How you store your pens and/or how to you carry them with you?

[Nerdyhistorian]

Hi fellow pengeeks,

How do you store your pens? If you need to take them with you to work or an appointment, how/in what do you carry them? Share your tips!

[Deb]

I have a pen wrap which holds six pens. At home, the pens not in use are stored in a box, those in use reside in a jar on the desk.

[suzy01]

I put mine in a pencil case in my backpack, nibs down. If I suspect one might leak it also goes into a sandwich bag inside the pencil case (I'm looking at you twsbi go). Not sexy but it does the job [emoji23] I carry too many pens (FP and fineliners) for a swish leather case.

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[FredRydr]

I use a seven-drawer map chest that holds 336 pens max. It was a mail-order map chest, and by sheer coincidence, the flocked slotted trays from Gary Lehrer fit without cutting! On my desks I have two round racks holding 4 or 15 inked pens. For carrying, I use any multiple of triple, double and single Pelikan pen cases.

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[FredRydr]

...How do you store your pens? If you need to take them with you to work or an appointment, how/in what do you carry them? Share your tips!I use a seven-drawer map chest that holds 336 pens max. It was a mail-order map chest, and by sheer coincidence, the flocked slotted trays from Gary Lehrer fit without cutting! On my desks I have two round racks holding 4 or 15 inked pens. For carrying, I use any multiple of triple, double and single Pelikan pen cases.

[Paddler]

I have a 6-slot pen wrap that holds my family heirloom pens. The rest of the non-daily users get poured into a wooden cigar box. Two inked daily user pens reside in my shirt pocket. Two of my desk pens sit in their holders atop my computer tables.

Two dozen dip pen nibs in their holders sit nib-up in liqueur glasses on my writing desk. The nibs are smoothed, flossed, and ready to go. Surgical tubing covers the sharps so I don't stick myself when reaching for one.

[VertOlive]

The whole body of pens live in a pair of Monteverde 36 pen cases which I reviewed here: https://fpgeeks.com/forum/showthread.php/22309-Review-MONTEVERDE-36-Pen-Case-Sturdy-and-Inexpensive

If I ever take them out, which is rarely, they travel in this or some version of it: https://i.imgur.com/hG4PjqA.jpg

[Kaputnik]

The majority of pens not currently inked are in a number of zip up pen cases in different sizes, holding between twelve and forty-eight pens each. They aren't all full, but are organized in a way that makes sense to me, and sit on top of a couple of bookshelves.

For taking pens with me, I always have something in a shirt pocket; even my T-shirts and polo shirts have pockets. That would typically be at least one fountain pen and one mechanical pencil. I might add a second pen, and perhaps a second pencil, depending on the size of the pocket and the pens. In addition, if I have a laptop case or other bag with me, it will have more pens and pencils, in a cloth pen wrap, or in a leather case I have that holds two pens.

[Wuddus]

Inked up users live in a pot, spares are in a drawer, and any that leave the house are carried in a shirt or jacket pocket.

[although]

One in the shirt pocket... The rest tend to live in a few zip up pencil cases. I'm just not very fancy, I guess.

[Kulprit]

Carry: “Court pen” in shirt pocket; Kaweco Brass Sport in pants pocket. If I don’t have court then I usually substitute an “all rounder” in the placket of my shirt for the “court pen.”

Store: on my desk at work is a Levenger desk organizer that holds about 20 pens. At home I have a test tube rack that holds another six (or eight?).

Carry AND store: I also have two pen cases in my briefcase which hold a random and ever-changing assortment of pens.

And let’s not neglect to mention the towel next to my kitchen sink which is never without some number of drying pen components waiting to be reassembled.


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[benjitzu]

Hi fellow pengeeks,

How do you store your pens? If you need to take them with you to work or an appointment, how/in what do you carry them? Share your tips!

I travel nearly full-time so my answers are based on being on the road a LOT and always on the go.

If I'm taking any pen out of the 'house', it is in a leather pen case of some type. I have a plethora of different sizes and kinds from several manufacturers (decent ones can be found easily on eBay for quite cheap). My go to is a 3-pen case by Franklin Christof I bought through a Massdrop sale a couple years ago. When I'm taking more pens on a longer trip, I'll bring them in a 12-pen case, and then whichever ones I'll use during the day I'll put in the 3-pen case. Rarely do I need all 12 pens at a meeting in one day (though occassionally I take everything). When any of my pens are not in rotation, I have several larger pen cases that hold anywhere from 36 to 48 pens where they can 'rest' till their next adventure.

One pen I take everywhere and have never had in a case is my Lamy Safari. It's bombproof and has been in my pocket traveling around all of North America and Europe for years with no issues. I wouldn't dream of doing that will any of my 'nicer' pens (Pelikans, Viscontis, Montblancs, etc). If it costs more than a meal, it's in a case until I'm writing with it. Just my two cents.

[Wahl]

I have several leather cases, with capacity from 2 to 44 pens, plus a few pen wraps.

[calamus]

I have an entire 40 ft x 40 ft room with all four walls lined with shelves spaced every 12 inches vertically, and a rolling ladder. Each shelf holds about 25 boxes, each with slots for 96 pens (twelve rows of eight). The overflow goes in a jar on my desk.
Actually, all my pens go in a jar on my desk. I was lying about the room.

[Empty_of_Clouds]

Not enough pens here to warrant any kind of storage. A Decimo rides in the pen loop of a Hobonichi (it has a zipped canvas cover so it's pretty safe), and an old Pelikan 2-pen leather case (that was gifted to me as part of a sale by Vasco) carries whatever other pens I decide to take to work (usually a Pilot 823 and a Lamy 2K). Others (less than a handful) lounge on the desk at home. :)

[jsharp808]

I have a 3 pen case to carry to meetings and such but I have a zip up open case that my pens just float in. I'm trying to work with a local leather artisan to make a case for all of them

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[carlos.q]

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[amk]

Carlos: Pelikan m400 and Lamy 2000? nice shot!

As for me: I have a nice thuya box on the desk which takes a dozen pens, and a little ironstone square dish which holds the pens I'm actually using; other pens go in pen boxes that I've converted from boxes picked up at sales, the Merlins in one, Kawecos in another; I have a rotating Parker display which 51s, 45s, 75s all going into; and then pens for restoration go into a number of boxes depending on what needs doing ("cracks", "re-sac", "pistons", "new section required"). Plus I have a three-drawer cabinet that I repurposed some years ago and which has now been taken over by my outsize pens (lots of big Indian ebonites!)

I really would love to get a nice big cabinet that could take my pens as well as paper supplies and other necessities. But I never seem to find the right one - the local junk shop had one, but it was in a very poor state and really would have taken a lot of work to refinish...

[FredRydr]

...
Carlos, I note that you cropped from the photo the bottom of your pocket. You know, where the ink stains are.

[carlos.q]

...
Carlos, I note that you cropped from the photo the bottom of your pocket. You know, where the ink stains are.

Hahaha! Nope. That's where my belly begins!!!

[Lady Onogaro]

The whole body of pens live in a pair of Monteverde 36 pen cases which I reviewed here: https://fpgeeks.com/forum/showthread.php/22309-Review-MONTEVERDE-36-Pen-Case-Sturdy-and-Inexpensive

If I ever take them out, which is rarely, they travel in this or some version of it: https://i.imgur.com/hG4PjqA.jpg

That pen wrap is beautiful! Where did you get it?

[Lady Onogaro]

I carry them in two Nock cases (a three pen case and a Sinclair case). The others are stored here and there in repurposed jewelry boxes and Nock Brasstown cases. I do also have a 6 pen case from Franklin Christoph that sits on my desk (current users) and a pen roll from Liz Newton (also current users) and a zip around 16 pen case (also current users). What can I say? I ink a lot of pens!

[FredRydr]

I carry in groups of three. Today I had these in my briefcase so I could write a few cards for National Handwriting Day (https://fpgeeks.com/forum/showthread.php/27001-Happy-National-Handwriting-Day-2019!) (thank you, Jon!).


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[amk]

I've got a number of leather cigar cases which hold 4 pens, but I use them to take to flea markets in the hope that they will be filled. I don't know why I never use them to store the pens I already have...

[Scooby921]

I don't keep a lot of pens. I buy and sell and rotate through, so my "collection" is small enough to fit in a simple 12 pen display box. When I'm taking pens to work it's usually in a Nock Co. Sinclair three pen case. Right now I'm only carrying one pen, so it's in a green leather single pen zip case that Sammyo sent from Japan.

[NibsForScript]

I keep a small footprint 16 pen box on my desk and I carry in either a two or three pen case. Plus there is always a pocket pen in my pocket. For storage of more I use drawers in an old tool chest. I have several desks in various rooms and it is easy to pick up the box with pens at ready and go to one of my other writing areas.

[adhoc]

Depends...I used to carry my pens in a leather case for years. Nowadays I simply keep my nicer pens at home and carry my workhorse pens (like the custom 823 and Lamy 2000) in my pockets. At one point, I was carrying several thousands of euros in pens to work every day in leather cases and figured this is getting absurd. Not for fear of them getting stolen, I know nothing would get stolen at my workplace, but just due to the sheer impracticality of it all.

[amk]

Since this has become a bit of a picture thread, I thought I'd put up a couple of photos. One of my home made pen wraps in 'toile de jouy', a rather lovely French design;
https://imgur.com/81ErRH0l.jpg
and one of the repurposed boxes I've made into a pen box - this one was a box for teabags. We're quite lucky to have the Dammann tea factory just up the road from us, and I come across their boxes quite often at sales. (But this isn't a Dammann box. Their best ones are lovely ebonised black square boxes. One of them holds my Lamy 2000s - the style really suits the pens!)
https://imgur.com/p2lKeAHl.jpg

[jodylud]

When I leave the house, it's usually in this Pelikan 3 pen case.

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[RWS]

Many years ago my partner bought me a 40-pen case for Christmas.
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Then I bought a 12-pen display stand off a "well known auction site". Very smart, but it only takes slim pens.
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Then came a 40-pen leather case. Note those ominous empty loops!
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I carry round a fountain pen and a ball pen in a 2-pen leather case
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[gordonf]

I don't have a large collection of pens, but I do use what I have regularly.

A fellow pen enthusiast I came across converts old silverware boxes into pen storage cases. He removes the silverware storage set up and puts in slotted felt trays suited for pens. He also refinishes the wood exterior of these boxes. The materials and construction of these old cases are generally quite nice. Most are made of mahogany with dovetailed joints. Used cases can be found for very reasonable prices and repurposed for pens.

I asked him to make a pen drawer to attach to my desk. He used an old silverware box top flipped upside down. It became a shallow drawer with pen storage channels that was refinished to match my desk . I attached drawer slides and installed it under my desk top.

For me, it works nicely, as my pens and pencils are stored out of the way but readily accessible.

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[amk]

That's a really neat idea. I wish I had a pen tray at the top of my little set of filing drawers. That's an IKEA hack waiting to be made!

[azkid]

Carry: I got this leather case from a fellow on Etsy.

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20190207/03f1ba4be309a5fa1fb626c88a0e9ae0.jpg

I also put pens in my ebags backpack for trips into the office (I telecommute otherwise)

I just picked up materials to attempt a pen wrap. If I don't flub it too badly I will post a pic.

Storage: I just got a cheap 48-pen case for storage and taking to pen posse meetings. And I have 3d printed pen rests for my inked pens.

[azkid]

Here is my just-completed pen wrap prototype.

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20190209/402c12e12c8006ecbe005551657e915b.jpg
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20190209/6589016e919b9e549384f5d839fa45e5.jpg

I am already planning a few design improvements for the next one. Also, don't look too closely at the stitching. [emoji849]

[edwin121]

I always put my pens into the pencil case which I carry on my backpack (https://10luggage.com/best-skateboard-backpack/).

[An old bloke]

The pens I am using are either on a pen stand on my desk or in a i365 pencil (pen) case. The pens I am not using are in a folder type pen case similar to the one pictured above (Post number 30,image 3 of 4).

[BlkWhiteFilmPix]

My EDC - a MB 145 Chopin filled with J. Herbin Éclat de Saphir and a MB 146 filled with MB Lucky Orange - in my shirt pocket.

Four or five of the most frequently-used are on the dining room table. The rest live in a ten-year-old Ashton leather case that holds twenty pens.

[Chrissy]

My EDC - a MB 145 Chopin filled with J. Herbin Éclat de Saphir and a MB 146 filled with MB Lucky Orange - in my shirt pocket.

Four or five of the most frequently-used are on the dining room table. The rest live in a ten-year-old Ashton leather case that holds twenty pens.
I also have five or six of my most frequently used pens that are currently inked on my dining room table. :) They sit on there inside a Visconti leather pen case case that holds six pens. :)
It currently holds my Montblanc 146 Silver Barley filled with Mb Meisterstück Diamond Blue ink, Sheaffer Legacy Silver Barley filled with L'Artisan Pastellier Callifolio Equinoxe 6, Waterman Etalon filled with Diamine Tchaikovsky, Waterman Charleston white filled with a home made copy of SanKo Do Tsumurai Blue, Waterman Charleston yellow filled with Birmingham Rodman Gun Gunpowder Tea and Parker 100 filled with Sailor Oriental Hotel blue. I think there are a couple more pens just lying on the table at the current time too.
Every so often I have a clear out and clean up then ink some different pens. :)

[azkid]

Haven't used the pen wrap much. I pretty much never need to take more than 2 or 3 pens anywhere.

Today I went into the office for the first time in ages. My ebags computer backpack/bag has two loops for pens so I use that. If I carry more they go in one of the zip mesh compartments inside.

If it's one pen, it goes in a custom monogrammed leather pen holder I got from a Ukrainian fellow on Etsy. Or else it clips into shirt pocket. Or if it's a Safari I just clip it into a jeans pocket.

[Detman101]

If it doesn't fit in my ruck, chest rig or pocket...it doesn't come with.

[suzy01]

Since I've been home they are sort of a mess, especially when the cats involved [emoji23]
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20200909/0412bdefb3a940f608fac43ed00b34ff.jpg

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[silverlifter]

I cary this Lepus Leather case with me to work everyday. The leather shell is surprisingly hard and robust, protecting the pens from impact damage. The interior is lined with wool, so each pen sits nestled in its own slot, with no chance of scratching or rubbing. It is just about perfect.