• Guest, Help The DPF Community Thrive - Join Our Donation Drive Today!

    We're launching a special DPF Donation Drive to ensure our beloved forum continues to flourish. Your support is vital in helping us cover essential server costs and keep our community running smoothly — This is more than just a donation; it's an investment in the future of our community.

    Join us in this crucial drive and let's ensure our forum remains a vibrant and dynamic place for everyone.

    Please visit the DPF Donation Drive Thread for details and instructions on how you can make your donation today!

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)
I use cork tiles in between the pin bag pages - the 12 x 12 size tiles will work but you'll have to trim the edge to get to the right size to use as an insert! This works a treat as the pins are easily moved about when gaps appear, or new pins inserted - when I've traded at DTD & guests have asked to see the back of the pin it's so easy!! Just remember to keep pin backs close-by!!!
 
I use to use cork but it kept bending my pin post so I switched over to foam boards I have covered all four walls in my pin room its really easy to use and you can use finishing nails to nail it up I used black because it makes the pins lok better great thing is foam boards are cheap :)
 
Next time I drive past a Sign shop I am going to pick up some Chloroplast thanks for the great info.
as we hate the mess cork makes.
 
Last edited:
I have the thick cork board in two of my books. It works really well but in my old book it is starting to crumble a bit so I am thinking of trying the coroplast.
 
So I read this thread this morning, I ran over to the lowes in my town and bought some Coroplast and Duct tape, taking advice from multiple posts I read. I found a white sheet for 9.99 I was able to make 6 inserts out of it, I covered each insert with the tape then took one book apart and re-did it with the inserts, and I have to say this AWESOME! they are holding firm not rocking back and fourth, snug as a bug, now I can pull out my pins to look at them with ease, great Advice, thanks for posting this.
 
Michael's, Staples and Office Depot do NOT have this, nor does Walmart. Home Depot does. It was not a fun Saturday months ago when I traypsed around checking all of these!
 
Most of the time the only place you will find corregated plastic at the "big box stores" is in the pre-made yard sale / home for sale signs. They typically run about $7-10 depending on your location. The blank ones are a touch larger and cost more.

Personally I would look to the local political campaigns and take advantage of the "free" resource. I predict they will have lots of this treasure available in say about 3 weeks.
 
Last edited:
Most of the time the only place you will find corregated plastic at the "big box stores" is in the pre-made yard sale / home for sale signs. They typically run about $7-10 depending on your location. The blank ones are a touch larger and cost more.

Personally I would look to the local political campaigns and take advantage of the "free" resource. I predict they will have lots of this treasure available in say about 3 weeks.

I would caution people concerning this. Look at your city/county's laws about where political signs are allowed to be posted and how long after the election is over that the candidates have to remove their signs before helping yourself to this resource. See:
Reward offered for clues about stolen campaign signs
 
My suggestion is to go directly to the campaigns themselves after election day. At that point any surplus signs they have are trash and they are usually more than willing to give them away. They are also cleaner and have no weather issues that can damage your pins. Even during the campaign they may be willing to give you a sign for free or a "donation". What you do with it after the election is up to you.

I specifically DO NOT RECOMMEND NOR CONDONE removal of polictical signs during the campaign. Nor did I suggest this is an appropriate behavior.
 
Lol, I always see people at a rally... or something that will sit outside with a bunch of signs around them (more than 50) ... I would guess if you asked them they would give you a couple? That's why they're out there- right? Hahaha.
 
i saw someone that used 2 cork tiles then used duct tape around both pieces to keep the cork from falling apart. seemed like a good idea
 
I'm a big cork user. It's cheap and easily replaced, without buying it in bulk. Also, I like being able to easily get the pins on and off my book to check dates, edition size, etc.
 
There are some really great ideas here. Thank You! I think I would like a pin trading bag as well?
 
My suggestion is to go directly to the campaigns themselves after election day. At that point any surplus signs they have are trash and they are usually more than willing to give them away. They are also cleaner and have no weather issues that can damage your pins. Even during the campaign they may be willing to give you a sign for free or a "donation". What you do with it after the election is up to you. I specifically DO NOT RECOMMEND NOR CONDONE removal of polictical signs during the campaign. Nor did I suggest this is an appropriate behavior.
In my county, you can only take signs from the loosing candidate after the election. Also, you can take them during the election if the sign is in the right of way by the road. Remember aspiring politicos to put your signs six feet away from the road on the other side of the sidewalk.I love the idea of using coroplast for pin books. I have a bunch of those signs from previous campaigns and I'm sure they're going to go to good use now.
 
Last edited:
I use both cork board and coroplast and while coroplast works really well for lighter weight pins it does not do really well with the heavier ones. I did think to put duct tape around the cork board but have not done that yet. If that works I think that is probably the best way to go. I buy the 12 by 12 pieces you can get in groups of 4 they are thick and work really well but after years of use they crumble so the duct tape sounds like the perfect solution. I will try it next time I replace my boards in my bags.
 
Your boards look super nice Dan.

I am about to start working on making myself a trading, and im thinking im going to fill it with pages like these.

How does the foam board compare to the coroplast? Based on the qualities, i would say that its retention isnt quite as strong as coroplast? Will foam boards still make nice pages in a binder?
 
Your boards look super nice Dan.

I am about to start working on making myself a trading, and im thinking im going to fill it with pages like these.

How does the foam board compare to the coroplast? Based on the qualities, i would say that its retention isnt quite as strong as coroplast? Will foam boards still make nice pages in a binder?


Foam board should be avoided. It will work - for a time. But it does not hold well and often compresses to the point of being useless.

Cork board is cheaper and tends to be easily obtainable. However it does degrade over time. There have also been stories of it "holding" pins when you attempt to remove them and resulting breakage. Overall it is a reliable option.

Coroplast can also degrade if repeated reused. Eventually you get to the point of too many holes for the pin to grab. It is also difficult to cut across the grain without a special tool. (Although you can do some amazing things with a little practice.) Most sign companies will sell it in sheats and charge if you want it cut. Another option is the infamous E-*** (sorry cant say that here) where with just a little searching you can usually find it cut to size, a variety of colors, and in any quantity you desire. (often for less than the sign shops. Looks good in frames and binders too without the need for concealing felt or foam.
 
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?
 
Back
Top