Storage For Fountain Supplies?

[rfgates]

Just curious, what do some of you use to store all of your fountain pen supplies: ink, converters, cartridges, nibs, etc.? I've seen some beautiful cabinets, boxes, tackle boxes... Would love to know how all of you FP lovers store your supplies. Maybe even a pic?! Thanks! -Rob

[Studio97]

I use 3 tier tackle boxes. When i open a bottle of ink its sits somewhat secured in the bottom of the box. I would hate to have a spill but if it happens the mess is at least contained and soaks the bottom of other bottles and not the carpet or me. The divided tier shelves are good for cartridges and accessories.

[Parker51]

I keep pens in a combination of purpose built display cases, with ink in an artists cabinet. Paper is in a large basket.

[linearM]

I have some of my pens, inks, and supplies in a wooden machinists tool chest that I got from Harbor Freight. It has two large drawers and six small drawers, and also a large lidded compartment on the top. It has a carrying handle and both the lid and drawer compartment lock. I purchased slotted pen trays from gopens.com and cut them to size for the large drawers. The top section is perfect for storing inks, all but the tall bottles such as Noodler's.

 

I had to return the first chest I purchased...production quality is uneven. So check the chest out and look for production problems in the chest before taking it home. My second chest was excellent. It looks nice and really does a good job of holding my pens and miscellanea.

 

The topic has been covered before on this link: https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/229697-harbor-freight-wooden-tool-chest/page-1?hl=+machinists,%20+tool%20+chest,%20+storage .

Edited October 24, 2017 by linearM

[bogiesan]

Do you have an IKEA store in your area? The inventory of interesting boxes and chests is always changing. Inexpensive, generally, so you wont feel too bad if your first choice does not work out. The size of your collection, ease of access, desire for display features such as glass top, and level of furniture quality establish the path you go down, As nice as wooden machinists chests are, as noted, the build quality varies widely. Harbor Freights unit is less than $100. A better machinists chest in solid oak or cherry (not veneer) from Houzz or Kennedy is closer to $1,000. There are usually dozens of wooden chests on eBay at any moment. More modern steel tool chests can also work for pen gear.

 

The most important thing to watch for is if at least one of the drawers is deep enough for your tallest bottled inks (usually just short by 1/8 but that fraction of an inch makes the drawer completely unusable for inks.)

 

Once I stopped buying pens and inks and disposed of the unnecessary elements, I found my entire pile of stuff fit nicely into two interesting (but not furniture-quality) wooden boxes i found at thrift stores for less than $5 each.

 

http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/10192824/

http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/50242619/

http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/50250157/

 

http://www.globalindustrial.com/p/tools/tool-storage/chests/kennedy-3-drawer-machinist-brown

https://www.houzz.com/photos/42484395/Wood-Chest-Oak-traditional-accent-chests-and-cabinets?redirect=-1&m_refid=Bing_PLA_HZ_42484395

https://www.houzz.com/product/42484485-wood-case-oak-traditional-accent-chests-and-cabinets

Edited October 26, 2017 by bogiesan

[Dragonmaster Lou]

I keep my inks, samples, cleaning supplies (bulb syringes, etc.) in an opaque plastic tub I picked up at Big Lots or some other discount store. Before that I just kept them in a shoe box.

[inkstainedruth]

I have a small desk I picked up at an antiques mall in Indiana a couple of years ago, flanked by some nice looking fold-out bookcases from Pier 1. The pens that aren't in rotation are in inexpensive zipper cases from the pen turning department at my local Rockler's, and the cases are stored on one of the bookshelves. Ink bottles and sample vial trays, and backup (unused) journals are (mostly) stored in some nice fold-out boxes from IKEA (some sort of paperboard lined with cloth covered with woven grass of some type); sadly, they seem to have quit carrying them for the most part. Two boxes fit per shelf. (The desk has a small undershelf where I tend to keep pen related books). A larger box is out in the hallway and that (mostly) contains old journals. I have a wicker basket to haul stuff to and from pen club meetings, and that's also where the ink journals and ink combo notebooks generally live. But that no longer fits on the bookshelves (which also holds a small toolbox for repair tools and parts, but also stuff like my alarm clock and pill bottles. Current rotation pens live in a canister on the same shelf as the alarm clock, on the bookshelf closer to the bed; that bookshelf also is where I store the current journal, and a small cloth covered casket (which USED to be for *all inks and pens* and which now stores stuff like empty ink cartridges.

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

 

 

edited for typos

Edited October 26, 2017 by inkstainedruth

[Runnin_Ute]

I have stuff in a couple of different places. A square fold up thing - cloth over cardboard I believe that I picked up at the dollar store. (have two of these) Also have an empty cigar box I am not currently using. Need to get some of the gopens.com trays..... I have most of my inks in one of those. A shoe box from a pair of running shoes with pen boxes, some supplies including a small cigar box, this is where my cleaning stuff is - syringe- ear bulb & blunt tip etc.

 

Uninked pens - the Esterbrooks in an empty cigar box that came with a divider in it. Others in a faux leather pen case. Inked pens either in a pen roll or a mug near the side of the bed. Papers in a couple of different places. The desk, a closet shelf etc. I need to figure out a better set up. Letters are in a nice wooden desk tray (a deep one)

[JasonF2]

Ikea Alex storage drawers are great for paper, ink, pens, etc: http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/40196241/

 

Also for pens themselves, I like the Penn State Industries folding boxes.

[pgmrdan]

I have bought some very nice cigar boxes that I use. At $2 each for all wood boxes with soft lining the work great for me. Some are tall. Some are short and wide. Lots of good sizes.

[jmccarty3]

I am searching for expandable plastic tubes for storage of loose nib assemblies, e.g., Pelikan. The ones I have seen are like the plastic tubes of adjustable length that are used for shipping pens, but are much smaller, about 2 inches long when fully closed, and about 3 3/8 inches long when fully expanded. An internet search fails to reveal anything like this, although one can obtain the larger ones for pens from Gary and Myrna Lehrer. Does anyone know a source for these smaller tubes or anything similar? Thanks!

[fierophreak]

I am searching for expandable plastic tubes for storage of loose nib assemblies, e.g., Pelikan. The ones I have seen are like the plastic tubes of adjustable length that are used for shipping pens, but are much smaller, about 2 inches long when fully closed, and about 3 3/8 inches long when fully expanded. An internet search fails to reveal anything like this, although one can obtain the larger ones for pens from Gary and Myrna Lehrer. Does anyone know a source for these smaller tubes or anything similar? Thanks!

Try looking at end mill packaging or even tap packaging. The end mills are typically shipped in a collapsible/expandable length plastic sleeve. Taps are normally shipped in small snap close hinged boxes.

 

End mill sample http://www.rose-plastic.us/index.1739.0.html

 

Tap sample http://www.rose-plastic.us/index.1731.0.html

[jmccarty3]

Try looking at end mill packaging or even tap packaging. The end mills are typically shipped in a collapsible/expandable length plastic sleeve. Taps are normally shipped in small snap close hinged boxes.

 

End mill sample http://www.rose-plastic.us/index.1739.0.html

 

Tap sample http://www.rose-plastic.us/index.1731.0.html

 

The Tele-Pak is the type of thing I'm looking for, but their wholesale minimum quantities are huge. Will try to see if I can locate a retailer.

[fierophreak]

 

The Tele-Pak is the type of thing I'm looking for, but their wholesale minimum quantities are huge. Will try to see if I can locate a retailer.

Yeah I was just trying to get you a visual of what I was talking about. I'm sure there are smaller order quantities to be found.

[jmccarty3]

Yeah I was just trying to get you a visual of what I was talking about. I'm sure there are smaller order quantities to be found.

 

Unfortunately, Rose Plastics is the only manufacturer I can find, and they don't sell in the US. The product probably causes cancer in laboratory rats in California.

[fierophreak]

 

Unfortunately, Rose Plastics is the only manufacturer I can find, and they don't sell in the US. The product probably causes cancer in laboratory rats in California.

Someone will sell them. I was a machinist for close to 20 years and our tools always came in those.

[Freddy]

Just curious, what do some of you use to store all of your fountain pen supplies: ink, converters, cartridges, nibs, etc.? I've seen some beautiful cabinets, boxes, tackle boxes... Would love to know how all of you FP lovers store your supplies. Maybe even a pic?! Thanks! -Rob

 

For the most part.................................

 

HON vertical file cabinets

 

Fred

it ain't so hard to do if

you know how

gotta get a message

get it on through

WO..OH..OH

Listen to the music {repeat as often as you like}

All the time....................

[jj9ball]

The first and last picture is of my desk I finished in late 2016 to hold all my pens and ink while I am at work. I am actually only using the top right drawer right now, but my collection is always growing too . The middle 2 pictures are of the cabinet I am currently finishing up. Right now most of my stuff at home sits in a flat rate usps box, a wood box I made that wasn't big enough and the corner of 2 of our kitchen cabinets. This situation gets me in trouble with the "boss" almost constantly because I have pens and ink laying around. So the middle picture is my solution. This is a cabinet that I built from solid Walnut and Walnut burl veneer to hold both ink and pens. I haven't finished the pen racks yet, but when I am done, both doors will have 2 pens racks each hanging from their inside. This should accommodate about 32 pens (more than I have currently). The entire inside of the cabinet will hold ink. I also am toying with the idea of building risers to hold both ink and maybe pens 2 high for the middle shelves. This will probably be something I add later. 2 things are very funny about this cabinet. The first is that my wife told me it was ugly ( I sorta liked it), and the second is that it is going to hang on a bare wall in my basement in the back corner of a storage room where absolutely NO ONE but me will ever see it. At least the pens will know they got a nice home I guess. Anywho, this is my solution to this very timely post. I would love to hear what everyone thinks both good and bad (don't worry I can take it, I've been married 12 years).

[rfgates]

Beautiful JJ9ball! Your fountain pens and supplies are lucky to have you! 😁