Gold Mine? Old Jam Jars Full of Bits

[JonE]

if you throw everything away, it's much easier to see the space and visualise what you could store.

[John Mason]

You organised people. I have two half size biscuit tins with all sort of small A7 parts therein together with a smaller tin of nuts bolts and washers all Austin seven. When searching for anything If not immediately found I tip out the box onto a piece of old blanket for a better search. When done easier to tip back into the tin when everything is on a blanket. The nut and bolt tin has only whit and bsf so easy enough to see which is which. Everybody should have a tin box or jar of odds and sods nuts bolts (all types of threads)and washers. They will save the day when doing jobs time and time again.

John Mason.

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JonE, Do you not find that the old bit of something you have had for years clogging up room is only required once you have disposed of it. This is what I find.

John Mason.

[JonE]

absolutely John. So we need to silently put all "the disposed stuff" into a different room (or perhaps build a new extension) to allow sanity.

Blanket sounds good idea. Nice and easy to fold back up and into the airing cupboard after you've finished, out of harms way.

[Bob Culver]

One of my foremost worries is what will become of my toys and my hoard of car parts and odds and end when I go. It occurred that labelling may slow the trip to the tip. Besides for years I have used durable tins for storage (another major worry is that the world might suddenly stop using tins; I have saved enough for 10 years but I might just last longer). I used to paint contents on the outside but this was tedious. I recently refined the process. I daub all the tins with low gloss water based paint then write on that with a  marker pen. Larger tins contain some tools; punches (hard and soft), chisels, screwdrivers, brace and speed drill bits, etc. To toss anything out is fraught.  Apart from anything else cannot remember and spend days looking for. I spent a week looking for two pairs of Big 7 hubs; eventually found one set. (acquired decades ago when the Austin was just tarnsport and with a view to fitting)  I have a lot of bicycle bits and came close to dumping. Then I discovered riding a bike as the ideal way to keep mildy active and alert in old age.....

[Peter Clayton]

Chinese take away and Ice cream containers are my weapons of choice, they stack well and contain loads. Mine need re labeling as the,marker pen I used rubs off. Yes I do have several Quality Street boxes marked up TBS, and yes I can never find the bit I want especially  if I only just put it down.

[Tony Griffiths]

Remember the old trick of nailing the lid of the glass jar to the underside of a shelf and screwing the jar on? I used to see lots of amateur workshops where this was almost standard practice. Tobacco tins were also a favourite - though not now quite so common.

[Bob Culver]

Plastic containers, even in the gloom, all disentergrate in a few years. The nailed lid was a typical Popular Mechanics sort of idea, but just as easy to add a shelf and far less troublesome. Many consider it not prudent to advertise to visitors.
A neighbour had about 20 rusty tobacco tins. I saw one opened and containing  old style woodscrews. I expressed an interest so was given the lot when they moved. Only one tin had screws in it! Treated with fish oil and white paint as above. Ideal for small taps etc.

[Reckless Rat]

I have found the plastic containers used for crab sticks are very useful, either for saving bits when dismantling things, cleaning brushes and various storage uses.

[Roger Goldthorpe]

absolutely John. So we need to silently put all "the disposed stuff" into a different room (or perhaps build a new extension) to allow sanity.

Back in the early 60s the practice I was with was responsible for a two-bedroom bungalow for retired clergy. The first ocupant was delighted to have a spare bedroom and I quote "to put in all the stuff I don't need".

Roger

[Chris KC]

Dad's Tate & Lyle Golden Syrup tubs are still doing well after 40-odd years. I had to acquire larger tubs for common BSF fittings when I deemed it necessary to acquire a modest 'stock'. Rectangular are more space-efficient. One of the handiest things is a large plastic ice-cream tub which sits on the floor under the bench and catches all the discarded used fittings. I've rummaged through there countless times when unsure of thread size or in need of something quickly.