Ultra-fast Pen Case

[Jon Szanto]

Well, this one was ultra-fast. A couple years ago I made a two tier pen case from a cigar box that belonged to my father. I had to make the slotted trays by hand, a fun but tedious project. That case remains dear to my heart (dad gone now), but this new one was different...

Stopped by the local cigar place on the way home from an errand, picked up three boxes for $1.00 each (they give the proceeds to a Veteran's organization). Trimmed a pen tray liner from Michelle of Pendora Pens that I got from her at the LA Pen Show, took all of about 5 minutes to cut it to size. Placed it in the box.
I was done.

Here 'tis. Box as closed, and it shows how I knew right away it would be perfect:

box_closed.jpg

Here is the inside of the lid, which is actually printed on red felt, real swank:

box_inside_lid.jpg

Fully open, showing the pen tray with pens:

box_open.jpg

Just for fun, here's the selection in there for the photos:

box_pens.jpg

Total time: maybe 10-15 minutes. Total cost: right around $6.00 or so. I'll probably go back and smooth the exterior finish and put some finishing touches on the interior wood (which is unfinished), but all in all, a fun afternoon project.

[Robert]

The stogies that once called that box home are very, very good. Perchance, did you buy any?

[Jon Szanto]

Heh, I keep telling myself that when I'm within eyesight of the end of the road, I'll start smoking cigars. At this point, I'm still trying to stack the deck in my favor, but it's getting pretty close to taking my chances!

[kia]

May I ask how you trimmed the trays? I have some large ones that I got to hold my big Japanese pens, but I find cutting the trays to be difficult and they kind of kink and bend not in a good way when doing so.

[Jon Szanto]

May I ask how you trimmed the trays? I have some large ones that I got to hold my big Japanese pens, but I find cutting the trays to be difficult and they kind of kink and bend not in a good way when doing so.

These were fairly easy as the plastic material that makes up the tray is not very thick. The originals are her large size, with 22 slots. The first cut was to cut off just nine slots, so cutting between two of the slots with a pair of scissors was quick and straight. Then to make the length fit (the total slot length is just over 8", longer than necessary), I turned the piece over, marked across the bottom of the slots with a pencil, and then used a metal ruler to guide an Xacto razor knife to cut across the rounded slots. After I had made significant cuts through the bottoms of the slots, I just finished connecting the cut by hand. I chose to only cut part of the way through because, as you press harder to get down between the slots, they did have a tendency to want to collapse a bit. All in all, pretty easy to do.

I wouldn't be surprised, with these as thin as they are, if you couldn't cut across the slots if you had some large scissors, like are sometimes used for dressmaking, etc.

[kia]

Thanks. I guess I need to find my Xacto knife.

[Winnie]

Love how your box turned out. My husband took my old tea box from Starbucks and turned it into my pen box. I had tossed the box, but it was wood and nice so he retrieved it and when he saw the cigar box at the pen show he made mine. Enjoy yours!

[Apprenti]

Very cool. I'd love to make or buy something like this but, unfortunately, we don't really get big cigar boxes in England. Or those pen slot thingies.

We do, however, have at least one old book shop in every city/town. Of course, that only helps if I want to make a secret pen case

[AndyT]

We do, however, have at least one old book shop in every city/town. Of course, that only helps if I want to make a secret pen case

Eek! Libricide!!

[Apprenti]

We do, however, have at least one old book shop in every city/town. Of course, that only helps if I want to make a secret pen case

Eek! Libricide!!

The only book I've ever done it to was an old copy of a Sir Conan Doyle collection. It was a very common book, not that old and missing chunks of pages anyway. Instead of allowing it to be binned I made it into a little case

Of course, I'd never do such a thing on a good book. Trashy holiday romances perhaps, but then I don't have any of them anyway

By the way, Libricide: cool term, I'll use that in the future haha

Joe

[AndyT]

[QUOTE=Apprenti;75019]

By the way, Libricide: cool term, I'll use that in the future haha Joe

Couldn't resist.

Unless my memory is playing tricks it was Drif Field, author of the frequently scandalous "Drif's Guide to the Secondhand and Antiquarian Bookshops in Britain" who coined that one.