Jump to content

Styrene Strip Storage?


Recommended Posts

To date, I've kept my Evergreen and Plastruct stock in their original packaging.  I have some sheets that are for a different day, but the strip stock is mostly 0.05-0.1" range rod, rectangles, etc.  I'm am tired and over this solution.  Anyone have any good ideas how to store this stuff in a simple, space efficient manner?

 

I've heard people recommend tackle box trays, but that gets very inefficient for the small size stuff I have.  I'd love some honeycomb type thing that was 12-15" thick, but all I can find are about 1" thick.  I thought of making something like that out of 10-15 mm brass tube, but everything I find on Amazon is $8-10 for 300 mm...when you want to store 20-25 things, that will add up quickly.

 

I have some wire in a plastic tube like this shown in the picture.  Even tubes like this would be great, but I can't figure out what to search for.  My shopping searches are not showing anything like this.  I have found similar, but in 2-3" diameters and I'd love something in the 1/2" range...and again, affordable.  There's got to be some way of finding this, I just don't have the right words.  I've been search for things like "rigid storage tube", "PETG tube", and "polycarbonate tube".

 

Thanks for any thoughts!

01.jpg

Link to post
Share on other sites

Have you tried contacting Don at Tichy

https://www.tichytraingroup.com

 

With the same question? He can probably tell how he gets his plastic container you like. 
 

I keep mine in the bags too, so if you find out or figure something out, hook the rest of us up on the details.

Edited by Tank
Link to post
Share on other sites

I have the same issue -- I keep them in their original packaging arranged by size and shape and string them together through that hole at the top.   It's frustrating trying to fish out the contents so you're right about tubes.   I have a couple of those, too, for brass wires and they just slide right out.

 

Try googling for "clear plastic tubes petg" - it turned up a few:

 

mwmaterialsworld

Uline

Petro Packaging

 

Link to post
Share on other sites

A simple storage container could be crafted from a short section of PVC pipe/tube.  Another source that has such potential is the plastic roller that is found in rolls of plastic window tinting film that is discarded after the film is depleted.  In the case of the plastic film the overall length is around 1-meter/3.3-feet with a diameter of approximately 75-mm/3.0-inches.  The length of the tube allows you to cut it to useful lengths.  I acquired several of these tubes from a local store that offers window tinting services.  The tube wall is about 6-mm/0.25-inch.  

Edited by jeffryfontaine
*Spelling Errorz
Link to post
Share on other sites
17 minutes ago, Tank said:

Have you tried contacting Don at Tichy

https://www.tichytraingroup.com

 

With the same question? He can probably tell how he gets his plastic container you like. 
 

I keep mine in the bags too, so if you find out or figure something out, hook the rest of us up on the details.

 

I'm a little confused.  I'm not seeing anything clearly related to this from the main page.  Does he have a storage product somewhere on his site?

14 minutes ago, jeffryfontaine said:

A simple storage container could be crafted from a short section of PVC pipe/tube.  Another source that has such potential is the plastic roller that is found in rolls of plastic window tinting film that is discarded after the film is depleted.  In the case of the plastic film the overall length is around 1-meter/3.3-feet with a diameter of approximately 75-mm/3.0-inches.  The length of the tube allows you to cut it to useful lengths.  I acquired several of these tubes from a local store that offers window tinting services.  The tube wall is about 6-mm/0.25-inch.  

 

The problem here is space efficiency.  Most of the stock I have will fit a whole package in about 0.25" diameter.  PVC pipe is larger diameter and thick walled, so becomes very inefficient for space.  If I had large diameter stock, this would be a great solution.

Link to post
Share on other sites

Like you, my collection of Evergreen, Slaters and Plastruct bags with strip and rod drove me nuts. I could never find the size I was looking for. I found a solution that I'm still very, very happy with.

 

I used the type of plastic sleeves that one uses to put documents in a folder. I used a temperature-controled soldering iron set at 225C to make (say) ten vertical pockets in each sleeve. I made around ten sleeves with pockets, and put them together in a paper folder. And then I filled nearly all 100 pockets with all my strip and rod and profiles and metal wire and Albion tubing. I even made small stickers with the dimensions of the content of each pocket.

 

All in all it was a couple of hours work. But it works really well. Every time that I used it ever since made me very happy.

 

folder-01.jpg

 

folder-03.jpg

 

 

Link to post
Share on other sites
25 minutes ago, ESzczesniak said:

I'm a little confused.  I'm not seeing anything clearly related to this from the main page.  Does he have a storage product somewhere on his site?

41 minutes ago, jeffryfontaine said:


Not that he sells the product but he can tell where he gets it or called.

Link to post
Share on other sites
7 minutes ago, Rob de Bie said:

Like you, my collection of Evergreen, Slaters and Plastruct bags with strip and rod drove me nuts. I could never find the size I was looking for. I found a solution that I'm still very, very happy with.

 

I used the type of plastic sleeves that one uses to put documents in a folder. I used a temperature-controled soldering iron set at 225C to make (say) ten vertical pockets in each sleeve. I made around ten sleeves with pockets, and put them together in a paper folder. And then I filled nearly all 100 pockets with all my strip and rod and profiles and metal wire and Albion tubing. I even made small stickers with the dimensions of the content of each pocket.

 

All in all it was a couple of hours work. But it works really well. Every time that I used it ever since made me very happy.

 

folder-01.jpg

 

folder-03.jpg

 

 


That’s not a bad idea. I could use the same binder for the plastic sheets I have as well. 
 

Any suggestions on the heat/soldering gun? The soldering gun I have is variable, but only on a 1-5 setting. 

Link to post
Share on other sites
1 minute ago, Tank said:


Not that he sells the product but he can tell where he gets it or called.


I’m not sure what product I’m looking for though. Looking through the website, I’m not finding anything about storage. 

Link to post
Share on other sites
9 minutes ago, ESzczesniak said:

That’s not a bad idea. I could use the same binder for the plastic sheets I have as well. 
 

Any suggestions on the heat/soldering gun? The soldering gun I have is variable, but only on a 1-5 setting. 

 

Then it is trial and error. My 225 deg C setting was found using the same method.

 

Rob

Link to post
Share on other sites
32 minutes ago, crackerjazz said:

Will have to try that, too -- great idea, Rob, thanks!  Is there a trick to fishing out the smaller rods easily?  -- the ones at the bottom of the sleeve.

 

Yeah, you spotted a problem with my solution. To fish out small lengths deep in the pockets, I have a long stick with a bit of double-sided tape at the end. That works well enough.

 

Rob

Link to post
Share on other sites
14 minutes ago, Spectre711 said:

If you have one of those vacuum sealer things for food you might be able to make those envelops for a binder also.

 

Yep! I used one those ultrasonic sealers a long time ago, and that worked well. But I no longer have access to one, so a soldering iron is the next best thing.

 

Rob

Link to post
Share on other sites

You’re not going to find anything more space efficient than continuing to store them in the bags they came in.  You may find a system that is more usable, accessible and convenient but it will undoubtedly take up more room. 

Link to post
Share on other sites

I keep my strips and rods in their original packets, which are in turn stored upright in a simple rectangular cardboard sleeve made from - appropriately enough - an old kit box. About two-thirds the height of the packets, it keeps them all together whilst allowing easy access to locate the size and shape required - where I have multiple packs of particular sizes, each opened one has a label at the top to aid finding it:

DSCN6586.JPG.88a3f8b5bcd54ca56812618314deb6d8.JPG

It fits neatly in a corner of the foldaway rollaway modelling bench's main storage compartment:

DSCN6585.JPG.6367c8263b60b55f8708aa6c65da8c41.JPG 

Edited by andyf117
Link to post
Share on other sites

As a dual hobbyist (model railroading) where I do a lot of scratch building of structures, I’ve come up against this same frustration. Whether kept in their packages, or stored vertically in a tube-system, invariably I’d run into the same situation almost every time of having to dig out the four-centimeter piece I need, or end up impatiently cutting a small chunk off of a new one… leading to a bunch of short chunks. 
 

You mention wanting to store “20-25 things”… I arrived at a similar number of sizes that I like to have for on-hand for my various projects, allowing for a few extra categories of miscellaneous. I once saw a YouTube video of model railroader Jack Burgess and his workshop and tools where he described building a drawer system of Rubbermaid bins to sort styrene and thought it looked very appealing to solve this very issue. He took the 15” long drawer organizers and arranged them five-wide on a square of Masonite, which was then repeated several times over and placed inside of a plywood box with dado channels to allow the Masonite sheets to slide like drawers. 
 

I’m building a copy of it currently, but in the meantime I’ve just been stacking my drawer organizers with the various strips inside, and it works quite well too, if you prefer not to take up the space for a full-on sliding drawer arrangement. I was able to source these a couple years ago for about $3 a piece, so not cheap for 30 bins, but a small price to pay for the time it saves. Pictures attached - 5 bins on a square of Masonite - stacks of bins - Rubbermaid label. 
 

-Ryan

D294FBDC-13AD-48AB-A24A-8B114CFDC522.jpeg

B9ED63A0-03AD-4926-B88E-3F4E03944785.jpeg

465AD476-0CDF-4C24-B6AC-EF927194B2E3.jpeg

Link to post
Share on other sites

Or, if maintaining full-length pieces isn’t of concern, could long test-tubes and a test tube rack be suitable? Even left uncapped to fit longer stock you could pull and dump a single tube with relative ease to get to shorter bits then refill and return to the rack.

 

Something like so:

 

EF981BEF-D2DD-4A70-89F0-595D36CC44AB.png

Edited by BN7149
Link to post
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...