Pen Cache Design

[Greg21Greg]

This is a simple design I came up with. Free for you to copy if you like. Let me know if anyone has ever seen it before. I just wanted to share it. Hope you like it . 

[+kunarion]

I've seen that several times, but never with a built-in extractor.  If you got rid if the ink tube and used a plastic rod instead, the log could come out with the pen tip. 

These are always soaking wet by the time I find them, and then eventually archived. But if it's placed in a well-protected way, out of the elements, it could be fun.

[+cerberus1]

Make extras. 

An idea around since we started, we've seen dozens of this cache type soaked and missing over the years.

Most times (here) they were grabbed as part of CITO (as trash).  Sometimes they were brought back.  I took one home (with wrappers, water bottles, and other carp)  myself. 

[+kunarion]

1 hour ago, cerberus1 said:

Make extras. 

An idea around since we started, we've seen dozens of this cache type soaked and missing over the years.

Most times (here) they were grabbed as part of CITO (as trash).  Sometimes they were brought back.  I took one home (with wrappers, water bottles, and other carp)  myself. 

 

One of this style was placed on grass landscape in front of a daycare center.  It was a well-kept lawn, so the pen would tend to be missing after the mower came through.  But it was also a cache that I had trouble finding.  I didn't expect to hunt around on the lawn.  Tricky!  Of course, the tiny piece of paper inside was soaking wet.  The ink remained in the ink tube, so that was a plus. 

 

 

[+J Grouchy]

I've only found one like this before about three years ago...and it appears to still be going strong.  Well...as of this past February, at least.

 

[Greg21Greg]

I wanted to leave the ink so that you wouldn't need a pen to sign the log. 

[Ranger Fox]

I believe the last one I came across was GC2WVA4, back in September.  It was hanging on a tree.  I second the sentiment that using a pen as the only container won't protect the log from moisture unless something else does.

I have an idea for you I don't remember seeing done with a cache.  Put the pen and many other items in something the size of an ammo can.  Say the log is hidden somewhere in the box and cachers have to find the log in the box to claim a find.  This might be interesting, only up to the point where ignorant people would think that by finding the container, they found the cache and since the cache looks like it's missing a log, they'd help the cache owner by leaving a new log sheet in the cache.  Yeah, that might not be a good cache idea...

If the main idea was to avoid requiring people to have pens, I've seen people stick short pens in preforms.  This works well.  By the way, what doesn't work well is sticking a pen or--especially--pencil in a log sheet or book's plastic baggie as the former will easily poke a hole in the latter.

[+L0ne.R]

1 hour ago, Ranger Fox said:

I've seen people stick short pens in preforms

And it's pretty easy to cut a regular pencil into 3 short pencils. I sharpen the end. Cut off the sharpened end to the desired length with a hand saw or exacto knife. Sharpened the blunt end again and cut another small pencil. The final piece near the eraser end is usually too small to sharpen with a sharpener so I whittle a point with the exacto knife. 

[+TMC4563]

I lIke it !!  Cool!

[+TwistedCube]

Neat cache! The final of a night cache that I found was a bag full of pens. One of them had the log. Surprisingly, it was much easier than I thought it was going to be. 

 

I would have a lot of trouble with this hide even if it was placed at least decently. Kudos to you for putting this one out!

 

What's the D rating going to be???

[Team_Rhoeny]

It's doing really well. A great inspiration for a new cache. However, it takes a while to get to the logbook