A neat way to keep and index your parts and bits

[beachhead1985]

Maybe this has been done before, bit I love it and had to share.

This is an idea and I had it works out to be a great way to keep and index your spare parts and such.

Basically what this is is a few sheets of cardstock; I use spare comic backboards, with the parts taped securely in place with scotch tape.

Really, compared to a bin or even section pill or tool boxes and such, this is a quantum leap. You guys gotta try it; you'll love it, just a small investment in time and energy and it makes this aspect of hobby so much easier.

I don't suggest storing them vertically, but maybe your could if you had a good backup to catch anything that might fall out. I store mine horizontally and it makes finding a part as easy as shuffling through a stack of magazines.

[D.Jensen]

Great idea!  O0

[ColBosch]

Maybe this has been done before, bit I love it and had to share.

This is an idea and I had it works out to be a great way to keep and index your spare parts and such.

Basically what this is is a few sheets of cardstock; I use spare comic backboards, with the parts taped securely in place with scotch tape.

Really, compared to a bin or even section pill or tool boxes and such, this is a quantum leap. You guys gotta try it; you'll love it, just a small investment in time and energy and it makes this aspect of hobby so much easier.

I don't suggest storing them vertically, but maybe your could if you had a good backup to catch anything that might fall out. I store mine horizontally and it makes finding a part as easy as shuffling through a stack of magazines.

I am immediately going to do with this all my fiddly Airsoft gun bits.

[worktroll]

Given I measure my bitz in pints, and have both plastic & metal bitz ... I might be able to sell to the Jackson Pollock market ;)

Cheers,

W.

[agen2]

Interesting,thanks for sharing.

[Cazaril]

I agree that a parts bin is a bit much. Most people I know that have one can't find anything, and don't remember where half there stuff came from if they can even find it...

Regrettably, I also don't think I would care much for taping the parts to a piece of card stock, as it just seems a good way for a part to come off.

Instead, I use 2x3 resealable bags, with the Name and IWM Catalog number on them (created with a label maker)...

These little packets allow me to store all the parts from one mech in a single place and I can add or remove parts easily without having to have them spread out over several boards. Plus, an empty packet tells me that I need to order more of a certain part and/or if I am writing a "How to" I know where the part came from... Then to store them, all the little packets go into a Plano Model 3730 storage box, and I sort them alphabetically which makes finding a part quicker... I use this same system to store Mechs that I bought second hand, that way the parts are always with the Mech and I don't have to go looking for them.

As for cost, I can't say my way is the cheapest... While 100 of the bags cost $1 USD at Wal-Mart, the label making process burns through a lot of the label material. I can't tell you how many of those cartridges I've gone through, but it has been quite a few and they ain't cheap.

Caz

Edit: Sometimes, when I read what I've posted, I would swear English is my second language (which it isn't).

[worktroll]

Caz,

I keep all my "to be assembled into one thing" collections in a bag. If it's not one piece or fully assembled, it's in a bag so I don't lose the bits. I have an old kitchen table covered with little bags - my very own "magic Davion warehouse".

I freely admit I'm a packrat for bitz. Fortunately my memory works well enough to go "Isn't there something like I'm looking for in that drawer." There'll often be a process of looking through loose parts, picking several things that might do, and picking the best one at the end. And very rarely there's the "clear half the table, spill out the drawer, go through in detail" to find that one piece that's in there somewhere. Doing it on a flat surface means I can just sweep stuff off the table back into the drawer as I go through it.

(Which, I must confess, I quite enjoy most of the time, for all the other bits I find in the process.)

[Feenix74]

The closet OCD sufferer in me is a fan of Caz's system.

A fine-point permanent marker may be a cheaper alternative to the dymo labeller (although depending on how neat your handwriting is it may not be as good an option). The other option is that most dymo labellers can change the size of the font, some will even allow two rows of text and thus would reduce the consumption of labelling material.

[beachhead1985]

I agree that a parts bin is a bit much. Most people I know that have one can't find anything, and don't remember where half there stuff came from if they can even find it...

Regrettably, I also don't think I would care much for taping the parts to a piece of card stock, as it just seems a good way for a part to come off.

Instead, I use 2x3 resealable bags, with the Name and IWM Catalog number on them (created with a label maker)...

These little packets allow me to store all the parts from one mech in a single place and I can add or remove parts easily without having to have them spread out over several boards. Plus, an empty packet tells me that I need to order more of a certain part and/or if I am writing a "How to" I know where the part came from... Then to store them, all the little packets go into a Plano Model 3730 storage box, and I sort them alphabetically which makes finding a part quicker... I use this same system to store Mechs that I bought second hand, that way the parts are always with the Mech and I don't have to go looking for them.

As for cost, I can't say my way is the cheapest... While 100 of the bags cost $1 USD at Wal-Mart, the label making process burns through a lot of the label material. I can't tell you how many of those cartridges I've gone through, but it has been quite a few and they ain't cheap.

Caz

Edit: Sometimes, when I read what I've posted, I would swear English is my second language (which it isn't).

I admit, it is not fool proof and it uses up a lot of tape. Some of those pieces are secured with 3 or 4 strips of tape.

Do you really have some of every part IWM makes though? That is damn impressive.

[Cazaril]

I keep all my "to be assembled into one thing" collections in a bag. If it's not one piece or fully assembled, it's in a bag so I don't lose the bits. I have an old kitchen table covered with little bags - my very own "magic Davion warehouse".

I freely admit I'm a packrat for bitz. Fortunately my memory works well enough to go "Isn't there something like I'm looking for in that drawer." There'll often be a process of looking through loose parts, picking several things that might do, and picking the best one at the end. And very rarely there's the "clear half the table, spill out the drawer, go through in detail" to find that one piece that's in there somewhere. Doing it on a flat surface means I can just sweep stuff off the table back into the drawer as I go through it.

(Which, I must confess, I quite enjoy most of the time, for all the other bits I find in the process.)

Every Mech that is out of it's packaging gets bagged and labeled, regardless if it is 1 piece or many... Partly for my own knowledge, partly so if there comes a time when my widow is selling off my stuff she has at least some idea what it all is (a little morbid I know, but it does factor in).

As for parts in a bin... My memory isn't that great, so I work around it. That is why I label a lot of stuff, and also why I write "How to"s for my custom stuff. I even have painting guides for some the units I paint that include painting guidelines and mix ratios... Beyond that though, while I have patience in a lot of areas, looking for stuff is not one of them. I hate sorting through a ton of stuff each and every time I need to find a single piece, and the first time I missed it and then found it after the fact, well let's just say I'd be more likely to be picking the parts off the floor then out of a parts bin.  ;) So it really is best for me to stay organized.

A fine-point permanent marker may be a cheaper alternative to the dymo labeller (although depending on how neat your handwriting is it may not be as good an option). The other option is that most dymo labellers can change the size of the font, some will even allow two rows of text and thus would reduce the consumption of labelling material.

My handwriting is horrible. It really is better for me to type stuff than to try and write it... That's why my little Brother brand label maker is possibly the best present my younger sister ever gave me. Over the years it has proved most useful and I am grateful for it to no end... And if you'll notice from the picture, it does two rows also and can do different sized fonts. My only complaint is that it burns a tremendous amount of tape before and after what you print, so if you are doing small labels you end you with a lot of waste.

Do you really have some of every part IWM makes though? That is damn impressive.

I wish I could say yes to this, but I only have a fraction of all the parts. But my system expands and contracts easily, and I'm constantly adding new stuff to it (in fact, I tend to buy parts far more often then I do complete miniatures)... If there was one thing I wish I had done (and still could I guess), it would be to have added back-boards to each bag (much like comics). Because the parts are at the bottom of the bag, they tend to curl under each other and sometimes I'll find a bag under all the others in the case. The back-board would help them stand up better, but then again some of those bags are packed and the board would just get in the way.

Caz

[DarkSpade]

So far this works for me(I may have to increase the size eventually).  I keep a second smaller one on the desk mainly for stuff I use on bases.

[beachhead1985]

My handwriting is horrible.

A fact with which I empathize deeply.

[klarg1]

Interesting discussion.
I haven't tried taping parts to a card, but I can see how that might work well for some things.

I have a few bits segregated into little baggies, like Cazaril, but not even close to all of my spare parts.

I might borrow a few ideas from this thread.

[mbear]

Sorry about the thread necro, but this reminded me of something I saw on Instructables for storing small electronics parts in binders and I thought I'd share the link. Ultimate Parts Storage.

Basically you use small zip top bags to hold the parts in larger pencil pouches that are stored in a 3 ring binder. One advantage over beachhead1985's system is that you can store the parts on a bookshelf and regain table space.

This method uses ordinary ring binders, zip wallets, and grip-seal bags and allows you to create a hierarchical storage system, where you can easily add or remove new categories (folders), sub-categories (zip wallets), and components (grip seal bags).

There are three items you will need for this filing system. Firstly you need a ring binder - usually A4 size in Europe, and Letter in the US. I tend to buy a lot on ebay, so would suggest trying that first for the best price. Better to have a 3 or 4 ring version - in Europe, the 4 ring 'D' shape is great, as it holds pages very securely. I also like the ones with clear plastic pockets all around, as you can then customise the spine and front cover (and back as well if you like). The ones I bought were 1.65 pounds each (US $3.34). In Europe, here is an option from ebay, and here is one from viking direct. In the USA, these people have a good price (US $2.13), if you are happy to buy boxes of 12.

The pages I use in the files are a "Zip Punched Pocket" from Rexel - again, I got these on ebay from here as they worked out at only 16 pence (US $0.33) each. In the US, try something like this.

The final item is a pile of 'zip lock' or 'grip seal' bags - again ebay was where I got mine from, but they are also available from packaging stores, like this one in the US. The 3 inch by 2.25 inch size I find great for small parts, as it is the perfect size for electronic items like strips of resistors, but you might also want some larger ones as well.

If you shop around, you can buy a handful of folders, 50 punched pockets, and 1000 zip lock bags for under 25 pounds (US $50.00) - this will be enough to completely organise thousands of small parts!

[beachhead1985]

Sorry about the thread necro, but this reminded me of something I saw on Instructables for storing small electronics parts in binders and I thought I'd share the link. Ultimate Parts Storage.

Basically you use small zip top bags to hold the parts in larger pencil pouches that are stored in a 3 ring binder. One advantage over beachhead1985's system is that you can store the parts on a bookshelf and regain table space.

I like this way better than my system; but I do not have any of that stuff laying around. if I came across the requisite materials; I would use this in a heartbeat. And not just for Btech parts. I also have small bits for guns and computer parts around.