New Pen Tray Liners For The Craftsman

[MichelleStClaire]

Greetings fellow Pen Enthusiasts. I am HOPING that this post yields some interest as I am in the process of MASS PRODUCING quality pen tray liners that are trimmable, have a modern and classy design, come in various colors AND the best part.... wait for it....... made to fit both standard and LARGE sized pens.

 

I am attaching a copy of the mold so you can see the sleek desiign I came up with. The actual flocked trays do not photograph well but the mold shows you the crisp design.

 

Why am I mass producing these you ask? Well, Ill tell you. I got really tired of not having any options for my custom boxes and making them by hand was taking so much time that It was no longer worth designing boxes. I went to gopens and purchased their product but I felt the slots were too narrow and the wave design was too simple for my taste. I also wanted more colors. When I reached out to see if any options were available, I was told that the mold was far too expensive to change and not worth the investment.

 

So...to heck with it, Ill just produce my own. The only caveat to that is that anytime you manufacture something you need a MASSIVE run. So, Im wondering how may of my friends here would be interested in sheets (roughly 13x18) of this design at a price comparable at $7 each, in Brown and burgundy in addition to the standard black, beige, red, green, gray and blue. Im using a .030 polystyrene so its a slight bit thicker than you are used to but is still trimmable with an exacto blade or good scissors.

 

Please take the time to provide your feedback of what if anything would interest you about these, what colors you like and perhaps what you think you would use in a years time. Im trying to decide how many of what colors to add to the run so I dont end up with a garage filled with colors no one likes.

 

I will have these ready for shipment on 11/15 but will also have a huge stack available at the LA Pen Show in February since I trade there every year anyways.

 

Michelle

 

Adding Info: the pen slots are (From inside ridge to inside ridge) exactly 5/8 of an inch. The tray is 1/4 inch deep.

Edited October 22, 2012 by MichelleStClaire

[tenney]

  On 10/22/2012 at 4:22 AM, MichelleStClaire said:

I went to gopens and purchased their product but I felt the slots were too narrow and the wave design was too simple for my taste.

What are the dimensions of the slots you're having made?

[MichelleStClaire]

From inside ridge to inside ridge is exactly 5/8 of an inch.

Or 1.6 cm if my cowboy math is correct.

[MichelleStClaire]

  On 10/22/2012 at 5:15 AM, MichelleStClaire said:

From inside ridge to inside ridge is exactly 5/8 of an inch.

Or 1.6 cm if my cowboy math is correct.

 

Im sorry I should add that the tray mold also measures 1/4 inch thick

[kenmc]

I'd buy one from you today in a color that would match wood.

[Tberry010]

Any photos of the already flocked tray?

[Ravenlunatic]

I would definitely buy several. Colors would be brown, olive green, or slate. Actually, I am not too picky about colors, as long as the pens are displayed well, and the color doesn't clash or overshadow the pens.

[Uncle Red]

I'm interested and would like to see colors

[tenney]

I've been thinking of getting some inserts. These look very nice.

With the nice touch of more space between pens, how many slots are there in one sheet's width? (and, in your other topic on this I asked how wide is each slot since the current ones are too narrow).

[MichelleStClaire]

Thank you friends.....

 

Heres where I am in the process. The mold is created, the polystyrene has been flocked and I have ordered 1100 YARDS of the material in multiple colors.

This (hopefully) will yield 4 sheets per yard. I will have roughly (God willing) 4400 sheets on 11/15/2012. Product testing has went well so far. (Knock on wood).

 

The manufacturer is giving me grief on the brown. Im DEMANDING BROWN.... but it may end up being 50% higher cost then the other colors. Im not sure how I will absorb that yet since Im not really making alot of money on this venture.

 

As for photos of the flocked samples... no. Not yet. im sorry. I tried like crazy but no matter what I tried, the photos looked nothing like the product. The crisp lines and ridges are distinct in the finished product but the photos make it look like a simple wave pattern. When the shipment is ready I will have someone take quality professional pictures and Ill post the link on my website.

 

As for product testing:

 

We have tested the mold and the flocked polystyreene turned out well. I took the sheets we tested and placed one flat in the sun, one in the freezer and one in the back of my car standing in its side. I live in Las Vegas so I was hoping to test the material in extreme conditions. The one in the sun faded evenly (expected) but did not lose any shape or structural integrity. The one in the car warped alot but when I laid it flat in the sun it "warped back" about 80%. The one I placed in the freezer didnt lose shape or color but when I set it on the floor and stepped on it, it cracked. Moral of the story.... dont put your pen boxes in the freezer.

 

Im fairly happy with the process so far, but Im not ready for orders yet. i also do not know how I will ship these. (Any advice is appreciated). I will need to find boxes in the sheet size and a shipper with some kind of reasonable rates. Im affraid that even if I price the sheets well for my pen-friends here that the cost to ship will kill any desire to buy these.

 

On this whole venture my ONLY goal is to get these for own custom boxes, and also provide these in the market to others. If I can just make back the GAZILLION dollars this is costing me then I am happy.

 

Michelle

[MichelleStClaire]

Collector Item, I posted the reply in the other section.... but for everyone, the pen slots are )From inside ridge to inside ridge) exactly 5/8 of an inch. Or 1.6 cm if my cowboy math is correct.

 

As for how many pen slots, Im not 100% certain yet. The final sheets sizes look like they will be 13x21. If I run the slots along the 13 inch side then you will get about 15 slots that are 21 inches long. If I run them along the 21 inch side then you will get about 24. I will need feedback from box makers on which direction to press the mold.

 

 

The tray itself is 1/4 inch. In the sample photo of the mold I placed my largest and some standard pens. Its big enough for my Le Grand pens and the test for me was the Black and White Montblanc Gretta Garbo. The top of that pen is much larger then the rest of the pen and its the one I can never fit into standard boxes. It fits nicely in the trays.

Edited October 22, 2012 by MichelleStClaire

[tenney]

Thank you. Just let us know once you're ready to be contacted for orders.

As for shipping... With all of the many USPS priority mail (or flat rate) box sizes/shapes, there must be one that'll fit :-)

[zepharia2]

I would be interested in the black, red, blue.

 

When you check into shipping cost, please look at shipping to Canada as well.

[BamaPen]

Michelle,

Consider shipping in a large padded envelope, perhaps with a cardboard stiffener, rather than boxing the trays. Should cost much less to pack and to ship.

John

[ajzeller]

  On 10/23/2012 at 7:03 PM, BamaPen said:

Michelle,

Consider shipping in a large padded envelope, perhaps with a cardboard stiffener, rather than boxing the trays. Should cost much less to pack and to ship.

John

 

+1 for this

[rappard]

  On 10/23/2012 at 8:33 PM, ajzeller said:

  On 10/23/2012 at 7:03 PM, BamaPen said:

Michelle,

Consider shipping in a large padded envelope, perhaps with a cardboard stiffener, rather than boxing the trays. Should cost much less to pack and to ship.

John

 

+1 for this

+2. Also, an S&H estimate for (Western) Europe would be great, especially for just the sheet(s) - shipping for sheet + box is probably going to be too high.

 

Colors: I'd probably go for black but other non-bright colors (dark blue/green/red) would be fine as well.

 

Orientation: my ideal would be a box that's just a smidge under letter/A4 dimensions with pens lying vertical (in landscape mode), but that's probably too large for most people. So feel free to completely ignore this suggestion. ;-)

[raging.dragon]

  On 10/22/2012 at 5:15 AM, MichelleStClaire said:

From inside ridge to inside ridge is exactly 5/8 of an inch.

Or 1.6 cm if my cowboy math is correct.

 

If only it were 11/16 or 3/4. I have several pens with cap diameters greater than 5/8".

[sumgaikid]

I've done the pen trays from gopens and I find that the type of insert

that would interest me more would be a type of colored,soft foam in-

sert where the pens could be held in place without using any extra

strapping to keep them in place. Of course the foam would be covered

in a cloth that looks luxurious and enhances the look of the pens.....

 

 

John

[MichelleStClaire]

Hello Friends,

 

Im sorry I have not updated you all sooner since I had originally expected to have these trays ready by now. Truth is, my manufacturer really got under my skin, so I kicked him to the curb and started from scratch.

 

So, here is where we stand with the liners:

 

After taking in tons of data from the pen community I was able to determine that MAJORITY of you want these for your own custom boxes, and only a handfull of you need them for retail display or tradeshows. I decided to look at a tray size that would suit the majority and offer flexibility for others and eliminate waste. I listened to your color preferences, your slot size preferences and your quantity needs. It was impossible to make everyone happy, but I think I was able to come up with something that will suit a little bit of everything. based on my wide market research, I determined that:

 

The average cigar box measures between 6"x6" and 7"-10". The average old jewelry boxes and machinist chests measures 6"x10".The average retail trade display is 6x10.

The 3 majority colors requested were black, blue and red. After that, Beige, brown, Burgundy and gray. Only 5 out of 100 wanted green.

The average market responder wanted something thicker then they have seen on the market.

The majority of people wanted slot sizes between 5/8" and 3/4" for larger pens.

The majority of people want as little waste as possible.

The majority of people wanted international shipping.

 

So..... I came up with this:

 

1) I increased the thickness to .035 from the .020. This is still trimmable but a little firm for scissors, but definately trimmable with a standard box cutter.

2) I changed the tray size to 8x21. This will provide coverage for 3 full boxes on average with only a 1" strip of waste. Will cover 2 longer boxes up to 10.5 inches wide.

3) The 1st run is in Black, Red and Blue. Future runs will be in tan (beige), burgundy and gray. No plans for green & I cant locate a source for brown anywhere. I tried!!!

4) I increased the mold from 5/8" to 3/4". Keep in mind that flocking does shave a bit off of this but will still accept large pens gracefully.

5) I will ship internationally but the quotes I was getting are simply retarded. Jump in if you have a solution to this dilema. My only feasible method is to use USPS flat

rate which will run about $35 to Canada and $65 everywhere else. As you can imagine that is pretty steep for a $7 tray but I will work out a bulk discount to help off-

set this some. Again, I would love to find a shipping solution because I also have wooden shadown boxes and retail displays that Id like to take global. Chime in

anytime! Im ALL ears.

 

I think I have touched everyone. The only ones who wont appreciate the size of the these are the ones who convert map chests. Since I really didnt have anyone from that category chime in or email me, I can only say that those individuals can always link multiple trays if necessary. I could only form one mold as this costs thousands of dollars so I had to touch as many of you as possible.

 

Feedback? Shipping solutions? Random curse-words and tyranical political opinions? Email me at michelle_stclaire@hotmail.com or visit my website at www.StClaireGallery.com.

[MichelleStClaire]

  On 10/27/2012 at 7:08 AM, raging.dragon said:

  On 10/22/2012 at 5:15 AM, MichelleStClaire said:

From inside ridge to inside ridge is exactly 5/8 of an inch.

Or 1.6 cm if my cowboy math is correct.

 

If only it were 11/16 or 3/4. I have several pens with cap diameters greater than 5/8".

 

Increased size to 3/4. See my updated post with all the details.