Pens for Mom & Dad

[David Walser]

I'm flying up to Utah to deliver my parent's Christmas gifts tonight. Actually, I'm flying up to pick up my daughter from college. So, while I'm in the area, I thought I'd drop by my parents and give them a couple of extra gifts -- they've already received the package containing the ice cream scoop I posted on earlier.

Anyway, here are pictures of the two pens (in the background is a small box I turned years ago). Both are Sierra Elegant Beauty kits. One black titanium w/ Gold accents and the other black titanium w/ platinum accents. The blanks are from Arizona Silhouette and are Berea HardWood's Invisavue blanks. It's the first time I turned an Invisavue blank. I think they turned out nicely. No finish on the blanks, just micro meshed all the way through the grits.

Question: Which one to give Mom and which one to give Dad?

Let me know what you think.

[Bernie Weishapl]

Very elegant and classy looking pens. Nicely done. They are going to love them.

[Steve Schlumpf]

David - beautiful pens! You're folks are going to love them! As far as who gets what - why not wrap them together in a single box and let them pick which one they like best!

Have a safe trip!

[Jim Kountz]

Nicely done, Im sure they will love them. I dont know why but I immediately thought the white one for your mother.

[Don Carter]

David:
Your Mom and Dad will love them! Great work! Merry Christmas to you and your family.

All the best.

Don

[David Walser]

I appreciate all the kind words.Merry Christmas all!

[Dewey Torres]

Very Slick David... Have a safe trip and Happy Holidays to you as well.

[Mark Hix]

They both look great! Give Mom the light one.

[Jon Lanier]

Nice pens... really! But my eye did catch on to that little container. I really really like it.

[David Walser]

Jon - Thanks for the kind words.That small box has become one of my fovorite things, which is interesting only because I was so upset when I made it I almost threw it in the burn pile. I had all but finished the box. Everything was done, except for refining the fit of the lid -- which I'd made nice and tight so I could use the base as a jam chuck to finish the top of the lid. Anyway, as the lathe was spinning down, I grabbed the lid to pull it off. Instead of pulling the lid off, all I did was stop the lid's rotation. The box continued to spin, the resulting friction burned the tenon (you can see the scoarch marks in the photo) and produced a "sloppy" fit. I thought I'd ruined the box. Now, that "one hand fit" is one of the box's best features.Sorry to go on so long. I'm stuck at the airport with nothing else to do.

[David Walser]

A quick update: My parents love their new pens. I've spoken with them twice since Christmas, and Mom won't quit raving about them. (I'm going to have to get her to understand I did not make the metal parts!) I took Steve's advice and put both pens into one package. Mom choose the speckled pen for herself and left the white one for Dad. That's not the outcome I'd predicted. Her reason: She likes yellow gold.

Thanks for all your comments and kind words.

[Rick Prosser]

I am glad you let them (her) choose.

I made 15-20 pens and took them to our family Christmas gathering. I placed them on a display bar, and announced that everyone could pick the one they wanted. The display got handed around and everyone had a great time looking at the pens and finding the one they liked. I think the looking/choosing was as much fun as unwrapping a gift.

You just never know what will make a pen special for them.