Lead Adventure Forum
Other Stuff => Workbench => Topic started by: Dolmot on 23 July 2021, 10:36:26 PM
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Dear LAF
The story in brief is that I've managed to accumulate a huge amount of flocks (scatters, sands, snow, leaf litter...). How I've been storing them is a mish-mash of ad hoc solutions, including a large cardboard box where bags leak and I can't even find what I need. Now I've finally managed to acquire a nice array of roller cabinets, which solve one part of the general problem (which also covers paints and tools). However, the smaller-scale one still remains.
I'd assume that anyone with enough hobby years under their belt has had some kind of flock disaster and knows how tedious the clean-up work can be, especially if wet paint was also present. You probably know as well that often the original bags are non-resealable and generally inconvenient for repeated access and use. To have a modest amount of numerous flocks readily available, I think I'd need something that is:
- Shallow and wide to maximise access while minimising the volume
- Separate containers, because it's unlikely that I'd need or want the same assortment on my table every time
- Closing tightly, see disasters
- Preferably transparent to see what's inside
- Stacking nicely so that I can have a few of those in a sturdy pile in the cabinet
- Cheap enough even in large quantities
I've been using various dairy product containers (note: emptied first) for that purpose. They're close but not exactly perfect. Has anyone come up with a really neat solution? I have a feeling that often such solutions involves something related to jewellery or glitter-like stuff, but maybe not always? Please enlighten me if you know something that I don't. Thanks. :)
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The rectangular plastic tubs that takeaways come in are widely used throughout my home for various bits and pieces, including flock storage. They're free with the food (or the food comes free with them) or you can buy them quite cheaply from most big supermarkets.
If you're feeling flush, Lock&Lock boxes are very good, or the various knock-off versions.
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I use a variety of jars and plastic self-seal boxes for my flocks and what-not, but the three flock colours I use most together I store in a click-seal plastic lunch box with three compartments.
Static grass I keep in little herb jars with shaker lids, so I can sift it directly from the jar on to the model over a sheet of paper. Then I just return the overflow to the jar from the paper via a funnel.
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I use Glis stackable multi-compartment boxes from Ikea, at $6 a pop. They store multiple bags per box.
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Fred, is it this one?
https://www.ikea.com/ca/en/p/glis-box-with-lid-transparent-00283103/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=surfaces&utm_campaign=shopping_feed&utm_content=free_google_shopping_clicks_ChildrensIKEA&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIzcSDqtr68QIVsyitBh0_Yw2nEAQYAyABEgIhafD_BwE
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The rectangular plastic tubs that takeaways come in are widely used throughout my home for various bits and pieces, including flock storage. They're free with the food (or the food comes free with them) or you can buy them quite cheaply from most big supermarkets.
If you're feeling flush, Lock&Lock boxes are very good, or the various knock-off versions.
Yep, Chinese takeaway tubs are absolutely perfect for flock storage and use.
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Yep, Chinese takeaway tubs are absolutely perfect for flock storage and use.
Yes.
Although word to the wise, don’t have a desk fan too close when opening them up as the bloody stuff goes everywhere lol
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In the end I poured all of my flock, tans, greens, greys and browns into one container and mixed it up. Same for all my static grass and coloured sawdust in their separate containers. I found it gives me a nice random more natural mix on bases. Not the snow of course but everything else.
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Another plus one here for take away containers. They hold a bag of Javis flock easily, and are wide enough to hold the model above while flocking so they catch the “waste” as you generate it. I usually clip off the original bag label and leave it in the tub so I know what the original flock was when restocking as well. It saves labelling the top of the container.
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Bravo Six, yes that is the one. They are quite deep and hold a lot. Each has four pegs/legs that slot into the one below, if stacked, and there is a snap close, hinged lid. Not super tight, but tight enough. I also use a label maker to indicate the contents of each bin.
For dipping stands into flock, each is wide enough to do this without taking out the flock. But I also keep a bottle cap in each one, so that I can scoop out a wee bit for more targeted applications.
There are still some mason jars and a few other odd containers lying about, but three of the Glis boxes have maybe 75% of my flock.
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Beard creme tins.... lol
Cleaned and dried obviously
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Thanks for the suggestions thus far. :) Some quick comments.
- Takeaway tubs: the pack rat in me has been stashing these as well and they started accumulating fairly fast in the work-from-home days. However, the most common kind I get is "grown man's full meal" sized. They can definitely hold a full bag of model grass, no matter which brand, but I'm pretty sure I cannot fit six of those on my already overflowing painting table. Nor dozens of those in a single roller cabinet. I probably have to check and buy smaller kinds separately if I can find any good ones.
- Multi-bin organisers: possibly good for some purposes. Just see the "separate containers" point in the original post. I'm unsure about convenience and also possible spillage between bins. One hardware store in here is selling smallish 6+1 bin organisers for 99c. Money-wise I could even buy a dedicated one for each of the most popular 30 kinds of flocks I have, but space-wise that would be a bit pointless.
- Herb shakers: I've been thinking about these and in some cases it might be a good idea. At least there's very little risk of outright disasters as long as you use a kind where the whole lid is screwed on properly. However, if you ever need finger-pinch level of precision or larger amounts, there's some extra hassle, also with returning the excess.
- Everything mixed up: oh come on, that's a travesty. lol OK, to be honest, I should do more mixing than I do right now, especially with brands which are very flat-coloured by themselves. I'd still prefer to do that case-by-case, though. Laws of thermodynamics state that you cannot separate the types any more when they've reached the maximum entropy. I need very different mixtures for various genres, themes and scales.
- Beard creme: interestingly, I've also stashed moustache wax tins. ::) They close very tightly, but they're not transparent. Also, they accumulate quite slowly...
Maybe I still have to browse for various food, sauce and herb containers. There might be something useful out there. For example, the small fish sauce tubs I get with Asian food close pretty tightly, which is highly appreciated already in their original use. ;)
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If you have 30 kinds of flock the problem’s not with the containers.... ;)
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If you have 30 kinds of flock the problem’s not with the containers...
lol lol
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What about mason jars?
(https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51IcZxXqrxL._AC_.jpg)
Upside- not plastic.
Downside- glass and if you are clumsy....
Available at most decent sized grocery stores for about $3 CDN per 500ml jar.
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Zip-lock plastic bags work perfectly well. They are dead cheap, take up a minimum of space and you can see the contents adequately.
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Well, ultimately I did what a real man should, that is, ignore everyone's advice and just go with my original plan. lol
Nah, there are pros and cons in all of these options. Nevertheless, this time I still wanted something matching the list given in the first post. It turned out that the solution was indeed something roughly jewellery-related. One can get started with keywords "bead container", which yields some multi-slot organisers but also single boxes. I bought two different deals of those, one with square shapes and another with non-square rectangles. They look like this. Assorted junk included for scale.
(https://dolmot.net/mini/misc/bead-containers-1000.jpg) (https://dolmot.net/mini/misc/bead-containers-2000.jpg)
I find those comparison items more informative than pure dimensions. Having only the latter in product descriptions was one of the reasons to get several sizes for testing. Anyway, the sizes are (in mm):
Square
- 53 x 53 x 20
- 63 x 63 x 20
- 73 x 73 x 25
- 83 x 83 x 28
Non-square
- 55 x 40 x 20
- 85 x 55 x 25
- 115 x 85 x 28
(According to the seller. The exact dimensions may differ slightly but those sound close enough.)
Other sizes probably exist too. For example, you can also get 180 x 110 x 30 from the same seller but that felt quite large already for my purposes. These should be "desk sized", so that I can make modest amounts of custom mixes, keep them on my painting desk, and ideally do the sprinkling right over of the same container, still without wasting too much space. Of course, using a larger one like a takeaway tub as a "work unit" is totally possible too. Meanwhile, I also got a bunch of sturdy ziplocks for storing the excess from large bags more safely.
I'll start experimenting whenever I have free time. Let's see which sizes really work, how well they stay closed and so on. I may keep reporting if you're interested. :)
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Good job. Form follows function, and if you're mostly basing 28mm figures, jewelry boxes are fine.
For my 28mm, I just use the hodgepodge of original containers: screw-lids from Gale Force 9 static grass, salsa containers from Army Painter, tubs for other stuff, including playground sand.
For random flock, you can just put a little of some different flocks in a container. Make your own mixtures for seasons, lighting, etc. Tap the leftover flock from your movement trays and game table onto a sheet of paper and use that as your random flock.
Would be good to see how you finally arrange your flock -- before and after. I seem to accumulate the stuff on sale, myself -- and just picked up a bag of moss from the arts and crafts store... :)