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Techniques for CollectorsMicromount storage

20th Feb 2014 07:53 UTCGregory Kruse

I am looking for ideas on how to store my micromount collection. In addition, I would like to store my hand tools and materials in there as well. I am looking at purchasing a tool box (see attached picture). Before I purchase it, does anyone else have any other ideas? Just curious to see what other people are doing. Thanks in advance!

20th Feb 2014 08:58 UTCGeorge deWit Chaney

Looks like your sorted with that box to be fair, it's good that you have drawers because light exposure to prevent some specimens to decolorise, and it looks very neat and compact! Better than what I've got as I haven't had to worry about storage at the moment! (tu)

20th Feb 2014 13:36 UTCVandall Thomas King Manager

The problem with fixed storage units is that they are fixed and expensive. No matter if you use alphabetical order or any one of many variations, flexibility is highly prized, especially when you want to insert a mount into the proper order, but the box is full. Back in the early 1960s when I started micromounting, I used to go into the local department store and ask for their empty stocking boxes. They'd even save them for me. I'd cut a corrugated cardboard box and use strips to separate the rows. When they stopped using boxes for stockings, I switched to photographic paper boxes, mimeograph sheet boxes, chocolate candy boxes, etc. It was always difficult to find enough boxes the depth of a micromount. Eventually obsolescence of the kinds of boxes I was seeking led to using shirt boxes. Yes, they've stopped putting shirts in boxes, but the packaging manufacturers still called them by that name. Usually, you could get about 12 rows with 10 micromount boxes per row. If the boxes were too loose, extra spacer strips could be put between the rows to keep the specimens from shifting very much. Unfortunately, the local manufacturer is no longer in business and I can't find a distributor for these boxes. The candy boxes on eBay are deep enough for Perky boxes, but are too deep for micromount boxes or they are made of flimsy light weight cardboard. I know that they still sell the heavy duty boxes as you can find these boxes in stores with a wide variety of flat things in them, but I haven't been able to find a source for just the boxes. Some people use food flats and cut them down to size, but they don't nest very well as the lid is the same size as the base. There are some micromounters who cut down specimen flats, but the result is frequently uneven and they are a bit heavy for that purpose. Sigh!

20th Feb 2014 16:08 UTCJeff Weissman Expert

This works well for me "5 Drawer Jewelry Storage Organizer" each drawer is just the right height for micromounts - you can get them from Excalbur Mineral or hunt the web

20th Feb 2014 17:08 UTCPeter Andresen Expert

Paper organizers works well to, and are not that expensive.

20th Feb 2014 20:33 UTCGerhard Brandstetter Expert

I would say it depends on the size of the collection. My storage is self made - so it fits in every place in any size. And behind a big box it is also protected from dust and light. Perfect to handle a large collection and easy to produce it. And yes - cheap too.

20th Feb 2014 21:18 UTCGary Moldovany

I almost bought one of those wooden toolboxes a while ago. They are smaller than they appear and quite expensive. Right now, I am storing my micromounts in plastic fishing tackle boxes with interchangeable compartments, the Plano Stowaway model. www.planomolding.com they are inexpensive and stackable. Peter, I like those paper storage cabinets, where can I get some? I also looked into purchasing a box like Jeff's but the price of $110 turned me off. I have a friend who stores his micros in an old blueprint flat file cabinet, they are easily available but quite large and heavy. Gary

21st Feb 2014 00:23 UTCNelse Miller

Some years ago I purchased two 10 drawer storage cabinets manufactured by a company called Bisley. Each drawer can hold about 110 standard micro boxes or 54 "Perky" thumbnail boxes. As my collection grows quite slowly, I haven't filled the micromount cabinet but am close to filling the thumbnail side. These cabinets are available through the Container Store for ~$150 plus shipping. A bit expensive but since I don't have a large number of pieces, it works for me. I have a separate storage unit for my tools whose number seems to have multiplied faster than my collection.

21st Feb 2014 02:23 UTCJeff Weissman Expert

Gary, if you look hard enough you can get them from less than $30 each, need to find the primary US distributor

21st Feb 2014 08:47 UTCGregory Kruse

Thanks to everyone for their input! Everyone definitely has their own method of storing their micromounts. Attached is how I am currently storing them. As you can see, I am using an old cigar box. It has met the end of its useful life. I am almost full and the bottom layer has not seen the light of day for several years now!

One of the micromounts is not a mineral, it is a fly that I collected in 1994. Kids always enjoy looking at that one! Also attached is an example of how I label my micromounts. The 1943 steel penny is included for scale.

Thanks again!

21st Feb 2014 13:58 UTCDoug Rambo Expert

A number of years ago I stumbled across a used office furniture store. In their warehouse they had a 10 drawer topographic map / drafting document storage file. The drawers are approximately 1-inch high - just right for the 7/8x7/8x3/4 micro boxes that we use. The store was going to have it destined for scrap because nobody wanted it. An offer of $50.00 and their assistance getting it into my pickup was something that worked out well for both parties.

I also keep eyes out for auctions where there may be printer's typesetting cabinets.or even dentist office cabinets. The small drawer units they use to keep dental tools in are just about right for micros.

21st Feb 2014 16:01 UTCVandall Thomas King Manager

These are the kinds of boxes I am looking for. Please let me know if there is a source for them. They are 32 x 26.5 x 3 cm, but I have several similar sizes. This one organizes 143 boxes and as I have nearly 300 of them, flexibility of organization is an issue. If I used a fixed set of drawers, I'd have to move every micromount box to add a specimen to a full drawer, unless I used the undesirable acquisition number organization. I use a chemical classification to keep similar species together. This section has phosphates, sulfates, over-sized micromount boxes, South Dakota, and New Jersey (minus Franklin-Ogdensburg). The second photo shows an empty box with loose corrugated cardboard strips for use in separating rows of micromounts thus making them easier to pick up.

22nd Feb 2014 06:46 UTCGregory Kruse

More great ideas! Thanks to all who contributed....keep posting your ideas! Much appreciated!

22nd Feb 2014 07:16 UTCGregory Kruse

Attached are 2 thumbnail cases that I built out of mahogany. For the partitions, I used pine lattice and built a framework of "notches" so they fit together in a grid that suited the height of my individual boxes. I left a gap at the top of each section so you can easily fit your finger in there to pull the box out if needed. The depth of the case is 8 cm (including the door). I also collect the desiccant silica gel from miscellaneous packaging material. I put them in the cabinet to keep the moisture out.

Прикрепленный 2 случая миниатюра, что я построил из красного дерева. Для разделов, я использовал сосновый решетку и построил рамки "насечками", чтобы они сочетаются друг с другом в сетке, которая удовлетворила высоту моих отдельных коробках. Я оставил разрыв в верхней части каждой секции, чтобы вы могли легко поместиться палец туда, чтобы вытащить коробку, если необходимо. Глубина случае составляет 8 см (в том числе двери). Я также собирать осушитель силикагель из разных упаковочного материала. Я положил их в шкафу, чтобы держать влагу.

22nd Feb 2014 07:22 UTCGregory Kruse

Attached are close ups of the lattice work. Also see the desiccant silica gel that is placed in there to keep moisture out.

Прилагаются крупных планов решетки работы. Также см. осушителя силикагеля, который помещен в там, чтобы предотвратить попадание влаги.

22nd Feb 2014 07:34 UTCGregory Kruse

In response to Doug Rambo's message, I also do use map storage cabinets for specimen storage. It is really the best. They are rugged and can store a lot of weight! I lined each drawer with Royal blue felt cloth and lay a "notched grid" of lattice over that. You can use any color that you prefer. The spacing of the notches defines the size of the "compartments" that hold the specimens. See attached photos. If you need to see more details you can pm me.

В ответ на сообщение Doug Рэмбо, я также делаю использовать шкафы карту хранения для хранения образцов. Это действительно лучший. Они прочны и могут хранить много веса! Я выстроились каждый ящик с Ярко-синий чувствовал ткань и заложить "зубчатый сетка» решетки по этому поводу. Вы можете использовать любой цвет, который вы предпочитаете. Расстояние между выемками определяет размер "отсеков", которые содержат образцы. См. приложенные фотографии. Если вы хотите увидеть более подробную информацию Вы можете вечера меня.

22nd Feb 2014 14:57 UTCMichael Hatskel

Greg,

Those wall cabinets are very nice and practical. Great job!

One comment though: using pine wood for the dividers may be not good for certain specimens, because it produces corrosive acidic vapors. Maybe not so important for the specimens in plastic boxes, but can be a factor in your drawers with the larger specimens. Not completely sure if silica gel can absorb those vapors.

Also, why would you post the Russian translation alongside the English text? Just curious.

Michael

22nd Feb 2014 16:37 UTCGregory Kruse

Michael,

Thanks for the note on the pine giving off acidic vapors. I haven't really seen any issue yet with them and I have had them for years. Good point about that. I will look into it a bit more. Some of my pyrite specimens have marcasite in them and have "decomposed" to melanterite. I use the silica desiccant to prevent that from occurring. I have had Russian correspondents before and just did that for easy reference. I have other cabinets that I have built. I will post those later on. Have a good day!

25th Feb 2014 13:23 UTCChristian Auer 🌟 Expert

As I have to store several 10.000 micros I tried to find something that is cheap, easy handling and good available.

My wife gave the idea many years ago. Pizza card boards!

Either you really like to eat pizzas or you buy the cardboards per 100 units.

26th Feb 2014 21:38 UTCDana Morong

I like (to store the tiny micromount boxes) in old metal photo slide boxes - those that used to store photo slides before the circular one was made. These are 2" deep, and about 14" long (in the U.S.; 1"=2.54 cm). I usually find them (but rarely now) at yard sales, but I suspect most people just toss them out. I also have to process them (first step is to get out the metal dividers, which can be quite a chore if you don't know how, and the second step is two trays, one to fit above the other, and when open, the top tray is moved to the inside of the top lid). This way, with 3/8" (~1 cm) wide foam (insulation foam) between the rows (to let the fingers grab a box) in the trays, I can get 5 rows of 13 into each tray, and two trays makes 130 little micromount boxes in each large storage box. Why all this trouble? Wouldn't it be easier to buy some plastic compartment boxes? I cannot find any at stores that are any good - they all have plastic hinges that will snap off in about 3 to 5 openings (I once found a good plastic one with good pinned hinges and real hasps, at a yard sale for a dollar, but was never able to find any of comparable quality at any store). At least the metal boxes have real hinges, and hasps (to keep them closed), and handles, and then they also stack well. Despite the work involved in processing them, they are good boxes (I glue cheap felt or similar to bottoms so they won't scratch the furniture).

One thing to remember: It might be useful to label, not only the little micromount boxes, but also the storage boxes. I got curation of an old collection which was once stored at a college, and the original collector never thought to label the storage boxes (flat tray-like boxes) with anything to indicate to what collection it belonged (because he knew). So, years after his decease, when someone had borrowed a box (containing several specimens), nobody ever thought to put it back with the collection, possibly because nobody else knew what it was, and it got lost forever (actually 3 boxes are missing, but I only know the reason for one). Just a little label telling what collection it belonged to might have made a difference.

27th Feb 2014 10:36 UTCRock Currier Expert

If you store your micromounts in cheap looking containers, it is an invitation to have them thrown out on the dump when after you die they fall into the hands of someone that doesn't know what the are.

27th Feb 2014 21:56 UTCDonald Peck

Rock, your point about the quality of the storage is well taken. I had not thought of that before. And Dana so is yours about labeling the boxes. A couple of years ago I moved into a small apartment, and storage of my micros became a problem. My solution is pictured below. Each tray holds 50 micros, but scaling would be easy. The cover of 1/8" ply slides in a groove. Each micro box has its own compartment in which it sits at a 30^o angle, making observation and removal simple. The seats can be seen where the two boxes have been removed.

27th Feb 2014 23:48 UTCCarolyn wWeinberger

Address labels come in boxes that can easily hold micro boxes. You usually can get them at no cost by visiting your local print shop (Office Depot /Staples or better yet, small locally owned office supply shops that do repo work. Local colleges sometimes can supply as well.

Carolyn Weinberger

28th Feb 2014 15:06 UTCChristian Auer 🌟 Expert

Rock, thats a question of your testament not of your storage; mine go to a museum.

1st Mar 2014 06:56 UTCSamuel Stewart

This is my first post here.

I collect Thumbnails and Micromounts and use a spool cabinet to house my collection. My wife enjoys the antiques and I don't have to hide my collection.

Sam Stewart

25th May 2014 16:48 UTCJay I. G. Roland

As a recent convert to micromounting I would just like to say that by pure chance I happened upon a great storage system for my burgeoning MM collection.

Here in the UK we have Asda supermarkets (Walmart in the US) and they sell a set of four transparent stackable nylon storage drawers in a gray nylon 'frame' for a mere £7:99. It seems that whoever designed these drawers must also be a micromounter as they take all size MM boxes that I have come across with perfect ease and minimum wasted space.

For example, the smallest of my boxes are the standard 28mm square, and each drawer holds 120 of these boxes in three layers, therefore 480 boxes per £7:99 outlay. They are not such a tight fit that makes it impossible to extract them, nor are they rattling around in the drawers either. As for the larger boxes, they also fit perfectly though with a little 'wasted' space, but this is minimal. My largest boxes are 40 x 60 mm and each drawer holds 24 of these in two layers.

With an overall footprint of circa 190 mm wide, 260 mm deep and being 380 mm tall that's an awful lot of MM boxes taking up a very small space. Of course being stackable, one could customise these to take advantage of their own given storage space.

Well worth a look.

Regards,

Jay.

23rd Jul 2014 18:12 UTCJames Urbaniak

Don - I love what you made for your collection! It's practical and ingenuius. If only we all had the capability and tools to make such boxes for our collections. I am gaining many good ideas from several of these posts though and am enjoying the accompanying photos, which are helping me to visualize better ways to organize my own collection. The posts seem very constructive, for the most part. Thanks all!

24th Jul 2014 16:17 UTCDonald Peck

James, all you need is a friend who has a tablesaw. My sun-in-law and I cut all the parts for about 15 or these trays in a Sunday afternoon. The ony thing required for assembly is a couple of clamps to hold the sides together until the glue dries. I would, however, recommend making a prototype and dry-fitting it to make sure all dimensions are correct and that it will actually go together. It can be used to set the fence on the tablesaw for the production run.

1st Jun 2022 15:38 UTCJared Goguen

I know this is an older thread but I thought I would bring it back to life a bit and share a modern option that you can buy that I think is pretty good.

This is Durable desktop drawer organizer and it has 10 removable trays and each one can perfectly hold 140 P1 boxes.

They can be a little pricey on Amazon (https://amzn.to/3GEYIV8) but the price really goes up and down a lot but I got mine for $53 which doesn't seem too bad for something can that hold 1400 micros.

4th Sep 2022 23:16 UTCMathieu Butler

Jared - thanks so much for your suggestion, I was reading this thread for ideas and most are unobtainable without lots of free time (I'm not retired yet) - but I am checking with my antique shopping friends for a spool cabinet.

In the meantime I ordered the desktop drawer organizer from your amazon link, the white version for about $50 (not sure why the gray is $80) and love it.
The plastic seems to be good quality and looks more like metal so the whole unit feels solid and not cheap.

5th Sep 2022 13:08 UTCJared Goguen

I'm glad you like it.

It's not a really fancy setup or a super cool looking custom wooden build but its the best option I have seen that is available right now and to your door in two days.

Since posting this I also have the 5 drawer system which can hold 280 thumbnail size boxes and I really like it. It's likely not a good option for some that is buying huge lots of minerals and producing thousands of mounts but for someone like myself who only self collects its a great option.

1st Jun 2022 17:15 UTCJohannes Swarts

Blueprint storage/drawers I picked up at a salvage place in Vermont. Drawers are 1.5" x 40" x 24". Solid wood - things is pretty heavy, so the wheels are nice. The three separate storage units are also nice - I can always break the stack up and put them in separate locations.

Holds a lot of micromounts, but it's filling up fast!

Hans

1st Jun 2022 17:20 UTCPaul Brandes 🌟 Manager

Wish I could find some of those for a collection of old mining maps/documents I have...

1st Jun 2022 17:35 UTCKevin Conroy Manager

These are sometimes available at used office furniture stores. Of course, it all depends on how much you want to spend. There are many sizes of drawers, in both area and depth. With a bit of searching you should be able to find something near where you live, and some places offer reasonable or free shipping. For instance:

https://www.southwestsolutions.com/divisions/museums/flat-file-storage-cabinets/flat-file-drawer-cabinets-map-cabinets-plan-drawing-storage/

1st Jun 2022 18:42 UTCRolf Luetcke Expert

To add what my room has, here is a 6 foot tall shelf unit that is 30 inches wide and a foot deep I use to store my micro and perky collections. The boxes are from my old days of making sample mineral sets. The white boxes are 9x12 in size and an inch and a half deep and have plastic lids. This is one of two shelf units I have, both filled with these boxes.

1st Jun 2022 18:46 UTCRolf Luetcke Expert

This is one of my micro mineral boxes and they hold rows of 9x12 of the micro boxes.

The ones with larger perky boxes hold 48 of the perky's.

I did get these manufactured years ago and have been recycling the boxes I still had left over.

1st Jun 2022 21:53 UTCPhil Richardson

In the original thread, Samuel Stewart mentioned using an antique spool cabinet to store his collection. Here's my adaptation. I repurposed one too, which houses part of my worldwide thumbnail pyrite suite. This cabinet now holds approximately 500 thumbnails.

1st Jun 2022 22:10 UTCJared Goguen

That's a wonderful re-purposing of that cabinet.

Also you have quite the collection.

2nd Jun 2022 00:12 UTCJohannes Swarts

Wow! That's a beautiful cabinet!

1st Jun 2022 21:54 UTCPhil Richardson

Antique spool cabinet, as pictured above, with the drawers closed.

1st Jun 2022 22:58 UTCPaul Brandes 🌟 Manager

Very nice!!

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