Ink Sample Storage

[nana_kathy]

From the posts in the Inky Thoughts forum, it seems most people like ink samples. Me too... and the collection is growing. My question is, what is the best way to store these little treats? Right now mine are in a box in my ink drawer, and threatening to overflow. Have been considering a couple of those sample rack holders from Goulet Pens, but is there anything that works better?

 

And while we're at it... how do you organize your samples? By color, manufacturer, alphabetically?

 

I'm looking forward to hearing what everyone thinks. Thanks.

[inkstainedruth]

I got one of the racks from isellpens.com (similar to what the Goulets sell, but cheaper).

I don't have that many samples (yet), so it's not filled up. There are four rows, so at the moment I sort the samples by:

1) "haven't tried yet" (at this point the emptiest row)

2) "tried and liked enough to want a full bottle"

3) "tried and didn't particularly like" (and won't probably be re-ordering

4) "emptied (or almost emptied) vials to be cleaned out for reuse" (the vials will be good for carrying small amounts while traveling or to transfer inks from larger bottles and used as inexpensive inkwells).

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[melissa59]

Mine are in the zip-style baggies they came in and those baggies are tossed into a tallish wooden box. No system.

 

I dipped each one with a flex, fine and 1.5 nib and wrote with them on a piece of paper that I can view later, when comparing and deciding which ones I like. Now, I'm in the process of just using them up. :-)

 

I have only one full bottle of ink (black) when I do decide to get others, I plan on pulling out enough for a refill or two and storing it in a cleaned sample bottle for easy access and, hopefully, less likelihood of spilling a large bottle.

 

If it wasn't for the cost factor, I could probably be happy using nothing but samples as I like the variety but don't need a lot of ink.

[KrazyIvan]

I just put them next to my monitor.

[nana_kathy]

I got one of the racks from isellpens.com (similar to what the Goulets sell, but cheaper).

I don't have that many samples (yet), so it's not filled up. There are four rows, so at the moment I sort the samples by:

1) "haven't tried yet" (at this point the emptiest row)

2) "tried and liked enough to want a full bottle"

3) "tried and didn't particularly like" (and won't probably be re-ordering

4) "emptied (or almost emptied) vials to be cleaned out for reuse" (the vials will be good for carrying small amounts while traveling or to transfer inks from larger bottles and used as inexpensive inkwells).

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

 

Thanks for the great suggestions! Kathy

[nana_kathy]

Mine are in the zip-style baggies they came in and those baggies are tossed into a tallish wooden box. No system.

 

I dipped each one with a flex, fine and 1.5 nib and wrote with them on a piece of paper that I can view later, when comparing and deciding which ones I like. Now, I'm in the process of just using them up. :-)

 

I have only one full bottle of ink (black) when I do decide to get others, I plan on pulling out enough for a refill or two and storing it in a cleaned sample bottle for easy access and, hopefully, less likelihood of spilling a large bottle.

 

If it wasn't for the cost factor, I could probably be happy using nothing but samples as I like the variety but don't need a lot of ink.

 

I've had trouble finding the sample I want in the box.. usually just dump it out on the desk and start hunting, that's why I need a system of some kind. I like the way you're doing your written samples. So far, I've just done about a half page of 5x8 paper in a ring binder for each sample, Perhaps on the next rainy Northwest day when I need a project, I'll start over . Thanks for the idea!

[nana_kathy]

I just put them next to my monitor.

 

 

Lovely colors!

[DriedUpBob]

I have about 12 samples and cheaped out by doing the 5/8" holes in a slab of 2x4 lumber. I cut the 2x4 to fit in my rubbermaid ink holder box. I finally bought a glass pen to give a first view of the ink on paper without loading up a pen. If I like it then I will load up a pen then I use a small Clairefontains notebook to write down the date, pen, nib and color. I have a page for each pen.

 

Colors that I really like I have the back page of the notebook reserved for "Inks I want" then as I get play money and buy one I cross it off from there.

 

Bob

[jd50ae]

Feel free to send all those pesky space using samples to me. I have the perfect place for them

[laechri]

Just found this on Amazon and it looks promising! I'm going the custom route though and ordering from a shop on Etsy that makes custom wood pieces for storing essential oil rollerballs.

Edited May 7, 2017 by laechri

[JayHomeBody]

I have them lined up in a box. But i cut up some blank white labels and stuck a square of label on the tops, and when I use that ink, I scribble on the labeled top. So i can just look at them and see the colours. Without pulling them out one by one to check. Though... I only have 5 samples right now. I need mooooore.

[inkstainedruth]

Well, since my initial post years ago I have gotten a whole lot more samples. I'm now on my *fifth* vial tray (two from isellpens while they were still in business, two from Goulet Pens, and one that has more spaces -- but is shorter -- from Anderson Pens). And will probably need another vial try soon....

I've now sorted the samples by color (more or less) and then, to some extent, by brand, amongst the different trays. I've got an iNumbers file on my laptop that's set up as a series of tables (one for each tray), with each sample's location, whether it's been tried, whether I have duplicates (of which unfortunately I do have a few), and whether there's still enough of a specific ink left for a reasonable fill. Also, if I pull a sample for travel purposes, I mark those.

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[Misfit]

I got a Vaultz large card file container, then made dividers out of cardboard that comes from stamp orders bought online. No handle on the Vaultz card box but it does have a lock (for whatever that's worth).

[elpenguino]

This is my current ink sample storage solution. I got a great deal on the "ArtBin Marker Storage Tray" (can be found on amazon) so bought two of them and put them in the bottom of a box (We used the cardboard folding box from Ikea that allows you to make separated compartments by folding some built-in inserts in different configurations.

 

The trays fit perfectly in 2/3 of the box, each one holds approx 60 samples and we can put cleaning supplies/bottles of ink/cartridges/anything in the other 1/3. Whenever we get samples we use a glass dip pen to sample them on a Rhodia pad and then put a square and a few squiggles on a small sticky label. This is put on top and we typically organize them into color groupings fairly regularly (clearly it could use some reorganization and some fresh stickers). This has been working well for us in that it keeps the ink away from light (just in case), makes moving them from shelf to fill station easy, and fits on the bookshelf well.

 

 

**note** So far we only have the sample vials from The Goulet Pen Company and the vials only just fit. This solution may not work if your samples are in larger diameter vials.

[my63]

I made my own sample box I bought a pre made box from an auction site veneered the top and made an interior with some thin plywood and some suede.

 

IMG_4818_1 by my0771, on Flickr

 

IMG_4820_1 by my0771, on Flickr

 

IMG_4825_1 by my0771, on Flickr

[purplepen]

Beautiful solution !

[Anne-Sophie]

I made my own sample box I bought a pre made box from an auction site veneered the top and made an interior with some thin plywood and some suede.

 

IMG_4818_1 by my0771, on Flickr

 

IMG_4820_1 by my0771, on Flickr

 

IMG_4825_1 by my0771, on Flickr

Gorgeous!

 

And Classy!

[effika]

My ink samples are sorted by color, in ziplock bags. I usually try to keep the untrieds in their own bag. These bags are stored in a memory box from Michael's (the kind meant for photo storage).

 

I have a spreadsheet for my inks, where I add notes about what I like. I have a separate sheet in the workbook for my wishlist for bottles, and samples to try.

 

On a related note, nail polish collectors have similar problems. If you need storage inspiration, try searching for nail polish storage. I like the boxes filled with cube foam to keep everything tidy, but I haven't had the motivation to do that for either my inks or nail polish!

[Cast]

I admire the examples in this thread and in other threads on this topic.

 

Today, I was forced to come up with a solution in a hurry, with the arrival of a large bunch of sample vials to add to the small number I already owned. The quick and dirty solution was to take a box lid and stretch painters tape across it in a grid pattern. The grid is just big enough to hold one sample vial. The box lid shallow enough that I can read the labels.

[austinwft]

Not sure why these 25 round shotshell boxes don't come up when looking for sample vial storage solutions but I find them to be just about perfect.

 

​These stack well and multiple boxes can be used to organize large numbers of vials by color family, brand, characteristics, etc...

 

 

 

 

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000LC7WTO/ref=pd_rhf_ee_s_rp_0_3?ie=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B000LC7WTO&pd_rd_r=R5XMNW79NCM155RB6V0A&pd_rd_w=nIyCh&pd_rd_wg=QjeaA&pf_rd_i=desktop-rhf&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_p=ba66fe13-e1c6-4bb5-8d37-ef9a637b33d1&pf_rd_r=R5XMNW79NCM155RB6V0A&pf_rd_s=desktop-rhf&pf_rd_t=40701&psc=1&refRID=R5XMNW79NCM155RB6V0A

Edited September 14, 2018 by austinwft