SeenMCrash

Hello all,
I thought it would be helpful to make a post to share your storage tips for certain building or field equipment. For instance, I know it is good to put screws or some type of similar stopping material in fuel tubing to restrict any foreign objects from getting inside.

Also, I've heard of people putting their CA and epoxy in refrigerators to help them stay good for longer.

I'm sure the list goes on almost forever....share with the rest of us!

-Andrew

CafeenMan

If you get one of those cabinets with all the clear drawers, then you can fit film cannisters inside. I had to separate all my hardware several times because it got flipped over in moves. So now I put the smallest hardware in film cannisters and it's a lot easier to keep the stuff separated and also I can flip over the drawer instead of trying to fish out a #2 washer with a tweezer.

A couple other containers shown here for my R/C equipment and for my airbrushes.

More info here.

dasampson

CafeenMan: how do you organize your cabinet drawers? What categories do you use? It looks like the drawers on your red cabinet are unlabeled, so I'm guessing you identify content visually. Do you separate sizes within drawers with film canisters? I'm asking because I'm trying to bring order to the chaos of my spare parts. (Thanks for all the useful information on your website, which I've used frequently as a rookie R/C pilot. I've read your section there on" Storage," but did not see any mention of drawer organization.) Best, Dave.

CafeenMan

Dave - it's in order by size and type.

For example, I put washers and nuts in the same drawers, so the top left drawer has 4 film cannisters in it. They contain #2 washers, blind nuts and lock nuts. Then the next drawer is #2 wood screws and some bolts. Next drawer is more bolts. Each film cannister contains only one item type. Some exceptions may be a cannister having a variety of types of EZ connectors because I don't use them anyway, so they take less space that way.

When that photo was taken I was still collecting film cannisters. It's almost all cannisters now.

Other drawers have clevises that are split up between metal (solder, 2-56 and 4-40). I basically arranged screw drawers by size

#2, #3, #4, #5, # 6, #8 and then went to control linkages, then to landing gear parts, then to engine parts and then to miscellaneous. The engine parts take a whole row of drawers.

What it comes down to is that you should make a system that makes sense but if you change it after a couple of years you'll always be opening the wrong drawer. You just get used to where things are so they don't need to be labelled.

I do label the film cannisters with press on labels. I tried permanent marker, but it comes right off the slick plastic. Hope all that helps.

J_R

I never throw out film canisters. I use one mounted on my flight box to keep my quick start in. If you cut the end out of them, you can use them as a sleeve to control the wires on electrical appliances, like on a covering iron, or soldering iron. Just slide on and slide off, quick and easy.

I like divided fishing tackle trays for most small parts. I can see the parts through the top and they stack. The ones with the permanent dividers keep washers and such from sliding under the divider. They come in several sizes. WalMart has a good selection. I have larger ones for radio component strorage and even have one with no dividers to keep smaller props in.

I have several fishing tackle boxes with built in trays that I store small tools in. Pin vises, dental picks, small screw drivers, machinests rulers, razor blades, ect, etc. I put some larger tools that I use all the time, like Zona Saws and a small tap and die set in the bottom. I have one just for covering tools.

zip lock bags. Everything goes in them. stored engines, parts from the current project, sub assemblies. I use a lot of the 1 and 2 gallon size ones. They work great to keep sawdust out of things I want to leave on the bench when I am sanding.

aimmaintenance

I have a digital camera.

Have you ever tried to put anything in a sony memory stick?

SeenMCrash

You might be able to fit in a little balsa dust if you're lucky. -Andrew

CafeenMan

They come in a little plastic container that will hold about 4 hinge points, right?

Actually, I asked the local drug store to save them for me and I kept the clear ones - Fuji film.

dasampson

Thanks for the useful answer, CafeenMan. I'll move to a system like you describe. In my first iteration, I've got these drawer break-outs: screws, nuts, bolts, nylon bolts 1/4x20x2, packaged nuts/bolts/blind nuts, radio parts, fuel parts, fasteners/connectors, clevises, misc, misc2. Unlike you, I've only accumulated ~1 yr of parts, so far for 3 planes. Happy New Year. Dave.

Backwing

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Multiple horizonal surfaces. Holds anything.