As anyone running both a business and a busy home knows, life can generally become a balancing act between the two. I sometimes think it may have been easier to learn to juggle or walk a tightrope in a circus! However, the rewards and satisfaction gleaned from having my own company, through creating something bespoke and special for my customers, make it all worthwhile.
The last few months here at Scriptorium Pens have been really busy and exciting. So many changes have been and continue to be made.
Early this year, as my regular visitors to my Instagram feed and other pages will be aware, I moved the entire pens production unit out of a spare bedroom in the house and into my father’s old workshop. Much effort was required in getting the old place cleared out, cleaned up, and ready for new equipment. A new Grizzly “Gunsmith” lathe now takes pride of place in the shop, and the tooling is close to hand.
The move was not as easy at you may think, though. That metal lathe is a heavy piece of machinery, weighing in at over 1,300lbs.! To make things even more of a challenge, the floor in the workshop was really out of level. Fortunately, I have a wonderfully supportive brother who has been a godsend in this whole process. I never imagined how much work there would be in setting all this up and keeping the pens crafting ticking over at the same time! All is working well in the “Scriptorium Workshop World” now though, with continuous development in mind, as well as the space to accommodate it.
It was initially like setting up a room in the house to put the furniture in the right places. If I moved my equipment once, I moved it a thousand times to get it to work for me. Well, I spend so much time out there it needs to be comfy, bright, cool…. Oh yes, I also needed a new AC unit; it can get really hot out there in the humid Mississippi summertime.
Jumping from a wood lathe to a metal lathe comes with a big learning curve. Fortunately, I love learning new things, and this new lathe makes work easier, faster, better, and more fun.
Things to Come
Come this October, Scriptorium Pens will head into its 3rd year. Three is always the magic number, right? So, I plan to throw a little magic into this coming year by way of special new fountain & dip pen designs, new clip designs, and possibly even a celebration version of the Idyll, the Scriptorium’s best seller.
In an effort to streamline web work & free up more time for pen production, I’ll be highlighting recently made pens here on the Home page, while continuing to add them to their usual model galleries. The “Recent Additions” page, however, will be removed, and the Home page will truly become the hub of the site.
Other changes are planned for this 3rd year, but as those will come later, I’ll wait to go into detail on those developments. 😊 Meanwhile, enjoy a slideshow of some of my recently made pens.
Scriptorium Pens 