Author: newtonpens

Scholarships auctions – and building a new enclosure for my old CNC

Hi Everybody!

Hope you’re enjoying your weekend and Happy Labor Day!

It’s not a day off for me, just a slightly slower day.  🙂  I was thinking the other day about this- and I don’t think I’ve ever done anything but work on Labor Day (except when I was teaching, but we might have had mandatory PD?? – I don’t remember).  When I was a kid my parents both worked (Turkey day and Xmas were the only 2 days a year they were guaranteed off) and I don’t think I ever knew anybody who did anything special on this day…

So for the last few years I have been absolutely embarrassed any time somebody came to the shop, even friends and family, b/c of the state of my old CNC enclosure.  It started off like this with this absolutely USELESS flappy door over the chuck…

Here in December 2018, after only a solid month or so of owning it, I had wrapped plastic all over it to keep coolant from going EVERYWHERE.

By May 2019 I upgraded to some plexi and it looked prettier…

But it didn’t look pretty for long.

Sept 2021

And here I am TEARING IT APART.  🙂  Finally.

I’ll put together another video for next week so you can see it all finished up.  It’s turned out way better than I thought it would, though if I were starting over I’d do it diferently and better.  X)

 

 

Exhausted Sunday… too hot….

It’s been miserable the last few days.  I built a thing this four day weekend and just barely got it done earlier today.  I mean by the skin of my teeth.  🙂
Not like there was a time line though.  X)  But it was 100+ degrees each day I was working – thankfully in the shade.  But I’m still worn out from it.

I’ll share more about that next weekend with another video.

Today I want to share a new part I made for a customer who’s pen broke.

And of course, who could forget about the scholarship auctions?  🙂

(pens shown below)

 

Sunday Videos!

I’m back from DC and my schedule is kind of back to normal… until the Dallas show in September anyways.   So here’s my Sunday video!

And here’s something for a project one of my old students, Geneva Stone, is doing.  She’s raising money to help some families in need get their kids ready for school.  She’s a good kid, and I’m proud of her for doing this.  I know I’m a little late, but better late than never.

Click to go to ebay auction.

I’ll be uploading more pens for the scholarship auctions this week.

And don’t forget about a whole slew of pens at 35% off at the web store.

Thanks!

Shawn

 

2023 DC Pen Show

2023 DC Pen Show

I started to film a bit on Friday morning, but as soon as it got a little busy I set the camera down and forgot all about it.  I wanted to say hi to everybody!

My table:

And the penmakers I met!!

Sean Allott – London Pen Co (London, Ontario, Canada)

Me and JC the Nib Tailor!

And here is a video where I started work on the nib testers he had at his table.

Ben – Mayfair Pens

David – Figboot on Pens.  I just call him Figgy.  🙂

DarailPenz!!  Y’all we gotta push him to get a big metal lathe.  🙂

Vivek of Urushi Studios India.  Super cool guy!  Gave me this pen.

Hello Tello – Me – Tim TurnT!!

Hello again.

And Lisa Vanness!!  I rode up with Lisa and Chad (bearded Chad) from Arkansas.  We had a great time chatting it up in the Pen Van.  🙂

(and Ben-Mayfair peeking in)

Wood Wonders – Charlie

Walltown Pens – Brett

Friday night JC took several of us to Korean BBQ and it was all different and new to me, but holy cow it was GOOD.  You can see here not much left.  The fermented cucumbers/onions/peppers (exactly to left of the front water bottle – red sauce) were AMAZING.  Holy cow.  And it had a nice spicy hot kick to it.  🙂

Kristen Brooks – Sean Allott

Figboot deep in thought

Brooksy, Mark Bacas, JC

Brooksy and me at the bakery next door.  Yo, red beans (they’re a sweet red bean, Adzuki) mushed up in a pastry are dangerous.  Good thing I don’t live close to something like that.  X)

Sunday Night I went with Chad from Vanness, Matthew Chen (amazing nib grinding wunderkind), his mom Nina, and DanDon!  Ramen for dinner.  First we had fried octopus balls, pan fried dumplings, and soy bean things… I forget what they were called.  Delicious top to bottom!  This was WAY better than the ramen I had in Little Rock a while back.  No comparison even.  Why is there so much good food so far away???

DanDon, Nina, Me

The show was great.  If you’ve never been to a big show, you have to try to make it to at least one.  There are lots all over the country that I’d call big.  DC, Chicago, San Fran, LA/California.  Then Dallas is up there, Atlanta, Baltimore I think.  Then some smaller ones like Arkansas and the new Pacific Northwest show and a many others.

Pen Show Schedule

Thanks for making it a great show for me!

And if you haven’t seen yet, I’m clearing inventory, making space for new pens.  You can get 35% off of any of my discounted pens with purchase of at least one regular priced pen.