Most of the time I can't store safely nor carry fragile stuffs such as patterns, papercarft works or mock-ups etc...

I needed a hard case to store and carry my work. I decided to build a hard case bag from a recycled cardboard box and duct tape.

My hard case bag should be big enough to carry most of my work while convenient enough not to be a pity in public transportation.

What you will need:

Cardboard box (such as delivery box)
Utility knife
Ruler and pen
Duct tape
Paint
Some kind of varnish
White or wood glue (I use wood)
some kind of soft paper or vinyl for the inside
a shoe wire
screws and washers
ev. a rolling pin

Let's build it!

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Step 1: Shaping Your Hard Case Bag

Shaping the bag is so easy ;-)

First flatten a delivery box and cut it in two equal pieces through the smallest width.

Once done, remount the half boxes (so to say, make them 3D again). You should have 2 half boxes exactly matching the formerly delivery item you had.

Use glue to install one box into one another. Thus you will obtain a had case box which will be half the size of the original delivery box. The structure is way stiffer due to the double walls we just build.

Respect the curing time for the glue you used. I used heavy books and wires to maintain the structure while curing.

On my box, there is a little red plastic strip used for easy opening. I choose to keep it in place as I think it will add a little "touch" on the final result.

One the glue is dry and the structure is done, we are ready for a quick and easy painting step!

Step 2: Painting and Waterproofing

I choose to paint it in black and waterproof it with a sailing varnish in spray.

This is a very important step as this will insure the durability of your bag.

I used my son's black paint so I am sure there is no chemicals in.

Waterproofing using a spray varnish involves a lot of caution. Most important is to do it in a well ventilated area.

Step 3: Closing Mechanism

My goal was to install a nice and trendy closing mechanism.

To do so, I used a screw and a washer to have a fixation point on the front side. Using a sharp screw driver, I made a hole and then simply install the screw and the washer, taking care to add a little piece of double corrugated cardboard as a stiffener on the inner side.

I took a wire and fixed it using the same technique from the back side of the case. I did two holes with the screw driver and simply made a knot on the inside with a double corrugated cardboard piece as stiffener.

The wire is then hooked on the front side's screw to close the case. Easy and cheap!

Step 4: Finishing and Final Result

I am really happy with the result. I have now a hard case allowing to store multiple items safely. The case is light but very stiff and the mat black colour with the red wire make it very beautiful.

As a finishing, I also taped a silver duct tape on the sides (also stiffening the structure while adding a soft and beautiful touch).

I also decided the kraft the edges to mask the corrugation and paint it with the same black paint.

It will help me to organize even more my workbench, keeping to-do patterns and others papers (coloured papers etc...) safe from the surroundings.