Pens By Ken

Kantele​(Finnish traditional harp) Hey, was a lot easier than making a bagpipe. Instrument is for sale, $250.00 if you are Finnish, $75.00 if you are not.

Post office door bank, door came from a renovated Cary post office, wood from  mahogany scraps after office renovation.

Pen made from Carolina Lighter Wood (long leaf pine stump at least 150 years old harvested from old turpentine distillery site) This pen has a disclaimer though, if you write too fast it might catch fire. 

I wanted a good fountain pen and bought a pen kit without seeing what was involved building it.  Getting it home and realizing I needed a lathe I promptly went to Craigslist and found a lathe about 3 years older than me.  Got it in September and made my fountain pen and one for Julie.  She was proud of it and showed it to friends.  By the year end I had made and sold over $2,000.00 in pens.  Honestly had never touched a lathe before that.  The next year I made a big mistake, taking an order for 150 pens to go in a craft store in Las Vegas.  A fun hobby became a pain in the butt business. 

Finishing that order I retired from pen making for at least 10 months until family began hinting (demanding) holiday presents.  Being sufficiently inspired I agreed to start making them again.  Another successful holiday season and my first decent idea, making pens from something that has a meaning for the user.  A wooden pen from that old tree you used to climb at your grandmother's house is special for the client.

I make pens for homebuilders and realtors from Corian to match countertops for new home owner gifts.  Graduation pens have all the right answers built in, up to the graduate to get them out. 

Founder of the Archer's Lodge Pencrafters Guild, I started making pens several years ago.   

About PensbyKen