air tight so that the ceramic ball in the nib doesn’t dry out.  

  Ballpoint pens use oil-based ink which dries very slowly, is sticky and doesn’t penetrate paper very well, which will make the ink also smudge on the paper more readily. 

I could write about this all day going into excruciating detail. So, I guess, Yes, I am obsessed with pens. But that is only the tip of the iceberg.  

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