Some time ago I searched for “Clear Plastic Pill Bottles” and just “Clear Plastic Containers” as I thought it would be a nice way to store Chenille’s and Yarn. Transfer the material to the container, drill a hole in the lid and just pull out what you needed! My next step was to drill holes in a board and press fit the containers into the board (injection molded containers are slightly tappered). Set the board up like a thread spool holder and You’ve got a clean, neat Chenille/Yarn dispenser.
Well, I was overwhelmed with whats out there and got lost in the selection, not to mention the quanities you have to purchase!
Also, I have good friend that owns a tool shop right next door and he would lend me his CNC to make the boards.
1 - Does anyone have a source for, lets say, one inch by 3 inch clear plastic containers with a tight fitting lid?
2 - Probably should have been #1. Would this idea fly?
3 - If one of us purchased say, 500 containers how many would you take, at cost plus shipping.
4 - How many containers would be the average? Count your materials.
5 - The answers to #4 would dictate the sq. inch of the boards. But what of the Shape?
6 - What size container would be ideal?
7 - Got to be careful here! What I’m thinking of is a way to help FAOL Tiers organize their material. Combine resources to hold down the cost of getting what we want. But, what if this turns into a marketable item?
I may be violating the rules here, God Forbid! May need some advice from JC & LF.
I feel more like I do now than I did when I got here!
Cactus AKA “Lucky Dog (Pirate Name)”
[This message has been edited by Jack Hise (edited 05 November 2005).]
Jack, Did you try ebay and search plastic boxes? I bought a bunch of small plastic boxes maybe 2 inches square that I mount my Lady Bugs in They have a snap lid and the normal plastic hinge. I know they have all sizes and of course the more you but the cheaper they are…Or google them.
The easiest/cheapest way I’ve found to store my yarns/chenilles (I have a TON of them) is to use heavy 4 mil 5"x8" ziplock plastic bags. I cut off one corner and slip the start of the yarn out of the corner. When I need more, I just put it out of the corner and snip it off. These bags are cheap, they lay flat in a drawer for storage and my yarns are alway organized. Simple, cheap and it works. Just a thought…
You might look at an Oasis “Chenille Center” before going to all that work. It is solid oak, sets on top of your flying desk very much like a thread spool holder and takes up very little space. It has 50 empty spools for you to remove your chenille from all the plastic bags and cardboard and wind it onto a spool. When you need chenille you just reach over and pull off what you need and cut. I have one ordered from Feather Craft that should arrive next week. It retails for $29.95. Take a look and see if this will take care of your needs.
Warren… when you get that chenille center, let us know what you think. I’m an inch away from getting one myself. Tired of digging through a drawer for the right stuff. I think those spools are a lot more efficient use of space than the other container idea.
LOL, You’ve just brought us back to where I was heading…lol…to the Chenille Center…Jack and I were tossing storage idea’s around in email the past couple days…
seems a few of you really take interest in the babbelings I tend to do here…lol
I have an awful mess and damn little space to work with at the moment…and "Carded " Material’s are my biggest storage prob…I have bins full of um…and it just wastes to much time trying to find the right one at any moment…I think a couple of the Oasis Centers might just be my best option…although the bag idea would cut the cost down…how often does this stuff tangle and knot up with that setup.???..would have to be very careful while packing the bags i’d think…and a hole punch could have em hanging on a dowel rod in easy reach…so many decisions…lol
“I’ve often wondered why it is that so many anglers spend so much money on,and pay so much attention to.the details on the wrong end of the fly line.If they took as much care in selecting or tying their flies as they did in the selection of the reel and rod,They might be able to gain the real extra edge that makes it possible to fool a fish that has,in fact,seen it all before” A.K.Best
Everyone wants to excel in this sport but at the same time we let traditionalists place restrictions on our tactics, methods, and ideas. I always assumed that fly fishing was a sport that allowed imagination, creation, adaptation, investigation, dedication, education, revelation? : Fox Statler, On Spinners (Not the dainty Dry Fly kind) “Spinner’d Minner Fly”
Since you all got into envelopes etc. I’ll bore you with my method[s].
I find it quite efficient …things are handy, accessible, visible …I can pretty much tell what I’ve got…and more importantly find it…
I use pegboard and hooks and one of the keys is using loose leaf split rings…I can group however I want… put different materials in envelopes or often use the containers it came in…works for chenille, hooks, dubbing, you name it…
…just wish I had more space…what I did was take the bi fold doors off a closet and put in pegboard and shelves …one of which is larger and is the tying surface…[this relates to another thread that’s running about where we ty]
The yarn is taken from skeins picked up at thrift stores, etc. and is just on pegboard behind a door…usually unused space…
I will let you both know how the Oasis “Chenille Storage” center works out as soon as I get it this week. I am really hoping it works as well as I think it will. Like you, Diane, I get so tired “rooting” through a drawer looking for a particular color of chenille or yarn. It will feel good and save a lot of time to just reach across clip what I need and keep on tying plus not having all those different cards of chenille lying on my tying desk in the way. Just in case you are looking for a way to store your many different colors of Flash-A-Bou,etc. I use a pull out necktie rack. I will contact you all and give a report soon.
I have one of the chenille centers and really like it for convenience. It also lets you see at a glance what colors you have. It saves a lot of space and apart from the initial time needed to load it; saves a lot of time too.
Ducksterman:
Your photos will bring tears to many eyes!!
Nice set up, everything well organized and in plain sight.
Most of us probably spend more time rooting around in boxs and drawers than we spend tying!!
As promised, I received my Chenille Storage rack and have it in place on my fly tying desk and really like it! I can tell at a glance what chenille I have, what is getting low and need replaced and really enjoy the ease of getting the chenille for tying. The hardest thing to get use to is knowing that it holds 50 different sizes/colors of chenille and I still have some in the drawer!! Is there no end to fly tying material?! Why do I have over 50 different colors of chenille! I also purchased the wire/tinsel rack and it is really nice too. Overall, I am pleased with the purchase and it serves my needs very well.
any old 3 1/2" floppy trays around. I have a set of three from the old days and it acts like a filing cabinet. Oasis sounds nice, will check that out also.
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