When You Are Going To A Pen Posse....

[OakIris]

The title pretty much says it. I don't have lots of pens, but I only have a two pen carrying case right now, and should I want to take more to a potential pen posse we are going to have here in Colorado, I was just wondering how folks that carry 10 or more pens with them at a time, do so. I was thinking a pen wrap might do the trick. What do other people use?

 

There are a lot of nice pen wraps around, cloth and leather. Some are pretty expensive. Is there a reason why a wrap made for silverware won't work equally well for pens? What I am thinking about is something like this:

http://i.ebayimg.com/t/12-Section-Dinner-Fork-Roll-Silverware-Storage-/00/$(KGrHqF,!g0E3um(BSOBBOBK6IsRIQ~~0_3.JPG

Silverware wraps are usually quite a bit less expensive than the wraps that folks sell as pen wraps. Granted, the pen wraps are fancier, but....one can always add their own pretty beads/stones/etc to the end of the ties to fancy them up a bit and to personalize them... A lot of these silverware wraps do say they are made of "tarnish resistant" cloth - supposedly this cloth absorbs sulfur from the atmosphere to prevent the silver from tarnishing. I can't seem to find anything explaining exactly what tarnish resistant/preventative cloth is, how it is made, whether or not some sort of chemical is added to the cloth. Would whatever they treat the cloth with cause damage to fountain pen finishes??

 

Thoughts?

 

Holly

[The Good Captain]

I don't think we have 'pen posses' in Britain.

[Scrawler]

I don't think we have 'pen posses' in Britain.

Well then you had better follow Ethernautrix' advice and "get your posse on".

 

I usually have a briefcase because there are inks, papers, and repair and restoration demonstrations to be considered. Also I usually have syringes and cartridges.

Edited March 19, 2012 by Scrawler

[subbes]

One member of the North FL Pen Militia (FLJeepGuy) brought his in a Harbor Freight Tool Chest. You may not yet have enough pens to need such a solution.

[OakIris]

One member of the North FL Pen Militia (FLJeepGuy) brought his in a Harbor Freight Tool Chest. You may not yet have enough pens to need such a solution.

I would love to have one of those tool chests; I had been looking at the more expensive Gerstner tool chests as well as those on eBay. But, this would be for home storage, not something I would want to lug around....besides, I only have 11 pens now, a few bottles of ink, some pen nibs, etc. Not quite time for me to need that much storage, though nice to have so much room for expansion!

 

Any other ideas? Still hoping someone can tell me the pros and cons of the silverware wrap, too.

 

Holly

[Scrawler]

One member of the North FL Pen Militia (FLJeepGuy) brought his in a Harbor Freight Tool Chest. You may not yet have enough pens to need such a solution.

It is a shame they do not ship to Canada. That would be ideal for me, because there is room for ink bottles, tools and pens. I would like to get the dimensions of the insides of the drawers. They do not publish them. Some pen shaped inserts would be good too.

[OakIris]

One member of the North FL Pen Militia (FLJeepGuy) brought his in a Harbor Freight Tool Chest. You may not yet have enough pens to need such a solution.

It is a shame they do not ship to Canada. That would be ideal for me, because there is room for ink bottles, tools and pens. I would like to get the dimensions of the insides of the drawers. They do not publish them. Some pen shaped inserts would be good too.

This site at least gives the dimensions of the drawers; perhaps you can get a general idea of the interior dimensions: Windsor Design Tool Chest This eBay seller (no affiliation, just found him with a google search) has a similar tool chest for sale (drawer dimensions are an estimate and not quite the same as described in the previous link, plus chest has a different finish?) says he will consider shipping to places other than the USA Tool chest on eBay Here is another eBay seller I found via the same search and the chest is described as a Windsor Design chest; he does ship to Canada, according to his International list, but the chest is also much more expensive: Windsor tool Chest #2

 

Note that the tool chest is made in China; seems odd that there are not more distributors, including someone in Canada, but even on Amazon their source for the tool chest is Harbor Freight.

Holly

[Scrawler]

One member of the North FL Pen Militia (FLJeepGuy) brought his in a Harbor Freight Tool Chest. You may not yet have enough pens to need such a solution.

It is a shame they do not ship to Canada. That would be ideal for me, because there is room for ink bottles, tools and pens. I would like to get the dimensions of the insides of the drawers. They do not publish them. Some pen shaped inserts would be good too.

This site at least gives the dimensions of the drawers; perhaps you can get a general idea of the interior dimensions: Windsor Design Tool Chest This eBay seller (no affiliation, just found him with a google search) has a similar tool chest for sale (drawer dimensions are an estimate and not quite the same as described in the previous link, plus chest has a different finish?) says he will consider shipping to places other than the USA Tool chest on eBay Here is another eBay seller I found via the same search and the chest is described as a Windsor Design chest; he does ship to Canada, according to his International list, but the chest is also much more expensive: Windsor tool Chest #2

 

Note that the tool chest is made in China; seems odd that there are not more distributors, including someone in Canada, but even on Amazon their source for the tool chest is Harbor Freight.

Holly

Thanks, I am in contact with the seller now.

[OakIris]

One member of the North FL Pen Militia (FLJeepGuy) brought his in a Harbor Freight Tool Chest. You may not yet have enough pens to need such a solution.

It is a shame they do not ship to Canada. That would be ideal for me, because there is room for ink bottles, tools and pens. I would like to get the dimensions of the insides of the drawers. They do not publish them. Some pen shaped inserts would be good too.

This site at least gives the dimensions of the drawers; perhaps you can get a general idea of the interior dimensions: Windsor Design Tool Chest This eBay seller (no affiliation, just found him with a google search) has a similar tool chest for sale (drawer dimensions are an estimate and not quite the same as described in the previous link, plus chest has a different finish?) says he will consider shipping to places other than the USA Tool chest on eBay Here is another eBay seller I found via the same search and the chest is described as a Windsor Design chest; he does ship to Canada, according to his International list, but the chest is also much more expensive: Windsor tool Chest #2

 

Note that the tool chest is made in China; seems odd that there are not more distributors, including someone in Canada, but even on Amazon their source for the tool chest is Harbor Freight.

Holly

Thanks, I am in contact with the seller now.

 

Holly

[DriedUpBob]

Holly

 

Not that I'm by any means a Posse Veteran but the silverware wrap and similar seem to leave a lot of the pen(s) exposed to rub and gnaw against either other. My pens are not that expensive but the wrap still wouldn't be for me.

 

Bob

[UncleJoe420]

Think I'll have to post pix of my Molle Admin pouch with pens in.. Just a shame I got nothing to attach it to.. Yet! Lol

[CatBookMom]

The title pretty much says it. I don't have lots of pens, but I only have a two pen carrying case right now, and should I want to take more to a potential pen posse we are going to have here in Colorado, I was just wondering how folks that carry 10 or more pens with them at a time, do so. I was thinking a pen wrap might do the trick. What do other people use?

 

There are a lot of nice pen wraps around, cloth and leather. Some are pretty expensive. Is there a reason why a wrap made for silverware won't work equally well for pens? What I am thinking about is something like this:

 

Silverware wraps are usually quite a bit less expensive than the wraps that folks sell as pen wraps. Granted, the pen wraps are fancier, but....one can always add their own pretty beads/stones/etc to the end of the ties to fancy them up a bit and to personalize them... A lot of these silverware wraps do say they are made of "tarnish resistant" cloth - supposedly this cloth absorbs sulfur from the atmosphere to prevent the silver from tarnishing. I can't seem to find anything explaining exactly what tarnish resistant/preventative cloth is, how it is made, whether or not some sort of chemical is added to the cloth. Would whatever they treat the cloth with cause damage to fountain pen finishes??

 

Thoughts?

 

Holly

 

I had the same problem the first time I went to the LA Pen Show, though I had several 1- and 2-pen leather sleeves, so I just loaded those up. I would think for an occasional pen posse meeting that your silverware wrap would work pretty well, with you being sure to keep the top flap well down over the pens before you roll it up. I don't know about what is used for the tarnish-deterrent aspect, but again, an occasional use for just the duration of the meeting and travel, it wouldn't seem to have much potential for damage.

 

I eventually coughed up for a good pen case, found at a local pen shop on sale at a good discount. When you do buy, get one that will hold quite a few more pens than you own - trust me, you'll get more! I can't find the names right now, but people on FPN have posted the names of eBay sellers of the zippered cases, and they're much more reasonably priced than those you find in brick & mortar stores. I just looked ("leather pen cases"), and there were some 24-pen cases in the $40 range.

 

Welcome to the land of pen-nuttiness!

Edited March 19, 2012 by CatBookMom

[OakIris]

Thank you for your suggestions; I will check eBay for the cases mentioned.

 

I really should spring for a proper pen wrap or case, just was hoping that the silverware wrap might do the trick for time being. I will look some more on eBay as well as checking into the makers of pen wraps that have been mentioned here on FPN. I am sure to find one I need and like - and can afford.

 

Holly

[UncleJoe420]

As promised (albeit minus pens), here's a pic or two of my MOLLE Admin Pouch!!

 

Here's the outside of the pouch, covered in velcro n webbing..

 

Inside there's a bunch of elastic loops for both notebooks n pens, as well as two large pockets (one zipped, one normal), and a large transparent map case thingy!!

[sharonspens]

I don't know what you what to spend on a case, but do check out the Lucky 13 envelope and the 20- and 40-pen zippered cases on this page: http://www.franklin-christoph.com/. I have one of the early Lucky 13 cases, and it is wonderful if I really want to carry a lot of pens somewhere. No affiliation, yada yada.

 

Sharon in Indiana

[ethernautrix]

That's what I use, too. The Lucky 13 Penvelope, boot brown. It what I keep all my favorites that aren't in rotation.

[OakIris]

That MOLLE case looks interesting, Uncle Joe. Not sure where the pens would go so that they would have some protection, though. I mean protection from the other things in the case...Perhaps you can take a picture showing how you place the pens in it?

 

The Lucky 13 Penvelope and the Penvelope 6 both look very nice, but I don't really have the money to spend that much on a case, especially for the very occasional times when I would need/want to have that many pens with me.

 

Still looking for that "perfect" pen wrap I guess. I have pretty much decided against my original "silverware roll" idea, I don't think they offer enough protection for the pens and I am still concerned about what they are made of or treated with. I am now considering getting a wrap made by a woman in England; they fit 8-9 pens, look really nice, appear to be well made, can be washed - and cost about $30 (plus shipping, which probably isn't cheap, but I'm pretty sure the total cost will be under $50.)

 

Holly

Edited March 26, 2012 by OakIris

[UncleJoe420]

That MOLLE case looks interesting, Uncle Joe. Not sure where the pens would go so that they would have some protection, though. I mean protection from the other things in the case...Perhaps you can take a picture showing how you place the pens in it?

 

Holly

 

Will try n do some pix this week

[Shaporama]

Visit the isellpens website. Todd has lots of pen storage options available. I bought the 24-pen carrying case advertised on this page for $20:

 

http://www.isellpens.com/accessories.htm

 

Its not real leather, but it is just the right size. I use it to bring some of the "traders" in my collection to pen shows

[Scrawler]

I don't know what you what to spend on a case, but do check out the Lucky 13 envelope and the 20- and 40-pen zippered cases on this page: http://www.franklin-christoph.com/. I have one of the early Lucky 13 cases, and it is wonderful if I really want to carry a lot of pens somewhere. No affiliation, yada yada.

 

Sharon in Indiana

It is amazing, the amount of useful information that people in this place possess between them. I did not know about that site, or the Lucky 13. You made me glad I woke up this morning There are now a few items in there on my must buy list.