US Army South master sergeant creates functional art for retirement

02.11.2008

Story by Staff Sgt. Nicholas Lutton 

U.S. Army South

TEXAS - Retirement can be like a pen that has broken and leaked all over your uniform; it's a messy ordeal. Master Sgt. Kenneth Schilling doesn't have that problem. Schilling focuses on Soldiers and their careers. Schilling is a Career Counselor for US Army South. He is close to retirement and isn't worried about his future.

"I actually started off making custom picture frames. So when I was making all these custom frames, I had parts and pieces left over. My wife said, 'well we got to figure out something to use with it. Why don't you try turning pens?'," said Schilling.

Master Sgt. Shilling's hobby is hand crafting pens from exotic wood. He currently has over 150 pens in stock ranging from $20 to $325 dollars. However, you won't find him selling them at the Post Exchange.

"Believe it or not, I don't advertise or sell a whole lot here (US Army South) because I don't want the conflict of interest. I market my pens off-post. My focus here is the Soldier's career. This is just a hobby that has gone out of control and became a business."

Schilling says he mostly enters and sells at juried art shows. He said he likes it because his work has to be admitted and the customers are there specifically to purchase art.

"All of my pens I consider functional art. They are made to use, they are made to display and to be enjoyed. In today's society we tend to use the computer a lot and we have gotten away from using an ink pen to correspond with, but it is actually coming back. More and more people are resorting back to it. They are realizing that even though they have PDA's and stylus' they actually have to use a pen," said Schilling.

After Schilling is through with his military career he plans to focus on "turning" pens, and he wants others to know there is life after the Army.

"I have a business that I am looking forward to. It is completely self-contained. My spouse is active duty military and she's got another nine years to go before she retires. I needed to have a profession that was completely mobile, and this business is completely mobile, 100 percent," said Schilling.

Schilling said he works with wood from all over the world including wood from Southeast Asia, Africa, South America, Australia, Greece, and Olive Wood from Bethlehem.

"I have a pen made from Amboynia Burl. Amboynia Burl is unique to Southeast Asia, and it is also the same wood they line the dashboards of Jaguars with. I have customers come up and purchase a pen without me even telling them about the wood, and eight times out of ten, they are Jaguar owners," said Schilling.

According to Schilling, many people are surprised by his favorite wood in Texas.

"My favorite wood here in Texas, believe it or not, is not Mesquite. I know, I get a lot of people, so many of my customers, that look at me like I'm crazy. Personally, I like a wood called Texas Ebony. It's a very pretty wood that has lots of character to it," said Schilling.

Schilling said he has also done special requests for customers.

"You'd be surprised at what people request. I had a customer who had a broken baseball bat from a pro-game and wanted me to make a pen out of it for his son," said Schilling.

Wood turning has different tools involved than a normal workshop has in it. When Schilling got started he said he read a book about it, watched a video and did research.

"The process used for this is actually wood turning. Once you place the wood in the lathe, the lathe can spin anywhere from 500 revolutions per minute to 3000 RPM's. At different speeds you apply different gouges that are used to remove the wood. Eventually it will take on a cylindrical shape and that is when you can start shaping and making different contours," said Schilling.

He said he can spend anywhere from 40 minutes to 6 hours creating a pen.

"I learn something new every time I turn because each medium that you turn is very different. When you go from one type of wood to another type of wood to plastic, the technique and style is very different because each medium acts differently. It's enjoyable and definitely therapeutic because I can get into my shop and start turning and lose track of all kinds of things. You also learn what the customer is looking for," said Schilling.

Schilling said he just wants Soldiers to know they have to think about retirement, before they retire.

"The moral of the story is sometimes you may not know what you are going to do when you retire, and sometimes it is right smack in your face. You just have to open your eyes. And there's without a doubt, life after the Army," said Schilling.

For Master Sgt. Schilling and Soldiers like him, it seems as if the broken pen hasn't leaked on them just yet.

• Date Taken: 02.11.2008
• Date Posted: 02.11.2008 11:08
• Story ID: 16226