Tomcat's Creations

Tom makes amazing handcrafted pens! He describes the process of making his one of a kind pens as involving a fair amount of time, specialized equipment and numerous steps. They include selecting the hardware kit and the "blank", cutting the blank to spec, drilling and gluing the blank, and endmilling. This is all before even getting to the lathe. Once on the lathe the shaping is done followed by finishing. The acrylics go through a 12 stage sanding process and 2 stages of polishing while the woods get 4 stages of sanding, 6-8 coats of finish and followed by 2 stages of polishing. They are then inspected under bright lights for defects, then assembled. All are refillable with replacements available from any office supply store.

Be sure to visit http://www.tomcatscreations.etsy.com/ to see his amazing unique hand crafted pens.

By Tomcat's Creations

My name it Tom and I'm a pen addict! It all began a few years ago when my granfather presented me with a lathe for Christmas after hearing about my idea for a chess set. I only had to buy my own chisels to get started. Shortly after getting things set up to "play" a lot of things happened. I became very busy with work (no time to play), welcomed our third child into the world (really no time to play), moved (toys in storage) and my father passed away... In the weeks following the latest I spent a fair amount of alone time in my shop thinking and sorting through things. I rediscovered my lathe and some pen kits that I had bought to try a few months previous. (My father had collected corporate pens and I thought they would make great gifts!!) The first couple turned out good, the next pair were better and became wedding presents, and the next few went under the Christmas tree for friends and family. After getting numerous positive comments I decided to make my hobby a business. Later that summer I landed a large corporate order. I now have my work in use throughout Canada and the US and even a couple in Taipai and Australia. I also donate items to local childrens charities for their silent auctions. Many thanks are given to my family for supporting my frequent absences to the shop and constant thoughts as to what material I will use in my next pen.



I also dedicate this craft in memory to my father who taught me to use my hands.