A week or so ago there was a thread about ink storage and how different people store theirs. Well, I was in the early stages of a major and much needed office clean-up (ok, truth be told, I was only "thinking" about it) and my ink was a problem. Some ideas there got me thining about a solution for my very small office.

I had been using a platic art box about the size of a large shoe box, but it was full, I had one of my son's small shoe boxes full, and there were bottles scattered all over my bookshelves. This was a less-than-ideal solution as I was frequently pulling out books and endangering my inks, to say nothing about the carpet!

I did a bit of searching on Ebay and found Terry Hoffart. He had a number of shelf styles listed, but the thing that grabbed my attention (other than the excellent prices) was a note in the listing that read. So, I emailed Terry, told him what I wanted, and PRESTO!, the ball was set in motion (mind you, this was a very fast moving ball).

Before I go further, a disclaimer. I have no affiliation with Terry Hoffart and have only purchased from him once, nor do I benefit in any way from any referrals, etc. That said, read on . . .

Terry was an excellent communicator and confirmed exactly what I wanted and told me how to proceed. My choice was a blend of two of his stock designs with some further tweaking on the measurements. At one point in the our discussion I was away from the PC for about two hours and, when I returned, I had two emails from Terry. I had stepped away to eat supper (the proper term for the evening meal, btw ) with my wife and son, but forgot to mention this to Terry :doh: . He wanted confirmation on one of my specifications so he could build it that night and ship it the next day!

A few days later a FedEx truck arrived at the house with a big box. Inside was the shelf I had ordered, exactly as I had ordered it.

The images are of the shelf in unfinished soft pine. This is the way I mounted the shelf on the wall (hey, remember: I'm in the middle of a major office cleaning/organizing and I had to get something done quick. I'll likely take the shelf down at some point in the future and paint it, but that can wait.)

Now for some pics:

Pics shown are: 1) side view; 2) back view, showing the front ledges/lips on the shelves to keep the ink bottles from sliding off if the shelf is jarred; and 3) frontal view.

I used a couple of small L-brackets to mount the shelf onto a stud in the wall. The results? Check it out:


I'm thrilled with the results. It holds all my inks in an attractive and organized manner. For the curious, here's the organization.
Top shelf: Noodlers browns, greens, and reds (each in their own cubby)
Second: Noodlers blues/blacks/grays and Watermans
Third: Noodlers purples, Aurora/J. Herbin, Diamine orange
Fourth: Diamine blues and more blues
Bottom: Parker, Pilot and some custom mixes, Sailor and ink samples
Top: extras, inks I'm not going to keep, and my Viscontis and Lamy inks.

I'm sure you're wanting to know, and so I'll not put it off any longer. The question: "How much?" The answer: $28.99 including FedEx shipping! Can't beat it, period! I used a Buy-It-Now option. His Ebay ID is terry_lynn_1958 and the photos well represent what you get. Check him out, and tell him I said hi (again, no affiliation whatsoever, just happy to pass on an ink storage solution from an excellent source who was a true professional and with whom it was a pleasure to deal).

Edited to get the photos better.

That's just beautiful, southpaw! I love how the spaces are different shapes - suits different bottle assortments just as you've done!

I'm now jealous both of your beautiful shelves and all your ink! I need more Noodlers!

Thanks. BTW, one "tweak" was to increase the depth of the shelves to 4 inches wide - the Noodlers and Waterman ink bottles are two deep!

Wow, that's fantastic, and an amazing price as well. Cool solution!

If I had as many inks as you do, I'd get the shelf. But I'm still in the single digits at last count.

Your bottles look like bunch of doves, all cozy and happy together-- So cute!

-Hana

Wonderful! What a handsome solution! It will look magnificent when it's painted/stained etc.

It's giving me ideas.

$28.99?!! Including shipping?!! That's slave labor! I'm guessing that this guy just loves to build and is justifing his shop equipment to his wife by selling stuff.

Very nice, Southpaw!! Makes me want to organize my pen stuff!

That shelf system is just too cool..
Could you give us the dimensions...
I may have to contact him myself, I can't do the work myself for that price.

! That is even cheaper than walmart prices! You got an incredible deal! A custom mad huge shelf for that price and it includes fedex already! WOW! If I want anything built, I'll be sure to contact Terry!

You were very creative in your design. The shelve shows the inks very very well.

First off, yes, $28.99 for the shelf INCLUDING shipping. NOT A TYPO!!!

Dimensions on the shelf: 16" wide, 33" high including the top.

As to the design, I can and do take NO credit. The design is all Terry's. I just tweaked it a bit by adding the shelf ledges and increasing the depth.

Why that price? I don't know and I haven't asked. Truthfully, at that price I wasn't expecting much, but the communication really impressed me. When the shelf arrived, I was most pleased with the quality of the work.

I just emailed him to see about getting one made for next to my desk. Hurrah !!!
Thanks, Southpaw

Susan

That....is....COOOOOOOOL!!!!!!!! What an awesome cabinet! This guy is, I suspect, soon going to have more work than he knows what to do with!

That looks great.

Thanks for the post and photos, Southpaw!
I don't have as many bottles of ink as you do....yet

wowzers... great looking ink cubby - those bottles are sitting in style eh?

Very, very nice. Thank you for telling us about this successful solution.
Gerry

Maybe we should discuss the FPN Limited Edition Ink Shelf? <_<

Here's my new shelf.
I contacted Terry yesterday, and by the end of the day the shelf was completed. It's shipping out today.
Amazing.

That one actually looks more like what I'd, go for. Bulk storage appeals to me. And I may need to find a new place to put ink soon.

Hi SJM,

Nice looking shelf. Hope it's what you wanted. I toyed with the idea of getting one like that, but the design of the other one won me over. True, it doesn't have as much storage as others, but this one still has some room and I plan on letting go of some inks in the near future.

ENJOY that new shelf!

Hey Southpaw.
I can't wait until it arrives.
I'll tell you more then.
I don't have enough inks to anywhere near fill it....but I'm hoping someday I will.
And working with Terry was exactly as good an experience as you had described. I just wanted to do business with the guy !!!!
My shelf is about 18" wide and 14" tall, 4"deep (which I got from you). When it gets here I'm going to stain it with MinWax Colonial Maple to match all of the rest of the inside of my rustic abode.

Thanks for the tip.
Susan

This is really cool. I don't have enough ink to fill one but I could use it to store pen boxes as well. I could store just about anything.

And as an added bonus I get to finish the wood to my own liking. I'm not handy as a carpenter but I do like to finish my own stuff. It just makes it look distinctive. Hmm.. sounds like two hobbies helping each other out.

I can think of a dozen or so other uses for one of these... I guess I'll have to get one soon.

The workmanship of those shelves is amazing!

Southpaw, your look like the shelves seen at pen stores. For less than $30 it's a bargain!

Congrats!

Has anyone else ordered from Terry? If so, how was it and have his prices gone up? I'm getting an estimate from him and I'm curious to how it's going with other people. Thanks.

Heath

Thank you for introducing us to Terry. My order will likely be following too. I have a general question, provoked by your photos, that might serve as the beginning of another thread. Is it all right to expose your inks to the light for extended periods? I once posted a thread about a bottle of Noodler's that went moldy on me and other members recommended keeping my inks in drawers. I'm wondering if light affects the ink's biology, chemistry, and color over time.

First off, got everything straight with Terry and just paid for my copy of SouthPaw's organizer. Can't wait to get it in and paint it. Unlike him, if I don't paint it before it gets mounted it won't get painted.

Secondly, I would think light does help some organisms grow, but I also know that mold can grow in darkness. Just check that tub of antique leftovers in your fridge.

Heath

And if you're worried about exposure to light, why not make cute little curtains for the shelves? Windowbox garden is optional.

-Hana

Now that you mention it, Hana, I could order a cabinet. Even if that doubled the price it would still be a bargain.

If I had so many ink bottles, I would definitely order a cabinet like that, but maybe with some kind of front door. Since I currently have just 3 bottles (black, sepia, red), I keep them inside their original boxes in my secretaire, away from any kind of light.

Just ordered one myself so my wife and I can store our inks, as well as her Precious Moments collection. Working with Terry has been very easy and his prices haven't gone up much at all. $30 shipped.

We got ours just the other day from Terry. Stained it up the other day, and put it on the wall the other night. Holy moley, what a nice piece of work! I'm very very pleased. Good grief...two can barely go out for a nice dinner for $30.

Thanks, Southpaw, for sharing the recommendation!

I'll take some pictures and post 'em up later. If I don't, someone remind me, please?

Glad so many of you have found Terry to be as easy to work with as I did and have availed yourselves of his work. Pleased to have been of help.