Old Fastener Storage: Do you indulge or refrain?

[harley jim]

I used to run alot of work at grain elevators. Would change out the belts and buckets for new and bring some used ones home. They make really good outdoor planters as well.

I like that idea.
I saw an old timers shop once a long time ago, he had a wall of those but they were galvanized steel buckets, they would be worth a fortune today.

 

[Toxictom]

I have piles of bolts, nuts, washers and much more that are not separated. How would you guys go about separating and sizing them?

I have been in the same boat for years. One evening I just grabbed a bucket of mixed fasteners and a couple clear plastic peanut jars. Bolts in one, nuts in another, and washers in another, I used one for screws too. After an hour or so I think I'd sorted all of the various cans I had laying around. Next step will be sorting by size/type but this was a huge improvement and gave me a good feeling.

 

[Bucko]

My current system is 4 of ones similar to the one pictured. Contemplating going the route of the Harbor Freight yellow and black ones that many have built into a unit. Maybe when they throw another 30% off coupon for items below $10 ill pull the trigger.

My first nut and bolt storage was my first tool box I got when I was like 8 years old. At 46 years old I still have it but its my chain box now.

 

[harley jim]

I spent the afternoon in the shop with about 300 lbs of mixed hardware and an adult beverage. I had this all sorted once but an ex with an over active imagination dumped it all in the floor then shoveled it into a steel drum. Like I said she is an ex!!!

I have been slowly sorting this back into useable parts. Today I dumped about a five gallon bucket of mixed hardware onto my shop cart and started sorting.




I have the drawers sorted into sae coarse and fine thread, large and small. It will be an ongoing project until it is all put in order.

I need to get the lable gun out and update the lables on the drawers. If Pines was a bud he could come and do some lables for a friend!

 

[thammel]

Harley Jim - Great hardware store you have there!! Better than mine and I thought I was bad/good! LOL...You even have the hardware store type cardboard pullouts at the very left of the photo!!

 

[harley jim]

Harley Jim - Great hardware store you have there!! Better than mine and I thought I was bad/good! LOL...You even have the hardware store type cardboard pullouts at the very left of the photo!!

Thanks, I have so much more to do, so many other things need to be done that it's hard to stay with it.

 

[Shop-hound]

I went the Akro Mils route. Labelled the key stuff for screws, nails and bolts (Imperial & metric) so it’s at my fingertips. Much smaller collection than some of you guys. Could start a hardware store!

 

[Plastikosmd]

Any container will do for me

 

[Outlawmws]

I like the steel rack!

 

[oldcpecdr]

Guess I am the fastener "grinch".

After YEARS of saving hardware I finally realized that for ME it was far easier to get the exact size I needed for a particular project. No more cleaning old dirty fasteners, no more using "almost" the right length.... but getting what I need all shiny and new.

Do I have some old stuff, yes, of course. Is it ever exactly what I need ? Rarely.

So I salute you who save, catalog, and store old fasteners.....I did it for fifty years.... the last 20 I just go get what I need.

Mike B

 

[harley jim]

That's a 30 mile round trip for me, and ace hardware is very proud of there fasteners.

 

[Bucko]

My wife was amazed for many years of having something break and me going to the garage and having the part to fix it she is now surprised if I don't have the part I need stashed somewhere. She is the exact opposite and has needed to rebuy something she either gave or threw away many times. She crafts and was given a bunch of stuff she didn't use for years and she boxed it up and I mailed it to my sister (talking $80 postage size box) when we moved 6 months ago. She has already had to buy one of the items again.