Where to keep all these bottles of ink?

[ypsilanti]

I have 57 bottles of ink, which I store in a desk drawer and a CD cabinet. I can find what I'm looking for quickly and easily, but I'm thinking it'd be nice to see all these lovely bottles. (But not so nice to dust them.)

A shallow, shelved cabinet with glass doors (no dust!) would be beautiful, but where would I put it? Would I be willing to give up a bookshelf (yikes!) if I find the perfect cabinet?

I considered a DVD tower, which wouldn't take up much space, but then there'd be a bunch of dusty bottles.

How do you store your ink?

http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/06/02/yry4yrup.jpg

http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/06/02/ny9ajypa.jpg

[ardgedee]

I use a test tube rack (http://www.amazon.com/Karter-Scientific-208U2-Plastic-Detachable/dp/B005Z4QWIK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1401675308&sr=8-1&keywords=test+tube+rack) for holding ink samples.

Everything that I have a box for stays in its box.

The ink samples and as many bottles as fit go in the top bin of a tool chest where the lid stays closed. The bottles that don't fit (mostly Noodler's Ink bottles) go in a large wooden cigar box. It's a good idea to keep your ink away from light.

[Lady Onogaro]

I have some of them in my desk (has a drop leaf writing surface--they still get dusty even though I keep the drop leaf up except when I am writing at the desk), some in decorative boxes like those made by Punch Studios (search for them on Barnes & Noble's Web site). Of course, then I have to dust those. :(

[FayeV]

I've seen people post photos of all their ink bottles sitting on shelves. It looks GREAT and I would love to do that too, except that I live in Earthquake Country. So the few bottles I own are in storage boxes, on the floor. Not very exciting to look at. They're not going to fall or shatter during a small earthquake. And if the "Big One" hits, I think I'll have bigger concerns to deal with than spilled ink.

[erpe]

When in doubt, keep it cool and in the dark so my stock of bottles are all together in a box in the bedroom, the regular used are in a drawer in the office. The cute empty bottles are filled with water and a few drops of ink for the color, wax sealed and put on display.

[ypsilanti]

FayeV: I never once thought about Ink Bottles v. Earthquakes (I'm in Michigan). Smart move!

erpe: Cool idea for empty bottles.

Thanks to all!

[tandaina]

I've got a converted tool chest with drawers for my pens, the top opens up and has a nice large storage space. Ink bottles live there. The overflow are stored in a cupboard. So all of them live in the dark. My ink samples live in a test tube rack I got from the Goulets, that just sits on a bookshelf.

[Sailor Kenshin]

I have 57 bottles of ink, which I store in a desk drawer and a CD cabinet. I can find what I'm looking for quickly and easily, but I'm thinking it'd be nice to see all these lovely bottles. (But not so nice to dust them.)

A shallow, shelved cabinet with glass doors (no dust!) would be beautiful, but where would I put it? Would I be willing to give up a bookshelf (yikes!) if I find the perfect cabinet?

I considered a DVD tower, which wouldn't take up much space, but then there'd be a bunch of dusty bottles.

How do you store your ink?

http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/06/02/yry4yrup.jpg

http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/06/02/ny9ajypa.jpg

In a hutch, along with my pens. And yes, the Dust Factor gets olllld fast.

[Waski_the_Squirrel]

I very briefly stored them on a bookshelf. Access became an issue: I wanted the ink that was four bottles back in this row...no, this row...no, maybe it was here...

They are now back in a shoebox sitting on the bottom shelf of one of my bookshelves in the bedroom. I used masking tape to label the tops.

[Aleks]

i have a toolbox exclusively for FPen related paraphernalia; works wonders :D

[da vinci]

A shoe box. I need to get my act together! :D

[I like mango pudding]

In there original box, which is another box. Not very pretty, but it works for me. I might have one out for display.

Should note that all my inks (and pens) are at work. Nothing is at home.

[AndyT]

All of mine still fit into a single drawer, but it's getting very tight in there. Which is part of the reason why I've called a halt on ink acquisitions for now. Oh, and there's an Akkerman bottle which is too tall, so that graces a dark corner of a bookcase.

[mrcharlie]

FayeV: I never once thought about Ink Bottles v. Earthquakes (I'm in Michigan). Smart move!
Thanks to all!

I was once woken from a nap by the bed slightly bouncing me around and all the stuff on the dresser next to me rattling and moving around (some things just barely didn't fall off). It was a 5.0. I was in Ann Arbor (http://articles.latimes.com/1986-02-01/news/mn-2945_1_great-lakes). Michigan is not immune!

I keep most of my bottles in a "really useful box", and my cartridges in a much smaller version.

[caribbean_skye]

Mine sit in the closet on a shelf but I only have about 15 bottles.

[serpent]

those bottles of Akkerman's take up way too much space! $end them to me.

[Tracy Lee]

I keep my ink on a glass shelf behind glass doors in my library. It looks something like this
http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/06/04/byjenasa.jpg
http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/06/04/udavybur.jpg

[ypsilanti]

I keep my ink on a glass shelf behind glass doors in my library. It looks something like this
http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/06/04/byjenasa.jpg
http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/06/04/udavybur.jpg

Yay! Thanks for the photos TL. Lovely.

[ceramic_pizza]

I keep my inks in a small box that used to contain cookies. But for tools i have a bunch of tool boxes that kinda fold out into shelves. That might be useful for people who have a lot of ink bottles.
hmm, most of the tool boxes I've seen have pretty shallow shelf/drawers though. So it might not let you you put in tall bottles upright.

[top pen]

I keep them in a row on my desk and use them to hide unsightly computer cables. I only own 6 of them so a row on my desk suffices.

[DMurphy]

I only have three bottles so they stay in the cabinet behind my desk where I can get to them easily. I have heard that I should store my ink like I would spices in a location that is out direct sunlight.

Someday when my collection grows then I hope to have the problem of asking on the forum "Where should I store my ink?"

[inlovewithjournals]

Funny you should mention a shallow, shelved cabinet with glass doors....

http://inlovewithjournals.files.wordpress.com/2014/03/20140330_194103.jpg

I wrote about my ink cabinet in this post (http://inlovewithjournals.wordpress.com/2014/03/30/my-ink-cabinet/).

[VertOlive]

Hmm, this makes me wonder if some bathroom cabinetry I've seen would work. That said, I only own 3 bottles of ink, so no crisis at my house yet...

[Jon Szanto]

http://1001inkbottles.com/pics/cl0129.jpg

[inlovewithjournals]

http://1001inkbottles.com/pics/cl0129.jpg

:jaw:

[caribbean_skye]

uhm, wow! That's it, playtime at Jon's house. Are there any inks you don't own?

[ceramic_pizza]

holy crap. That is a lot of ink. wow.

[Aleks]

http://1001inkbottles.com/pics/cl0129.jpg

... h-h-how do you even keep inventory? :jaw:

[Jon Szanto]

Ok, folks, the jig's up: those aren't my inks. ;)

This subject comes up every so often, and about 3 years ago or so, over on FPN, it came up and I went googling for "ink bottles" or something like that, and snagged this photo. I find it somewhat hilarious. However...

You might want to take a look at the site that I found the photo on: http://1001inkbottles.com/ Yes, indeed, they sell ink bottles. Lots and lots of them.

As for me, I don't know precisely how many I have right now, probably 35 - 40 bottles, and probably around 75 samples. I have a few regulars out on my desk, and the rest of the bottles are in a large box in two trays, and the samples all in a box in two Goulet sample trays. I've pretty much found all the inks I was looking for, but still occasionally try a new one for fun.

[ypsilanti]

Ok, folks, the jig's up: those aren't my inks. ;)

You stinker! :-)

[Jon Szanto]

Well, I never meant to go off the rails... But doing searches on these items yields interesting info, such as cabinets like this:

http://www.displaygifts.com/product/item/image/319_799.jpg

... which is a Perfume Display Case (http://www.displaygifts.com/product/item.php?category=24&item=319).

Well, anyway, you can check out images of perfume bottle collections (https://www.google.com/search?q=perfume+bottle+storage+case&safe=off&espv=2&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=BFCfU9q4IoOOyATjQg&ved=0CE4QsAQ&biw=1600&bih=932#q=how+to+display+perfume+bottle+collection&safe=off&tbm=isch) to get other ideas. Seems like lawyer's library cabinets are used often, too.

[Tracy Lee]

Well, I never meant to go off the rails... But doing searches on these items yields interesting info, such as cabinets like this:

http://www.displaygifts.com/product/item/image/319_799.jpg

... which is a Perfume Display Case (http://www.displaygifts.com/product/item.php?category=24&item=319).

Well, anyway, you can check out images of perfume bottle collections (https://www.google.com/search?q=perfume+bottle+storage+case&safe=off&espv=2&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=BFCfU9q4IoOOyATjQg&ved=0CE4QsAQ&biw=1600&bih=932#q=how+to+display+perfume+bottle+collection&safe=off&tbm=isch) to get other ideas. Seems like lawyer's library cabinets are used often, too.

Wow, wouldn't that be fantastic? Though who would use so much ink? Don't answer that!!! [emoji12] But one even 1/3 the size or even 1/4 would be great.

[ypsilanti]

Well, I never meant to go off the rails... But doing searches on these items yields interesting info, such as cabinets like this:

http://www.displaygifts.com/product/item/image/319_799.jpg

... which is a Perfume Display Case (http://www.displaygifts.com/product/item.php?category=24&item=319).

Well, anyway, you can check out images of perfume bottle collections (https://www.google.com/search?q=perfume+bottle+storage+case&safe=off&espv=2&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=BFCfU9q4IoOOyATjQg&ved=0CE4QsAQ&biw=1600&bih=932#q=how+to+display+perfume+bottle+collection&safe=off&tbm=isch) to get other ideas. Seems like lawyer's library cabinets are used often, too.

Wow, wouldn't that be fantastic? Though who would use so much ink? Don't answer that!!! [emoji12] But one even 1/3 the size or even 1/4 would be great.

Yes, fantastic indeed! What a great idea.

[jde]

Um.... Jon.... one might say, "Wow!"

that was a great joke!

[Jon Szanto]

Now I'm feeling bad. Maybe I'll have to take pics of my inks, for real, to show just what a shambles it is, mostly.

[Crazyorange]

http://1001inkbottles.com/pics/cl0129.jpg

I feel for it hook line and sinker.

[ypsilanti]

Now I'm feeling bad. Maybe I'll have to take pics of my inks, for real, to show just what a shambles it is, mostly.

Yes! Show us your shambles.

[jde]

Now I'm feeling bad. Maybe I'll have to take pics of my inks, for real, to show just what a shambles it is, mostly.

Jon, I believe that would be proper penance for your prank. Nah, it's good fun! Actually, we'd just like to see! --Julie

[Jon Szanto]

Ok, I'm a man of my word, but... bear with me. I'm dealing with a bunch of eldercare issues at the moment, and it is being difficult time-wise and an emotional drain. When I get a free bit of time I'll put it all together and snap a few pics. Promise!

[Shimmershadow]

I was just wondering this myself the other day. I wonder if some good, sturdy, wall-mounted spice racks might do the trick for at least some of the bottles. I may have to take this project to my uncle the engineer/carpenter...

[Chrissy]

I used to have one drawer in the study desk where I keep pens and ink.

Now that drawer is full, so I have spread out into the sitting room where I have another drawer where I keep pens and ink.

I must stop buying because I'm running out of drawer space. :)

[Ronnie Aloha]

What is the life span of inks? Do they ever go bad?

[Scrawler]

I use a glass sided curio case, with glass shelves in my office. It is basically 4 oak pillars, with a mirror in back, two glass sides and a glass door. I had a whole lot of extra glass shelves, made and keep the ink on the top 3 shelves. The third shelf also has pens needing work, and all the rest are just laid on display of the other 7 shelves, according to type and age.

[Scrawler]

What is the life span of inks? Do they ever go bad?

It depends on what they are and how you treat them. Inks that have no biocides in them can develop SITB, which renders them useless and can clog your pen. You can infect other bottles if you have spores to pass on from one to the other. Some inks settle and layer, and look as if they have gone off , but only need a shake to put everything back into solution. Many older inks contain phenol (you can smell it) and they will last. I bought a bottle of Walton Street writing fluid (1987) off ebay. It was unopened and perfect. I use it for certain business things because it is a very professional blue with grey undertones. I also have Skrip and Montblanc inks from the early 1990s. The oldest vintage ink that I still use (sparingly now) is a 1970s Skrip Peacock blue.

Skrip inks from the 1940-1960 period still turn up from time to time and sometimes in very large bottles. These are generally fine and sought after.

Evaporation can be a problem, especially with cartridges. If you keep cartridges for a very long time the water will transpire through the plastic. When that happens, a shot of distilled water is all that is needed to restore it.

Basically if you keep your bottles tightly sealed, don't subject them to broad temperature changes, and observe reasonable hygiene, your inks will last a very long time.

[Chi Town]

My wife organizes my inks for me as I have approx 125 bottles, and about 110 samples! The bottles fit into a plastic cabinet that she picked up up at Target, it is black with 6 clear drawers. This fits under my desk, so it is outta the way if the Light and Sun. The samples are another problem, as they sit on top of my desk! In the setup from the Goulet's. I have 4 of those.

[Scrawler]

http://i751.photobucket.com/albums/xx153/FPWriter/pencab_zps314c4349.jpg

[Scrawler]

This cabinet is too tall for me to get in one shot. It is beside my desk and there is no place or angle from which I can get it all in. Below those painted glass pens there is "bulk" ink. That is an 800ml bottle of Herbin Bleu Nuit, which I use in quantity for testing purposes. Also some pen boxes and repair items. This cabinet was my birthday present to myself a a couple years ago. One of the pleasures of my work day is to select pens and inks to work, or write letters with.

[Ronnie Aloha]

Scrawled Thanks for the in depth info on ink life. It's greatly appreciated.

[Avalona]

My ink bottles are in the top drawer of my desk. I'm trying to figure out how do I pack them (I think I have 30) when I move in two months, because they're really heavy. The samples are kept in old cookie tins. I have no idea how many of them I have but well, 2 years of Ink Drop... it's quite a few.