Weekend Project - Cigar Box Pen Storage

[dbarron]

I'm still new to the hobby, but I decided my small collection could use a decent home. A couple of weeks ago, I swung into a local cigar shop and they gave me one of the empties. After a couple weeks in the garage, the smell of tobacco had mostly dissipated, so I moved on to the next phase.

 

Supplies were pretty basic and available around the house or after a quick trip to the local Michael's craft store...

- black foam sheet

- 3/8" dowels

- sheet of stick-on green felt

- double-sided tape

I used the foam sheet as padding underneath. I cut two pieces to size and trimmed them for a close fit. I measured out and cut the dowels that would build the spacers. To help position them in the box, I laid a couple strips of double-sided tape onto the foam. Then I experimented with the spacing between dowels. The tape kept them from rolling around freely, but I could easily reposition them if needed. I ended up with about 7/8" between the centers.

With all the dowels in place, it was time for the felt. The sticky layer on that felt was strong! The approach of having a foam sheet as a base layer, rather than working directly on the base of the box, turned out to be fortuitous. It was going to be almost impossible to get that stick-on felt pressed down into position neatly without bumping my dowels around if I had been working inside the box. The sides were really that tall, but the glue layer on the felt was unforgiving. Instead, I pulled out the layer of foam, readjusted the dowels I bumped, and worked outside the box. Starting at one edge and working across, it was just a matter of rolling the felt on and pressing it in around the dowels. My daughter gave some light pressure on the back edge of each dowel to keep it from rolling as I pressed the felt onto and around it.

Once the felt was on and some slight overlaps trimmed up, it was just a matter of inserting the completed base back into the box.

I now have room for up to 7 pens (currently my TWSBI Mini, Pilot Metropolitan, Pilot 78G, and Shaeffer 440) and some extra space to the side for some ink samples. For minimal cost and under a couple hours of effort, I'm pretty happy with it!

 

[RMN]

Nice. There are no photo's from the gluing-on process itself?

 

And I would either put a layer of velvet in the lid, or I would attach a piece of elastic over the penslots, to keep the pens from sliding/jumping about when moving the box.

 

D.ick

[dbarron]

Unfortunately, I didn't have the foresight to have someone else in the house available to snap a picture while my hands were tied up trying to get the felt laid down.

 

I like the idea for felt in the lid too. Once I get some more I'll add it, and I I might even cut some foam to put between it and the lid. Though the pens stay put pretty well if I just pick the box up, I can see how it would be good to have them gently sandwiched in a bit if I were being less careful.

 

If I did that, I would probably shape it so the extra padding was only over the section with the pens. There is very little clearance between the sample bottles and the lid already.

[sargetalon]

Very nice job. Looks great. I do agree with the added padding to help better protect the pens. Not a big deal if this is just to be a stationary case though. Fine work!

[wastelanded]

Thank you for sharing your idea. This looks like something even I could do!

[PAKMAN]

Looks nice! The foam board was a good idea, can then reconfigure later if you change your mind.

[Tasmith]

The foam board is a brilliant idea!

Edited July 29, 2014 by Tasmith

[Kosmic-kowgirl]

wonderfully done!

[ac12]

I see a few empty slots in the box

 

Another option. I used black velvet and 2-sided tape when I made my box. I wanted the black velvet look.

[Art]

Very nice project. Decent cigar boxes are very hard to find in my area. I'll start some serious looking and maybe copy your project.

[T4TEXAS]

Looks good to me. Please clarify how you created the rows.

 

- He who is not handy.

[Tasmith]

Looks good to me. Please clarify how you created the rows.

 

- He who is not handy.

www.gopens.com is my source for slotted trays.

[JoeyZ]

Thank you for the inspiration! I completed a similar box last night. I used smaller diameter dowels (which I now regret). But it will work fine as desktop storage. I also chose to line the sides with felt as well.

 

In hindsight, I guess it would have been more cost effective to just order the large flocked trays. So it goes...