PBN – It’s a Michigan Thing

Paint by number (or painting by numbers) describes kits having a board on which light blue or gray lines indicate areas to paint, each area having a number and a corresponding numbered paint to use. The kits were invented, developed and marketed in 1950 by Max S. Klein, an engineer and owner of the Palmer Paint Company of Detroit, Michigan and Dan Robbins, a commercial artist. [Source: Wikipedia]

The Palmer Paint Company is just up the road – on the way to my sister’s house.  And Michigan Geocachers have a particular affinity towards them. They invented one of our favorite little cache containers: the paint-by-number containers, or PBNs. Their benefits are the caching trifecta: Water-proof, durable, and inexpensive.

With or without magnets. You can use a 1/2" log and they camouflage nicely.

As discussed on the different podcasts, each geographical area of the US has different methods of hiding caches.  To excel in an area, you have to learn the quirks of each region.  Last month, at one of our events, we had cachers from Ontario visiting.  They had never seen a PBN before – didn’t understand it as a hint on the caches.  But they laughed because they are everywhere around Southeastern Michigan!  You can buy a package of 18 for $3-$5. And if you look around sometimes you can find slightly larger versions!

USES: We like to thread wire around the hinge and bend it into a hook.  We will adhere a magnet (preferably a strong ½” magnet with Amazing Goop!) and hide them in signs.  We will also use them to protect logs inside other cache containers.  And they camouflage beautifully using Rust-oleum camouflage spray paint!

There's even a tribute cache!  Visit Thanks for the Invention by TheGrundalows onsite at the Palmer Paint Company.  But don't ask for a hint on what the container is!