Wooden form for wet molding

[McQUEEN]

Hi everyone!

I’m planning to make a 12-pen fountain pen case similar to the one in the attached photo, and I’m trying to figure out the best way to create the inner wooden form.

For those of you who have made fountain pen cases before:

Did you make your own or buy a wooden form somewhere?

If you made it yourself, how did you determine the dimensions for the pen slots?

I only have one fountain pen on hand (this is a commission), so I don’t have multiple pens to measure for variation in size.

 

I’d really appreciate any advice on how you handled sizing when you didn’t have access to the client’s full collection.

Thanks in advance!

[Dwight]

That would be made by me using two molds.  Both are 2 piece molds . . . one big enough for the pen body . . . the other one big enough to hold the total  pen body.  You might try making one big enough to put both pieces in there . . . that would alleviate any match-up problems later on.

I'd then find out the dimensions of his pens . . . taking a decent picture of them . . . you can fairly accurately predict the size for each hole . . . and I would add a 1/16 to 1/8 inch to each hold just to make sure.  Wooden dowels can be substituted for the real thing.  And don't worry about the expense . . . if you do that right . . . I'm betting for more orders based on word of mouth .

May God bless,

Dwight

Edited 18 hours ago by Dwight

[AlZilla]

2 hours ago, McQUEEN said:

only have one fountain pen on hand (this is a commission), so I don’t have multiple pens to measure for variation in size.

Ask the client to measure his pens.

[toxo]

5 hours ago, McQUEEN said:

Hi everyone!

I’m planning to make a 12-pen fountain pen case similar to the one in the attached photo, and I’m trying to figure out the best way to create the inner wooden form.

For those of you who have made fountain pen cases before:

Did you make your own or buy a wooden form somewhere?

If you made it yourself, how did you determine the dimensions for the pen slots?

I only have one fountain pen on hand (this is a commission), so I don’t have multiple pens to measure for variation in size.

 

I’d really appreciate any advice on how you handled sizing when you didn’t have access to the client’s full collection.

Thanks in advance!

You don't say how this would be carried. I'm guessing in maybe a briefcase rather than a pocket. Maybe 12 pens wide may be a bit unwieldy so maybe think about a staggered double decker. That would look cool. As for spacing, you have one pen. Is all you need, you can't cater for every size that's out there so just allow a little leeway. Ive just built a 56 loop bandolier and the loops were based on one shell case. Start with a pen and paper, it won't come to you immediately but it will come. Then maybe some card templates. Your pic shows a thing of beauty but doesn't tell all. Is the brown bit seperate and able to come out? If so maybe one green bit and two brown bits to cater for the 12 pens?

[billybopp]

9 hours ago, AlZilla said:

Ask the client to measure his pens.

I'm not going to make a joke .... I'm not going to make a joke ... I'm not going to make a joke ...

[AlZilla]

12 minutes ago, billybopp said:

I'm not going to make a joke .... I'm not going to make a joke ... I'm not going to make a joke ...

Yeah, I saw it after I hit the submit button ... 😱

[kgg]

13 hours ago, McQUEEN said:

I’m planning to make a 12-pen fountain pen case similar to the one in the attached photo, and I’m trying to figure out the best way to create the inner wooden form.

The case you have shown is very similar or the same as the ones made by Libertaz Leathers ( libertazleathers.com ) and here is a video of how they are made.

kgg

 

[McQUEEN]

Dwight

Thanks so much for your detailed suggestions - I really appreciate it! The idea of using wooden dowels as stand-ins for the pens makes perfect sense.

Since I don’t have a woodworking space, I’m wondering: where would you recommend having wooden form made? I also watched a pen case tutorial Kgg shared, and I believe that doesn’t require a wooden form. If you were in my position, would you rather choose that route considering the difficulty of sourcing a form?

Just to clarify, this is part of what the client asked me to make. He’s not asking for a standalone pen case, but a complex A4 shell cordovan portfolio with : a full-zip opening, one side is to hold 12 fountain pen SECURELY, pockets for cards/misc items on one side, and an A4 notebook slot on the other.

Since I’ve never made this type of pen case before — and because it’s in shell — I want to prototype a standalone pen case first before incorporating it into the folio. I’m also thinking of making pen cases with my own design as part of my product lineup , so the prototype will be worth the effort beyond just this commission.

Alzilla

Thanks! The client told me the brand and model of the pens he uses, but I’ll be sure to ask for the exact measurements to make sure everything fits perfectly.

TOXO

Thanks for sharing your thoughts - I really appreciate it! I answered your question above, and the brown insert does come off, which could allow for a main base with removable inserts for organizing the pens. I will double check the pen size with the client, and I size the slots with a little extra leeway. 

billybopp 

Hello!

Kgg

Thanks for sharing! I’ve actually watched that video before, and it looks like that method might not require wooden forms? So if I run into trouble making a wooden form, I could try that approach instead.

 

And, just out of curiosity, how much would you guys think is a fair minimum for a project like this if you've been crafting quite some time and have made small accessories to brief cases and using shell quite a bit? Wondering how a build at this scale might be valued by fellow craters. I barely interact with other makers, so this feedback is really refreshing - thanks again!