Guerrilla Pastel Carrier with 4 Trays

I have been woodworking and building small boxes for at least 10 years. I thought I would try something new instead of my usual Tightbond, and it was a disaster. I glued the four corners together and let them sit overnight, and when I took the clamps off at sat it somewhat roughly on my work, bench, the whole thing, I mean, all four sides, came apart. I can see one joint, failing, and that would be on me, but all four joints failing is not poor technique on my part. Was the ebony wood too smooth and non porous? Never had this problem with Tightbond. or even Elmers. Does this glue require that I sand any smooth and burnished surface so as to adhere? Everyone else here seems to love it, but I might as well have been using elementary school paste, considering the lack of adhesion that I got from it.

This pastels carrier box has a gorgeous finish and it is made out of solid wood and hardware. It is a little bit on the heavy side due to the solid nature of the wood is made out of, but I don't mind the extra weight when I use the optional shoulder strap to carry it with. It is small enough that it could instead be carried inside a backpack.The convenient part about this pastels carrier box, which separates it from the other pastels boxes I've seen, it the fact that the pastels are actually carried inside separate plastic trays lined with sponge. This means you can get extra trays to separate your pastels by temperature or value, and only carry those pastels you know you're going to need for the particular type of painting you are planning to do. With the other pastels boxes I've seen, you are pretty much stuck carrying all the pastels you own from place to place, thus adding to the weight of the other items you will already be carrying when painting in plein-air, or a different location away from your painting studio.I really like this carrying box for my expensive pastels.

I would give the Guerilla Pastel Carrier a 5-star rating except that the first one I ordered had a gap in the bottom. It was easily repaired with a small dab of wood glue, but for the price, I didn't expect to have to do ANY repairs! I ordered 2 more in order to have all the room needed for workshop materials. The boxes themselves are wonderful. They hold about 10-20 full sticks, depending on the width. Holbeins take up quite a bit of room, but Senneliers will fit quite easily. It';s possible to set up the boxes with just the pastels you need for the specific task at hand. One box could be set up for portraits, another for landscapes. Or, as I have mine, One with hard pastels, one with semi-hards, and one with soft pastels for my upcoming workshop. We all know how much those tiny pieces of pigment cost! As expensive as these boxes are, they're only a small percentage of the cost of the pastels themselves and that alone justifies the cost. They do an excellent job of protecting the pastels while enroute to workshops and out to the field.

The guerilla pastel carrier is perfect for me as it is cleverly designed. I started painting pastels a couple of years ago and was looking for an easier way of transporting the many colors I have safely. The foam lined boxes keep them in place. I use to use the boxes the pastels came in. What a mess! They now are organized by color and so easy to access. I also like how the box unfolds and fits easily on a French easel. What a great purchase!

Purchased one of these Judson's Art Outfitters Pastel Carriers from another source. It was a gift to my wife, a professional pastels artist. She says it works great, easy to carry as we added the leather shoulder strap, and it keeps her (expensive) pastels organized and safe. We purchased extra pastel trays for it, she can switch out colors depending on what and where she is going to paint. Would buy again, and may do just that for convenience.