Custom Pens

Custom Pen Pricing

Many people have asked what I charge for the pens I make. I always hesitate in my response, due to all the many variables in making a custom pen. My starting price for custom pens is $75 with the price increasing with the difficulty of the project and materials. To order a pen go to etsy shop .

That’s A Lot of Pens – Georgia Preschool Association Board Appreciation Pens – March 2021

I am so proud of the work my wife does as an advocate for preschool children. She has taught two-year-old classes, preschool music, worked with K-1 in the public school system, and is a retired preschool director. After retirement, she continues her work with the Georgia Preschool Association (GPA) (www.georgiapreschool.org) as a GPA Board member and association president. The association’s primary mission is to provide high-quality in-person training annually in Atlanta with attendance as high as 1,400 attendees. They also offer training across the state for smaller groups. In 2021, training online, they continue to provide high-quality interactive training online to 800 attendees. The pens are made from floorboards from a 1940s (or older) house on Lovvorn Road in Carrollton, GA, behind the University of West Georgia. The home was next to the family-owned country store with gas pumps. Also of note, these are the first pens that I have laser engraved.

“I’m Somebody!” – Pink Pine Cone Pen – February 2021

This pen is my “I’m somebody pen!” I have a five-star review. Pine con pens are fun to make because you never know how they will turn out once they are turned. That is why they are so great to make. Each one is unique, and there will never be one the same. Because this was a special-order “pink” pen and very little pink showed after I turned it, I decided to add a little glitter and slightly tint the cone pink’s lighter color. I am glad the glitter is appreciated.

Farmer’s Market Pen – 2020

I like going to the local farmer’s market on Saturday mornings and visit with the vendors. My friend Chris at C&L Farms Grows when he found out I turned pens offered me some old flooring from a house that at one time was on their farm. Below is the pen I turned for him. The discoloration at the end is where the end grain absorbed moisture from being left outdoors. Now when I visit with Chris and LeAnn, I also get to visit with a pen I turned. The floor boards were from the 1940’s (or older) house his step-father grew up in on Lovvorn Road in Carrollton, GA behind the University of West Georgia. The house was next to the family owned country store with gas pumps. I am glad to have found this wood and am able to make this pen for Chris. As I make pens for others, I look forward to sharing the origins of the wood used in their pen.

Charlie’s Groomsmen Pens – June 2019

My nephew asked if I would make pens for his groomsmen. So, I found a “manly” pen and then selected bloodwood for the pen which included sapwood. The sapwood gave the pen two different colors without the need to segment together two different woods. Again, when I showed the first pen to my wife she asked if this was for her. I said I am working on it…

Aspen Branch Pen – Christmas 2018 

Taking a simple stick from a special place is one of my favorite materials for pens.  Places are special as well as gifts. It seems magical when you can combine both into a simple object that when touched, can instantly bring back memories of what is special and important to us.

---

Sea Shell Pen – December 2018

Was made from sea shells collected from Clearwater Beach and Indian Rocks Beach given to me by the recipients sister!!

---

Pine Cone Family –  December, 2018 by Dave Mercier

Taking a simple pine cone from a special place is one of my favorite materials for pens.  Places are special as well as gifts. It seems magical when you can combine both into a simple object that when touched, can instantly bring back memories of what is special and important to us.

The pen was turned on a wood turning lathe to a smooth durable six-layer finish.  And when I say smooth… dry sanded with five different grits of sandpaper, six different wet sanding steps and then four different polishing and buffing steps.  The pen uses Cross refills so that it can be used for many years and with any color of refill available.

---

Coffee in the Morning-  February 28, 2018 by Dave Mercier

The blank was hand made using real coffee beans embedded in cream (a white polyester resin). Coffee in the morning is one of my wife’s favorite pen.

Kitchen Sink – Window to a Blue Sky – February 28, 2018 by Dave Mercier

Window to a Blue Sky pen is my first pen using leftovers from previous pens embedded in mix of blue and white polyester resin. The leftover materials remind me of our kitchen and the blue and white remind me of the sky I see through the window. I like it when my pens surprise me with an emotion. I smiled when I saw the blue sky.

Preschool Construction Paper Pen – February 28, 2018 by Dave Mercier

The construction paper pen is my first pen using colored construction paper embedded in polyester resin. The construction paper is made by layering each sheet in resin resulting in a durable micarta. The pen is simple but let me revisit my days in preschool when I learned to cut with scissors and then glue the paper on paper.  I am glad I got to use my preschool skills in making this pen.

Deer Antler – Christmas Gifts – December, 2016 by Dave Mercier

I was asked to make four pens for the “boys” in the family for Christmas.  The antlers were from their previous hunts.  Some of the pens are a little “fat” to help show the outer part of the antler.  The more the pen is turned the whiter and less “marbling” is seen.  I made sure each kit was a little different to assure that each recipient had a unique gift.  I am sure everyone thought that their wife / mom-in-law / grandmother was the greatest after receiving their unique Christmas gift.