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Post by sophia13 on Sept 25, 2018 20:54:43 GMT -5
Good Evening all, What do you folks use to store your slabs.....and rough too. Looking for some suggestions. I'd like them to not be out of sight out of mind but not scattered everywhere. Thanks  |
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Post by victor1941 on Sept 25, 2018 21:11:30 GMT -5
I use 5 gallon plastic buckets with a lid and clear rectangular plastic containers where the top is like a hinge on one side and not a separate piece.
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Post by woodman on Sept 25, 2018 21:39:58 GMT -5
Where ever there is a flat spot!
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Post by Drummond Island Rocks on Sept 25, 2018 22:03:26 GMT -5
Rubbermaid type clear stack-able storage boxes for me. Hmm I may have a bit of a pudding stone addiction?   Chuck |
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Tommy
Administrator 
Member since January 2013
Posts: 12,970
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Post by Tommy on Sept 25, 2018 22:06:39 GMT -5
Not trying to make myself sound special but I think of it as a cabochon production line - meaning that I produce cabs specifically for sale - so I do try to stay organized and everything goes into the cabinet below. This is probably a character trait (flaw?) instilled by a career in materials and production management. When I buy a slab I intend to cut it up. I don't buy slabs for display. I do go ahead and cut most of the slabs I buy into preforms as soon as I get them unless they are particularly valuable I might cut them up one cab at a time. Any uncut slabs stay with the preforms in a drawer. Only preforms and uncut slabs that I think I will cab stay in the garage. At any given time one or more drawers from the cabinet are over on my workbench looking for things I want to work on. Slabs that I honestly don't think I'll do anything with for whatever reason don't get to stay in the garage - they tend to accumulate in bins out near my rock saw/rock pile. Once in a while I'll pull something out and wonder why I didn't like it and it gets moved to the garage - but it doesn't happen that often.  |
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Post by Pat on Sept 25, 2018 23:49:27 GMT -5
Dollar stores carry translucent plastic shoe boxes with lids.
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QuailRiver
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since May 2008
Posts: 1,640
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Post by QuailRiver on Sept 25, 2018 23:51:25 GMT -5
Stackable wooden Clementine Tangerine crates are my fav. Overflow gets stored in die-cut mailer boxes with flap lids.
Larry C.
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QuailRiver
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since May 2008
Posts: 1,640
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Post by QuailRiver on Sept 25, 2018 23:56:02 GMT -5
Not trying to make myself sound special but I think of it as a cabochon production line - meaning that I produce cabs specifically for sale - so I do try to stay organized and everything goes into the cabinet below. This is probably a character trait (flaw?) instilled by a career in materials and production management. When I buy a slab I intend to cut it up. I don't buy slabs for display. I do go ahead and cut most of the slabs I buy into preforms as soon as I get them unless they are particularly valuable I might cut them up one cab at a time. Any uncut slabs stay with the preforms in a drawer. Only preforms and uncut slabs that I think I will cab stay in the garage. At any given time one or more drawers from the cabinet are over on my workbench looking for things I want to work on. Slabs that I honestly don't think I'll do anything with for whatever reason don't get to stay in the garage - they tend to accumulate in bins out near my rock saw/rock pile. Once in a while I'll pull something out and wonder why I didn't like it and it gets moved to the garage - but it doesn't happen that often. You don't really expect us to believe that a slaba/cabaholic like yourself can store all of their slabs in that one little cabinet do you?  |
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Post by fernwood on Sept 26, 2018 4:20:41 GMT -5
I have to admit. Right now most of my slabs are in the boxes they came in. I just wrote on the side who they were from. Waiting for Winter to organize everything. Eventually want to obtain a cabinet like Tommy has. Thining something like this would meet my needs well. |
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Post by Drummond Island Rocks on Sept 26, 2018 6:32:24 GMT -5
Not trying to make myself sound special but I think of it as a cabochon production line - meaning that I produce cabs specifically for sale - so I do try to stay organized and everything goes into the cabinet below. This is probably a character trait (flaw?) instilled by a career in materials and production management. When I buy a slab I intend to cut it up. I don't buy slabs for display. I do go ahead and cut most of the slabs I buy into preforms as soon as I get them unless they are particularly valuable I might cut them up one cab at a time. Any uncut slabs stay with the preforms in a drawer. Only preforms and uncut slabs that I think I will cab stay in the garage. At any given time one or more drawers from the cabinet are over on my workbench looking for things I want to work on. Slabs that I honestly don't think I'll do anything with for whatever reason don't get to stay in the garage - they tend to accumulate in bins out near my rock saw/rock pile. Once in a while I'll pull something out and wonder why I didn't like it and it gets moved to the garage - but it doesn't happen that often. I check craigslist often for cabinets like that but no luck so far. I really want more of a print storage cabinet with large shallow drawers.   Could be a good winter time woodworking project  I used this spinning hardware store nail bin for awhile but did not care for it.  Chuck |
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Fossilman
Cave Dweller 
Member since January 2009
Posts: 20,718 
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Post by Fossilman on Sept 26, 2018 9:07:53 GMT -5
Clear plastic containers with lids...Most of the time I just stack them without lids.. Use to do buckets, but they got to heavy...
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Tommy
Administrator
Member since January 2013
Posts: 12,970
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Post by Tommy on Sept 26, 2018 9:49:26 GMT -5
You don't really expect us to believe that a slaba/cabaholic like yourself can store all of their slabs in that one little cabinet do you? Well... not ALL of them I guess I forgot that do have a tuperware container or two of slabs that I'm still iffy on whether I'll cut them up or move them out back. Then there's the tuperware container of slabs that have been marked and are waiting at the trim saw. Then there's usually about a hundred preforms on my workbench that are 'next' to get worked on haha. I check craigslist often for cabinets like that but no luck so far. I really want more of a print storage cabinet with large shallow drawers. I too had been looking for the right solution for several years - I used several things that I didn't like. I spent a lot of money on plastic bins from Home Depot and hated them for preforms almost immediately. Getting that cabinet from Sheri Rockhobbit via Diane drocknut was a game changer on getting me organized. That's an old picture from when I first got it home - now the drawers are labeled and most are about half full and some are hard to close haha. |
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Post by drocknut on Sept 26, 2018 13:36:42 GMT -5
Glad you could put it to use and glad to get the rock goodies for my efforts too ;-)
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surreality
starting to spend too much on rocks
is picking up too many rocks at the beach again
Member since January 2012
Posts: 217
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Post by surreality on Sept 26, 2018 14:04:30 GMT -5
I have had really good luck storing my rocks in the Sterilite 'Clear View Latch' boxes. They're very sturdy, and can hold a lot of weight without warping. The lids are strong enough that I can stack them reasonably high, as well. Target has them; they're the ones with the purple handles. (There are similar ones, but I find those are the most sturdy.)
The shoebox size runs around $2/each, and the step up from that, which we call the 'boot box' size, are $4/each or so. They're often on sale for less. We store all manner of things in them. To give you some idea, I've unloaded 50lbs of grit into one of the boot size boxes, and it doesn't even start bulging on the sides under the weight. Can pick it up like that without a hint of bulging or buckling, too, or that weird slouch in the middle that makes it feel like the box is about to give or sag.
I really cannot evangelize these things enough; we use them for everything. Shells, travel packing, rocks... you name it. They take a pounding better than any of the clear storage boxes we've used before, and with all the crafts and collections in this house, we've used a lot of different kinds over the years!
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Tommy
Administrator
Member since January 2013
Posts: 12,970
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Post by Tommy on Sept 27, 2018 11:45:12 GMT -5
I check craigslist often for cabinets like that but no luck so far. I really want more of a print storage cabinet with large shallow drawers. One more thing on the subject ... my son works at the yard/shop of a dredging company and his bosses like to hit the local industrial auctions dragging in all kinds of stuff they don't need like crains and forklifts etc. A few weeks ago they brought back 12 industrial parts cabinets they got for $5 each including this monster. It stands 8' tall and the drawers are 6" wide, 3" high, 12" deep. I asked him to see if I could buy it from them at a big profit but they only collect, they don't part with anything   |
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Post by Peruano on Sept 28, 2018 16:48:01 GMT -5
I have various permutations of slab storage, but the best is an old card cabinet from a library type application. Mine is 5' high with double stacks of drawers and holds a bunch of slabs. Tool drawers like those used by your mechanic are great with emphasis on the shallow drawers for slabs and cabs and a larger one or two at the bottom more appropriate for rough. Map and blue print cabinets are wonderful but hard to find and expensive when you do even in the used form. For outside storage of slabs and small rough, I use the black plastic tubs that plants come in from the nursery. They have holes to drain themselves, are UV resistant (as opposed to most plastics) and are available in a variety of sizes. I label them with a clothes pen clipped to the top. I hate plastics that rot in the sun - did I say that we have lots of sun in New Mexico?
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Post by TheRock on Sept 30, 2018 17:14:02 GMT -5
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Post by parfive on Sept 30, 2018 23:29:48 GMT -5
Comedian: Guess the ol’ P-Touch don’t come w/SpellCheck, eh? : )
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Post by TheRock on Oct 1, 2018 0:10:21 GMT -5
Nahhh. We have to give you something around here for you to do, No Toilets around here to clean, So I guess this will have to do!  |
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Post by rockjunquie on Oct 1, 2018 6:46:11 GMT -5
I have those chrome wire industrial racks filled with sterlite bins like these www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00IPEFUTE Rocks need to breathe. LOL! No, really, I just like them and they are really strong. Unfortunately, I have yet to devise a system of separating them other than by best to worst- completely subjective. |
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