Superb Pen Chest At Giveaway Price Of $40? Available Online And In Stores

[Christopher Godfrey]

Mine hardly smelled on its arrival...

[musicman123]

In my local store, the chest is actually only $29 right now. I picked up two more.

[AAAndrew]

In my local store, the chest is actually only $29 right now. I picked up two more.

 

Are you a member? I thought I read that you had to be a member to buy it in the store, but could buy it online for only $2 fee extra.

[luckduck369]

Johnson's Paste Wax or Briwax would probably be better choices for the wood, but Simoniz also works.

 

Of if you're into "rolling your own" so to speak, then you can make your own version with a three-part mixture of beeswax (or combination of beeswax and carnauba wax), tung oil (or boiled linseed oil), and mineral spirits (or turpentine). Just be careful when you mix in the volatile oil and mineral spirits into the warmed (NOT HOT!) beeswax. Stir it all together and keep in a wide-mouthed, shallow car or tin. Of course then this has it's own smell, but should be gone within a day, and some people like the smell of turpentine, or you can get low-oder mineral spirits.

 

Thanks AAAndrew. I have no experience at all with wood working. So I am wondering why would Johnson's paste wax or Briwax would be better? Did you use those to get rid of the smell?

 

After sniffing around the chest for like 10 minutes, I think the smell is not really from the wood. When I smell the wood part, I can't smell anything out of ordinary. However when I smell the felt lining inside, the odor is extremely strong. I suspect that the smell comes from the glue that holds the felt lining to the wood, which contains formaldehyde. (I thought about this because friends with furniture factories in China keep telling me that it's the glue releases the odd smell, not the solid wood).

[luckduck369]

 

Are you a member? I thought I read that you had to be a member to buy it in the store, but could buy it online for only $2 fee extra.

 

Yes, you need to be a member to buy in the store.

 

My guess is that it's out of stock online and some stores have them in stock with limited quantity. So they are discounted to $29.97. I was in Costco yesterday and saw around 10 there.

 

[AAAndrew]

 

Thanks AAAndrew. I have no experience at all with wood working. So I am wondering why would Johnson's paste wax or Briwax would be better? Did you use those to get rid of the smell?

 

After sniffing around the chest for like 10 minutes, I think the smell is not really from the wood. When I smell the wood part, I can't smell anything out of ordinary. However when I smell the felt lining inside, the odor is extremely strong. I suspect that the smell comes from the glue that holds the felt lining to the wood, which contains formaldehyde. (I thought about this because friends with furniture factories in China keep telling me that it's the glue releases the odd smell, not the solid wood).

 

If it is the glue on the felt, then a wax won't do any good. It will just have to off-gas until it's gone. Waxing might only help if the smell is volatiles in the finish that the wax might help dissolve and thus off-gas faster.

 

Briwax is probably the best of the three waxes mentioned. Both Briwax and Johnson's are formulated just for wood, as opposed to the other which is marketed for cars, but works on furniture. Johnson's is what was traditionally used for bowling alleys and gymnasium floors. Both dry to a buffable hard finish, but Briwax is a little harder as it contains more carnauba wax which is harder than beeswax. The waxes may be similar for the three products, but I'd rather trust the products formulated specifically for application to wood.

[snewman]

 

If it is the glue on the felt, then a wax won't do any good. It will just have to off-gas until it's gone. Waxing might only help if the smell is volatiles in the finish that the wax might help dissolve and thus off-gas faster.

 

Briwax is probably the best of the three waxes mentioned. Both Briwax and Johnson's are formulated just for wood, as opposed to the other which is marketed for cars, but works on furniture. Johnson's is what was traditionally used for bowling alleys and gymnasium floors. Both dry to a buffable hard finish, but Briwax is a little harder as it contains more carnauba wax which is harder than beeswax. The waxes may be similar for the three products, but I'd rather trust the products formulated specifically for application to wood.

I just picked mine up from where I had it shipped and my impression was that it was the glue from the felt at least for mine. I took all the drawers out and let it air out and 24 hours later is seems fine.

 

I am excited to start loading stuff into it and have been enjoying see what other people are doing with theirs.

[DrDebG]

Out of stock online. Not available at the local Costco. Bummer! Missed out again!

[AAAndrew]

BTW, I found out that the central drawer, the one tall enough for Noodlers ink bottles, it's also wide enough to fit a line of noodler's ink along one side and leave enough room to fit a bottle of Iroshizuku ink. Altogether, you could fit four bottles of noodles or Aurora inks and two bottles of Iroshizuku with a little space left over at the end for some cartridges.

 

Just thought some might be interested.

[alc3261]

Mine hardly smelled on its arrival...

+1

[ac12]

 

In my local store, the chest is actually only $29 right now. I picked up two more.

 

I did not even check to see if my local CostCo has the wood toolbox.

I think I need to take a spin by the store.

On second thought, my wife would have a fit...I can't figure out where to put the first box...never mind a 2nd box.

[Manalto]

 

 

I did not even check to see if my local CostCo has the wood toolbox.

I think I need to take a spin by the store.

On second thought, my wife would have a fit...I can't figure out where to put the first box...never mind a 2nd box.

 

Hey, congratulations on winning the Pelikan 140! (You'll need a place to store it.)

[bmillicent]

I lucked out and have a friend with a membership who was willing to help me out. I called the local store (Fort Worth) and was told they had 16 on hand. Now they only have 15

 

Pity they don't do store to store transfers like some retailers. I know they are a warehouse and all, but if they keep lowering the price, it seems like a better way to reduce the inventory. It was pure luck that my location had so many . . .

 

The only downside - that smell dissipation issue. I live in a tiny little apartment, so my incense inventory is about to decrease. But hey, it's worth it

[Starguard]

I lucked out and have a friend with a membership who was willing to help me out. I called the local store (Fort Worth) and was told they had 16 on hand. Now they only have 15

 

Pity they don't do store to store transfers like some retailers. I know they are a warehouse and all, but if they keep lowering the price, it seems like a better way to reduce the inventory. It was pure luck that my location had so many . . .

 

The only downside - that smell dissipation issue. I live in a tiny little apartment, so my incense inventory is about to decrease. But hey, it's worth it

 

Good news is, it really does dissipate fast, I left everything open while I was at work, then closed it up when I was home, worked fine and the smell was gone in about a week. I really

love mine!

 

Kathy

[AAAndrew]

I was finally able to finish the organization of my pen chest this weekend. (the chest was my Father's Day present, and the time to organize it as well)

 

Just to give you an idea of what it can do for a modest collection:

 

Some of my Sheaffers

 

 

I have enough room to devote a drawer to my few Easterbrook and Osmiroid nibs

 

 

And my literal "bottom drawer pens" includes my beloved few Esterbrooks, plus pens that need repair. On the left are three Parker Vacumatics, followed by some Sheaffer piston-fillers. Below them, stacked perpendicular to the paper folds are some pens just waiting for the sacs to arrive today or tomorrow. (including a Frankenpen or two) Then a Parker Jr. Duofold whose cap lip is so chipped it looks like teeth. I'm trying to figure some way of dealing with that. then a stray Levenger. After that is a giant "celery stick" of a beautiful celluloid pen with no section, nib or feed. The hole for the section is so huge that OS Sheaffer Flat top and balances and Parker Duofolds are too small. The thin brass tube is an Eagle glass cartridge brass pen with no black left on it, my Esterbrooks, then a Parker and Monteverde that require some nib tuning.

 

 

 

Thanks again for the heads up. I still have a little bit of room in one drawer after I repair all of these pens for a few more purchases. I guess I had more pens than I thought. But the chest works quite well, looks good and I'm very pleased at the price.

 

Andrew

[Manalto]

Looks great, Andrew. (I like a lot of the same pens that you do.) Changing the orientation of the pens for the wide drawers was a good choice. Any further thoughts on stacking two layers for the deeper drawers?

 

I'm still waiting for the odor of the felt to dissipate in mine.

[AAAndrew]

I've been thinking about that, and my thought so far is to cut a piece of cardboard or foam-core and glue the two ends of the folded paper onto the board and then glue some tabs on the ends for easy lift-out. Basically, you just need the paper affixed to something rigid so that you can lift it out in one piece. It would probably have to be fairly thin but rigid. I also think to work those you'd have to just pull the drawer completely out, but that's not a big deal. I'm thinking of doing this in the drawer with the Esterbrook nibs and put my few ink cartridges under them. I don't use cartridges very often, so it won't matter if they're under the nibs.

 

The other pictures I didn't post show that I can easily fit 20 bottles of ink in the top compartment with room left over, as well as two bottle of Aurora, one bottle of Noodlers, a bottle of Parker Penmen and a bottle of Iroshizuku ink in the "tall" drawer in the middle, with room for another bottle of Iroshizuku.

 

I also didn't show the absolute bottom drawer which is currently full of repair stuff (sacs, tools, talc) and a bunch of assorted old pencils I'm not sure what to do with. (the pencils that match a pen in my collection have their own drawer since I don't use them as much)

 

There's surprising room in this case.

[Fabienne]

Hmmmm, AAAndrew, I see that you have the lower (larger) drawers lined with the folded

cardstock. How did you do that? I suspect you taped several cardstock sheets together and folded them (or folded them first and then taped). It looks great.

[AAAndrew]

I folded sheets then just tucked one end under the next. The weight of the pens holds it together. You could glue them if you wished, but I'd fold them first whatever you do.

 

I actually use heavy-weight paper. It's either 32lb. or 24lb. resume paper. I found an open full-ream box at an office supply store on the "Discount" shelf and got it for a steal. A good, stiff paper will be quite sufficient, and easier to work with than true cardstock.

 

I score it first at 1/2" intervals to help with the folding: first one side then the other.

 

Paper's also good to use because then I can write on the folds, like I did with the Esterbrook nibs, and if I want to change, it's just another sheet of paper.

[Manalto]

To commemorate the 200th comment on this thread, I have to ask, shouldn't it be "Superb Pen Chest At Giveaway Price of $40"?