Parker "51" Pen Tube. Hard Plastic, Soft Foam, And Some Silk.

[Flounder]

Hard on the outside, soft on the inside pen tubes!

 

http://i773.photobucket.com/albums/yy19/flounder2009/FMT%20Hard%20-%20Soft%20Parker%2051%20Pen%20Tubes/FMTPenTubes003.jpg

 

 

I love my 51s. We all do, right? About as much as we hate the idea of them getting jostled, bashed, and crushed. The inside of a day bag at walking pace can be a surprisingly hostile place, with jangling keys, spare change, and a heavy laptop all ready to do their worst.

So I've made up a couple of pen tubes! They're rigid PET plastic (approx 3mm thick) on the outside, which is an excellent hard barrier against crushing, bending, twisting, scratching and cutting forces. Hostile synonyms are no match! Shattering - pah! Smashing - pishaw! Spiflicating - pish tosh!

 

 

http://i773.photobucket.com/albums/yy19/flounder2009/FMT%20Hard%20-%20Soft%20Parker%2051%20Pen%20Tubes/FMTPenTubes005.jpg

 

 

The inside of the tube is lined with 3mm thick non-toxic, UV resistant closed cell soft foam (60 on the 00 shore scale), to absorb the stress of impact strikes and abrasion. To protect the 51's delicate celluloid jewels against the concentrated force of end on strikes, the top and bottom get 6mm of foam, lined in 100% silk.

 

 

http://i773.photobucket.com/albums/yy19/flounder2009/FMT%20Hard%20-%20Soft%20Parker%2051%20Pen%20Tubes/FMTPenTubessilklined6mmfoamcap.jpg

 

 

The scew cap is a repurposed Diamine ink bottle cap. If you're going to make a pen tube, you may as well do it in style!

 

 

ps - if this has caught your interest enough to reach the bottom, head over to the PIF area in a wee while!

 

More photos on photobucket, here.

[ARVA]

Great job ! I have to look at some boxes, if I remember correctly I also had some of these tubes. I never thought they could serve as pen armour. Thanks for sharing!

[Flounder]

Thanks Arva! That is very interesting, as I could not find a source here in Europe, and had to import them from America! Or was it Canada? It might have been Canada.

[ARVA]

Unfortunately mine are too short, if they were 5cm longer it would have been perfect. As for the source, I got them a few years ago when I visited a bottling company and they gave us a few bottle samples in the early fabrication steps.

[Flounder]

I guess everything is bigger across the pond!

[Chrissy]

I think these are a great idea. What other pens besides Parker 51's fit inside them?

 

Where do you get them from?

[Flounder]

Um...Hero 616 jumbos Easy answer! Sheaffer Snorkel too. TBH I haven't really gone through all my pens, I just really, *really* wanted something to protect my 51s. I'll have to get back to you on the source, it was an actual standalone website not eBay or Amazon.

[ink-syringe]

oh sweet!

[Flounder]

Chrissy, I got them from an American website, OnlineScienceMall.

[Runnin_Ute]

P45 is virtually same size as a 51 special, so that sho

uld fit. Pelikan M150,M2xx,120

[Runnin_Ute]

Esterbrook LJ, J look like they will too.

[Flounder]

A stunningly preserved surprise find Parker 61 (bling-tastic 18K Presedential) definitely fits.

[ARVA]

Finally I got a tube like yours and also an aluminium cigar holder which works the same way. My question is how did you managed to fix the silk lining into the cap?

[Flounder]

Nice one Arva! I was looking at cigar tubes too, but got a headache with all the different sizes (I am not a smoker). Did you have to buy your preform from America too?

 

Cap construction on the two pen 'carry' tubes I made went as below. I might make changes next time, like a rubber gasket so that the tube is completely sealed. That way, I can also have 'storage' tubes for out-of-rotation 51s with rolled silver caps, minimising tarnish.

 

The silk in the cap - first I wrapped the patch of silk over a piece of foam so that both are small enough to fit in the tube cavity, and stitched the silk ends together so that the foam was wrapped up, one face smooth (facing the pen), the other facing the inside of the cap, so the sewing is hidden.

 

Then I used 2 centre stitches through the silk lined foam pad (you can see them in the photos above), to secure it to a much larger foam circle, which was then trapped inside the end of the cap the same way as the cap's original ink gasket (by being slightly larger circumference than the cap threads).

Edited December 30, 2014 by Flounder

[ARVA]

Thank you very much for explaining the process

 

I also do not smoke, I bought it only for the tube. And the brushed aluminium texture goes really well with a T-1. As for the preform I also had this one from the bottle factory visit, I had 3 short ones (those were not good for storing pens, I guess they were for 0.5liter bottles) and one longer like yours (I think for 2 liter bottles), the problem was that first I found only the 3 short ones. Later I remembered that I had a bigger one also but it was hidden in other boxes.

 

Today I will try to finish mine also, thanks again!

[Flounder]

That sounds great, take a photo when you're finished, I'd love to see it!

[my63]

Flounder I love your tubes

I have an idea if you don't mind,

As these preforms are designed to be heated and blown into a much larger shape I was thinking it may be possible to place a weight inside (coins) and heat the body carefully to lengthen the tube to accommodate larger pens.

 

I have found a European supplier who stocks a similar item

 

http://www.geocoinshop.eu/Container/PET-SET-CLEAR-5-Preforms-5-Caps::310.html?XTCsid=jtb2do3bd9p8c29t54997p1qm6

[Flounder]

Thanks my63!

 

From the few youtube videos I've seen, it takes a pass through in an oven and a high pressure hose to blow the preforms into cola bottles. I'm not sure I would be able to achieve much beyond a splendid, dizzying high and a banishment from the resident's association trying this... if you give it a go, please report your findings!

 

The preforms from that geocaching enthusiast's site look a little short, alas. I'm sure someone somewhere in Europe sells them. There was a UK site that appeared to have them, but they had conflicting sizes listed and didn't answer my emails.

 

ps - larger pens such as the fairly hefty Kaigelu 316 do fit inside the preform itself, if you are willing to compromise on the foam and use some thin cloth or something. That would still work as an 'urban warrior' style hard case without shock protection.

 

pps - your kydex experiments are very interesting indeed!

[my63]

Thanks Flounder my tinkering with Kydex has improved and I have worked out how to form the ends of cylinders now it does need to be very hot before it will take on any form, I am still having problems gluing the edges together there is a super glue that begins with a c that is supposed to work, but clearly I have not found it as yet.

 

it would be interesting to see what one looks like wrapped in leather if I can find some I might give it a try I do have a number of 51 s.

[Flounder]

What you are doing is very impressive, it's a real "from the ground up" style project.