There’s something special about hand creating unique pieces that speaks to the soul. It connects you to the process of designing your products in a way that gives you more respect and curiosity for the materials used and the process itself. Creating is one of the most amazing sensations ever experienced.
Will
I have always had a love for wood working since I was a kid, exploring my grandfathers garage and seeing all the projects he was working on. For a long time life had other plans, until eventually I reached a point when I needed to make a change, to chase the love of working with my hands and creating. I have a friend that is a fellow pen turner, who answered my questions when I was first starting out. I was so intrigued by the process and what I could potentially do that I turned around and bought my first lathe! Needless to say I fell in love immediately. The smell of the woods and the beauty of the pens hit me from day one and still does everyday.
When I started turning, it was a process of blowing stuff up and making a mess! Which quickly turned into getting the hang of what I was doing and creating my first finished pieces. As the years went on I have acquired more and more tooling and am trying more projects. Slowly branching out from just turning pens, I make keychains, darts, razors, bottle stoppers, etc. And as my kids grow up I have been teaching them to make projects of their own. Then I met Marissa and she fell in love with the craft too. I taught her all I knew and with her support we decided to share these with the world.
Pen turning and lathe work has become the hobby I love when I want to unwind at the end of the day, and where I want to spend my free time on weekends. There is something about being in my workshop creating and working with my hands that makes me so content, whether its a new project or making the same type of pen again and again, I love seeing how each piece turns out. Even after years of making them, I still fall in love with each finished piece.
Marissa
It all started with a pen.
When I was growing up I used to covet new writing and crafting materials, especially new pens. I had a stash in almost every place you can think of. This obsession did not go away as I got older, I would buy special pens for journaling, school and work, even though I already had so many in my possession. Little did I know what this odd fascination would bring to my life years later. So as I like to say, it all started with a pen. I never gave much thought to how specialty pens were made or the composition of the inner workings and I never knew pen turning was something that even existed. So when I received a pen, a beautifully unique sapphire and chrome handcrafted pen, as a gift from a friend of a friend for a birthday present, I was captivated. That friend of a friend was Will, he told me that he made it himself and it sparked a discussion about all the ins and outs of pen turning. The things he loved about it and the things he’s created and then and there I fell in love. With him and the art that he was describing.
When we first started dating we would spend hours in his shop making pens, he taught me how everything worked and his tips and tricks to creating something unique from start to finish. After a while, I was able to see whole projects through from designing and matching kits to polishing and assembling finalized pieces. I started to understand his own love for this craft while building my own. The process is so methodical, and mind clearing. It has become an outlet for us through the pandemic and through our hectic home life, aka our blended family made of up of us, our six adventurous and wonderful children, as well as our dog and two cats.
Will has always told me he’s wanted to share his creations, now our creations, with more than just our friends and family, which has brought this new venture in our lives. We have started this business to showcase our products on hand and allow people to see what we are capable of creating and just how much we love it. And when I look back at everything we have make and think of all the feedback and encouragement we have received, I’m thankful for that silly girl who loved her pens. Because a love for pens helped me find my soulmate, and now we create them….how crazy is that!
The Art
The process from start to finish is astounding, from selecting the products and making a design to drilling and turning the blank, each step is done with thought and care. There is nothing like the smell of turning some olive wood or amboyna burl, each material has its own unique scent when being turned. As well as grain and patterning, seeing the grain/patterns come out of the blanks is always astonishing. Each one being different means we could make the same pen ten times and they would all be unique in their own way.
We have started branching out from pens to other projects to add more variety and gain more experience with different tooling. Currently we are trying to configure tooling to make salt and pepper mills, and are interested in trying our hand at ring making. Having new projects that require new tooling and learning new skills always keeps us intrigued and engaged with this hobby. As well as the number of new blanks or specialty woods has us constantly acquiring new kits and products to turn and build. There is no end to the possibilities of this craft and it inspires us every day to keep moving forward to build more beautiful and varied pens.
“The turning process of each blank is so captivating. Each unique piece that is turned takes on such character and elegance. Each step from start to finish is done with care and attentiveness, that it makes every item we sell even more special.”
