Why I Started Making Handmade Pens

People often assume I've always made pens.

The truth is, I haven't.

In fact, pen making came along almost by accident – and I'm very glad it did.

Let me tell you how it all started.

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It Began with Woodturning

My journey into making handmade pens actually started with a woodturning lathe.

Like many people who discover woodturning, I couldn't wait to see what I could create. Bowls, rolling pins, candlesticks... if it could be turned on a lathe, I wanted to have a go.

I wasn't making them to sell.

I was making them for the people who mattered most to me, family, friends and the colleagues I worked with.

There's something incredibly satisfying about taking a plain piece of wood and turning it into something useful. Better still, it meant I could give people gifts that I'd made with my own hands.

The House Started Filling Up...

As my confidence grew, so did the collection.

Every spare shelf seemed to acquire another bowl.

There were rolling pins in cupboards, candlesticks on sideboards and enough wooden creations to make my family wonder if I was secretly planning to open a furniture shop.

Looking back, they probably had a point.

That's when my family stepped in with a suggestion (or a plea!!) that changed everything.

"Why Don't You Try Making Pens?"

They booked me onto a pen-making course.

At the time, I thought it would simply be an interesting day out.

I couldn't have been more wrong.

The moment I completed my first pen, I was hooked.

Unlike many other turned items, a pen isn't just something you look at – it's something people use every day.

It travels with them to work, signs important documents, writes birthday cards, fills journals and often becomes their favourite pen without them even realising it.

I loved that idea.

More Than Just a Piece of Wood

Making a handmade pen is surprisingly rewarding.

Every blank starts as a simple piece of wood, resin or acrylic.

Slowly, as it's shaped, sanded, polished and assembled, it begins to develop its own character.

No two are ever exactly alike.

Even after making many pens, I still enjoy the moment when the final polish goes on and the grain or colours suddenly come alive.

It's a feeling that hasn't worn off.

Why I Still Love Making Pens

People sometimes ask me if making pens ever becomes repetitive.

Honestly?

Not for a second.

Every blank is different.

Every customer has a different story.

Some people are buying a retirement gift.

Others are celebrating a birthday, an anniversary or a new job.

Sometimes they're simply treating themselves because they've always wanted a pen that nobody else owns.

Knowing that something I've made will become part of those moments is a privilege I never take for granted.

From My Workbench

If someone had told me years ago that a house full of wooden bowls would eventually lead to me making handmade pens, I would probably have laughed.

Yet here I am.

I'm still learning, still experimenting with new materials and still enjoying every opportunity to create something unique.

I don't think it's really about making pens.

It's about making something that people enjoy using, something that lasts and something that's made with care rather than rushed off a production line.

Final Thoughts

Looking back, I'm grateful my family persuaded me (told me to stop with the bowls etc.) to try that pen-making course.

Without a house overflowing with bowls, rolling pins and candlesticks, it might never have happened.

Every pen I make today is a reminder of where that journey began.

And every time someone chooses one of my pens, they're not just buying a writing instrument.

They're taking home a small part of a story that started with a woodturning lathe, a very understanding family... and a house that was rapidly running out of shelf space.