# Just finsihed up an order.



## ashaw (Jun 14, 2012)

Three weeks ago I got a call for Seventy-Five full size Majestic Roller ball pens.  All in black wooden cases.  They were shipped out yesterday.  
I went back over the project to see what can be improved since this was a smaller order.

1. Expect the unexpected.  Not even into the project the drill press died. 
2. Sharp drill bits.  
3. 10% extra material. Because of dull drill bits.
4. Layout shipping area better.
5. Bushings - a lot of bushings.
6. Work around a pen show - I end up with twenty five special order pens from the show.
7  Did I say sharp drill bits?

Over all the batching of work went very well. I should have caught right away that my go to drill bit was dull.  Once I got a new bit the project flew no blow outs.  
I am getting ready for a 2,400 pen order coming shortly  (Within the next 3 weeks).  

The key to volume work is how you set up your shop.  Everything must be done in batches. You also have to allow for special work to continue in the normal flow with in a large order.  Otherwise those customers will be waiting for a long time for their order.  

No problem with getting bored just a lot of coffee and a good radio station.

The material was true stone white marble.  I used the pen pro and only 1 insert plus 1 edge of another.  That was 200+ pen barrels.  So I am getting the number of pens out of each edge that I expected.


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## DestinTurnings (Jun 14, 2012)

Wow! A 2400 pen order would actually make me cry....and probably not with joy. You are so correct about the batch work. I had a larger order one time and thought that I could just drill everything first then glue tubes, etc. Once I just began cutting the blanks I realized that I didn't have the space to do it that way and instead had to make 20 or so pens then pack them up and start the process over.

If I had to make 75 Trustone anything, I would just order a set of carbide bits with the Trustone. My dad is a machinist and can freehand sharpen drill bits (and my lathe tools) better than I can with a drill doctor and a Work Sharp. As I definitely don't have that skill I would just fall back on the carbide. Speaking of whick, I am really impressed you managed to make all of those using up less than two inserts!


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## Chasper (Jun 14, 2012)

I love those big orders more than I hate them, but not by much.


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## dbledsoe (Jun 14, 2012)

Good grief! 2400 pens just alike? How long do you get to do those and do you do it all by yourself?
For a new turner, it is hard to imagine that kind of volume. It still takes me all evening to make one.
I have a whole new respect for volume penmaking.


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## IPD_Mr (Jun 14, 2012)

Alan I am really happy for you.  Looks like the 2400 count order will come during the DC show.


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## bastallard (Jun 14, 2012)

Are you turning all those pens by yourself?


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## ashaw (Jun 14, 2012)

Yep 2400 by my self. Hopefully I will have some help by then.  Right now I can do 20 pens/day.  I am looking to up that to 250/pens a day.


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## Chasper (Jun 14, 2012)

ashaw said:


> Yep 2400 by my self. Hopefully I will have some help by then.  Right now I can do 20 pens/day.  I am looking to up that to 250/pens a day.



I'm maxed out around 65-70 two section pens per day.  That is a 12+ hour day and all I'm doing is the turning.  My wife is doing the cutting, drilling, painting, gluing, squaring, buffing, assemble and packaging.  She can prep and finish about 100 per day, but the slow link is my turning time.  I will be very interested in hearing how you can ramp up to 250/day.  Will you be adding more staff?


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## dbledsoe (Jun 14, 2012)

I'm really curious now where you find that kind of market. You have to charge a reasonable price to make it worth your while, and that volume will be big bucks. Most high volume promotional stuff I have run across is pretty cheap, and the gift market can't be that big.
I'm still impressed. If you can do 20/day and you want to do 250/day, that means hiring 12 people and/or buying a bunch of equipment. What happens after the order is finished? Can you sub out some of the order to other shops? Not me, for sure, but there are a lot of good penmakers on the forum.


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## OKLAHOMAN (Jun 14, 2012)

I guess I'm way behind the curve here as I max out at 25 a day turning, sanding and buffing on man made material, on wood I really haven't done any production work so just guessing half of that. Alan I applaud you for your 2400 pen order but don't envy you at all, my back hurts just thinking of standing in front of a lathe for 12 hours a day.


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## ashaw (Jun 14, 2012)

Once I get the order the new piece of equipment comes in.  It is not a cnc  I have already tested it out and that is where I am able to come up with 250/day.  Cutting, drilling gluing is where additional help comes in.  As far as getting the into that market you have to decide which end of the profession one what.  Whether you are selling one pen or 2400 it's comes down to selling your product and your service.  As far as price they are not cheap pens.  They are the same pens that my retailers sell except I am able to give volume discounts.  My shop fees are still covered. I do go after the customer that is not doing through away pens.  They understand the value.  

I can not tell you how many times deals were broken because at the last minute a company from oversea coming in with $5.00 or $10.00 less than my pens. They are cheap pens or closeouts and when the customer gets them they do not work or break soon after.  The problem is this customer is now turned off of pens because they perceive they are all like this. But I think I am starting to see a turn away in this industry.


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## randbcrafts (Jun 14, 2012)

Glad to hear you got them all finished up Alan. Congrats on the 2400 order!


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## ed4copies (Jun 14, 2012)

dbledsoe said:


> I'm really curious now where you find that kind of market. You have to charge a reasonable price to make it worth your while, and that volume will be big bucks. Most high volume promotional stuff I have run across is pretty cheap, and the gift market can't be that big.
> I'm still impressed. If you can do 20/day and you want to do 250/day, that means hiring 12 people and/or buying a bunch of equipment. What happens after the order is finished? Can you sub out some of the order to other shops? Not me, for sure, but there are a lot of good penmakers on the forum.



What Alan does NOT say, Dave is that he has worked for nearly a decade at building a pen business as a full time, self supporting venture.  He has attended scores of "pen shows" and even made "the feature pen" for the shows.  

At this point, high end buyers know where to find Alan, but, nonetheless he attempts to find them, too!

Congratulations, Alan!!  Hope there is a continuous stream of opportunities headed your way.  A phrase I will frequently quote: The harder I work, the luckier I get!!!

Sounds like you are FINALLY getting some of the good luck you have earned!!!

Congratulations!!


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## raar25 (Jun 14, 2012)

Congradulations but the thought of 2400 just makes me sad!  Sad because I would hate to turn that kind of work down but there is no way I would do the same thing 2400 times without serious therapy which would use up all the money I made on the pens.  I got brave and accepted an order for 100 pens and that is only delivering 25/month.  Not to mention I still don't know how someone makes 20 pens /day since the best I have ever done a two part pen start to finish is 1 hour.  If you could get your lathe time (including turning and finishing) down to 30 minutes that is 10 hours just at the lathe.  Sounds like a very long day to me.  The margins on wholesale are just not large enough for me to do that to myself.

So good luck, let us know how it turns out.


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## triw51 (Jun 14, 2012)

Good advice especially the sharp drill bit.  Any advice to keep drill bits cool when drilling a lot of blanks at ne time?


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## brownsfn2 (Jun 14, 2012)

WOW.  I just did the math...  Since I also work full time I can do about 2-3 pens per evening.  It would take me 3 years to make 2400 pens.  I was prod of turning my 125th last night. 

If I had orders rolling in like that I would quit my day job. 

Have fun!


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## Haynie (Jun 14, 2012)

That is a lot of pens.  My hat is off to you.  Did you take a picture of the whole lot when you were finished?


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## OKLAHOMAN (Jun 14, 2012)

Ron, this is Alan's day,afternoon and night joib. :biggrin::wink:





brownsfn2 said:


> WOW. I just did the math... Since I also work full time I can do about 2-3 pens per evening. It would take me 3 years to make 2400 pens. I was prod of turning my 125th last night.
> 
> If I had orders rolling in like that I would quit my day job.
> 
> Have fun!


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## brownsfn2 (Jun 14, 2012)

LOL.  With 2400 pens that need to be made you got that right.

It's a fun hobby for me. 



OKLAHOMAN said:


> Ron, this is Alan's day,afternoon and night joib. :biggrin::wink:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


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## NewLondon88 (Jun 14, 2012)

raar25 said:


> If you could get your lathe time (including turning and finishing) down to 30 minutes that is 10 hours just at the lathe.



If you had set yourself up to do production, you would quickly find that
it is no longer 'fun' to spend a lot of time daintily taking away material
that you are going to trash anyway. You'd start 'hogging'  away to
get to the 'good stuff' and the time would shorten considerably.
When I'm doing production on wood pens (single barrel) I get the
lathe time down to about 60 seconds including sanding to 320.
(that's all these blanks require as they go to the laser next)

But if I'm doing a single pen, yeah.. I might spend a half hour turning
sanding and polishing. But production is a different animal. Even if you
make a conscious effort to make each one an individual.. it is individual
exactly like the last 2399 you did.. :tongue:


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## BRobbins629 (Jun 14, 2012)

Nice score Alan.  Production sure beats my average of 1 per month.  At least my drill bits stay sharp.


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## jd99 (Jun 15, 2012)

I would be curious to what you are using to get to the 250 a day numbers.

I've done large orders before (600, and 725) but 2400 I'm not sure I would take that, I still have a full time job, a part time production machine shop, and a Wife. Don't think I could fit it in..... 

I know on my large orders, I've used my tracer lathe to get the blanks turned quickly, and have repeatability. But not every one has a tracer lathe.

What is this peice of equipment?????


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## NewLondon88 (Jun 15, 2012)

jd99 said:


> I know on my large orders, I've used my tracer lathe to get the blanks turned quickly, and have repeatability. But not every one has a tracer lathe.



for a 2400 pen order, I'd order a tracer lathe too! :tongue:


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## corian king (Jun 16, 2012)

What is that they have said to me before.(No pics didn't Happen) LOL
Congrats on the order!!


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## Mlsflt (Jul 10, 2012)

Its ALL about getting setup! Setup time on the saws to cut material to width, length takes time. Setting up for drilling, if using a drill press, or lathe. Getting a glue station set up and having brass scuffed and ready for glue. Setting up for sanding/trimming blanks to length. Setting up for turning....etc etc etc. All this takes time. If your at home and do each of these steps for 1 pen, then after completing the pen you repeat all of it again for another pen, your spending a lot of time on setup, if you do it once and do a large run, you can dramatically improve how many pens you can make. 
 This is one reason in furniture making, a nightstand seems so expensive compared to a dresser, when you think about it, set up time is same on both, only difference is there is more wood in a dresser and wood is relatively cheap, all the cost is in......you got it, setup time! My family owns a furniture manufacturing facility, spent many years doing production work. Fun thing about production work is getting to final assembly. All that time spent getting to the point your ready for assembly seems to not have been so bad when you see the final product coming together quickly. 
 Congrats on an order that size! It's just proof you have a quality product and have spent time doing your homework, putting your pens out there to be seen and put effort into your business!

_______________________________
Steve
Novelpens.com


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## JD Combs Sr (Jul 11, 2012)

Oh my goodness, 2400 pens, I doubt that I will do that many in my life time including the ones I have already made.  That being said this is a perfect example of the difference between hobby and production pen making.

Congrats on the production order.


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