Because I have a small desk, my ink bottles are crowding me. I am making an ink bottle cabinet out of craft wood boxes bought at Micheal's and will post my final result.

Who else uses an ink bottle cabinet? I was looking for a shadow box type with or without a door for a small space and was unable to come up with anything suitable...pre-made. Display ledges were not the answer either.

Would love to see other examples.

Wanda

I would also like to see some examples. I dabble a bit in rubberstamping and I have seen some very neat ways of how to store stamps. Sometimes ppl use those spice rack things mounted to the wall, I've seen others use an ordinary bamboo utensil drawer.

I have a little cabinet with doors that used to be the base of an old drafting table. I've set it on the counter top in a half bathroom that adjoins our laundry room. I keep all my ink bottles in this cabinet. I fill and flush pens in this half bath since there's a nice old laundry sink in there. This half bath has been re-named the "inkatorium." Maybe I'll post some pictures later - I've got to do some tidying up first.

Judybug

If you have a table saw the best I have found over the years is a wooden frame with a 1/4 back. I cut groves in the side and the blade is 1/8 and I cut 1/8 glass that fits into the saw cut. Glass is about 2 inches wide by 12. The only problem is they keep breeding on me. I also have one shelf on our bookcase and I cut glass about 2 by 18 and used the ink bottle boxes as spacers on the ends and have them stacked 4 high. It was a neat way to use up the ink boxes. I find the glass does not take away from the look and color of the bottles.

Just my .02

Chris

Chris,
Can you post a picture?
Wanda

Chris . . . Having worked in a custom cabinet shop for a number of years we were always very careful when using glass. Single strenght plate glass (most common type found) would only be used inside a frame. A much safer solution for small shelves would be to use Lexan or plexiglass sheets which can be had in small sizes from almost any home supply store (Lowes, Home Depot, ect.) These can be cut just like glass (score & snap) or on a table saw. After cutting to size the edges can be sanded smooth and then polished using flame from a propane torch. This gives a very clean and finished edge with very little effort.

Not trying to critique what works for you. Just trying to save someone with out your skill level any pain & suffering.


"If you have a table saw the best I have found over the years is a wooden frame with a 1/4 back. I cut groves in the side and the blade is 1/8 and I cut 1/8 glass that fits into the saw cut. Glass is about 2 inches wide by 12. The only problem is they keep breeding on me. I also have one shelf on our bookcase and I cut glass about 2 by 18 and used the ink bottle boxes as spacers on the ends and have them stacked 4 high. It was a neat way to use up the ink boxes. I find the glass does not take away from the look and color of the bottles.

Just my .02

Chris"

Hi,

I bought one of those small plywood cabinets from IKEA, three drawer, just the right size for most ink botles except my favourite Diamine ones (too tall) although the small plastic 30ml ones fit in nicely.

You can fit several bottles in each drawer and I use one of the drawers for cartridges, refills converters etc.

Andy

I picked up a lawyers book case and use it for pen and ink storage. It has four shelves with the slide in glass front doors.

We have an old Coca-Cola crate nailed up on the wall, Not all ink bottles fit into the square openings, but many do. Those that don't find the side of the crate, that is now the top, as a shelf. It also holds fetishes, some next to the bottles of ink, some on top. I mounted an old orchard ladder to the wall above the crate, and that makes a nice shelf too, for all kinds of stuff. There's even a desk fountain pen up there.

Click to view attachment

planning stage....

Here's the just about finished product. Painted in the Mexican way.
Primary colors, dried, and coated with that cool waterbased Varathane type finish.
Added two keyhole hangers to the back.
It has a few more spots for no more than four more bottles.
Click to view attachment
The box at Michael's Craft Store cost $6.99.

I would love to see other photos of cabinets.

Wanda

Outstanding!

I don't have that many inks (yet) so I never thought of building a cabinet for them. But with seven bottles, it's starting to get awkward, so after seeing this I decided it was a good idea! Still don't have a cabinet, but I walked down to the tobacco shop near here, and picked up a tall, wooden cigar box that should work fine for a while! It's a pretty one. Looks much better than a bunch of little bottles. Thanks for the idea.

I love it! I need to add this to the list of projects I'm working on.

I like to post McGuyver solutions for those who cannot afford to buy fancy digs for their pens and inks. It's fun, gets your brain going, keeps you off the street. I had to customize this cabinet because the space around my desk is tiny...in a little corner between a large closet and a window. My only druthers would be finding a wood (not bass wood which is rather soft) box that is sturdier. If I find such a box then, another project. I don't have a wood shop but basic simple tools, hand saws, Gorilla glue, wood glue. I envy folks with wood shops and the full array of power tools. Man, would I go places........

Some of the blotter solutions are hilarious, practical, household scavenger hunt, and many great ideas. The money saved can go towards another bottle of ink or....another pen. If a crazy box inspires another, great and then post your creation.

Wanda

I was inspired by the shelf made by PacificCoastPen . . . when I saw it I looked at my desk and realized that I had a jumble of ink bottles just sitting there, looking messy. So I decided to try to find myself a similar shelf.

Unfortunately, after looking in quite a few places (Michaels, JoAnne Fabrics, Home Depot, Bed Bath & Beyond, Target, etc) I could not find a suitably sized shelf. I thought perhaps a spice rack would work, but I could not find any. I decided that I needed to make my own.

It's very simple . . . just a 'ladder' shaped shelf made from 1/4" by 3" poplar boards picked up from Home Depot. The unit has four shelves plus the top. The shelves are each about 15" wide, and spaced 4" apart so the entire unit is roughly 17" tall. It's a closed-back design, with some cardboard tacked and glued onto the back. The whole thing is held together with wood glue and a few small nails.

I wanted it to match my pen storage box, so I covered it with a decoupage coating in the same brown Mulberry paper, with a glossy finish. All together, it cost me under $10 for the materials including wood, board, paper, and glue.

The shelves are sized to hold up to nine Noodlers 3oz bottles, or up to six PR bottles . . . right now it's a little over half full, though I've spread the bottles out.

Nothing special, but it does match my case and keeps my inks neater.

Very nice. I do something very similar (although the dimensions are very different) for DVD storage for my movie collection.

The only thing I might suggest is painting or staining the inside a lighter color to better show off the dark bottles inside. But it just might be the photos making it look that dark.