A CRAFTSMAN is packing his bags for India to help mentor a business in the art of pen making.

Six months ago, woodturner Ron Caddy, of Acorn Crafts, was asked to mentor an Indian man who has a passion for pens and wanted to learn the craft to create a luxury handcrafted pen business.

On Tuesday he will be flying to Kochi, in southwest India’s coastal Kerala state, to officially help launch luxury brand Rytol Pens working with entrepreneur Sreenath Vishnu.

Ron said: “I thought this opportunity was too good to be true.”

The Indian entrepreneur’s love of pens was inspired by his grandfather’s collection of over 2,500 writing implements.

Having already sold 15 luxury handcrafted pens to Rolls-Royce India, Sreenath reached out to Ron to help him improve his technical pen making skills.

Ron’s woodturning journey began in 1990 after his wife had secretly booked him onto a course as a Christmas present.

For the past 14 years, Ron has worked out of a unit at the Fairground Craft Centre, in Weyhill, but recently moved to a purpose-built workshop which is operating from his home.

Ron said: “Wanting to create something more useful than bowls, I had previously started making pens, using the Bic, discarding the plastic outside.

“The move to the centre developed the pen business and I now produce more pens than what I would call general woodturning including turning finials for cottages along the river at Ower.”

The expert craftsman has created his bespoke pens for several international companies.

He has enjoyed teaching others his craft throughout the years and is part of a nationwide team teaching teenagers the craft of woodturning alongside being the national coordinator for youth training for the Association of Woodturners of Great Britain.