Outstanding in my field!
Don’t you just love people who tell you all about the area you operate in? Well I do if they are outstanding in their field (like me in the photo!), but from on-line suppliers, when you question whether as Noddy would say they had “been tricky with their words.” Maybe not. By all means make your own mind up – after all I wouldn’t want to tell you what to think or feel!
I recently commented on a purchase from a well known auction site that the description was accurate, but that the pen kits bought, for the first time ever, needed to have an unusual drill size (10.5mm without glue, 11mm with thin or 11.5 with medium viscosity glue) and not the usual 10mm affair (with thin glue) which has been the case for every pen bought from the UK, USA, Australia and South Pacific. This is where I’ve bought my larger pen kits from in the past. The cigar, rollerball, bullet pens and key rings all use this 10mm tube, and have all been fine irrespective of purchase place. On inspection these new pens, from a new supplier, looked as though they were the same. On drilling the wood they were not!
The seller, one with a jokey pun name, based in Derbyshire, told me “you will find most different types & makes of kits have different sized tubes & require different sized drills – it is part of pen turning in general.” Well, from my experience, across the last six years I say:
“No!”
Kits come in standard sizes, 7 or 10mm.
The seller kindly went on with “We do not state the drill sizes needed in our listings, as almost inevitably someone will disagree & say another size works better so we leave it up to the pen turner to measure the tubes & make up their own mind.” Mmmm, how would I do that from a mobile phone photo used in an auction listing?
Finally, their fantastic customer service let me know “We do not have the instructions for the… pen.” I know, and the photos don’t show that the top and bottom, or bottom and top, depending on which you pick up first are different length tubes.
Thanks very much indeed!
However later on they did offer some help “This type of pen kit has been available under this same name for years from various suppliers…. I suggest you ask before purchasing if you need to know sizes etc of any other types of kits…..” I have been offered a refund (minus two sets of postage and the ‘packing’ excess for the jiffy bag they came in). So I could lose 30-40% of the purchase price in posting the kits back, or learn from the experience.
The gems I’ve picked up are:
(1) Be careful with your advice, offer it positively. Always!
(2) The pen kit is indeed available from various suppliers, difficult to find, but there is another in the UK. They are cheaper on price, cheaper for delivery, and send some of their profits to an on-line charity I agree with.
If the super chunky pens go well (I think they will), I will be using my experiences to choose my supplier with care.
“Be kind whenever possible. It is always possible.” Dalai Lama.
Have a great day.
What a beautiful setting and a well organised event with a whole range of different crafts and skills on display. This event was my highlight of the year to date. I got a great location on the landing, and with the new rocker and camshaft lights I could display well and could easily have seen myself as a character in a murder game – Cleudo does Alston Hall.
Turned Out Nice 