9 Mar 24'
"A all-round excellent day !!!
It began with a discussion about the range of pens I might choose to make, with samples of Derek’s work for me to handle as he explained the differences between the styles. He teased out my hopes for the day and my past experience. Although I had never used a wood turning lathe before, I felt I was being encouraged along to build up a picture of what I could realistically achieve during the day.
By the time I entered the workshop I felt I had a clear idea of what I was setting out to do, and confident that I would be coached along the way to reach my goal. I was surprised to find that I was the only student on the course that day and that it would be one-to-one tuition, although a couple of students may be more usual.
Derek demonstrated every step of the pen making process and talked me through alternative techniques for each step, explaining their relative merits (sometimes safety, other times quality of results or speed of work, personal preference, etc, etc) I was left feeling that not only did I know what I had to do at each step, but why I was doing it that way! When he handed the reins over to me, I was allowed to set up the equipment from scratch, sharpen cutting tools, etc. He watched me and coached at each step, so that I felt I was learning the whole task – I was not just a token witness in the workshop whilst the expert did the difficult bits. By the end of the day I felt that I had really made my own pen and, given the tools and material, I could make another.
At the natural breaks in the day, such as when glue was drying, etc, Derek proved to be very sociable, and unstintingly generous in sharing his knowledge and expertise, not only in the field of pen making, but it the wonderful tools and materials that abounded in his Aladdin’s cave of a workshop.
The end of the day came far too swiftly, but I left feeling enriched in practical, re-usable skills. Thank you, Derek for a memorable day.
David Ogleby : Mastering Pen Making, 8 March 2024.
"
Assynt Pens responded:
"Thank you for your kind words David. I’m delighted you left not only with a fabulous fountain pen, but increased knowledge and awareness of the process. I really feel the latter is more important than the former. A great day all round!"
