# What do you do with all your failed attempts?



## wiz9777 (Oct 26, 2012)

I have only been turning pens for a few months. I tried some kit-pens, kitless pens, Franken-pens, and so on. Now I have a small collection of finials that don't fit, caps that are cracked, screwed up sections and bodies that... Well, you get the picture. 

My questions are...
What do you do with all your failed attempts? 
How about those pens that work, but you would be to embarrassed show to anyone? What do you do with the piles of those? 

BTW, Most of my trial pieces are made from home cast acrylic. The blanks that I make are very nice and make very nice pens, but there's always those few that are learning experiences.


----------



## Ulises Victoria (Oct 26, 2012)

I've been turning pens for a year now and I turn 6 and sometimes 7 days a week. I have a box labeled "NO SALE". When a pen does not come up to my expectations, it goes there.
I have fountains, rollerballs, ballpoints and mech pencils. I just keep them there and once in a while I go through them and pick a couple that might be fixed. Most of them can be fixed by means of disassembling, putting the barrels on the lathe, and scraping the tubes bare of wood or acrylic. Of course, I try to pay attention at what is the reason for the pen being remade, so I can learn something in the process. :wink:
I have another box with clips and assorted pieces of pens that just can not be fixed anymore. I sometimes pick a part from here to replace a lost or damaged one or whatever. I rarely throw pen parts in the garbage can.
Oh and I also have a box of ugly or failed resin castings. I use them to make plugs for plugging the holes of the tubes when casting blanks like feathers or watch parts.


----------



## Ted iin Michigan (Oct 26, 2012)

If the pens function but for some reason aren't "sellable", I have a "Bargain Bin". We do a couple shows each year and the box has been empty by the end of the show on occasion. Got the idea here. 
"Parts" from non-working pens go into a plastic bag. I save them for when I need them.


----------



## dexter0606 (Oct 26, 2012)

Ted iin Michigan said:


> If the pens function but for some reason aren't "sellable", I have a "Bargain Bin". We do a couple shows each year and the box has been empty by the end of the show on occasion. Got the idea here.
> "Parts" from non-working pens go into a plastic bag. I save them for when I need them.


 
Don't you think that having a bargain bin detracts from the value of the rest of your items.

I did a show where there was another "pen guy" there with a bargain bin on his table. I found it odd that he'd want to show off his failures.

As for the original post, anything that doesn't come up to standards either gets torn down and rebuilt or I end up using them. But I don't take them out as my carry pens. I keep my failures to myself!


----------



## Jjartwood (Oct 26, 2012)

Send them to Gary for the pens for servicemen,I'm pretty sure that a pen that writes is the priority and the good looks won't get ya home.
I save mine for the turning for the troops event at my local WC store
Just a thought,besides for the time and effort (unless it's a highend kit) to try and save the hardware sometimes it just makes sense to cut your losses and remember the lessons
for the next one.


----------



## paintspill (Oct 26, 2012)

give your unsellables to a kid and watch his or her eyes jump out of there head. as for the other unsellables i keep one of each style with my good pens so i can at least show people other styles, kits, and woods.


----------



## firewhatfire (Oct 26, 2012)

enter it in the Ugly Pen Contest here in February.  I have a box of assorted parts that if something gets broken it goes in.  I have a box full of busted blanks, that need to be turned off the tubes so they can be reused.  I have quite a collection of pens laying around my house that are technically finished but lack what I would call sellable qualities.  

Take all of those acrylics you dont like and bust them up with a hammer and recast in another color to make a mosaic blank.


----------



## mikespenturningz (Oct 26, 2012)

Take them apart and make a new one. I don't have any more seconds. If the finished result isn't up to par I simply don't put it together to begin with. I take my parting tool and strip the blank off the tube and glue them into another blank. I got the Harbor Freight punch set and knock the components out and reuse them. For instance I just made a manzanita burl pen that was cast with green acrylic to fill in any voids and cracks but the cast didn't come out good enough so I abandoned the blank and stripped it off there is no sense in wasting a perfectly good hardware set on an imperfect blank that is not savable!


----------



## Ulises Victoria (Oct 26, 2012)

dexter0606 said:


> Ted iin Michigan said:
> 
> 
> > If the pens function but for some reason aren't "sellable", I have a "Bargain Bin". We do a couple shows each year and the box has been empty by the end of the show on occasion. Got the idea here.
> ...


Absolutely agree. I have been told several times to just give away my failures as a way to promote my pens, but how can I promote my work by handing out a defective piece? If this person shows that pen to another and says it was made by Ulises... what this will make is people thinking..."Look how lousy job this guy does!!!"


----------



## mredburn (Oct 26, 2012)

I throw all my bad pen blanks/ tubes away.  I dont even bother to save the tubes. I buy tube sets 50 at a time and its not worth it to me to try and save a tube.


----------



## Kenny Durrant (Oct 26, 2012)

I had a few that had a very minute flaw that I kept to the side just because there was too much work to throw away. I wouldn't sell them of give them away because I didn't want to advertise something less than I was capable of. I have a friend that goes to the philipines to teach a Bible class for two weeks in the summer and he saw them and he couldn't find the flaws. He asked if I would donate them to his students. I gave him 6 pens and he said they loved them and couldn't find a thing wrong. So from now on I put them aside for that so at least someone can get some enjoyment out of them.


----------



## D.Oliver (Oct 26, 2012)

What are these "failed attempts" that you speak of?  I've never heard of them. :tongue::biggrin:


----------



## wiset1 (Oct 26, 2012)

Mine set on my desk as a reminder to keep trying new things. It's all part of growth!


----------



## Lenny (Oct 26, 2012)

firewhatfire said:


> Take all of those acrylics you dont like and bust them up with a hammer and recast in another color to make a mosaic blank.


 
That's what I plan to do .... I have plenty to work with!


----------



## panamag8or (Oct 26, 2012)

Lenny said:


> firewhatfire said:
> 
> 
> > Take all of those acrylics you dont like and bust them up with a hammer and recast in another color to make a mosaic blank.
> ...



I save my cut-offs for this. I also have a bag of multi-colored acrylic shavings for a confetti pen the GF wants to do.


----------



## plantman (Oct 27, 2012)

Jjartwood said:


> Send them to Gary for the pens for servicemen,I'm pretty sure that a pen that writes is the priority and the good looks won't get ya home.
> I save mine for the turning for the troops event at my local WC store
> Just a thought,besides for the time and effort (unless it's a highend kit) to try and save the hardware sometimes it just makes sense to cut your losses and remember the lessons
> for the next one.


 
 I don't think that giving the people who are risking their lives to keep our's safe, " failed attemps ", is to patriotic. I wouldn't want them to not give us their best effort in return !! I hope that any pens that are not up to Gary's standard are silently put to rest. If the object is to just get them a pen that writes, you can buy a thousand for $190.00 and send them. I am sure your heart is in the right place, but this just don't seem like a good idea to me personaly. I keep all my not so good pens in a drawer until I have a day when I have spare time and see what I can do to correct the problem, use for spare parts as needed, or take them apart and start over. I think people who would buy pens in a junk box are looking for a deal more than craftsmanship. I don't think showing your faults is a good way to build a reputation, only a way of making money. Anyway, that's my thoughts. Peace to all !! Jim S


----------



## plantman (Oct 27, 2012)

Ted iin Michigan said:


> If the pens function but for some reason aren't "sellable", I have a "Bargain Bin". We do a couple shows each year and the box has been empty by the end of the show on occasion. Got the idea here.
> "Parts" from non-working pens go into a plastic bag. I save them for when I need them.


 
 Ted; I seem to be a little confused by your statement !! Are you selling the " unsellable " pens in your Bargain Bin ?? If so, you are missing a " quality " sale for every  bargain you sell. Do you want to be known as a " Bargain Bin " pen maker, or a skilled craftsman who makes quality pens ?? Showing your mistakes and selling them is not my idea of the way to premote yourself or your skills. Give the pens to the church, some organization that helps out the poor kids, Salvation Army, or Goodwill. That way you are helping others and your name isn't attached to the pens. A win win for all those involved. You can also take a deduction off your taxes for the cost of mateials if you like. Get your costs out, and chalk up your time as a learning curve. On the other hand, showing our pens on this site and having people look at them who have more knowledge, greater skills, and different ideas, is a great chance to improve one's own skills and knowledge. You are never to old to learn something new or different. Peace to all !! Jim S


----------



## johncrane (Oct 28, 2012)

Turf em!!!!!!!!!!!


----------



## Alzey (Oct 28, 2012)

I am very critical of my own work. They become saw dust if they have issues right on the lathe or become shop pens. Very few have i taken of the lathe to fix later. Although my wife and daughter have stolen a few "duds" from my shop.


----------



## reiddog1 (Oct 28, 2012)

I usually hold a special ceremony for the barrels that include a hammer, my workbench, and a well prepared eulogy made up of four letter words.  Don't knock it, it's very therapeutic!!

Dave


----------



## lteton (Oct 28, 2012)

I've found that if I blow one end, I can use the other to make a stubby styles for a touch screen device then cut the wood off the other end to reuse.


----------



## Mlsflt (Jan 5, 2013)

I smash them and recycle the chunks in future resin pours. Take out the agro of another failed turning on the blank itself!:smile-big: 

I save up my brass tubes, take them to the metal recycling place along with shell casings from all my time at the range. Brass is rather high at the moment.

If its just a slight flaw in the finish or bad spot in the wood, or just a fraction to large or small for my taste, I give to kids or donate to wounded warriors. Those guys really appreciate them, many like to write letters to family while they get better and we all know how much better a good pen makes writing long letters.


----------



## navycop (Jan 5, 2013)

I make a pen of my failed castoffs and give it to my wife. One of her co-workers at work will see it and want it. I guess beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Were I wasn't happy with the color (darkness) they will like it light, or I thought the barrel was over sized for the hardware they like that also.


----------



## Ehunt (Jan 5, 2013)

reiddog1 said:


> I usually hold a special ceremony for the barrels that include a hammer, my workbench, and a well prepared eulogy made up of four letter words.  Don't knock it, it's very therapeutic!!
> 
> Dave



LOL.  I'm a newbie.  My first two pens came out much better than I expected, today my third pen became a total failure.  This is the exact procedure I used, I must be more advanced than I thought.


----------



## NotURMailman (Jan 7, 2013)

It depends on what the "failure" is. Like said above, if it is just a finish issue or similiar I usually give them away. I'll keep them on my desk, and when some one picks it up and says how much they like it I will let them have it.


----------



## LarryDNJR (Jan 7, 2013)

paintspill said:


> give your unsellables to a kid and watch his or her eyes jump out of there head. as for the other unsellables i keep one of each style with my good pens so i can at least show people other styles, kits, and woods.



I like that idea.  I think I'm going to take a few of my less desirable pens with me and start handing them out to kids when I'm out and about.  After asking parents for permission of course.


----------



## JD Combs Sr (Jan 7, 2013)

mredburn said:


> I throw all my bad pen blanks/ tubes away.  I dont even bother to save the tubes. I buy tube sets 50 at a time and its not worth it to me to try and save a tube.


I agree with Michael, I don't buy 50 at a time but I do buy extra tubes.  To me a salvaged tube is a costly tube.  The only occasion that I would try to salvage one would be on a high end pen that I don't have a spare tube for however, refer to my first sentence.:wink:


----------



## gbpens (Jan 7, 2013)

If the pen barrel(s) do not meet standards why have they been assembled? Pieces that are blah or simple ruined go into a draw far later examination and possible repair such as adding accents at the ends of the barrels.


----------



## NewLondon88 (Jan 7, 2013)

I make up a special label that says "Skiprat Pens" and sell it.

Now people think I'm even better than him. :biggrin:


----------



## wiz9777 (Jan 8, 2013)

NewLondon88 said:


> I make up a special label that says "Skiprat Pens" and sell it.
> 
> Now people think I'm even better than him. :biggrin:



Lol:rotfl:Lol:rotfl:Lol


----------



## Jjcold (Jan 8, 2013)

<<Don't you think that having a bargain bin detracts from the value of the rest of your items.

I did a show where there was another "pen guy" there with a bargain bin on his table. I found it odd that he'd want to show off his failures.>>  Quotes

I haven't done any shows with pens yet, though I  have been a vendor numerous times with my other woodworking wares (Adirondack chairs and patio furniture)

I too have wondered what I would do with any pens that were good enough to be used or sell, but not quite up to the very high standards that I want to maintain when I do decide to sell.  

I think a bin with very usable and nice, but not "perfect" pens might go as a clearance bin, special sale, bargain, etc.  I wouldn't advertise them as seconds, even though in reality that's what they are.  

So far, though, I'm having fun practicing and giving away the fruits of my lathe. My family,friends and co-workers are getting some fun and nice pens!


----------



## 76winger (Jan 8, 2013)

What failed attempts?


----------



## walshjp17 (Jan 8, 2013)

Every pen is a learning experience.  My hope is that I do not "learn" too much every time.

For the most part, I keep the "hard" lessons with a hope that I can learn something else by recycling my lessons somehow. Haven't done much relearning yet, but am about to put together a lesson plan.


----------



## Phillikl (Jan 11, 2013)

Depending how severe the oops is what happens..... For example had some acrylic decide it was going to explode on me today, so it became a light pull.  And the other half, you guessed it; a fan pull!


----------



## Haynie (Jan 11, 2013)

Target practice.  I throw newly screwed up blanks at the old ones.


----------

