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Storage for Small Parts

  1. Arancio601 Feb 13, 2023

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    I’ve been through a bunch of threads and seen everything from beautiful OCD tiny drawers labeled and catalogued to a dirty jar full of everything…

    My situation is that I have a few needy projects that will be going to someone that actually has the skills and qualifications not to stuff up my watches unlike if I had a ‘dabble’. I am saving my experimentation for my Seiko’s.

    Anyway, the plan will be to catalogue what I have so that when I send the watch to the watchmaker and he tells me how much is stuffed on it, I can quickly ascertain if I have the spares he needs that might be NLA from Omega.

    Should I break out the dynalabel and itemize the tray compartments? Would I just send the storage containers you reckon or get a bunch of tiny zip lock bags do bits don’t bash around and break teeth etc?

    For the watchmaker/tinkers here what would be your ideal scenario for receiving parts for a movement?

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  2. sheepdoll Feb 13, 2023

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    A lot of my junk came in gridded plastic trays. Large enough to lay out the whole watch. These also have a lid, which I often use as another layer.

    I sorted most of the loose parts into these trays and smaller trays.

    Seems though that even when one goes through the stuff there is either not the part one needs. Or a distraction of a watch that says "feed me." like the plant in little shop of horors.
     
  3. Arancio601 Feb 14, 2023

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    I couldn’t imagine trying to keep stock of the amount of parts and watches you have. A catalog system makes sense but you’d spend more time doing it that fixing watches.
     
  4. Archer Omega Qualified Watchmaker Feb 14, 2023

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    You want to store them and ship them so that they are protected. So don’t mix delicate parts with more bulky parts. Other than that, whatever works best for you.

    I use lots of fishing tackle boxes, but most of the parts I have are still in their original packages.
     
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  5. Arancio601 Feb 14, 2023

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    Thanks Al. I jumped on the local watchmaker supplies site last night and added a couple of hundred packets of small ziplock bags to my order to keep a things separated when I post them to my watchmaker. All your threads show me how even small amounts of age on some parts can be problematic hence I am erring on the side of caution.

    Tackle boxes make sense. Cheaper pricing for something that does the job well enough.
     
  6. JimInOz Melbourne Australia Feb 14, 2023

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    Go to Bunnings and look in the garage storage section.
    They have a variety of small plastic boxes with removable dividers that make good parts storage solutions when combined with zip lock bags.

    Also check out storage supplies at Labanda.
     
  7. Arancio601 Feb 14, 2023

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    Thanks Jim. I didn’t find too many small storage options at Bunnings last time I looked. Labanda is where I just placed an order. I’ll pick it up tmrw and see what they have there. It’s only about a km from work so could be my next toy store money pit…

    I have a couple of sets of old timber watchmaker drawers full of unidentifiable (to me) 50’s-70’s Seiko watch parts I might empty to store the zip locked stuff in.

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  8. noless Feb 14, 2023

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    I have become quite wary of the removable divider type boxes, as i find sometimes small or thin parts will slide under the dividers.

    mind you, I was getting these boxes from the dollar store, so thats really on me...

    if the dividers have a little trough to sit in so that stuff cant get under them I figure they would be alright, but this is now something I pay attention to when looking for parts boxes.

    I currently just keep my various parts in boxes based on movement series.
    The stack of parts boxes is getting a little large...

    I also suggest investing in the special dial storage boxes if you plan to store any dials, you can order them from cousins UK, though if anyone else knows of any other places that sell them (and ship international) I would love to hear about it.
     
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  9. JimInOz Melbourne Australia Feb 14, 2023

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    Heaps on eBay, Tanner Morehouse in Minnesota has them on his eBay site.

    https://www.ebay.com/itm/265510813926Purchases made through these links may earn this site a commission from the eBay Partner Network
     
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  10. Arancio601 Feb 14, 2023

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    Dial storage is something I hadn’t thought about and I really should. I’d be filthy if I damaged my Ed White dial. Thanks for the heads up and knowledge on where to buy.
     
  11. dsio Ash @ ΩF Staff Member Feb 14, 2023

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  12. STANDY schizophrenic pizza orderer and watch collector Feb 15, 2023

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    Google any Japanese tackle shop…these guys have the Tackle storage equivalent of a Patek Philippe
    Spent a few hours in a Japanese tackle store and was drooling from the minute I stepped in.

    I have a tackle room in the house but the Japanese are next level when it comes to fishing gear.
     
  13. RevZMan123 Feb 15, 2023

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    Ooo I was wondering where to buy these ever since I saw them on an Archer post. SWEET!
     
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  14. Arancio601 Feb 15, 2023

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    Thanks Ash, will go for a look in BCF and Anaconda on the weekend. A good point about humidity here in Brisbane.
    @STANDY the Japanese have a culture of doing things to the max I reckon. And having a tackle room is pretty next level to me too!
     
  15. Arancio601 Apr 3, 2023

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    OK, so I bought hundreds of small zip lock bags and some dial storage containers. I also sorta bought a whoooole lot of vintage new random parts as I liked the albums and containers they came in! :p Anyone need a stem? Ha! Anyway, should be fun looking up the parts although I reckon most are unlabeled... I don't know why I do this to myself.
     
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