Pen Storage?

[AzJon]

Howdy all!

What do you all use for storing your pens? Mine all live in a pen cup at the moment, but as I'm now breaking the 10 pen barrier, and acquiring nicer pens, I would like to have something to store them in that helps protect the pens and saves space. Does anyone have experience with different pen cases? I'm concerned that the elastic bands in many available cases (or the possibility of cheap velvet) means my pens will risk scratching.

[fpquest]

Most of my pens are stored in a cheap 48 pen case I bought on eBay. A lot of choices, all from China. Nothing fancy but it hasn't fallen apart after a couple of years and no scratched pens. I think it was about $10 including shipping. For my nicer pens I used to use a Franklin-Christoph Penvelop 13 and moved to an Aston leather 24 pen case which I picked up at a pen show. The Aston is a better quality and provides more protection than the cheap case and the pen loops are bigger so it holds bigger pens. The cloth divider that keeps each side separate is also much more protective than the cheap case. None of these has scratched my pens.

[Anne]

You do have to be careful with the type of velvet you use. On Richard Binder's site, he explains that the velvet needs to be Cotton velvet. He also recommends suede. You can make a simple pen roll. I use cotton Flannel, with a denim or canvas material on the outside to give a little more protection. But, I only let the pen touch the soft flannel side.
Everyone: Correct me if I am wrong, but I think that even with certain leathers ( pertaining to what they use to finish the leather with ), you have to be careful that the pen doesn't touch it. I think that with nice cases, they always have a lining. Probably cotton?

[david i]

40 linear inches of wall. 40 inches tall. 14 inches deep. Roughly 4500 fountain pens safely stored.

http://vacumania.com/penteech2/pencase_case_cabinet_4000pen950a.jpg

regards

d

[Terie_Benjamin]

40 linear inches of wall. 40 inches tall. 14 inches deep. Roughly 4500 fountain pens safely stored.

http://vacumania.com/penteech2/pencase_case_cabinet_4000pen950a.jpg

regards

d
I'm green with envy

[Anne]

...divider that keeps each side separate is also much more protective...

Exactly. I think this is one of the most important features.
...personally I would never buy any case that did not have a full divider between pens. I see some fancy ones that offer a couple of flaps and that is not good enough, as far as I am concerned.

[top pen]

I'm down about 10 pens. I've got pen box which I made with my dad a few summers back which was made from an old microscope slide box and is felt lined which holds 8 pens. I keep the bulk of my pens in there. I also have pen wrap that I was fortunate enough to be given which I normally take few pens to uni in. Then I also have an inexpensive leather pen slip which lives in my satchel which carries that days pen.

For the time being what I have suffices however in the long term I'd like to get a bespoke pen box made something like whats shown in this video.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zEDHZzbLuaU


I don't like elastic pen cases as they can damage pens. I bought a Diplomat Excellence A Marakech last year and noticed some marks in the lacquer where the band had been sitting. that kept the pen on the cushion inside the box. I had to exchange the pen for that reason. I don't know if it was due to the pressure exerted by the band or solvents in the rubber?

[AzJon]

40 linear inches of wall. 40 inches tall. 14 inches deep. Roughly 4500 fountain pens safely stored.

http://vacumania.com/penteech2/pencase_case_cabinet_4000pen950a.jpg

regards

d

Someday...

That's a great set up! I'm truly envious. That's quite the collection, Dave!

[Runnin_Ute]

I just ordered a couple of the Chinese 12 pen cases (6 to a side) ($6.84 each) , but don't have them yet. I was growing out of the pen roll I have been using for the last couple of years.

[tandaina]

I have a nice wood toolbox that was being sold at hardware stores, Costco, etc for a while. It has two big drawers, lots of little drawers, a hinged lid on top that holds ink well.

But what I've been using most is my Wolf Valet (http://www.amazon.com/WOLF-460310-Meridian-Charging-Burlwood/dp/B00BN5Y4NU) that sits on my desk and holds random crap (and a cat) in the recessed top, and has lots of pen storage plus other stuff storage below. I got mine on Massdrop but the prices available online are pretty close to the price the drop went for. It's a lovely piece of furniture. Holds about 24 pens and for me is just about right.

[Hawk]

I purchased rwo 48 leather pen cases from an ebay vender. When they arrived, there was a horrible smell and the leather was some sort of plastic or petroleum based product; with the volatile gasses being released. The price was cheap, I should have know it was too good to be true. Anyways, I was reluctant to put vintage pens in that environment due to the possibility of doing damage to my pens. They are going back.
I prefer 24 pen leather cases....

[AzJon]

I have a nice wood toolbox that was being sold at hardware stores, Costco, etc for a while. It has two big drawers, lots of little drawers, a hinged lid on top that holds ink well.

But what I've been using most is my Wolf Valet (http://www.amazon.com/WOLF-460310-Meridian-Charging-Burlwood/dp/B00BN5Y4NU) that sits on my desk and holds random crap (and a cat) in the recessed top, and has lots of pen storage plus other stuff storage below. I got mine on Massdrop but the prices available online are pretty close to the price the drop went for. It's a lovely piece of furniture. Holds about 24 pens and for me is just about right.


Oh! That valet is lovely! might have to save up for one of those...

[DASEFnib]

Right now I'm using a faux-leather 32 pen padded case from Penn State Industries (#PK-DISP2)......$37US....
A very nice case....but I'm about to grow out of it.....!!!:facepalm:

Always try to get the disbs.....on fountain pens with EF nibs!!

[amk]

I manage to get the boxes that Lipton's and Elephant and Dammann (French brand) teabags come in, either for free or for very little from flea markets, and then rip out the dividers. It's a simple matter to fold up a piece of card into accordion pleats to make a basic pen holder that fits in the bottom. That's cheap, useful, and holds about 15 pens. You can also glue a piece of faux suede or felt to the card for better protection, or even go the whole hog and line the sides of the box too. Also works with cigar boxes. (Or you can do as many do and buy a foam tray from GoPens to insert.)

I've proceeded to the rather less easy job of making trays that will fit the boxes so I get two loads of pen storage in a single box.

I've also repurposed one of those boxes that paints come in, with a stiff cardboard layer, felt, and elastic, for holding my collection of Parker pens and Waterman CF. It was quite an easy job but I managed to jab the needle in my fingers a few times while stitching the elastic.
http://i1058.photobucket.com/albums/t411/amk-fpn/pentray1.jpg

[Sandy Fry]

I keep mine in those 48 pen cases also but have a few cigar boxes and a couple of hard cases too.

David

[Dragonmaster Lou]

I just ordered a couple of the Chinese 12 pen cases (6 to a side) ($6.84 each) , but don't have them yet. I was growing out of the pen roll I have been using for the last couple of years.

I got one of those as well, and it is crazy cheap, but also seems iffy on the quality.

I'm probably going to get a Nock pen case of some sort when the time comes to replace it. I only keep about 6 pens on me on any given time, so it should be fine for my purposes.

[Alanc]

I have two of these cases. made by Geoff Morris at Pencase.co.uk.
There are other forum members also have Geoff's cases.
They are well made and not that expensive. Geoff is a great communicator, he sent me photographs of these cases prior to shipping for my approval.

[bluesea]

Are those corrugated pen drawer liners available separately?

[Dronak]

Most to all of my inked pens go into a 12-pen case that I carry with me as needed. I think it's faux leather, it opens vertically, zippers shut, holds 6 pens on each side in loops, and has a separating flap to help protect the pens on one side from bumping into pens on the other. As for my other pens, if they're inked, I usually put them in a cup or similar holder on my desk so that they're readily available to use. If they're uninked, I either put them back in their boxes, or also put them in a cup or similar holder.

[Alanc]

Are those corrugated pen drawer liners available separately?

Hello Bluesea, The drawer liners are, I believe, felt covered triangular section wood. They are securely fixed and I am reluctant to investigate further! It may be be worthwhile contacting Geoff Morris by email geoffmorris@btinternet.com and see what he has to say.

[mandrbeck]

I received my cabinet from Geoff this week. I can't say enough good things about the entire process. Geoff is an excellent communicator. And the quality of the cabinet is incredible. Absolutely beautiful. It's worth every penny.

[fountainpagan]

I have this one for my indian pens
http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/640x480q90/661/hnJ0id.jpg (https://imageshack.com/i/idhnJ0idj)
http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/640x480q90/538/8uf4CC.jpg (https://imageshack.com/i/ey8uf4CCj)
http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/640x480q90/673/Hwbv5c.jpg (https://imageshack.com/i/ipHwbv5cj)

And this one for all the other pens - Both boxes are chinese jewelery boxes from mid-19th century
http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/640x480q90/673/BUnQRu.jpg (https://imageshack.com/i/ipBUnQRuj)
http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/640x480q90/538/pBGn08.jpg (https://imageshack.com/i/eypBGn08j)
http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/640x480q90/538/HKxlXT.jpg (https://imageshack.com/i/eyHKxlXTj)

[MY63]

Fountainpagan I really like those Chinese lacquer boxes also a nice bit of upcycling

[Haefennasiel]

I keep several pens, like my Pilots, in the boxes they came in. For the rest, I store them here:

http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160516/eac4df267131f7ba7b2af7d6f4cecff3.jpg


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Pendragon]

I use a cigar box from the local tobacconist with a pen tray insert (https://www.gopens.com/Vintage_Pen_Parts/vintage_pens_12X16Trays.php) from Go Pens. The box and the pen tray together cost less than $10 and work just fine for my small pen collection.

[carlc]

I keep several pens, like my Pilots, in the boxes they came in. For the rest, I store them here:

http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160516/eac4df267131f7ba7b2af7d6f4cecff3.jpg


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Hah, do you offer it round at parties?

Under (imposed) treaty Ferrero Roche boxes all belong to my wife for use as paint palettes (the lid keeps the paint from drying out).

I have a cigar box repurposed by a chap in the US and a pen wrap made by Annie (here on FP Geeks).

Sent from my E2303 using Tapatalk

[SandPiper]

I'm pretty newly re-familiarizing myself in the fountain pen world, and only have a few pens as of yet (although I'm pretty utilitarian and won't likely go nuts with collecting). I've seen cigar boxes used a lot for small cases, so I tried my hand at making one this week. I had the box onhand (I am nuts with regard to cigars), as well as a foam try from a travel humidor. It took all of 2 minutes, including the time I spent looking for misplaced scissors to cut the foam. It'll hold another tray for 6 more if/when I need it. Total investment = $0.00. Win!

3147531476

[AzJon]

Man, there realliy are some awesome ideas on this thread!

[PaulS]

provided they don't rattle around then they probably won't come to any harm - but I like to keep the light at bay, so made both of these cabinets with virtually no gaps around the draws............ I think someone locally was replacing their double glazing and gave me the previous Brazilian Mah. frames that were being binned. Obviously there's lot more to it than that, and it takes time to end up with what you see. Each drawer holds 48 pens, and there's 24 drawers in total - and I'm nowhere near filling them up, yet.:facepalm:
I'd also recommend the plastic shaped liners from Garry at Go Pens - I chose grey since I thought most pen bodies would contrast better with a neutral colour, but I think he offers various brighter colours, and I've used the full size of Garry's trays in each drawer.
Unfortunately, those x*?+$! customs people at this end of the journey take great delight in charging a duty before letting you have your pre-paid goods, but I couldn't find anything similar in the U.K., so had to bite the bullet.

But........... some while back I read of a simple and cheap way of making home made trays for pen storage - admittedly you still need to find a suitable box or unit of some kind in which to put the trays, but the beauty of this method is that you can make the trays to suit the size of whatever storage container that comes to hand. I did make a couple of trays when I had only a few pens, and they worked fine.

Using something like a 'box board' - about 0.5 mm thick, mark with pencil on one side at say 35 mm intervals .......... some home made projects need trial and error before you know what the optimum measurements need to be.
Draw lines down the card, and with sharp knife score something like one third through thickness of the card -- sufficient to enable card to be folded along this line, but not so it will break.
Turning card over, again repeat the marking and cutting, BUT the marks/cuts will need to fall half way between those already made on your first side - the idea being that you're making a concertina type fold, and producing a tray with gullies in which pens will lay.
If the card is too thick it will become difficult to fold as you progress toward the last few folds - in which case use thinner card.
With ingenuity, it's possibly that the card might be lined with a very thin type of suedette or similar, to give a softer bed for the pens.

[FredRydr]

31511

This was sold as a 7-drawer compact "map cabinet," kind of a misnomer because they are traditionally much bigger. I wish I could tell you where to buy one, but they're no longer offered from where I bought it; you might do a Google search to see if a retailer is offering them again. Gary Lehrer's flocked pen trays fit exactly in each drawer without cutting. I changed the handles from a faux 18th century style, but other than that, that's how it came out of the box. I keep it in a closet only because I need the space it used to occupy.

Fred

[Chrissy]

I have two of these cases. made by Geoff Morris at Pencase.co.uk.
There are other forum members also have Geoff's cases.
They are well made and not that expensive. Geoff is a great communicator, he sent me photographs of these cases prior to shipping for my approval.
These look wonderful. :) Thank you so much for the info. :)

[Wahl]

As part of my bookcase, it has glass doors and no direct sunlight.

http://i117.photobucket.com/albums/o68/clint_039/Plumas%20y%20relojes/013_zps5cca222b.jpg

http://i117.photobucket.com/albums/o68/clint_039/Plumas%20y%20relojes/024_zpsf0016684.jpg

http://i117.photobucket.com/albums/o68/clint_039/Plumas%20y%20relojes/025_zps8b726c8c.jpg

Inks and papers

http://i117.photobucket.com/albums/o68/clint_039/Plumas%20y%20relojes/023_zps10c6949f.jpg

[Fermata]

I received my cabinet from Geoff this week. I can't say enough good things about the entire process. Geoff is an excellent communicator. And the quality of the cabinet is incredible. Absolutely beautiful. It's worth every penny.

I dont think that Geoff is currently making these cases, I know that they were very time consuming and I am sure he has family committments. I was fortunate enough to buy one of the double 100 pen 10 drawer cases in 2007, he made three as a trial but they were so complicated and difficult to make that I dont think he made any more.

The website link no longer works.

[Wade]

Although I dream of having one of those gorgeous wooden vintage cabinets for my pens, I went a different route. I bought a metal tool storage chest, then purchased slotted liner trays from both Pendora and GoPens. My current collection is around 130, this unit, as I have it set up with liners, is good for about 340, so I should be good for a bit.

https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B2tLoMvSnsEfTVZUTGc3S0ozR00

[Chrissy]

I received my cabinet from Geoff this week. I can't say enough good things about the entire process. Geoff is an excellent communicator. And the quality of the cabinet is incredible. Absolutely beautiful. It's worth every penny.

I dont think that Geoff is currently making these cases, I know that they were very time consuming and I am sure he has family committments. I was fortunate enough to buy one of the double 100 pen 10 drawer cases in 2007, he made three as a trial but they were so complicated and difficult to make that I dont think he made any more.

The website link no longer works.
Oh darn. :( I will have to think again. :cry:

[Bob]

40 linear inches of wall. 40 inches tall. 14 inches deep. Roughly 4500 fountain pens safely stored.

http://vacumania.com/penteech2/pencase_case_cabinet_4000pen950a.jpg

regards

d

Hey Dave, once you've opened the dog breeding facility what do you plan to do with all these nice pens? LOL

[kevmid]

Nice set up Wahl, pens are well spaced there. Where did you get the (plastic/acrylic?) pen racks, or did you make them?

Like carlc a few posts further back I keep my pens in Ferrero Rocher boxes. If you turn them upside down then the dimpled lid becomes the base and then the old base which is now the lid is completely flat and clear so you can see all the pens easily. Again I use Gary's pen trays, an easy choice being in the US and I am too lazy to make my own.
I try to stick to about 50 pens so four boxes takes care of them all, I have to limit things somehow!! :)

[PaulS]

for anyone in the U.K. who might be considering buying the flocked trays from Gary Lehrer (my apologies for mis-spelling Gary's name earlier) - I know he visits the London Pen show - usually in October from memory, although whether Gary visits other U.K. pen shows I'm not sure. When I was there a couple of years back I noticed that he was selling some of these trays, and it's possible that if pre-ordered he might be persuaded to bring a specified order/quantity with him, saving certainly the U.K. import customs duty, and possibly all or some of the shipping. This is my opinion only of course, and it would be wise to contact Gary prior to his trip, assuming he intends to make the event this year.
It annoyed me that I couldn't find the equivalent in the U.K., and it does tend to increase the cost when buying from the Sates, but sometimes you just have to bite the bullet and buy.

[Wahl]

Nice set up Wahl, pens are well spaced there. Where did you get the (plastic/acrylic?) pen racks, or did you make them?

Like carlc a few posts further back I keep my pens in Ferrero Rocher boxes. If you turn them upside down then the dimpled lid becomes the base and then the old base which is now the lid is completely flat and clear so you can see all the pens easily. Again I use Gary's pen trays, an easy choice being in the US and I am too lazy to make my own.
I try to stick to about 50 pens so four boxes takes care of them all, I have to limit things somehow!! :)

The racks are methacrylate, they were made to order by an artisan who does all types of displays in this material.

[KrazyIvan]

We went to a local antique shop and saw this cabinet. My wallet balked at me so I could not get it. It would make some really nice pen storage.

https://scontent-dft4-1.cdninstagram.com/t51.2885-15/e35/17932678_1890474857834223_4306399167502090240_n.jp g

[PaulS]

my opinion would be that these draws aren't suitable - and would tend to agree with the sentiments of your wallet. Possibly contemporary, or a little later then this design, might be those metal cabinets, usually in dark green, and with a draw depth of c. two inches. Not sure what they were used for originally, but I've seen them in connection with old office furniture, somewhere along the line. I think it's the draw depth that is the critical factor, otherwise you end up wasting a lot of space.

[KrazyIvan]

my opinion would be that these draws aren't suitable - and would tend to agree with the sentiments of your wallet. Possibly contemporary, or a little later then this design, might be those metal cabinets, usually in dark green, and with a draw depth of c. two inches. Not sure what they were used for originally, but I've seen them in connection with old office furniture, somewhere along the line. I think it's the draw depth that is the critical factor, otherwise you end up wasting a lot of space.

As to the size of the drawers and wasted space, I disagree. I make stackable inserts that utilize the full depth of the drawer without risking the pens.

I have seen the metal drawers and I know I have access to one cabinet like that. The drawers are about 3-4 inches deep and there is quite a few of them. It was used in an optical shop to store eyeglass frames. It might take some doing but I am going to need to track that cabinet down.

[earthdawn]

mmmmmm... this

Scatola del Tempo case

[KrazyIvan]

mmmmmm... this

Scatola del Tempo case

Wow. Some serious case-age right there.

[Bob]

Although I dream of having one of those gorgeous wooden vintage cabinets for my pens, I went a different route. I bought a metal tool storage chest, then purchased slotted liner trays from both Pendora and GoPens. My current collection is around 130, this unit, as I have it set up with liners, is good for about 340, so I should be good for a bit.

https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B2tLoMvSnsEfTVZUTGc3S0ozR00

That's a nice case

[Spideysgirl]

I'm a newbie and am building a collection. I bought a pen roll from eBay. It is made for artist pens and pencils.But it works just fine. I liked it because the pattern looks like a Native American blanket. It has plenty of room so I won't grow out of it for a while hopefully.My daily writers that stay on my desk are in a repurposed cigar box. My daily carries are in a pen box I got with an eBay purchase.