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GUIDE What material to use in your pin book (cork, coroplast, etc)

Hello Friends.

Very often people will ask me what I am using in the pages of my trade books / bags to hold the pins in because they notice I am just pushing them in. I use coroplast and will explain some of the benefits of using it as well as other safety measures you can take and show you examples of what it is.

Many people use various types of cork but the pins fall off and it eventually falls apart.
Coroplast is corrugated plastic and can be purchased at any sign shop. It comes in many colors but Black seems to be the color of choice. It comes in 4' x 8' sheets and cost on average $30.00 for the sheet. I get mine for $24.00 but have heard many places are more expensive.

Anyways, below I have some pics that show what it is and some practical applications.
In addition to using them in my pages, I also make loose pages with them. I always like to go the extra mile and make the pins show well and dont like to see the holes once the pins are removed so I buy stickey felt at Michaels and cover the loose boards and can mount pins to it just like as if it were in the page.

One reason I also do this is because when you are only allowed 1 trader book on a trading table, I will put one of these on the open flap of my book and 2 on the bottom giving me 3 more pages to show. Once you see the examples, you will see what I mean.

Now a good friend of mine who has mostly very expensive pins, almost all DA100 and 50's is concerned with somone removing them from his pages too easily. Well, when all of your pins are $300.00 and up, you may want to consider alternatives.

In another post, I discussed various types of locking pin backs. He does not use coroplast but rather uses a locking back on every pin.(not the allen type, the chrome self locking type I discussed in another thread. If you need info, PM me) Now for someone to get the pin off, they would have to open the velcro and each their hand in to release it making it almost impossible to steal the pin without being noticed.

Of course they can steal the entire bag but you are more likely to notice that rather than a single pin being removed. Anyways, here is what coroplast is and a few ideas. I also like it because of the ease of adding and removing pins but is also makes your pages rigid and very square and you can fit more pins and the pages are so rigid that pins dont end up touching each other from page folding.

If you have any questions, please feel free to PM me. Here we go:

(THIS IS 1/8" COROPLAST)
This is what it looks like before you cut it to size. Of course it was originally 4' x 8' and I have them cut it in half to make transporting it easier.

coroplast sheet.jpg

Once I have measured the pages I cut the squares out. Regardless if putting them in the pages or just for display boards, you need 2 boards. Some people say bu thicker stock but it is not as dense and will wear out quicker as the ribs are spaced much further apart. Here is a page that I have covered in sticky felt for better presentation.

Single Show Page.jpg

A tilted view so you can see that 2 pages are being used and what the ribs look like.

Felt Covered Coroplast Display Page.jpg

Another view of a couple of completd pages.

Side View of Page Showing Coroplast.jpg

As you can see, you can fit quite a few pins on a page. This is a standard page size and these are not extremly small pins, some are pretty good size.

Felt Coverer Dosplay Page.jpg

A top view of the page again showing 2 pages and the ribs. Note that the pins are stable in the coroplast. You can turn the page upside down and pretty much shake it and the pins will not fall out and they are not easy to remove once in. It works very well and is the preferred method by most traders.

Side View Showing Coroplast.jpg

Here are a few of my loose panels. The one at the top IS smaller. It is for a smaller trading bag. These fit comfortably in the regular pin trading bag and now instead of 5 pages, you can have 8 pages and I really like when my book is open having a page on the open flap. You always see 2 pages ofpins no matter what.

View of Non-Bag Show Pages.jpg

Finally, the only difference when putting into pages in your bag is there is no need to use the felt. Here is a picture showing pins in the book and the coroplast in the page. A picture tells a thousand words so I will let it do the rest of the talking.

Pin Bag Page Showing Coroplast.jpg

I hope this helps and gives you a better way to show and trade your pins. I really like the stand alone felt boards. Great for shows too.
 
GUIDE What material to use in your pin book (cork, coroplast, etc)
Thanks for the information!

Im thinking about using coroplast but just not sure if i wanna make a binder or use a trading book.

As far as cutting coroplast goes, is the cutter really something worth getting? Can thr boards be cut with a fresh razor blade?
 
Thanks for the information!

Im thinking about using coroplast but just not sure if i wanna make a binder or use a trading book.

As far as cutting coroplast goes, is the cutter really something worth getting? Can thr boards be cut with a fresh razor blade?

I used a little X-acto type knife from the dollar store. Worked fine!
 
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