# Lost Interest



## jack barnes (Aug 16, 2008)

How does a person regain interest in pen turning? Last Nov I did a craft fair and since then I've only turned a couple pens, start several and never finish them. Has anyone else had this happen to them?

Jack


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## igran7 (Aug 16, 2008)

All the time Jack.  
I've been turning pens for about 5 years and I've had spouts where I just didn't want to even look at the shop, much less turn a pen.  I try to keep things "fresh" by trying new designs, new (to me) concepts or different pen kits.  By doing this it keeps the addiction going.


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## Mustard Monster (Aug 16, 2008)

Jack,
 Mix it up a little, have you ever turned bottle stoppers or pepper mills?? I have just started learning about both and find them very interesting projects. There is a lot of free info on the web about both. And when the the learning curve gets frustrating you will find it pure pleasure to turn a few pens again!!!
Gary


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## JohnU (Aug 16, 2008)

I agree with Joe, try new things and look around the internet for some fresh ideas.  Everytime I get bored, I look at the Gisi's web page.  I also got into casting which opened up many new ideas.  Good luck!


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## leehljp (Aug 16, 2008)

Many people need to find their niche. For me, initially it was the joy of discovery AND the finished pen. Now, it is the creative forces along with the journey of making a pen. 

Some people are motivated by the sale, by the people interaction, by the compliments of others in their creation. 

But some give it up altogether when they find out it is not their "cup of tea." I hope you don't! I find that when I have to make 4 or 5 pens in a few days, I don't want to touch them again for a month. For me, the journey of making each pen and analyzing each step is my relaxation. I don't like my pen turning time crowded with pressure - even if it DOES mean $100.00 profit in my pocket.


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## ldb2000 (Aug 16, 2008)

Hi Jack
Like the others have said you should try other things and find what is fun and interesting for you , Challenge :wink: your self a little , I find a Challenge :wink: alot of fun and you can really become addicted to a type of penmaking or box making or bowl making or ...? .
Get your creative juices flowing and have fun ! . If in the end you find penmaking is not for you at least you tried and had fun doing it .


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## reddwil (Aug 17, 2008)

Same here. I actually got started turning years back because I got bored building stuff in my woodworking shop. Nothing seemed to spark my interest when I looked threw plans of stuff to build. I started doing pyrography, turning, Using different woods, new techniques, old techniques. Whatever I could to keep it fun and challenging.


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## redfishsc (Aug 17, 2008)

jack barnes said:


> How does a person regain interest in pen turning? Last Nov I did a craft fair and since then I've only turned a couple pens, start several and never finish them. Has anyone else had this happen to them?
> 
> Jack



Happens often. 


Take a break, a sabbatical if you will. Go buy a few "bic" pens and force yourself to use them the whole time. That should cure you!


Pen turners are often types that are driven by novelty or creativity. I will get all excited about turning a certain material, and once I do, well, it's kinda anticlimatic. The pen might look stunning but I'm left thinking "now what do I make?"

Answer: NOTHING. Break time. Being a full time grad student I can always dive deep into Reformation Theology, biographies of dead preachers, etc....

After a while, the creative streak will resurrect and I'm back at the lathe. 



Another good option: turn a few bowls or make a bookshelf if you are more inclined toward woodworking.


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## turned_for_good (Aug 17, 2008)

For me, the last thing I want is a challenge when I'm in a slump.  I go for somthing that I know I can complete that I will love without too much complication.  Doesn't mean I won't try somthing hard, but I wont do it if it has a high fail factor.  Choose some wood that you love and a great kit to compliment it.  Make it and then sell it or give it to someone who will definatly like it.  That way you made a work of art that you know someone else appreciates.  Therefore giving you an incentive to make more.


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## Mudder (Aug 17, 2008)

jack barnes said:


> How does a person regain interest in pen turning? Last Nov I did a craft fair and since then I've only turned a couple pens, start several and never finish them. Has anyone else had this happen to them?
> 
> Jack




I fell into a big slump and I even contemplated selling my lathe and doing something else. The turning point for me was when I invested in the set of videos from Russ Fairfield. They got me excited again and I began to clean and organize my shop to prepare for turning. I lost a bit of momentum when Eagle died and my favorite Woodcraft store closed but I committed to turn some pens for servicemen and giving my word to something lit the fire under my butt to get moving. Spent time in the shop this afternoon and remembered why I had a passion for turning. I've rekindled the flame and I'm looking forward to more shop time this week.


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## redfishsc (Aug 18, 2008)

Mudder, try winning one of Eagle's blanks in a raffle! That'll get the juices flowing!


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## gerryr (Aug 18, 2008)

Did you actually receive it?  Some would consider it bad form to not acknowledge getting something like that.




redfishsc said:


> Mudder, try winning one of Eagle's blanks in a raffle! That'll get the juices flowing!


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## Paul in OKC (Aug 18, 2008)

I feel like I am constantly in a turning slump. Mostly because of the lack of time. I, too, have considered selling my lathes and stuff, but occassionally I get asked to make a pen for something and it's fun again. I just made a pair of pens for my 2nd oldest son and new wife out of an old piece of tree branch and had their names and wedding date put on them. Came out great (and I forgot to take a pic!). I am trying to start up turning again at our church, where they have a wood shop set up. It is fun to teach others to turn, some times more than turning one myself.


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## JohnU (Aug 18, 2008)

Some guys like to make pens while others like to teach, make blanks or just make sawdust.  Do what makes you happy and keep it fun.  Work at YOUR pace and do what YOU want to do.  I work in my shop to escape from what stresses me out, and forget about work.  I give many of my pens away to friends and family and enjoy their response when they get the pen.  It pushes me to try new ideas.  Part of who I am is driven for a need for completion.  Nothing makes me feel better than finishing the project. Thats partly why I enjoy making pens no, because of the quick turn around, compared to the woodworking I used to do. I find time restrictions put me in slumps too.  I feel better when I get on an uninterupted roll.   Find what makes you happy and keep it fun.


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## philthephlier (Aug 18, 2008)

*use good wood*

I find the easiest thing to kill my interest is to spend an hour or more making a pen with a nice kit and a ho hummer blank and then have to look at a ho hummer pen that I know will be hard to sell.  I decided a while back that life is way to short to turn ho hummer pens.  Resist all temptation to use any blank that you have any doubts about.  Decide that every pen you make is going to be at the very least, a really nice pen, whether you will sell them or not.
Buy top quality blanks like the better burl woods from AS or others.  Buy some Trustone blanks and learn to turn them by reading threads related.  Resist bargain prices for bulk blanks, you get what you pay for.  If the average pen you make from now on is something that delights you I think your interest will come back.


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## PaulDoug (Aug 18, 2008)

Well so far I haven't hit a slump.  But, I don't sell.  I turn for fun and I give a lot of my "attempts" away.  One thing I think I would get bored with it if I was trying to make money at it. I'd feel I "had to do it".  I also keep trying different things.  I made 5 cartridge/antler pens in a row because I obligated my self to a brother and BIL.  Now I don't care to make another one for quite a while.  I am working on one like Johnson's cartridge/cartridge pens, but it is something different.  My next that I want to try is segmented pens with a Native American theme.  I haven't even gotten to casting yet.


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## leehljp (Aug 18, 2008)

philthephlier said:


> I find the easiest thing to kill my interest is to spend an hour or more making a pen with a nice kit and a ho hummer blank and then have to look at a ho hummer pen that I know will be hard to sell.



I used to feel this way too. However, over a couple of years of people asking about Teak wood, which I feel is a beautiful wood for flat work but boring for pens - someone wrote about using straight grained wood for designer shapes. Rings, V-grooves, beads, specialized shapes often do better with plain or straight grained wood than with burls or grain curls, etc.

Also, I use plain wood as my experimenting platform. I have ruined a few "great" blanks by trying a new design before I had the experience. I have come to enjoy the creativity of using a plain blank as the experimental and learning process.


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## Ligget (Aug 19, 2008)

I lose interest in penturning periodically, I get motivated by looking through photos of finished pens either in the gallery here or whilst surfing the internet browsing pen shops etc..

New products help also, if you have a new kit to try or a few blanks that you have never turned before.

I am going to try making my own threads soon so that should keep the boredom away and probably raise my blood pressure at the same time!


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## Boomer (Aug 19, 2008)

One way would be to maybe turn some pens for Gary to send to the Freedom Pens project. This way you would feel like you were doing something that will make a difference to those that receive the pens.  Or maybe change your strategy and make some tops for like the hospital for kids to play with that are sick in the hospital.  Hang in there it will come back to you.


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## marcruby (Aug 19, 2008)

I don't consider myself a pen turner first.  I like bowls and vessels best.  I work in expensive woods a lot, and there's a lot of down time when I take a piece off a lathe and let it sit until I know exactly what I'm going to do with it next.  What I like about pens is they can present complex problems in small packages -- in the end you can have something beautiful without the huge investment in time and materials that a big bowl take up. It's also a whole lot easier to sell a $300 pen than it is an $1100 vessel in this economy.

I like to wander through the gallery here looking for ideas that get my attention -- pens I would want to own, materials I would like to try, and go from there.  there seems to be an almost endless amount of variety here.  Enough to keep my interest for some time to come.

Marc


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## Daniel (Aug 19, 2008)

Penturning is a small nitch in the overall craft of turning on a lathe. Which itself is a nitch in woodworking overall. Some people are wood workers of other sorts and eventually say hey I want to try and make one of those. others discover woodworking because they wanted to try and make a pen. Very few actually make penturning there primary woodworking activity. Even fewer make it there sole woodworking experience. Even this group has it's "Other things we make" area. 
I have three things that help keep my interest alive, and even then it likes to wonder fairly often.
1. involvment in this group.not jsut reading threads but conversing with members through e-mail and the phone, as well as doing group buys and otherwise sticking my foot in it any time a get a chance.
2. I set a goal for myself that works for me. that is to try and make one of evey pen kit there is for my personal collection. Although I have well over 100 kits setting in boxes I have not been getting very far on that project this last couple of years but I have a reason. see item 3.
3. My working environment. I have discovered that the condition of my shop drastically effects how much I am willing to go work in it. when it is cluttered and unorganized I tend to fret more about doing a project than actually doing it. When it is organized I will be out there at least a couple of hours a day, but when it is like it is now I will not go into it for weeks or even months at a time. I dread tackling the job of cleaning it up but I also know that if I really want to get back to turning I will ahve to start with dealing with the shop first.


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## Jarheaded (Aug 19, 2008)

Whenever I get the feeling that I don't wan't to do this anymore, I pick up a bic pen and write with it for about 10 minutes and then the feeling comes back. We all need to take a break from it every now and then, otherwise it would really lose its appeal. Maybe you should try something like bull riding, this will seem so much better after that(no offense meant to those that ride bulls (not that they could read or anything))....LOL


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## vick (Aug 19, 2008)

Buying a bigger lathe seemed to do it for me.  I have not made a pen in over a year, and have only made a couple in the past 2 years.

Once the heat breaks and I get back in my garage, I do plan to make myself a new fountain pen.


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## ldb2000 (Aug 19, 2008)

jack barnes said:


> How does a person regain interest in pen turning? Last Nov I did a craft fair and since then I've only turned a couple pens, start several and never finish them. Has anyone else had this happen to them?
> 
> Jack


 
Jack , you say you did a show then lost interest , is it safe to assume that the show didn't do too well ? .
It could just be you are looking at this the wrong way , just to make money , I think that most of us do this for enjoyment as well as making money , some just for enjoyment . I know I would love to quit my day job and do this full time but the reality is that I don't think in the area I live I could turn pens full time and still be able to pay the bills and eat regularly .
Try to make pens for the sense of accomplishment you get or just to relax after a hard day at work .


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## jack barnes (Aug 19, 2008)

First off I would like to thank everyone for responding. I do other woodworking which I no problem with.
Butch actually I did very well at the craft fair, but it took all the fun out of turning pens, just to build stock to sell. After the fair I decided I'd never do another one. So that isn't the reason.

Jack


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## jeffj13 (Aug 20, 2008)

Jack,

I have a different take.  Our interests typically wax and wane.  Reasons are many. Sometimes it is because of other time demands or pressures, sometimes for other reasons.

Life is too short to do things you currently don't have an interest in doing (there are exceptions like a job, etc.).  If you have lost interest, rather than try to artificially create one, place it aside for awhile and do something else that you like to do.  If it is something that you truly had a passion for, in all likelihood, the desire will return sometime in the future.

btw, I noticed that you live in Springfield.  While I live in CT, I work in Springfield.  Big building on State Street.  I'm sure you know the one.

jeff


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