This is not a totally revolutionary storage solution, but I found a bunch of tips scattered around, so I figured I'd write it up in case it's helpful. The goal was to have an easy way to carry 2 medium-sizes cubes, land for both, dice, and a few decks. Total capacity is around 1800-2000 single-sleeved cards.
The main problems I found with most cases were either that they were unreliable, ugly, solid but super-bulky, a pain to modify for Magic, or they bent my cards.
I ended up going with the artist case + broken token insert, which I felt had fixable flaws. The big problem it is known for is not being incredibly sturdy because it's designed for art supplies. I planned to replace all the hardware to solve this problem, but after getting it I think you only need to replace the handle hardware, which bears all the weight, and add side latches for a belt-and-suspenders approach to keeping it closed.
If you want to do this, it's pretty easy. You can replace the handle hardware with a 10-32 t nut and the matching 5/8" machine screw. You can see in the picture that mine were 3/4", so I put an extra nut on the end so screws weren't sticking out. The outside of the t nut is 1/4", so if you have a 1/4" drill bit you can just expand the holes that are there.
On each side I added a snap catch. This one works well, though I replaced the nails with screws and it only comes with the catch going one direction, so if you want to open the box by pulling both fingers towards you as god intended, you have to have one upside down. Nobody would necessarily notice, but you might be able to find a better one and it might bug you if you like symmetry.
For the inside the case I used the broken token insert. I chose the four row because I felt that was big enough (the case + cards in it are ~20lbs). I think this setup would be sturdy enough for the five row one though. I did have to sand the end down a bit to get it to fit into the box, which is common, but it works fine otherwise. Protip: pick only one side to sand down the ends that go there (e.g. the left side).
Note that I drilled the screws through the insert. It's too snug to do otherwise, but this works fine.
I put in this foam insert into the top because the four row setup leaves about 1.6" of headroom. This is exactly the right height and you only have to trim a second strip. I didn't even bother gluing it in because it fits so perfectly, but that would be easy as well. You probably don't want to have the foam be higher than 1.6 inches or you will put unnecessary pressure on the hinges, and this is pretty secure. Cards don't seem like they're sloshing about. You would need a slightly shorter one for the five row organizer.
I would recommend treating the outside with at least a finish even if you like the color. The woodworking stuff is all well documented on the internet and there are tons of options. Incidentally, I used a cherry gel stain I had already and a semi-gloss finish, which I applied in a couple layers and sanded down to give it a flat/natural look.
I chose to take the shoulder strap hardware off as well because I didn't plan to use it and thought it looked better. If you want to keep this, you may want to put in some sturdier screws, but not the machine screws above, since you would not want them going into the case. You can fill the holes with a natural wood filler and they'll be hard to notice post-stain.
As far as packing stuff in goes, I read various things about whether this setup would hold deck boxes. You can see how I store them. This works well. I think you could fit six in a row. They do not fit sideways. And because I had to sand down the insert to get it to fit, they do not fit in the left row. It is fine for sleeved cards though.
I hope this was useful.
Submitted September 12, 2019 at 02:51AM by probablymagic https://ift.tt/2ZU5oMb
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