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Thread: Everyone, Please Look at This Great Pen Case!

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    Senior Member Laura N's Avatar
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    Default MY63 Single-Pen Cases

    I was fortunate to receive a hand-crafted leather pen case from fellow member MY63 (Michael). He has his own thread here detailing the beautiful notebook covers and pen cases he has been making. And Crazyorange has a thread here about a gorgeous pen suitcase Michael made for her.

    I’ve been using my single pen case for a few weeks, and I’d like to do a little review and show everyone Michael’s amazing work.



    It’s just a great case. Michael’s design is really neat. It’s not like anything I’ve ever seen before. It’s almost tubular in shape, and of good size. Mine is about 7 ¾ inches long closed. He designed the case, and he makes each one by hand, and sizes it for your pen.

    Every part of the case is beautifully detailed and superbly finished. The exterior is a smooth leather that Michael hand-dyes. It even smells great. My case is a red-brown called mahogany, with yellow stitching.



    I’ll try to show how unique it is, and how it works. The case design is essentially two halves, attached by a leather lace.



    The thinner part of the case is long enough to hold the entire pen. Michael sized mine to hold my Montblanc LeGrand.



    The interior of this thinner part of the case is a soft suede, to cradle the pen. The pen fits perfectly inside, and slides in or out with ease, but the suede has enough texture that the pen won't fly out before you are ready.



    I’m guessing that the reason the pen sits entirely within this half of the case is to protect it. You can’t tell by looking at the leather and suede, but that part of the case is a hard shell. It feels so sturdy, like medieval leather armor for your pen. Hold it in your hand, squeeze it even, and it feels like you couldn’t crush it even if you stepped on it. Not that I’m going to test that. But there’s certainly no worry from ordinary bumps and bruises in a purse, backpack, briefcase or luggage. You feel if it dropped to the floor the pen would be perfectly fine. I'll no doubt test that numerous times, never on purpose.



    When you want to close the pen case, you pull the leather laces taut and then cinch the little leather stopper piece against the case. That “locks” it, so even if you grasp each half and try to pull, it won’t come apart.



    To open the case, you simply slide the leather stopper away from the case, all the way to the end of the laces, which terminate in tiny decorative stoppers.



    The thicker part of the case is the case’s cap, and its diameter is about the size of a film canister.



    I really appreciate how much thought Michael put into every element of the design to perfect it. You can tell that it’s a case that been designed by a pen user, and by someone who really thinks out every detail. For example, the two halves of the pen case are attached by the leather laces; there is nothing that can detach or get lost.



    I love this case. It works so well, and it's so beautiful that I affirmatively enjoy putting the pen in the case and carrying it with me.

    But let's talk about Michael, finally, the man behind the case. I don't want to embarrass him. But in addition to being an incredible craftsman and designer, Michael is a tremendously nice guy, very generous and kind. Talking to him about this case, and other things, has been pure delight. I’ve never seen such an amazing case, so having one is a privilege. But getting to know Michael is even better. He’s a true treasure on this forum.
    Last edited by Laura N; August 12th, 2015 at 08:14 AM.

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  3. #2
    Senior Member Jon Szanto's Avatar
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    Default Re: Everyone, Please Look at This Great Pen Case!

    That is awfully nice. It is brand new, but it looks like it has already lived a bit of life. I like the brilliance of the two pieces being tethered together. If I ever commission one, it would look very similar, except for the yellow stitching (mine would be more subdued). Then again, how could I narrow it down to *one* pen?

    Thanks, Laura. You have something for life in this.
    "When Men differ in Opinion, both Sides ought equally to have the Advantage of being heard by the Publick;
    and that when Truth and Error have fair Play, the former is always an overmatch for the latter."

    ~ Benjamin Franklin

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    Default Re: Everyone, Please Look at This Great Pen Case!

    That is a stunning pen case there. Congrats! and kudos to Michael for great work.

    <now where is that envy emoticon?>

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    Default Re: Everyone, Please Look at This Great Pen Case!

    Michael's design is not an original one. He used Nakaya's single pen case design as model. This, of course does not invalidate Michael's work at all. His improvement is great and, you are lucky to have received such a gift, Laura N

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    Default Re: Everyone, Please Look at This Great Pen Case!

    That's super gorgeous. I hope I get to see it in person some day. If he ever made one for more than one pen, I would pounce on it. I don't think I could carry around just one pen...ever!

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    Default Re: Everyone, Please Look at This Great Pen Case!

    Your case is beautiful
    Don't you love the smell of the leather?

    I know I sound like a broken record....Michael's work is wonderful. It's great how he adds so much to our community.

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    Default Re: Everyone, Please Look at This Great Pen Case!

    A pen case that is both beautiful and functional! A rarity!
    Thanks for the review!

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    Default Re: Everyone, Please Look at This Great Pen Case!

    Wow that is one fabulous pen case. What a classy and professional looking case.

    I want one

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    Default Re: Everyone, Please Look at This Great Pen Case!

    To me, the brilliance of MY63's work is his (seamless!) incorporation of strong Kydex in his pieces.

    While very pretty, the vast majority of portable pen cases offer -at best - scratch protection. Even those made by luxury brands. Michael's cases are both beautiful and supremely functional. Like Laura says, "You can tell that it’s a case that been designed by a pen user".
    Latest pen related post @ flounders-mindthots.blogspot.com : '70s Pilot Elite pocket pen review

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    Default Re: Everyone, Please Look at This Great Pen Case!

    Wow, that's an amazing pen case!

    It is similar in design to the Nakaya single pen case, which I've had half-an-eye on for about seven years, but, as fountainpagan said, does not at all negate Michael's work. I'm envious! (In the good way.)

    Hm... so Michael is the Pen Case Guy. Good to know. Very good to know... *Pen case design gears crankin' up*
    _____________
    To Miasto

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    Senior Member Laura N's Avatar
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    Default Re: Everyone, Please Look at This Great Pen Case!

    Quote Originally Posted by fountainpagan View Post
    Michael's design is not an original one. He used Nakaya's single pen case design as model. This, of course does not invalidate Michael's work at all. His improvement is great and, you are lucky to have received such a gift, Laura N
    Ah, thanks for that! He called it a Nakaya case but I will confess I just thought that meant Nakaya people liked it.

    And I agree: I just looked at Nakaya's online, and I feel like Michael turned it into a Rolls Royce. I cannot express how fantastic it is.

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    Senior Member Laura N's Avatar
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    Default Re: Everyone, Please Look at This Great Pen Case!

    Quote Originally Posted by TerraNoir View Post
    That's super gorgeous. I hope I get to see it in person some day. If he ever made one for more than one pen, I would pounce on it. I don't think I could carry around just one pen...ever!
    If we both can go to Roger's on Sunday, remind me to bring it.

    I think if you got this case it might make you carry one pen.

    I should emphasize that Michael does make amazing cases for more than one pen, just in a different style. Those are in his thread linked to above. I loved a yellow-lined black one that's for multiple pens. And because he customizes each case, I bet he could do almost any color combination. In fact, we were talking about making a black soft case, with red thread and a silver lining. That was in tribute to a certain hockey team -- black and red for the Blackhawks' team colors and silver for the Stanley Cup. Of course, to be accurate, it would have to be three-pen case. But I like single pen cases.

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    Default Re: Everyone, Please Look at This Great Pen Case!

    It really is impressive work!


    Fernando Gouvêa -- fqgouvea@roadrunner.com

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    Default Re: Everyone, Please Look at This Great Pen Case!

    Thanks Laura and to everyone for the complements I really do appreciate it.
    Just to clarify I did indeed take my inspiration from the Nakaya leather pen case however I think the addition of the Kydex and the suede liner sets mine apart.
    I have not tested one to destruction yet but they are very strong.

    Laura mentioned we had discussed a different style case as a surprise I started to make it last week black with silver grey leather interior and red stitching

    IMG_0697_1 by my0771, on Flickr

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    Default Re: Everyone, Please Look at This Great Pen Case!

    Here is the case after it has been sewn together I just need to cut off the excess and finish the edges

    IMG_0800_1 by my0771, on Flickr

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    Default Re: Everyone, Please Look at This Great Pen Case!

    What kind of prices are these attracting?

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    Senior Member Laura N's Avatar
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    Default Re: Everyone, Please Look at This Great Pen Case!

    Quote Originally Posted by Cryptos View Post
    What kind of prices are these attracting?
    You should PM Michael, because they are all different, and I'm guessing the prices depend on the exact configuration you want. And may change over time.

    Michael, the red stitching on that black case with the silver lining looks fantastic!

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    Default Re: Everyone, Please Look at This Great Pen Case!

    I am amazed by the leaps and bounds Michael has made in his skills and handiwork. I saw a while back that he had turned his hand to leather work. I have an original wooden single pen box of his here on my desk. It contains a leather liner and is exactly the right size for my 1940 Parker Vac, which lives in it. I would like to point out that every single piece is a unique craftsman made item, so none of you will get exactly the same as another person. So if you have an example of his work, you have a unique work of art.

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    Senior Member Laura N's Avatar
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    Default Re: Everyone, Please Look at This Great Pen Case!

    I'm going to update this thread because my Blackhawks case just arrived and I can compare the two different styles.



    I'm not sure if Michael has an official name for his cases, but I'm going to call them the Premier case (because it was my first one) and the Blackhawks case (which is the gorgeous black case with red thread and silver suede lining).

    As you can see, the Premier case is longer. The Blackhawks case is shorter, because it basically has the same length as the half of the Premier case that holds the pen.



    The Premier was custom made to fit my Montblanc LeGrand, and as you can see that pen fits snugly inside. I'd be worried about losing a smaller pen inside without a spacer at the bottom. But the Blackhawks case is wider inside.



    In practice what that means is that the Blackhawks case is more of an all-rounder, because pens from small to large fit inside and come out easily. Here is a tiny Pelikan M200 inside.



    And here is the Montblanc -- you can see there is still room around the pen. I don't have a pen that can't fit in this case.



    The Premier case feels like the most secure way to carry a pen, ever. The cylindrical shape means that Kydex material surrounds the pen, and the locking mechanism means the case won't come loose or apart unless you want it too. As I said above, the Premier feels like it would stand up to anything. I'd give it a 10/10 for protectiveness. The Blackhawks case has the Kydex wrapping along the front and sides, while the back is a thick leather with a backing, perhaps also Kydex, that doesn't feel quite as thick as the front and sides but still is very thick leather. It's got a convenient flap which makes opening this case easier. It closes securely. The Blackhawks case feels very thick and strong, compared to a typical Pelikan or Montblanc case in the same style, which is made of softer leather. I'd give this one a 9/10 for protectiveness. It would have scored a 10 if I hadn't already seen the Premier.

    The Blackhawks case is very nice looking and has Michael's usual great workmanship. I think it was a great value, too.



    I could see myself someday wanting a two- or three-pen case from Michael. But barring that I think these two cases will be the only cases I'll ever need or use.


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    Default Re: Everyone, Please Look at This Great Pen Case!

    I really like the color combo in the Blackhawks case. The gray is a nice pop of color against the black. I'm a fan of the premier case....I like the two pieces held together by the string. It's got that Japanese style.

    I bet you'll enjoy both. Thanks for sharing

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