A homemade pen case for less than $10

My local pen group continues to grow. We had 16 people attend last Saturday’s gathering. And I raffled off a homemade 10-pen storage case.

First, I ordered black flocked liner from Go Pens. These liners sit inside my personal pen trays, too. Each channel is just wide enough to keep even large pens from touching.

Groovy

Then I spent an afternoon cleaning and deodorizing a modern-looking Camacho cigar case. A shop nearby sells empty cases for one dollar. Steal.

I then cut a cardboard template to fit the interior dimensions of the case. And used that template to cut the liner to size.

Templates, razors, and pencils, oh my

Cardboard on the bottom. Liner on top. The result is a fun, useful pen case with a personal touch. All for less than $10.

And now my pen friend Rachel has a home for her six-pen collection. Happy-happy.

The case even works. Bonus!

This week’s Inked Tines update includes my most recent currently inked writing tools.

Toolset

Pens. The standout combo this week has been the Pilot 912. The pair grew into a lovely, buttery-smooth writer. The SF nib and Akkerman even kept feathering to a minimum in this week’s new Field Notes. Surprised me. Pocket carry, D&D notes. 1/2 full.

• Franklin-Christoph (M-SIG) — 1/2. Goldilocks. Wet enough to keep shimmer from clogging. Dry enough to let the SIG grind show off line variation. D&D notes, journaling, reading notes.

• Sailor Pro Gear (Z Architect) — 1/2. Shading is life. Brane shades well in a Z nib. Flows quite well. Fun pairing. Journaling, reading notes (reverse EF).

• Platinum 3776 (F) — 2/3. Smooth, disciplined EF-ish line. Excellent for small writing in a 4mm grid. 3776 body proved slippery in the hand during humid weather. Daily driver, reading notes.

• Lamy Safari (B) — 2/3. Still my favorite Lamy B nib. Smooth writer, with a hint of paper texture. Velvet is a beautiful color, but a bit dry for this Lamy feed. Journaling, reading notes, D&D notes.

• Faber-Castell (M) — 5/6. Humid weather brings out the best of both Sunset and the F-C feed. Excellent pop of color for accenting notes. Journaling, reading notes, D&D notes.

Notebooks. Journal. A5 Taroko Breeze. Four new entries this week. Ten new pages. The Breeze now stands on page number 19.

Love a good page number

The first is a collection of scribbles, swatches, and notes on new-to-me pens and inks from last Saturday’s local pen meetup.

Chaos — and glory

Three are true journal entries: reflections, lists, and some current event analysis.

Each entry uses two colors: one dark and one light. Amethyst de L’Oural alongside Bluegrass Velvet for a pair of cold tones. Brane and Apache Sunset for an earthier color combination.

Two entries end with poems. I often end reflections in poetry that speaks to me in the moment. When I do review past journal entries, the poems are often the most fun to visit. And the most telling about how I was feeling.

This week, I landed on Adrienne Rich’s What Kind of Times Are These and Jim Harrison’s Another Country.

I like my poetry how I like my tea: spicy and earthy.

Pocket. A6 Field Notes. My pocket notes are ephemeral, by design. Scratch notes are my short term memory.

Running lists, quotes I overhear, and goals that arise. This week, two lists, each a full two-page spread comprise this week’s scratch notes.

The partner and I trekked north to visit my sister and nephews. One list is a log of fun spots to visit around our bed and breakfast.

The second will be added to a long-running list of gift ideas. The long term memory version of this gift list lives in a Bear note.

Written dry. All six pens survived the week. I spread my writing across all six pens effectively.

Newly inked. Not a one.  I hath behaved as a gentleman and a scholar.

This week.

The collection

Incoming / new orders. Two more. Weeks until. DC.

Diplomat is making waiting a challenge, though.

Outgoing / trades or sales. While neither a trade nor a sale, I loaned two pens out during Saturday’s pen group meetup. My Lamy Aion and Pelikan m805 are in loving — and responsible — temporary homes.

The Aion is infrequently inked. The metal section isn’t textured enough for my comfort.

My pen friend April is interested in one of Lamy’s dark green Aions. It’s only fitting that she test drive my OliveSilver metal beast before investing her own money. If she likes the Silver, the pen is hers.

The Pelikan m805 is another story. My good friend Justine and I share stationery aesthetics. Subdued tones and contrasting colors.

Justine is as diligent with her pens as I am. That is to say: she is persnickety. So I feel comfortable entrusting one of my favorite (and expensive) writers to her.

She has been eyeing an m805 for months now. Now she can take her time confirming that the 800 series is the right size and weight for her.

One of the many perks of joining a local pen group is the opportunity to write with a wide variety of pens. Both April and Justine have loaned me pens in the past. I’m glad for the chance to return their kindness.

Currently reading and listening 

Fiction. Three more chapters of Rhythm of War down. I’m now into the fourth act of Sanderson’s high fantasy — up to chapter 76.

The storytelling is heavy. Most characters are still sitting in the dark parts of their character arcs. Sanderson does like his layers.

Shallan remains a fast favorite. Details are light for my public reflection this week because: spoilers.

Nonfiction. The first three chapters of Masha Gessen’s (2020) Surviving Autocracy have fallen to my Blackwing and Mildliner.

This is a challenging book to skim. Gessen’s argument doesn’t follow a typical structure. But I’m all for new experiences.

My commonplace work stalled this week.

Music. Makzo’s newest album is called Wanderlust. The record includes collaborations with other great artists like Oatmello and Leavv.

My friend Justin and I had a “listen party” on Tuesday. It’s lovely to hang out, even a continent apart. The album has been on repeat since.

Makzo is on the Chillhop label. They have a distinct lo-fi sound. Excellent music to read or write to.

The record is available on most services. However, I recommend giving the YouTube version your attention. The substitute animated video pairs quite well with the music.

One last picture to say thanks for making it to the end of this week’s recap. Cheers.