We are supposed to get smarter.

[DRG]

As we go through life we are supposed to get smarter.

As we build our models we are supposed to get better.

I am currently working on, haphazardly, a 1953 Ford Conv.

While I am kind of making progress I am currently at a stand still because I do not like the engine in the kit.

No problem, right, look through your stash and find one.

I looked through my stash and found a problem. I can no longer identify what heads go with what engines, Manifolds are also a loss for identification.

Ok, simple enough solution, build the engines and then put them in stash. I will from now on, but for time I'm stymied.

What engine should I use?

[Greg Myers]

Come on, tell me you've done a jigsaw puzzle? A Chinese puzzle.One of those bent wire thingies? This is no different. Look for the same colors, now check to see what fits.Still like a jigsaw puzzle, put all the parts together that you think go together and see what comes up. Good Luck. You can do it.

[highway]

As we go through life we are supposed to get smarter.

As we build our models we are supposed to get better.

I am currently working on, haphazardly, a 1953 Ford Conv.

While I am kind of making progress I am currently at a stand still because I do not like the engine in the kit.

No problem, right, look through your stash and find one.

I looked through my stash and found a problem. I can no longer identify what heads go with what engines, Manifolds are also a loss for identification.

Ok, simple enough solution, build the engines and then put them in stash. I will from now on, but for time I'm stymied.

What engine should I use?

Donald, I can't really help you on what engine you should use, but I can give you a better alternative than building engines before putting them in your stash. After almost 25 years of building and getting smarter as we age (which could still be open to discussion in my case! ), as well as being 35 standing in the middle of my stash scratching my head trying to figure out what kit a particular part I just found laying around is from, I had one of those "THAT'S IT!" moments about six months ago. It was so simple I can't believe I didn't think of it before, since I've been using the same idea for protecting kit glass for years. My simple solution for keeping track of parts now is, drumroll please:

ZIPLOC BAGS!!!

Like I said, I have used them for protecting glass for years, and that is what led to my "THAT'S IT" moment for keeping track of parts. I had accidentally left the glass sprue in it's baggie out of a kit I was working on, then later found it had slipped off the desk and was not even noticed until I was looking for a part that went flying. I then spent the better part of a month trying to figure out what kit it came from, and thought about from now on, marking on the baggie what kit the parts are from with a Sharpie. If I had just thought of that before, I would have known instantly the glass was from my 69 Trans Am!

I now have four boxes of the cheap Walmart Ziploc bags, all the way from the little snack sized bags for small parts all the way up to gallons for large parts and entire sprues, that never leave my desk. When I have custom parts from a kit I'm not going to use, I just put them in the appropriate sized bag and write the kit manufacture, kit name, brief description, and sometimes even kit number and parts numbers if I know them in the case of parts I discover already in the parts box. It also makes life much simpler in trade situations, too, because if someone is asking for ABC part for XYZ kit, I don't have to post a pic saying "Is this it?", I know I have that part!

[Jantrix]

Yep, what he said.

[Aaronw]

I don't know about the smarter bit, I seem to get dumber the older I get. As a young child people thought I was brilliant, as an older child they still thought I was a pretty smart kid, as a young adult I was above average, now people seem amazed I can tie my shoes.

Going along with the ziplock bag idea, I found the shoe box size plastic containers you can get at Walmart, Target etc work great for keeping everything together on stalled projects. Now when I have something sitting untouched on my bench for an extended period I'll pack it into one of those boxes, so I can find it all when the mood strikes me to get it going again. The sides are clear making it easy to find again and they stack for storage.

[LAone]

i agree with all these guys on the plastic boxes and zip lock baggies. the best idea ever! i also use craft storage boxes for wheels, or parts that are all the same. once i start a project, i use a plastic container and fill it with all the parts im going to use, then the "extras" or parts not being used go in a baggy for the trade/sell container.

as for getting smarter, better or even dumber...dunno, cant come up with anything..

[ra7c7er]

I've been using small craft bags ever since I started modeling. Staple a index card to the bag with the contents listed and the kit it came from and you will NEVER have to worry about forgetting what you have.

[charlie8575]

The Ziplock bags and little tiny zipper bags you get in electronic boxes for little bits and pieces are handy.

I like to use the small tool-box-type drawer unites that are intended for screws and such. You can find those at hardware stores for around $8-10 each.

Charlie Larkin

[Carmikeman]

this where the 302 Ford Hemi and the Cross-Ram 292 Chevy 6cylinder come into being

[Danno]

I also use a lot of zip-lock bags for parts storage. Besides the grocery store varieties, craft stores usually stock smaller zip-lock bags (like the aftermarket resin casters use) in a wide range of sizes from tiny to big; they are usually in the make-it-yourself jewelry section.

I put small parts in those, and often put all the small bags for a particular assembly (chassis, engine, body trim, etc.) into a sandwich size zip-lock bag ~ to keep all the parts for the assembly together. Then I can stash all the assembly bags in a project box ~ a plain cardboard box a little larger than a kit box. I bought a bunch of those from an office supply store; all my work-in-progress projects are in those boxes. Makes for neat, uniform storage.

I tend to "recycle" my bags, baggies, and storage boxes from one project to another, so I don't mark or label right on the bag or box. With the bags/baggies, I write the identifying information on a post-it and slip it into the bag. The post-it will stick to one side of the bag, and the labeling will show through the clear bag, but the label won't get lost or detached because it is inside the bag. When I've used the contents ~ installed on the project ~ I can through away the post it and the bag is ready for re-use.

I do the same with the boxes: I use 3" wide masking tape for a label on the end of the box, and write the identification of the project on the masking tape. Once I've finished the project, I can peal the tape off and the box is ready for another project.

[Greg Myers]

and as we all get older and a few more visits to the doctor we end up with a bunch of empty pill bottles of various sizes that will hold tires or complete engines,

[Erik Smith]

this where the 302 Ford Hemi and the Cross-Ram 292 Chevy 6cylinder come into being

Sick that on! What's this? Oh well, looks good enough!

Wiser, maybe. Smarter? Debatable.

[highway]

I tend to "recycle" my bags, baggies, and storage boxes from one project to another, so I don't mark or label right on the bag or box.

I do the same with the boxes: I use 3" wide masking tape for a label on the end of the box, and write the identification of the project on the masking tape. Once I've finished the project, I can peal the tape off and the box is ready for another project.

Danno, my comments, other than the ones I use to protect my kit glass, on marking on the bags go for just the parts I know I'm either not going to use and may end up trade fodder or thrown in the parts box. I keep track of the small parts I've pulled from the sprue and painted or have just fallen off the sprue the same way you stated, since "recycling" is good!

My "recycling" of kit boxes is also very much like yours, I learned that after many hours of "Where the ____ is that kit?" searching through the stash. The only difference is I use the 3x5 or 2x4 inch (can't remember the size offhand) white labels. I even passed that on to a friend of mine after we would get together and be doing some trading and I'd see something on the shelf and say "I've been looking for that!" and he would reply "That's not what's in there, I don't even know what's in that box." Of course, we still have that problem, he will write the label out and put what USED to be in the box, but he never puts the same kit back in it!