FOREWORD

I clearly remember turning my first pen. I also remember, before I even bought a pen kit, the confusion and difficulty I had in trying to establish the things I would need, and even trying to work out what a pen kit actually is, how it’s prepared and turned, and how it fits together.

These days there is a wealth of information on the internet, but even so, it’s not all necessarily in one place. It’s still easy to get confused and end up chasing your own tail. Experienced turners forget that once they started from a position of next to no knowledge, and certainly with no experience, and those are often the people who are imparting some, but irritatingly, not all of the stuff you want to know.

Here though, apart from turning tools, abrasives and glue, is everything you need to turn a pen, and everything you need to know in order to do it.

We explain not only what to do, but also why and how. It's all very well telling someone to drill out a pen blank, or to press a pen together, but if you've done neither before, or if you don't own some of the gear that you may well accumulate in the future, but which many pen makers take for granted, just telling someone to press a pen together is not much help.  Therefore we show you ways of achieving the tasks ahead of you, using equipment you've probably already got.

The pen kits themselves, the pen blanks and the pen pouches are obviously single use - you’re going to make each one of them into a pen, but all the other elements in this starter set are re-usable, and will last for a long, long time.

The other factor you will need to consider, which isn’t included in this kit, is applying some sort of finish to your pens once the turning is done, in order to seal and protect the wood, and to make it shine. We have a separate Pen Finishing Starter Pack for this which is available to buy separately, that also comes with comprehensive instructions.

www.beaufortink.co.uk/pen-finishing-starter-kit

Absolutely everyone who makes pens started in exactly the same position that you are in now. For many, it will always remain an absorbing hobby, others use it to supplement their income, whilst some derive their entire income from pen making. You might like to keep your very first pen - you’ll be able to compare it to the ones you make going forward, to appreciate how much and how quickly your skills advance over time.

Before you read on though, a quick word about pen kits.

When I started out, the market was dominated by cheap kits imported from China. That was certainly a contributing factor to my not-very-good first pen, and of course my almost total lack of skills and knowledge at the time was another. I started Beaufort Ink a few years later, precisely to address the first of those issues - to provide pen kits at the other end of the spectrum to the Chinese imports. Therefore, the pen kits included in this starter set are of the highest quality, because that’s the only quality we produce. Making your first pen from a pen kit that isn’t very good is not especially rewarding - making your first pen from a pen kit that ranks amongst the best available worldwide is a completely different experience.

Wherever your pen making takes you in the future, I hope that you do find it rewarding, and above all, that you enjoy the journey.

Phil Dart
Beaufort Ink