Alternatives To The Goulet Pens Sample Vial Holder?

[OakIris]

The Goulet Pens sample vial holder is of course the perfect organizer for storing your ink samples, but I am just wondering what other people use for this. I don't have enough samples to fill up their holder but am annoyed that my vials keep tipping over (I basically just have them in a old wooden drawer on a shelf.)

 

Are there some interesting, not too expensive alternatives, or should I just get the Goulet holder?

 

Holly

[GreenVelvet]

I used to keep mine in a small rectangular tray inside a drawer to keep them from falling over, but...

 

I'd say get the vial sample holder. It won't be long before you'll have enough to fill it up. (I now have three holders.) :embarrassed_smile:

[CatBookMom]

The Goulet Pens sample vial holder is of course the perfect organizer for storing your ink samples, but I am just wondering what other people use for this. I don't have enough samples to fill up their holder but am annoyed that my vials keep tipping over (I basically just have them in a old wooden drawer on a shelf.)

 

Are there some interesting, not too expensive alternatives, or should I just get the Goulet holder?

 

Holly

 

You can get 6-9 vials inside of most ink bottle boxes, but then you'd have to have the ink bottles.... Just get the holder. You'll get more samples. Trust me. :embarrassed_smile:

[wastelanded]

I am awaiting a fistful of samples from Mr. and Mrs. Goulet. What I'm going to do is get a nice block of wood, and drill holes maybe 3/4 of an inch down into the top. Then a coat of varnish and viola, a nice solid sample vial holder.

[OakIris]

I used to keep mine in a small rectangular tray inside a drawer to keep them from falling over, but...

 

I'd say get the vial sample holder. It won't be long before you'll have enough to fill it up. (I now have three holders.) :embarrassed_smile:

You can get 6-9 vials inside of most ink bottle boxes, but then you'd have to have the ink bottles.... Just get the holder. You'll get more samples. Trust me. :embarrassed_smile:

I thought perhaps most people would just say to get the holder. Of course, my original intention for getting the samples was to just get a few, try them out, see what I liked/didn't like, buy bottles of the inks I did like. I now have lots of samples that I haven't yet had a chance to use, other samples that I have used partially but haven't yet made a decision as to whether I like them enough to get bottles of the ink, and, like the rest of us, just keep getting more samples... :embarrassed_smile:

 

I am awaiting a fistful of samples from Mr. and Mrs. Goulet. What I'm going to do is get a nice block of wood, and drill holes maybe 3/4 of an inch down into the top. Then a coat of varnish and viola, a nice solid sample vial holder.

I actually did think of doing something similar; making something out of wood would be much nicer than using the plastic/acrylic holder, and I think I will do this. What size bit or hole saw are you going to use for the holes? I would like to get a nice block of maple or oak for this, too... This will be a fun project for later in the spring/summer.

 

In the meantime, I guess I will just get the darn Goulet vial holder.

 

Holly

[CatBookMom]

 

In the meantime, I guess I will just get the darn Goulet vial holder.

 

Holly

 

 

Brian has a nice video on the InkNouveau dot com blog that shows how to put the holder together - very easy when you know the trick.

[JonSzanto]

Up until about three weeks ago, I made do with a small box, inside of which I had cut strips of cardboard and made dividers just like in boxes of wine (or other bottled stuff). Worked fine, but I had run out of room at about 30 tubes. I thought about cutting some more stuff, getting a different box and thought "Aw, screw it" and ordered the rack (along with a couple more samples).

 

Wish I would have done it sooner. If it was more expensive than it is, I probably wouldn't have done it, but this is so relatively inexpensive - my free time is worth something, and I'd rather spend it on projects that I *can't* readily get somewhere.

 

Very handy, great for bringing out the entire collection onto the desk, etc. Do it!

[wastelanded]

I actually did think of doing something similar; making something out of wood would be much nicer than using the plastic/acrylic holder, and I think I will do this. What size bit or hole saw are you going to use for the holes? I would like to get a nice block of maple or oak for this, too... This will be a fun project for later in the spring/summer.

 

In the meantime, I guess I will just get the darn Goulet vial holder.

 

The vials appear to be 9/16" in diameter. So whatever the next size up drill bit is, I would use that - I *think* 5/8"? Just a hint of play to make the vials easy to get in and out. A nice block of oak or maple about 5x12, maybe 3" thick, round the corners and varnish...that will look very good.

 

Meanwhile, you could do what I did, which is take a small box, flip it over and punch some holes in the bottom. I hate the word 'cheap'...I prefer 'frugal'

 

Lee

[OakIris]

Up until about three weeks ago, I made do with a small box, inside of which I had cut strips of cardboard and made dividers just like in boxes of wine (or other bottled stuff). Worked fine, but I had run out of room at about 30 tubes. I thought about cutting some more stuff, getting a different box and thought "Aw, screw it" and ordered the rack (along with a couple more samples).

 

Wish I would have done it sooner. If it was more expensive than it is, I probably wouldn't have done it, but this is so relatively inexpensive - my free time is worth something, and I'd rather spend it on projects that I *can't* readily get somewhere.

 

Very handy, great for bringing out the entire collection onto the desk, etc. Do it!

I agree that though devising a holder with box and cardboard strips as you did was a good solution, getting the already made and perfectly adequate holder from Goulet Pens makes sense, too. I have actually PM'd paperskater here on FPN to see about buying one of her sample vial holders - looks just like the one on Goulet Pens as far as I can tell but it holds 50 vials instead of 40 and is actually less expensive. And of course, since she sells samples as well, I had to get some more samples that I don't really need but can't seem to resist.

I actually did think of doing something similar; making something out of wood would be much nicer than using the plastic/acrylic holder, and I think I will do this. What size bit or hole saw are you going to use for the holes? I would like to get a nice block of maple or oak for this, too... This will be a fun project for later in the spring/summer.

 

In the meantime, I guess I will just get the darn Goulet vial holder.

 

The vials appear to be 9/16" in diameter. So whatever the next size up drill bit is, I would use that - I *think* 5/8"? Just a hint of play to make the vials easy to get in and out. A nice block of oak or maple about 5x12, maybe 3" thick, round the corners and varnish...that will look very good.

 

Meanwhile, you could do what I did, which is take a small box, flip it over and punch some holes in the bottom. I hate the word 'cheap'...I prefer 'frugal'

 

Lee

Frugal indeed! It will work fine until you can make the vial holder you want out of wood. Thank you for the hole size info, Lee. Now I have to figure out where one can buy blocks of wood...

 

Holly

[wastelanded]

Holly, if you go to a lumber yard (or maybe Home Depot, etc), they might have remnants or scraps. Too small to build anything, but big enough for an ink vial holder!

[dgamby]

Does anyone have any pictures of their homemade creations?

[stevlight]

I just ordered the ink vial holder from the Goulets--and a set of mix-free inks and empty vials. I will mixing my own colors and using them to color my next children's book. I thought of making one out of wood but I like that the Goulets one comes apart to store flat--if I decide to throw all the vials in the drawer when the book is done--the holder can go in there also.

[P.A.R.]

I just did a little test, and apparently the Goulet vials fit perfectly inside of 1/2" PVC pipe.

 

You could perhaps get a section of pipe, cut it into a bunch of half inch long rings, and adhere them to a ruler or other piece of scrap wood as a base. PVC is generally paint friendly if the barcodes printed on the side bother you.

Edited April 16, 2012 by P.A.R.

[JonSzanto]

I just did a little test, and apparently the Goulet vials fit perfectly inside of 1/2" PVC pipe.

 

You could perhaps get a section of pipe, cut it into a bunch of half inch long rings, and adhere them to a ruler or other piece of scrap wood as a base. PVC is generally paint friendly if the barcodes printed on the side bother you.

Well, yeah... if you had spare PVC laying around. Otherwise, you spend a couple bucks or whatever and end up with something not much cheaper but takes up more room and weighs a lot more and can't be taken apart and stored flat.

 

I'm all for DIY, but sometimes the Law of Diminishing Returns really does kick in, yanno...

[OakIris]

I just did a little test, and apparently the Goulet vials fit perfectly inside of 1/2" PVC pipe.

 

You could perhaps get a section of pipe, cut it into a bunch of half inch long rings, and adhere them to a ruler or other piece of scrap wood as a base. PVC is generally paint friendly if the barcodes printed on the side bother you.

Interesting idea, P.A.R., but I like the idea of using a piece of wood and drilling holes in it to fit the vials. I think it would be nicer looking and wouldn't be quite as time consuming to make. I definitely prefer things made out of wood to things made out of plastic. (Even fountain pens, though I still have no fountain pens made out of wood! )

 

Holly, if you go to a lumber yard (or maybe Home Depot, etc), they might have remnants or scraps. Too small to build anything, but big enough for an ink vial holder!

I did think about that but figure that Home Depot, and most lumber yards, are unlikely to have hardwood scraps/blocks. Home Depot only sells pine, cedar, redwood, that sort of thing. Redwood is certainly a possibility but I would prefer a hardwood like maple or oak. Also, getting a piece of the right configuration might be difficult.

 

I few years ago I had a half cord of firewood made of oak - end pieces from wood being made into railroad ties - obviously, prior to being creosoted. Some were at least 3 inches thick and though only 9" X 6" size they would have been perfect. Unfortunately, they have all gone up in smoke by now! I have sent an email to a local woodworking shop, too, to find out if they have any blocks of wood. I'll find something! I would love to hear what you come up with,too!

 

Holly

Edited April 16, 2012 by OakIris

[plistumi]

Several months back I took a scrap 2x4 block and drilled several holes in it. I did it at three different levels to get a theatre seat-like effect to better be able to read the labels (that part did not work). Took about 15 minutes to make.

 

[Laura N]

I just keep them in Ziploc bags inside a box, and pull them out when I need them. I do use the test tube rack to hold and organize the vials when I'm sampling a few inks. But if I'm only filling one pen, I'll just stand the vial inside the center hole of a plastic tape dispenser.

 

I feel kind of boring next to plistumi.

[Ted A]

I got a letter sorter from the Container Store. The slots are just the right size for the vials. It will hold 30.

 

I did take a sheet of clear plastic used for binder covers and folded it to fit around the vials to help hold them up a bit better.

[JonSzanto]

Several months back I took a scrap 2x4 block and drilled several holes in it. I did it at three different levels to get a theatre seat-like effect to better be able to read the labels (that part did not work). Took about 15 minutes to make.

Nicely done - you have a sharp drill bit (always important). I did something similar with just six holes, in a piece of high-density foam. I use that to put the vials in when I've got them on my desk for trying inks and filling pens. Especially if I want to dip a pen, it is nice to have the vial sitting in something to keep it from falling over, and also to put an open vial down while you are doing something with the pen and not worry about spillage...

[OakIris]

Several months back I took a scrap 2x4 block and drilled several holes in it. I did it at three different levels to get a theatre seat-like effect to better be able to read the labels (that part did not work). Took about 15 minutes to make.

 

That turned out quite nicely, plistumi, even if the label idea didn't work. What size and type of drill bit did you use?

 

I am going to a local woodworking shop on Wednesday to speak with them about getting a piece of scrap wood for my project. The man I spoke with today said he didn't really have any wood that is 3" high (I gave him the specs that wastelanded suggested) but did have a piece of fir that was 30" X 7" X 2 1/2". From what I have read Douglas Fir can be somewhat difficult to work with but I am going to go down there and see what he has. Maybe he will have a piece of hardwood that would be perfect.

 

No response from paperskater as yet so I may be buying the plastic holder from the Goulets after all, unless I can get my wood vial holder done soon.

 

Holly