Loraine; What I have found works great is to get a small file box
with manila file envelopes, label each with wire size and reorder
no. on the tab for easy reference.You can keep you sheet in the file
also. Dave
Lorraine,
For a while I’d had each sort of wire in its own zippie bag, in a
little drawer unit on (or somewheres below) my bench. I was always
sifting through the pile of bags looking for what I needed, and
although I had it that way for years, I wasn’t happy with it. I
tried at least making all of the bags the same size, but it was still
rather a jumble. I made a switch to a new system a couple months
ago, finally, and I think this is much better. I’ve just done it with
my sterling wire, but it seems to work & I’ll probably adopt it for
the other wire, too. Oh, and this is for wire that isn’t on a spool,
by the way. The spool wire is still in a multi-drawer unit, along
with my sheet & odd bits. I got a 3-ring binder and a pack of 8x10
2mil zip bags. I cut sheets of cardstock in half lengthwise & folded
them each in half lengthwise. I slipped those folded pieces over one
long edge of each bag & used clear packing tape to attach them
securely to the bag. I then hole-punched the card stock so it would
go into the binder. I figured if I’d just hole-punched the bag
itself, that would risk tearing pretty quickly, and then the wire
could poke out of the holes. The bag wasn’t all the way in to the
fold, but maybe half-way, so as much of the bag was still visible as
possible (without being too wide for the binder), as well as then the
holes would be punched just into the card stock, not through the bag.
So now I have a bunch of uniform sealable pockets for each type of
wire, and I have them sorted in the binder so that they are very easy
to look through- or even go to right what I need after a quick scan.
I also put a label at the top right corner of each bag with what it
is (“Sterling Round 14ga Dead Soft”) so that I can just flip through
the top corners to find what I need.
By the way, good luck organizing your space. I’m in the midst of
that, too. I good thing to do at the start of the year. Happy New
Year!
Lisa
Designs by Lisa Gallagher
I use a peg hook board that is just one board around 3 feet long with long wooden dowel rods that are made to go into the holes.
I have a pegboard on the wall behind my bench. I “used to” hang my
silver wire on hooks. It was handy but I quit doing that for two
reasons. One it was getting tarnished from the fumes of my torch. Two
I was giving a demo for the local rock club and someone commented
that they should do a little midnight shopping in my studio (garage).
That kinda spooked me. I buy wire and sheet in bulk to take advantage
of quantity discounts so I usually have a couple thousand in silver
in inventory. I now store my sheet and wire in brown paper 30 day
folders and the folders go in the safe.
I have a drawer in a Craftsman rolling tool chest that I keep all
the stuff that is too short to coil. So having the bulk of silver in
the safe makes me look in the drawer first before opening the safe.
That way I use up the odds and ends first by convenience.
I also used to store my sheet silver in hanging file folders. That
worked out well except for security. So a small fire safe with
hanging folders could be a good solution too.
Rick Copeland
Silversmith and Lapidary Artisan
Rocky Mountain Wonders
Colorado Springs, Colorado
rockymountainwonders.com
Hi Lorraine,
What a good thread! I store my wire in a file folder box. The kind
with many slots and divisions, a toggle closure and a handle. Got it
at an office supply store in the states. A friend stores hers in a
regular notebook. Each type and gauge of wire goes inside a plastic
page protector, labeled with the date bought, price per inch (easier
for her pricing method), gauge and type (.925 silver, 14k gold, 22k
gold etc.) Mine has outgrown my box and I was thinking of switching
to her method, so I’m really interested to see what others do.
On a side note, thanks to all for the idea of alum to etch out a
drill bit. Happened yesterday and as I work out of my 500 sq. ft.
apartment, I don’t have access to chemicals. Put the concentrated
alum in a small pan, boiled it up and 20 minutes later - no drill!
Huzzah! Orchid rocks.
Lora
I have several old fashioned metal 16mm film cans from a “former
life”. They are about a foot or so across and make excellent storage.
They stack vertically or flat. They are easy to label and the lid
comes off to expose the entire coil of wire inside the can. No
tangles. No fuss. I have even poked a hole in some to feed the wire
out the top, much as Grandma fed her yarn out of a coffee can to
knit.
Susan Maxon
Honors Gran Jewelry
Ah, the perfect wire storage: the “Jumbo Worm” from Bass Pro Shops
Large plastic bags that fit in a canvas notebook style binder
organize all types of wire coils (when I don’t just fling them on
the top!)
The handle hooks on my tool bag for easy travel.
Mine is rather ancient, and the one at the link is a new model and
appears to have extra pockets. They come in larger sizes as well, and
you can always order more bags though so far mine have lasted over 10
years.
P.S. I don’t get a cut from bass pro, but I did receive countless
numbers of catalogs for about 5 years after ordering, at least one/
week. Hopefully, their marketing dept. has become less annoying!
Victoria
I’m sure my answer won’t help you any. I make my wire as I need it.
And alloy my gold as I need it too. (I do no casting at the moment.)
I keep all my gold, silver, wire bits, findings, non-jewelry tools,
misc. electrical parts, G.F. stuff, sheets of brass, nails, etc. in
one of those big craftsman tool boxes, the kind with drawers and
wheels http://tinyurl.com/2qunuk. It locks. So does the shop.
Doc
Since I travel weekly to a studio to work, I keep my wires in a
looseleaf binder with separate (color-coded), 3-hole, zippered
envelopes for each gauge…one notebook for gold wires, another
for sterling.
I got this idea years ago from a fellow Orchidian and it works
great!
Karen Strauss
I put all my wire into rolls that are tight enough to fit into a
large (3.7L) Ziploc Freezer bags. Then I can clearly label the front
with Black Sharpie or White printed labels from the printer on the
computer. That way I can clearly label sizes in gauge and inch/mm
dimensions and a separate label for price per inch/foot. As they are
thick and clear I can then hang them on a wall with peg board. This
helps them remain cleaner as well. Just do not use rubber bands or
twist ties (commercial) to secure coils as this can lead to
tarnishing.
The only thing I Keep in a drawer is the Sheet as I quickly becomes
to heavy and the corners of the sheet cut the bag. I usually duck
tape the bottom edge and corners to prevent cutting through the bags.
Karen Bahr - Karen’s Artworx
Calgary, Alberta, Canada
The bags of wire are laid flat, one on top of the other in order of gauge no less (did I say I was anal??)
LOL! Sorry, but I had to laugh at this…you sound just like me!
I do something very similar, only in a 2-drawer file cabinet with
those 1" wide hanging files. I label each bag such as “SS 20g HR DS”,
the supplier, date purchased, and in order of gauge (smallest to
largest).
Anal may not be hip, but it’s useful!
Well I wasn’t going to chime in - but I guess I do it differently.
I use one of the red Craftsman tool chests - the ones that go on top
of the big rolling red carts.
I have Argentium in the top drawer, sheet, wire and solder.
Second drawer - round plain sterling - tagged or in plastic bag
Third drawer - funny shaped sterling wire - rectangular, square,
pattern, half round, etc.
Fourth drawer - spooled round wire - 22 gauge and finer - for chains
and spools of bezel wire.
Fifth drawer - in file folders - flat sheet sterling and in a
separate pile reticulation sheet and fine sheet.
Yes I have too much stuff - but I can find it, and almost never run
out.
And for the daily bits - a 48 drawer box from the container store.
Its where I put the 25 pieces of polished fused this’n that, the
longer than scrap bezel, the reusable bits of gold, sheets of
reticulated silver. All the stuff that used to take up residence on
my bench. Best $25 I spent last year.
Gold stuff lives in bench drawers and gets locked up daily.
Judy Hoch
I’d like to say a big thank you to everyone that has contributed in
answering my question. I’ve decided to combine a couple of your
ideas. I’ll be getting some heavy duty envelope inserts for a 3 ring
binder. As I have so many folders I refer to on a regular basis in
my studio, I thought I would also use a hanging storage file to put
them all in.
Thanks once again!
Lorraine Allan
G&S Lampwork
www.glassandsplinters.com.au
What a great question! I have been enjoying this thread. I love the
bass pro holder.
A friend of mine does something similar but it is best when you
don’t buy large quantities and you use many different types of wire.
She uses a cd carrying case. She labels the sleeves for the type of
wire and gauge that the sleeve is suppose to hold.
Cheers,
Denise
Wow! I can’t be the only one who hammers a nail in the wall and hangs
them by size? 10 gage, 12 gage, etc. The nail has all shapes,
triangle, 1/2 round, round, etc., also sterling and gold-filled. I
took a marker and put the gage size right on the wall. It’s the way I
learned and I’ve never thought to change it.
Jenny Levernier
Minneapolis, MN
First I stored all my wire it in plastic zipper bags in a drawer in
my bench. However, I was not disciplined enough to keep the bags in
order of sizes. Then I tried the cardboard file folders, but that did
not really work for me.
Finally I saw the light: I bought a number of Ikea’s ‘Knuff’ magazine
files (Products - IKEA), inserted
two dividers in each and added a little piece of wood to the top,
laid them down on the side with the hole in it, and voila - I had a
smart storage for three dimensions of wire. I made three of them for
the dimensions of wire I use most and placed them within easy reach
on a shelf above my bench. Mail me if you want a picture.
Niels Lovschal
Contemporary and Viking Age Jewellery
Classes in Jewellery Techniques