Nasty for pens, that is?

According to the Wikipedia article, there's nothing in it but wood, but the label on the board I bought at the local Lowe's says "Low VOC," not "No VOC." VOC being Volatile Organic Compounds, such as formaldehyde, I have to wonder: Was "low" chosen because "Low VOC" is an industry-standard term which people will recognize, or because there are in fact some VOCs, and this wasn't made using the Mason method?

Which is why I'm bothering asking: will using Masonite in a pen case do anything to damage my pens? I rather hope not, as I haven't been able to find anything else around here which would make a good base for the removable upper tray in a two-tier case, except various thin plywoods, all of which are badly warped.

That's an interesting question in terms of pen boxes. Hmm. As you probably know, new homes, especially mobile homes, emit quite a lot of VOCs for a long time after manufacture and this has been in the news recently--that's it's more harmful than originally thought. It might go unnoticed in the general population but it was discovered that the Katrina folks who have now been living in those mobile homes for way longer than planned are exhibiting respiratory illnesses--in some cases, serious ones. This unintended science experiment is bringing attention to a topic long glossed over by the manufactured housing business.

I would guess that modern Masonite is not made the old way (heat, steam, pressure). I would assume that these days the process is shortcut and they use adhesives and a hydraulic press and that VOCs are emitted for a long period of time.

I'd say that without doing some research, better to pick another material, like plain old wood (not plywood). Or build it out of 1/4 inch acrylic (plexiglass).

You might also consider sheet metal as an alternative to masonite. A local sheet metal shop should be able to cut it to the correct size, so all you will need to do is sand the sharp edges a little. The shop should be able to suggest a thickness that will not warp in your application, and yet will not be too heavy. If you are worried about rust, then get stainless sheet steel instead.

I've been trying to find more information, but I can't seem to find anything that will give me specific information about how this stuff was made. I did find, of all things, the Swedish Masonite website, on which they say that Masonite exudes fewer VOCs and less formaldehyde than plain pinewood, and that it is endorsed by the Swedish Asthma and Allergy Association. This is a hopeful sign. Also, the class action lawsuit seems to be regarding claims of premature buckling, warping, rotting, and general falling-apart behavior from the Masonite hardboard siding.

But then there's the EPA lawsuit against a Masonite factory for toxic emissions. Of course, the factory makes many products other than pegboard and hardboard, and the emissions may come from glues and paints not used to make standard Masonite hardboard, but... egad, conflicting information.

Of course, plywood and particle board are chock-full of formaldehyde and other such chemicals, and both seem to be regularly used to make pen boxes. As this will only be used as the base of the removable trays, atop which I'll glue those nifty display trays from GoPens... worth a shot? Or are the chemicals which might be present, if they're present, the sort that will dissolve my pens?

I'm not worried about respiratory problems, since no one will be wearing the boxes as breathing masks. Just the pens.

Egad... sheet metal? I'm just making a couple of cigar-box pen cases. I don't think I can afford stainless steel cut to size.

Masonite is considered a stable base for fine art paintings, if that helps.

Sheet metal shouldn't be expensive, and for the shop to cut it to size would only take a minute or two. I guess it is moot though. If Masonite emits less VOC's and less formaldehyde than pine and is a stable base for fine art paintings, then it is likely safe for fountain pens.

As you noted, there are pen cases made from materials potentially far more harmful than Masonite. I have not heard any reports of them damaging pens. If they did, someone on FPN would have raised the alarm by now.

It certainly does, thank you very much!



True... I hadn't known about the claim that it emits less formaldehyde than pine before I posted (the US website for Masonite doesn't admit to making anything so plebeian as hardboard or pegboard; they only want to be associated with "entry systems" now (in English, that means "doors" )). I'm glad I did, anyway, as there are some extremely knowledgeable folks here, and if anyone would know whether or not the stuff is dangerous for pens, it would be an FPN denizen.

Captnemo, thanks for pointing out the lawsuits, I wouldn't have found my way through them to the VOC info on the Swedish website otherwise. Pendragon, thanks for the sheet metal suggestion; knowing that it isn't as expensive as it sounds makes it a material to consider for future products. And artaddict, thanks for the tip about painting on Masonite! That rather sets my mind at ease.

Masonite made the old original way ought to emit next to nothing. I am guessing that "modern technology" has come up with a faster and cheaper way to do it in China using adhesive chemicals, but I could be mistaken. If I am mistaken and Masonite is still the real thing, then it would seem that Masonite would be a great choice. I probably didn't make that real clear in my first post. Haha.

Oh, no, I understood what you meant. And I don't doubt it. But I think (I hope) I've lucked out... this appears to be made in the US, at any rate, and with all the claims being made by the manufacturing company, it seems a reasonably safe material to use. I hope.

Marine plywood, unlike normal plywood, is made with epoxy resins, rather than formaldehyde based glues (it is often made with a better grade of wood, as well). Once the resin has cured, which should be well before you acquire it, the plywood should not emit anything other than what the wood would emit.
A good sealant, under whatever lacquer, varnish or paint you use should seal in any volatiles that are left in the wood...

I know about the marine vs normal plywoods from experience. I used to work on a marine research station. I would buy marine plywoods for various repair/construction needs, and leave them in my van, in the hot sun. I did not notice any smell on returning to the vehicle, other than normal Klinkii pine smell. One day I had a number of sheets of normal plywood. On opening the van after it had been in the tropical sun for a couple of hours, I couldn't get into it, the formaldehyde fumes were so strong (and I was used to formaldehyde fumes from my museum days). I had to let the fumes vent for 10 minutes, and then drive with all the windows open.

Real Masonite does not use formaldehyde, unlike most other engineered wood products (plywood, particle board, chipboard, paneling, ect.) You should be perfectly safe using Masonite for your box. Or you could use hardwood plank such as maple, poplar or oak.

Jim Couch