Well, this thing took me longer to do than I originally thought it would. I'm still liking the idea of doing more of these, but I'm glad I got this one done. There are things that I found in constructing this one that let me know where adjustments need to be made; both in the sizes of certain parts and to the process overall.

This project started after seeing various leather pen cases offered on the net. Most of the cases I saw seemed to be of a mass-produced quality. I enjoy doing small cases and such, so I thought I'd try my hand at making a case. Here's what happened...


I started with the question earlier here in the Forums about how big to make the pockets. After good suggestions from the helpful folks here, DanF requested I use 5/8", as the cases he had wouldn't hold some of his larger-girth pens. Using 5/8" dowels, I moulded the pockets and set them to a length that seemed to fit. Carving/Veg-Tanned leather needs to be moulded wet or damp, which is why the leather is nailed down:

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Once I had that part moulded and trimmed, I had a rough idea on the size of the over-casing for the pockets. After cutting and shaping a wooden mould to the shape I needed, I shaped the outer casing over the mould with another piece of leather:

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While letting that dry, I cut two flat pieces that would become the base and cover flap. After the outer pocket section was dry, I was able to trim it to size and fit to the base. These are the components separately:

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This is a test-fit of the base with the inner pockets and the outer-pocket together, just to check for size:

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It seemed at this point that the case would be rather plain if I left the flap without some decoration, so I carved a simple celtic knot on the front of the flap:

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At this point, I missed taking pictures of a few steps. I ended up cutting slots in the base piece for the two edges of the inner pockets to go through, so as to have the edge not be so thick. I also dyed most of the pieces blue (black seemed to be a bit too dark). At this next shot, I've fit the inner pockets to the base, and am stitching down the center line so that the pockets don't shift around:

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Here, I've dyed the carving red to contrast with the rest of the case, ran the stitching line for the outside, and glued the back to the base pieces:

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Next step; to glue the outer pocket in place over the inner pockets:

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After that was dry, last major step was to stitch around the entire edge to hold everything in place:

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Once that was done, the front flap simply needed to be bent over to shape. Here's the final overall look of the case:

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Note that at this point, the only thing left to do is dye the edges black and slick them down. This gives the case a finished look and feel.

While working through all the various steps, I did run across several things that I'll need to change before putting together the next one. The outer pocket ended up too 'deep' for my tastes, as it doesn't fit snug to the inner pockets. I also think that the inner pockets should have been done around a 3/4" dowel, as tucking the edges in under the base edge reduced the size slightly. The adjustments to the mould and the dowel sizes shouldn't be too much of a problem. The last change will be to modify the closure. I used a magnetic clasp on this case (as you can see in the pics). As much as it allows the carving to be 'shown off', it ended up adding to the thickness of the case, and I'm not happy with that. I think I can find another closure/clasp method that will allow the case to be less thick.

Overall, I like the general design of the end result. With a few tweaks here and there, they should make for a nice case. If anyone has any other suggestions, PLEASE make them. I can use all the help I can get.


-Kel


P.S.: as DanF was the one who requested a specific inner-pocket size, he gets to 'beta test' this case. I'll PM for details.

Kel,

That looks fabulous, can't wait to see it in person. PM sent.

Prototypes always seem to take longer than expected, hope this is the beginning of a rewarding venture for you.

Dan

Okay Dan, the case is on its way to you.

Sorry it went out so late; Life has been sorta hectic around here lately.


The folks at UPS said it should get to you around Monday.


-Kel

Thanks for the report. It's always neat to see the process of creation!

Kurt

Terrific depiction/demonstration of craftsmanship - I applaud your talent and skill!
Thank you for sharing this with us.

Thanks guys.

I'm hoping that Dan will be able to give a better review of it once he gets it.


...and hope that I didn't completely fudge it up.



-Kel

Kel, I am very impressed with the skill you have displayed. If you ever decide to make a few more for sale to FPN members, I'd like to be first in line !!!!

Thanks Wolverine. I think that there's one ahead of you, but I'll put you down as next on the list.

I still need to do the adjustments to the outer pocket mould that I mentioned in the original post, and I can't seem to come up with a good clasp or closure method for the lid flap. I'm not liking what I see from my normal sources, so I'm still hunting around.

I am currently in the middle of a sword scabbard that I was commissioned to do while I was in the middle of the pen case, so it may take me a few days before I get to making the next case.


I'll get pics up of the next one when I get it done



-Kel



Edit: stubnut, I think it was you that was next in line. Holler if you're still interested! If not, Wolverine gets bumped up in line.

Alright...

This officially Sucks. I can't find what I'm looking for in a clasp/closure for these cases to save my tail. It seems that there are only 3 makers of bag clasps and closures, and every retail outlet out there simply repackages whatever they want to sell and puts their own brand name on it. So, I'm stuck with the same selections no matter where I look!

I have located a source for 'low profile' magnetic clasps. I'm eager to see what DanF has to say about the one I put on this case to see if I should continue using that clasp type.

As for other choices, it seems the only things I can find are 'through a hole' clasps like this:

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There are some pretty fancy designs for these. My dislike of these is that they protrude rather badly. I would think the toggle would catch on everything.


Or one that hangs off of the end of the flap, like this:

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Ugly. Fugly. Functional, but fugly.


Or I can figure out if a bar-snap will work; something like this:

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I think this would require modification to the outer pocket to get to work properly. I dunno if I want to do that yet.

For that matter, I could just use a regular snap.


I'm not really impressed with any of those choices, as they either don't seem very secure or won't really slim the case down any. And I'm trying hard to avoid just having a loop to tuck the flap under, as that seems kinda cheezy.


Meh...


Wolverine1, it looks like you're the next up on the list. Any preferences? Perhaps a suggestion for color? Different design on the front? Cure for my insanity?


-Kel

Kel,

If you are able to fit magnets into the leather then these magnets are really strong and will provide the closure you need while being almost invisible. You could attach the magnets in between the leather layers to make them hidden but they are strong enought to work through the leather.

PM me your address and I'll send you some to play with.

Siv

PS, if this works out then I'll be commissioning a case for my (soon to be) three Nakaya piccolos as these short and thick pens don't really fit well into regular cases

I had thought on that idea, as a thin neodymium magnet would be strong enough. Getting one sandwiched between the two layers of the flap wouldn't be a problem, but getting one on the outer pocket would be a trick. I have a source for some thin-profile magnetic clasps. I'm just wanting an opinion from DanF on if it's a good direction to go for future cases.

As for a commission, just let me know the dimensions you require (pen length and girth), as well as requested color, design on front (if any), and such. I take it you are requesting a 3-pen case?

-Kel

Well, I heard from DanF...


He has the case, and has given me some great info on what needs to be changed and how. I'll be working on the improvements over the next week or two and will see what I can come up with. A tweak here, an adjustment there...

I'm hoping Dan posts his thoughts himself


-Kel

Hi all,

I received the lovely case yesterday. The Workmanship is first rate - very clean, and looks to be indestructible. The colors are very rich and intense, and it smells good. I sent Kel a few suggestions for dimensional changes to accommodate larger pens (as he suspected, the tubes are still a bit narrow for oversize pens, and the clasp won't close on pens over 5" long) , and to make retrieval from the case a little easier (the tubes that hold the pens could be a little shorter, leaving more of the pen to get a grip on).

These would be very minor things to remedy, and I think he will have a very nice case for pen enthusiasts. I like the magnetic clip, by the way, it just needs to be set about an inch higher on the case for longer pens. I suggested the possibility of an option for a belt loop, so if anyone else would like to see that available, now would be the time to speak up.

Dan

beautiful case.... i love the colours...

Wonderful workmanship! I love the stitching and the color contrast.

Thanks a whole lot, Dan. The suggestions and comments you made were exactly what I wanted.

I've already cut new dowels for the larger tubes, and am working on a new mould for the outer pocket. Now that I know that the magnetic clasp will work okay, I'll go ahead and get some of the slim-line clasps.

Dan, will the tube sizes on that case work for slimmer pens? My Waterman Gentleman and my Hero both seemed to swim in those tubes, but I don't know if these pens are overly slim for a real benchmark. If they really are just flat-out too narrow, then I won't bother keeping the old dowels and mould.

Give me some time to get the 2.0 version of the case together, and I'll get new pics up.

I'll have to order the slim-line clasps off of the 'Net, so they'll probably take some extra time to get them here.

I think I have a request in from Wolverine1, and Siv wanted a case as well (Siv, you need to get me dimensions and such). In the mean time, should I start a new thread for taking requests?

Does anyone have a reasonable idea of what sort of price-tag I should put on these things? Dan?

Let me know.


-Kel

Kel,

My case would work fine for most "normal" size pens - one pocket will go up to 39/64", the other is snug with a pen that measures17/32" (a dial caliper is our friend!) The first pen would be considered oversize, the other would be on the chunky side of normal. None of my pens would swim, so I suspect yours are on the slim side. Keep in mind that with plastic resins, you don't want to abrade the finish by cramming them into a too tight pocket, so a little loose is a good thing.

As for cost, that's hard to say. I guess take a look at what is being offered on eBay as a general guide, then consider what sets your apart from those, and go from there.

Dan