Cigar Box Pen Storage Case

[Siv]

  fatehbajwa said:

Where can I buy empty cigar boxes online?

I need them to be shipped to India................that's a big no no with all websites I have seen till now.

 

You know you should not bother with cigar boxes. I would go to a framing shop in India and get a case made. I did this when I was living in Malaysia - the cost makes is prohibitive if you do it in a western country. Go to a framing shop - where they would frame artwork and get them to make you two plain frames (about 7" by as wide as you want the box) and have them made a perspex box to fit between the frames. I'm probably not describing this too well so I'll go and dig out the photos. Anyway, I got custom made boxes for around $30 each.

[dbwooley]

people saying find a local alternative to a cigar box, or get a box made... i feel that entirely defeats the purpose.

i personally like using a cigar box to keep things in because its a cigar box.

its not just any old box, theres something different, and special about using one.

[finansista]

I bought a few cigar boxes on eBay. There are hundreds of them available at $1-2 price range. Shipping is costly, but not that outrageous.

I've just turned one of them into a fancy pen box using piece of cardboard, a few slats, lots of glue and some nice fabric

[dbwooley]

i went and bought 7 cigar boxes this evening, got them cheap and he threw in a couple of nice small ones that will be great for holding convertors and nibs etc.

theyre such practical containers once you leave them out to air for a bit.

[fatehbajwa]

I too bought from ebay finally.......................10 boxes for $40 and $69 for shipping........... :bonk:

[Siv]

I personally don't see the fascination with cigar boxes. I smoke cigars and my regular smokes get put in my humidor and the boxes given to my son to play with - otherwise they would probably be thrown away. Cigars which I want to age go straight into my bulk storage humidor in the box to be kept at 70% humidity. This probably causes the wood to warp slightly...

 

Cigar boxes come in two flavours - paper covered (which are really cheap and the hinge on the lid is paper) and plain wood (either with a slide lid or a hinged lid). The plain wood ones are sometimes varnished and some do look nice from a distance (like Fuente's Hemingway boxes) but on closer inspection they are cheaply made, the lids don't fit well and they look... well cheap!

[dbwooley]

  Siv said:

Cigar boxes come in two flavours - paper covered (which are really cheap and the hinge on the lid is paper) and plain wood (either with a slide lid or a hinged lid). The plain wood ones are sometimes varnished and some do look nice from a distance (like Fuente's Hemingway boxes) but on closer inspection they are cheaply made, the lids don't fit well and they look... well cheap!

 

i agree with you 100%, they are cheap, and theyre not made that well, but for the cost, (nothing or a couple of dollars), i cant think of any other usefull storage containers.

im also perfectionist, and theyre one of those things that change little, i can buy 5 now, and if i decide i need a couple more in a few years time... i know ill be able to most likely get exaclty the same boxes.

the wooden brass hinged and slide boxes are obviously alot better.

but i think some of the paper ones look quite nice sometimes. as a cheap colourful alternative.

[fatehbajwa]

I don't smoke but am sure the quality of the box would depend on the cigar one smokes.......................smoke cheap cigars-get cheap boxes.

 

I wouldn't call these cheap looking....

[Siv]

Each to his own! It just seems odd to me as a cigar smoker that the boxes are coveted so much. Kind of like someone finding my used chinese take-away boxes precious. I have never thought of cigar boxes as anything but throw-away containers.

 

Of course this is not always the case but the best cigars come in relatively plain boxes whereas the cheap ones need flashy packaging in order for them to sell. The best cigars I have smoked are cabinet section and these come in very plain slide-lid boxes and don't have cigar bands. The producers generally keep the very best of their production for cabinets.

 

Cabinet selection ($500):

http://www.cgarsltd.co.uk/html/images/hupman.jpg

 

$175 cigars...

http://www.lynncigars.com/Sopranos.jpg

 

Now if you want some really good pen storage then I would check out drawer humidors (boxes designed to store cigars at the right humidity). They can be had relatively cheaply, are made well and look nice. Try here www.Cheaphumidors.com. Around $110. Of course I would never recommend these for cigar storage as they may not work to well but for pen storage - very nice.

http://www.cheaphumidors.com/Merchant2/graphics/00000001/HUM-300GR2.gif

Edited July 6, 2008 by Siv

[fatehbajwa]

I think I will do as you advise and buy those........might as well control the humidity that my beauties stay in.

 

On second thoughts, maybe you would have a link for the expensive humidors ?

 

as I said, nothing but the best for my pens.

 

What about temperature control too? :roflmho:

Edited July 6, 2008 by fatehbajwa

[WECIII]

This is awesome! There is a local cigar shop that sells boxes, so I will be trying this out myself. Thanks for the great step by step directions.

 

 

[Maisa]

Like everyone else, since long ago, I think the case is just great and looks very professional.

 

Finally I know how to solve the problem with storing pens. Unfortunately we don't have a tobacco store in my home town, but I just might make the box myself. (Really, this doesn't seem like a very complicated project.) A small travelling case and - with some minor alterations - a wooden table stand could be finished at the same time. And maybe a case for my calligraphy pens, too.

 

Thanks for a great example how a case can be made and how awsome it can turn out in such a short time!

[tnmike1]

  scribbler said:

Very nice! Thanks for the pictorial how-to (which will come in handy once I find a cigar smoker with extra boxes, lol).

 

Our local cigar stores sell these cigar boxes for about $3, your choice of sizes, manufacturers, etc. Since I smoke CAO brand and are available in a wide range of sizes and lengths, decided to use one of their boxes. I chose CAO because some of their boxes are very colorful, not the usual plain wood type. Might want to check them out

[univibe88]

I think this is a great idea. I smoke cigars and I am in need of a pen box. I know what I'm doing this weekend!

[APPLEMAN]

Very nice instructions

[joep01]

I actually didn't find this thread searching within FPN...I found it through an external Google "cigar box case project" search...AFTER I'd started my own thread asking for feedback on color choices for my gopens.com-sourced cigar box--->pen case transformation.

 

So if you're reading this one, and you'd like to have a hand in helping a real person - me! - pick the colors for the internals of his case, please vote in my thread or post a reply with your specific thoughts. Thanks! JP

[Sixgunner]

I'm sure glad I found this post. It sure is a great idea.

At work yesterday we were talking about cigars. One of the guys said he has a lot of empty cigar boxes so i asked if he didn't use them to let me have a large one. He said no problem. Well today he brought me this in. Pretty sweet: it's his old cherrywood humidor. I asked him how much I owed him he said no problem he wasn't using it and it was sitting in his basement. He's going to bring in a couple of more empty cigar boxes for me tomorrow. This is going to make one nice pen storage case.

 

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b272/JD_HHI_6092/Humidor.jpg

[DixieAmazon]

Nice coworker. It will be a lovely pen case.

[brubj7a0]

I just made one of these and was thinking about making more and selling them on Ebay. Does anyone think this is a good idea or am I just wasting my time? Thanks for your feedback!

[saint inky]

After reading several entries in this thread, I started scrounging around for wooden boxes that might be suitable for pen cases. Some 20 boxes later, I think I've come up with a process that can be done almost entirely by hand. What's more, by using lightweight materials, it's easy to take full advantage of rather small boxes. While most of the conversions have, indeed, been cigar boxes, I thought I might show you a couple that had less humble origins.

 

First up is a mahogany stained wooden box with an unusual metal inlay (of pewter?); the box measures 7" wide by 2.5" high by 5" deep. Surprising heft for its size. This was a jewelry box in its former life (purchased used on eBay). Holds 11 pens up to 6" long, although some pens may have to be turned on their sides to provide sufficient clearance. In this case, you'll notice that only the Namiki Falcon would fit clip-upward. (If you're curious, the other pens are a THink Sahara, a burgundy Sailor 1911m, and a Visconti Van Gogh Midi Tortoise.)

 

 

 

 

The last photograph will give you a glimpse into the construction of the upper tray. It's a simple affair: Corrugated plastic (mat board) backing, plastic (corner molding) handles. Not as sturdy as wood, of course, but plenty of strength for the job at hand.

 

With either box, the bottom tray can be removed to provide a storage space for cartridges, converters, etc. (Reducing the number of pens the box will hold, of course.)

 

Next is a walnut stained wooden box, lightweight but well-made and very sturdy; measures 5 1/8" wide by 2 1/2" tall by 6 7/8" deep. Holds 11 pens up to 6" long. There's plenty of clearance on the top tier, but pens on the lower tier may have to be turned on their sides (which is actually the case here -- the photograph is a bit misleading). I bought several of these in a factory liquidation sale on eBay; I have no idea what they were originally designed to hold.

 

 

 

 

If you're interested in more details about how the boxes are constructed, feel free to ask. I've experimented with all sorts of inexpensive materials and may be able to give you a few ideas. The slotted pen trays are from the nice folks at GoPens.com. (No affiliation, just a satisfied customer.)

 

By the way, for those of you looking for cigar boxes, there's an online cigar shop, Cigars International (cigarsinternational.com), that sells them for about $2 apiece (in lots of 10).

 

I likewise have given some thought to selling these boxes, but have no idea if there's a market for them.