Making A Pen Case

[my63]

Thanks Anne-Sophie

I thought I would give you an update on my recent projects it should not surprise anyone to hear that the black and yellow case is staying with me although a couple of people expressed an interest I decided it is a great place to keep my "D" pens.

The cream and pink pen hand bag will be flying off to its new home in the USA soon. I wanted to make that bag because most of the cases on the market are very masculine there is nothing wrong with that. I thought it would make a nice change. I may make another once I have some feedback. Or I may make another in a different design.

 

I am currently finishing off my own Gladstone bag and think my next project may be a briefcase restoration.

 

Thanks

 

Michael

[my63]

If you have an oversize pen that measures around 25 mm or 1 inch in diameter and you want a protective pen case then this is for you.

 

Starting with a flat piece of kydex 92 mm x 160 mm aiming for an inside diameter over 25 mm to allow for the suede lining.

 

DSC_0293 - Copy by my0771, on Flickr

 

After applying some heat I moulded the kydex around the dowel and rounded the end.

 

DSC_0295 by my0771, on Flickr

 

Once happy with the tube I wrapped it in red suede

 

DSC_0302 by my0771, on Flickr

 

Checking the inside diameter with my new pen calliper it is just a ballpoint but nothing is perfect.

 

DSC_0305 by my0771, on Flickr

 

Leather outer next

 

Thanks for looking

 

Michael

[my63]

I finished the inside yesterday so today it is time for the outside.

 

DSC_0307[1] by my0771, on Flickr

 

After soaking for a short time I started to shape the leather with the help of my modified grips. I also rounded the edges and made a decorative grove around the top of the base and bottom of the lid.

 

DSC_0309[1] by my0771, on Flickr

 

The next stage is to dye the case the required colour which for this case is black the tricky part is to put all of the pieces together before they dry out completely.

 

DSC_0311[1] by my0771, on Flickr

 

I have learned that I should wait for the case to dry out before sewing especially with black as the dye will transfer to the thread.

 

Thanks for looking

 

Michael

Edited April 18, 2016 by my63

[my63]

The inside and outside together and ready for sewing

 

DSC_0320[1] by my0771, on Flickr

 

Once the lower part is trimmed I was able to make the top piece around it.

 

DSC_0326[1] by my0771, on Flickr

 

Top and bottom pieces sewn together.

 

DSC_0328[1] by my0771, on Flickr

 

Almost finished edges trimmed and smoothed

 

DSC_0332[1] by my0771, on Flickr

 

Thanks for looking

 

Michael

[my63]

I have started a couple of new projects today the first one was prompted by a question from an fpner about a pen sleeve the second is another colour experiment.

 

Pen sleeve based around a 15 mm plastic pipe

 

DSC_0339[1] by my0771, on Flickr

 

This is a red base coat with a dilute black dye over the top of that.

 

DSC_0334[1] by my0771, on Flickr

 

Thanks for looking

 

Michael

[my63]

The black over red case has turned out rather well although I decided to put a pink liner in it which I am a little unsure of.

 

DSC_0340[1] by my0771, on Flickr

 

DSC_0347[1] by my0771, on Flickr

 

I have also been asked to make a pen case for a front trouser pocket that will not bend along its length. I have made a case like this before but it was for a much larger pen

 

DSC_0335[1] by my0771, on Flickr

 

DSC_0349[1] by my0771, on Flickr

 

Thanks for looking

 

Michael

[my63]

The black case and the black and red case both need toggles which I have made from pieces of oak this is as you may know a light coloured wood.

Rather than getting some wood stain I have used an old method the jar you can see behind the toggles contains white vinegar and steel wool which will dissolve this mixture will turn the tannin in the oak black changing the colour of the wood.

 

DSC_0356[1] by my0771, on Flickr

 

The rest of the cases are ready for this final piece

 

Michael

Edited April 22, 2016 by my63

[my63]

I took the oak pieces out after a couple of hours and this is how they looked the chemical reaction has started to turn the tannins in the oak black.

 

DSC_0362[1] by my0771, on Flickr

 

I popped them back into the jar and left them overnight this was the result after a little light sanding

 

DSC_0373[1] by my0771, on Flickr

 

Thanks for looking

 

Michael

[my63]

Here are the final picture of the two single pen cases starting with the Black and red case the pen I the pictures is an M B 149

 

DSC_0375[1] by my0771, on Flickr

 

DSC_0377[1] by my0771, on Flickr

 

Here are the final pictures of the Black over red case the pen is a Danitrio

 

DSC_0380[1] by my0771, on Flickr

 

DSC_0384[1] by my0771, on Flickr

 

DSC_0387[1] by my0771, on Flickr

 

These cases are flying off to their new homes next week

 

Thanks for looking

 

Michael

[my63]

My first attempt at a single slip case was not as successful as I had hoped everything worked out ok but there was a little bit of flex and as the request was for a case that would not bend I decided to start again.

 

I selected my smallest mould which would give an internal size of around 16 mm which would be around the correct size.

 

DSC_0393[1] by my0771, on Flickr

 

Following the application of some heat and a little pressure I formed the kydex over the mould

 

DSC_0394[1] by my0771, on Flickr

 

I wet moulded a piece of leather over the kydex and the mould and cut out a "V" shape to allow for the clip in both the leather and a deeper one in the kydex.

 

DSC_0397[1] by my0771, on Flickr

 

The next step was to fill in the "V" shape with some thin leather and to line the inside with suede finally adding dye and making holes for sewing.

 

When all of the sewing was complete

 

DSC_0403[1] by my0771, on Flickr

 

DSC_0402[1] by my0771, on Flickr

 

Once dry it will be ready for shipping

 

Michael

Edited April 25, 2016 by my63

[my63]

I thought I would share the final pictures of the pen bag I made recently as it is about to leave for its new home. The outside looked a little plain so I decided to add a little detail.

 

I cut some flower shapes from leather pieces I had left over from the bag.

 

DSC_0028[1] by my0771, on Flickr

 

This turned out to be a little too much detail

 

DSC_0032[1] by my0771, on Flickr

 

I settled on three pieces and glued them together adding a strip of leather to fix it to the bag

 

DSC_0036[1] by my0771, on Flickr

 

Here is the flower in place

 

DSC_0049[1] by my0771, on Flickr

 

DSC_0052[1] by my0771, on Flickr

 

Thanks for looking

 

Michael

[Anne-Sophie]

Michael, you are very talented!

 

The flower on the cream and light pink bag is a great addition.

 

The color on the black and red mixed dye case is reminiscent of ebonite or antique celluloid patterns.

The pink lining is asking for the limited edition Pelikan.

 

Black and red is always classy and classic, the red thread and sewing is fabulous, as always.

 

Soaking the toggles, in the vinegar solution, is a great way to make them look antique, the couple of hours soak, highlights the different colors of the oak veins. The overnight dip had me gasp, as I thought, you had cut another pair of toggles, out of really old reclaimed wood.

 

I forgot that they are pen rest toggles, such a practical and inventive way to protect, hold and use fountain pens.

 

Thanks for sharing your talent, Michael!

[my63]

Thanks Anne-Sophie your comments are appreciated

 

Here is my latest case it is chocolate and orange.

 

As usual I started with a piece of kydex which was heated and formed around a dowel

 

DSC_0070[1] by my0771, on Flickr

 

After forming and gluing the edges I wrapped the tube in soft orange suede.

 

DSC_0073[1] by my0771, on Flickr

 

I then cut and rounded the edges and smoothed them

 

DSC_0084[1] by my0771, on Flickr

 

I wrapped the end of the tube in plastic to protect it from the wet dye and shaped the wet outer leather ready for gluing.

 

DSC_0096[1] by my0771, on Flickr

 

DSC_0098[1] by my0771, on Flickr

 

After shaping and gluing the leather outer I marked and prepared the holes for stitching

 

DSC_0101[1] by my0771, on Flickr

 

Once the stitching was finished I marked out the toggle point and the trimming lines

 

DSC_0101[1] by my0771, on Flickr

 

I had stored the upper section in a plastic bag to stop it drying out until I had the shape of the lower section to mould it around.

 

DSC_0104[1] by my0771, on Flickr

 

All of the stitching is now complete and the edges need to be finished

 

DSC_0108[1] by my0771, on Flickr

 

Here is the case and the final components ready for assembly

 

DSC_0009[1] by my0771, on Flickr

 

My final pictures of the chocolate and orange case

 

DSC_0005[1] by my0771, on Flickr

 

DSC_0023[1] by my0771, on Flickr

 

Thanks for looking

 

Michael

[my63]

OK the next project is a pair of boxes or a pair of boxes sitting on a plinth to make a desk set. This idea came from an inkwell that was given to Tracy Lee or legally inked from Instagram. She had also posted some great pictures from the space centre. I found them very interesting and as I had been looking for something interesting to carve into leather and the idea just grew from there.

 

I printed the two images out and used some blank boxes I had made but never used.

 

DSC_0041[1] by my0771, on Flickr

 

The next step was to cut two leather panels out of the thickest leather I had available which is about 4mm thick

 

DSC_0057 by my0771, on Flickr

 

After soaking the leather in cold water I used a pointed modelling tool to trace the outline of the image onto the leather after tracing I cut the lines into the leather with a special knife called a swivel knife.

 

DSC_0061 by my0771, on Flickr

 

DSC_0060 by my0771, on Flickr

 

After finishing the carving I left the panels to one side on a flat surface to dry out for 24 hours.

 

DSC_0063 by my0771, on Flickr

 

So far so good however I don't like the results and my blank boxes are not both symmetrical and I don't like that either so I am going to make two new boxes and I am considering other methods of replicating the images on the top possibly veneer

 

Thanks for looking

 

Michael

[my63]

I was not too happy with the carving so I decided to return to veneer and see if it would give a better result I have made veneered boxes before but never something this complex.

 

Starting with about six copies of the printed image I cut pieces to fit

 

DSC_0079[1] by my0771, on Flickr

 

Red stripe and white letters

 

DSC_0082[1] by my0771, on Flickr

 

The loop is made from boxwood soaked and bent to shape finally waste paper was trimmed away

 

DSC_0089[1] by my0771, on Flickr

 

All of the gaps between the letters were then filled with black veneer the logo was then taped to the background

 

DSC_0092[1] by my0771, on Flickr

 

Then cut around the outline and remove the waste from the back which allowed the veneer to lie flush. This takes forever to do I now know why I don't make veneered boxes anymore.

 

DSC_0093[1] by my0771, on Flickr

 

This is the back with all of the waste removed ready to be glued to the top of the box

 

I am not able to make the boxes at the moment but we will come back to this soon.

Edited June 4, 2016 by my63

[my63]

The next stage is to add the veneer to a box these boxes are made as four sides a top and a bottom and then cut in half to make the box.

Everything will become clear as we proceed.

 

DSC_0153[1] by my0771, on Flickr

 

Removing the masking tape once the glue had dried. Very carefully

 

DSC_0159[1] by my0771, on Flickr

 

The image is not perfect letters are very difficult to make in veneer

 

DSC_0161[1] by my0771, on Flickr

 

The edge of the box did not look right so I trimmed the veneer back and added a border of premade banding

 

DSC_0163[1] by my0771, on Flickr

 

I have veneered all around the box and it is ready to be cut in half the best way to do this is on a table saw or a band saw as I don't have either I will cut it by hand.

[my63]

I have not shared one of these cases for a little while as I thought people might be getting a little sick of them

 

So here is the flat piece of kydex cut from a large sheet.

 

DSC_0547[1] by my0771, on Flickr

 

Heated and rolled around a piece of dowel using a scrap piece of leather.

 

DSC_0549[1] by my0771, on Flickr

 

Seam glued and sanded.

 

DSC_0554[1] by my0771, on Flickr

 

I cut a strip of red suede and stitched the bottom over a rounded dowel which was then glued into the kydex tube

 

DSC_0557[1] by my0771, on Flickr

 

This is the finished inner core of one of my pen cases

 

DSC_0559[1] by my0771, on Flickr

 

Thanks for looking

 

Michael

[my63]

Once the inner liner was finished I started on the outer leather cover.

 

After cutting to size and soaking the leather I started to form the shape.

 

DSC_0583[1] by my0771, on Flickr

 

The inner liner has been wrapped in shrink wrap to protect it during the forming process.

 

Time to apply some dye.

 

DSC_0587[1] by my0771, on Flickr

 

Before the dye has dried out and when I was happy with the shape I added some glue and inserted the liner applying pressure from my clamp.

 

DSC_0591[1] by my0771, on Flickr

 

Stitching holes marked with a pricking iron the rest of the hole is made with an awl.

 

DSC_0601[1] by my0771, on Flickr

 

Stitching complete

 

DSC_0603[1] by my0771, on Flickr

 

After the lower body was sewn I started the upper part which had been waiting in a plastic bag to prevent it from drying out.

 

DSC_0608[1] by my0771, on Flickr

 

After sewing the upper part I started preparing the edges trimming sanding and shaping the final part is dying and sealing with pure beeswax.

 

DSC_0612[1] by my0771, on Flickr

 

While dying the edges I managed to get some dye onto the thread so I cut it all out and re stitched the case.

[amk]

I love your toggles. They really have character and the feel of the wood comes through nicely. You're a talented chap!

 

I have a jar of vinegar I use for cleaning rusty old plane blades (I've rescued three Stanley no 4's this year that I picked up at car boots, and a lot of moulding planes) and once that gets wholly filthy I use it to do my staining; killing two birds with one stone!

[my63]

Hi Amk

If you are planning on having a go the please use white vinegar and some wire wool and leave in a well ventilated area without a cap. Quite a bit of gas is produced it is harmless but if you put a lid on the jar it may well pop.

It works best on woods that are high in tannin like oak. Or you could make a super strong tea solution half a box of teabags should do and paint that onto the wood first.

 

I have some interesting pen cases to share soon I have been busy since S B R E Brown reviewed one of my cases on his YouTube Chanel .