How do you organize your spare parts?

[steve7119]

Maybe it's been covered here before, but I would like to know how everyone else keeps track of spare parts? I have boxes of stuff and can't ever find what I need nor could I tell what the parts were from in the first place. I do have wheels and tires separated out, but the rest is a jumbled mess.

[Chuck Most]

This might not help, as you mentioned you have the wheels and tires under control, but I like to keep mine in those big, clear fishing lure cases. Most of them have compartments with removable dividers- you can keep a hundred or so tires (or wheel/tire assemblies) in them, depending on the size of the tire. I use the same containers for other small parts- cylinder heads, custom body parts, etc. Because they are clear, you can easily tell what's in them at a glance. The small clear conainers used for sewing supplies are great for the same reason, but are a bit more compact.

I like to keep parts from a given kit in a similar box- for instance, all my spare Lindberg '34 Ford parts in a Lindberg '34 Ford box. I've also improved my organization by 'condensing' complete kits where possible- sometimes you can fit two (or three) of a particular kit into one box.

For aftermarket parts like photoetch, small resin pieces, and other items that come in a pouch or a box wiht a hook hole, I keep them in the original baggie and use a push pin to secure them to a cork board near my workbench. I can tell at glance what's where. I also use this method to keep my Revell parts pack engines in order.

[JARRNO88]

I am really bad at keeping any extra or spare parts in order. Most of them are all in a box marked "SPARE MODEL PARTS". The only parts that I have organized are for a project that I am building at the time.

[Dan Helferich]

I have most of my small parts organized here:

I have plastic shoe boxes and old kit boxes with old builts, bodies etc...

I keep most of my aftermarket parts in the rafters of one of my basement hobby rooms:

[W-409]

I have my spare parts in that kind of boxes, as Dan. But then I have some parts boxes, where are lots of parts, and I've been trying to put engines and interior parts etc. on same place, and store them on Minigrips. That's pretty good way-but it easily gets bit messy.

[crazyjim]

I use about the same deal as Dan - the little drawer things. I've also discovered baby food containers. When cleaned out they make excellent storage containers for wheel/tires sets and engines. They have a snap on lid and can be written on with a marker for ID. I'd like to get my hands on more of them but there's no kids around here.

[steve7119]

Thanks you all for your replies, Gives me some ideas to try!

[Ramfins59]

A few years ago, I stole an idea from a now dear, departed friend (Dave Dickash)to store my parts in a rolling storage cart with plastic drawers/bins. I have wheels & tires in one drawer, engine and chassis parts in another drawer, interior parts in a third drawer, chrome parts/trees/ doo-dads in drawer # 4, clear parts (windows, lenses, taillights and clear and red sprue pieces) along with some clear acetate from Christmas Card box tops in drawer # 5, and the bottom, largest drawer has spare bodies and body parts. It is sometimes time-consuming to pick thru the drawers for just the parts you want, but at least the parts are separated by "category". I keep all my aftermarket stuff (aluminum, photo-etched, resin) in a large shoe box. All engine parts are held together with large, labeled binder clips, as are interior stuff, lights, wires, hoses, etc. Keeping all the related parts clipped together makes it easy to find what you want quickly. Pretty much all my modeling tools (X-Acto's, files, saws, tweezers, drills, small clamps, etc. fit into a plastic box with compartments, similar to a tackle box. Years ago I guess I did what most everyone did... throw ALL the extra parts into one big box... What a horror story to find pieces you wanted.