I have so far found no boxes with ink pads or with writing instruments, it
seems they are both a lot more common on the east coast.

Because weather can be so fickle in the NW i would suggest not adding a
stamp pad, the chances of it being unusable for the duration of your
letterboxes life are pretty high.

If you are going to leave a pen, i would suggest leaving something with oil
based ink, after my own disappointment today it was interesting to see that
water based inks and pencil either ran or were hard to read, but the notes
written in ball point pen were still perfectly legible.

When it comes down to it Pacific NW boxers tend to be prepared with pad and
pen ready, no matter the box.

Just my two cents.

Lillis



> Hoof and Spoke wrote:
>i have a newbie question.
>
>i am going to place my first box today.
>
>is it customary to include a stamp pad in a box? there
>wasn't one in Hole In The Wall when i found it, but i
>had a pad with me. does everyone tend to carry a pad
>along with them anyway?
>
>also, which is preferred? a pencil or a pen to log in
>with? as everyone knows, it's quite wet at times here
>in WA. ;-)
>
>
>
>
>
>=====
>--------------------
>hoof & spoke
>letterboxer, wa
>f1p1
>
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Welcome aboard!! The idea as to whether or not to include a stamp pad
seems to be 1) a personal preference and 2) a regional difference.
Here in the RI and CT area, almost all boxes do have a pad with them.
In VA however, and as I understand it, in WA, most do not have pads.
So, it is really up to you.

As to pens or pencils, I would have to say pens...but I also generally
carry my own - and I think most boxers probably do.

Happy planing, and box'n!

Tig

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thanks for all of the tips and pointers and such. i am
not going to include a pen or pencil or a stamp pad.
just makes it easier on me and means that my box can
be smaller.

i'll post my clues either later tonight or tomorrow.
now i am off to finish up my box and then go plant it!
yay!

more later,


=====
hoof & spoke
letterboxer, wa
f1p1

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Hoof & Spoke,

Welcome to letterboxing--it's great to see more NWers in
letterboxing! I don't include stamp pads in my boxes (at $4 per
stamp pad it's way too expensive for me--especially at the rate my
boxes are going missing these days) but I do put a pen in all of my
boxes for those people who stumble across your letterbox
accidentally, so they can sign in. I've had a few non-letterboxing
people find some of my boxes (for various reasons) and say they
signed in when they read the instructions. If you make a micro-
letterbox, I simply put the 'guts' to the pen in the box. You can
strip the 'innards' out of a Bic pen and they are flexible enough to
fit in a smaller container. Also, you can fold down the end and
tape them so they stay shorter permanently. If I have short pencils
lying around the house, I include them too (sometimes with a pencil
sharpener I received in the pack of 10 erasers/10 sharpeners I got
at the dollar store because I'll NEVER USE 10+ pencil sharpeners in
my lifetime). Also, to save money on the letterboxes, buy the jumbo
packs of cheap pens at a dollar store--you can find 10 pens for
$0.99--same with the boxes and the notepads. I trim the side bound
spiral memo pads in half and use those for the micro-letterboxes.
I've put together letterboxes for less than $1.50 each (thanks to
thrift shops & dollar stores) but of course my poorly carved stamps
are priceless. ;) (Or would it better be said--worthless) ;)

I hope this helps a bit!

dvn2r ckr
F98P33X6

> is it customary to include a stamp pad in a box?

Most boxes I've found don't have them, so I'd have to say no. But if
you want to include a stamp pad, it's certainly not discouraged
either!

> does everyone tend to carry a pad along with them anyway?

You have to for the boxes that don't have stamp pads! Most people
typically don't write clues and say whether a pad is included or not,
so unless people forget them (it happens to the best of us), we're
usually carrying around pens, markers, and/or stamp pads.

> also, which is preferred? a pencil or a pen to log in
> with?

I prefer pen because it's more permanent than pencil. But I rarely
ever leave ANY writing utensils in the letterboxes I place. I always
assume that everyone carries around their favorite pens or whatever,
and nobody would ever find my well-hidden boxes by accident, so it's
not like I have to take them into consideration. ;o) (In case you
couldn't hear my sarcasism, my boxes DO get found accidentally on
occasion, but I still don't take them into consideration! *smile*)

Cheers!

-- Ryan

Welcome new Washington Letterboxer!!

Stamp pads in the box are totally optional. I choose to put pads in my
boxes because I like to coordinate the colors to my letterbox stamp. I have
a couple of letterboxes with pads that have already survived one NW winter
with no trouble. I put pens in my boxes too. The big trick is the baggies.
I always bag my "messy stuff" separate from my "paper stuff". That way,
if anything leaks or oozes... I'm still pretty safe.

Again, Welcome aboard!

~ Mischief ~
http://home1.gte.net/res0fpfm/letterboxes/wa_boxes.htm

------------------------------
From: Hoof and Spoke
Date: Sun Oct 6, 2002 3:47 pm
Subject: Newbie box content question

i have a newbie question.

i am going to place my first box today.

is it customary to include a stamp pad in a box? there
wasn't one in Hole In The Wall when i found it, but i
had a pad with me. does everyone tend to carry a pad
along with them anyway?

also, which is preferred? a pencil or a pen to log in
with? as everyone knows, it's quite wet at times here
in WA. ;-)

=====
--------------------
hoof & spoke
letterboxer, wa
f1p1
















































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