Video #387: Important to first test if your polymer clay is compatible with the plastic drawers.
Topics Covered In This Video:
- Wall of drawers for storing my blocks of polymer clay, polymer clay canes, beads, and jewelry findings.
- These 60 drawer units are made by Mastercraft and were purchased at Canadian Tire (a retail chain in Canada). Similar units can be found at other locations including Harbor Freight.
- I store my polymer clay, grouped by color.
- Each drawer holds two 2oz packages of Premo Sculpey clay (wrapped and/or unwrapped).
- It is very important to pre-test any plastic that your raw polymer clay may end up coming into contact with. You need to determine if the plastic is compatible with your specific brand of polymer clay.
- I show several examples of sample raw clay from six different brands (Studio by Sculpey, Fimo, Pardo, Kato, Sculpey III and my favorite Premo)… placed in contact with the plastic dividers that came with my drawers… to see if the clay would react to the plastic. It is important to note that the dividers I used were made of the same plastic as the drawers, so this was an appropriate test. You may need to test in an inconspicuous spot on the drawers themselves if you don’t have such dividers to test on.
- Signs of plastic vs polymer clay incompatibility are: Plastic turns foggy where clay touches it; Clay eats into the surface of the plastic; Clay becomes sticky or crumbly; Clay bonds to plastic and is difficult to separate.
- My 60 drawer units comfortably houses every color in the Premo Sculpey line, plus a few more which I use for discontinued colors, possible new colors and a few for scrap clay.
- See through drawers make it easy to spot at a glance, any colors that need to be restocked.
Question of the Day:
How do you store your polymer clay? And, do you have any tips or have you had troubles when storing your clay that you would like to share with us in the comment section below?
I look forward to hearing from you.
By the way, if you have a polymer clay question or challenge you’d like me to address in an upcoming video vlog, do post it in the comments below. I’d love to help you find quicker and easier ways to bring up the professionalism in your polymer clay art.
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Looking forward to hearing from you!
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Yay i’m first i wish i had that many drawers. I have a set of small drawers that come with deviders. I store my clay in it but the packaging keeps getting stuck
I store my clay in drawers very similar to yours though I don’t have nearly as many as you do. But my favourite way to store my clay is to use the boxes that you use your fishing tools (don’t know what the English word for them is) and because I really don’t have very much room I can put them away and stock them on each other when I don’t need them I only have one room so I feel it works best for me).
When it comes to what plastic containers to use I always look for the Number 5. Most containers here have a number on them in a recycling symbol and I’ve found out that 5 is safe for me. I’m not saying that it is fool proof but I’ve never had any problems with this system. I don’t know if this system works in other countries but I hope so.
A neat tip offered by someone commenting on the Mastercraft 60-Drawer Plastic Parts Cabinet – Product #58-1087-2, was to use those little clear plastic stick on round bumpers to stick at the end of the bottom of the tray. Keeps the drawer from automatically coming out, unless you want it to come out.
I have another stacking system, with the same problem. Here is a link to a great resource, The Container Store, where they show different types for purchase.
I also store my clay in fishing tackle boxes. As each section only fits 4 blocks of clay, I store extras in regular (no partition) boxes. Lately, I have started a habit of labeling the clay blocks with the date of purchase so as to use the older ones first.
Thanks for the idea of labeling the blocks with the date. I will try that and remembered that my newest clay is the most accessible. Not a good thing.
I keep my working clay supplies on a set of shelves centred around eye height right behind the island bench where I clay, so I can just turn around and grab whatever I want as I need it (I don’t like facing a wall when I work, and I also prefer to stand than to sit).
The clay is arranged in colour spectrum order within each brand and type (regular opaque, metallic/pearlescent, special effects, etc.).
Brands and colours I use less frequently sit edge-on, which lets me keep up to 4 packets of a colour on the shelf while only taking up about 16-17mm of shelf width per colour (they’re arranged one behind another).
Brands and colours that I use more frequently get enough shelf width to hold large blocks, or small packets arranged widthways.
The exception is Pardo, whose packaging is incompatible with efficient storage (grrr!). I don’t use it much except for the translucent, so I just pile the packets however they fit in whatever space I have left over, and sometimes leave them in the boxes they came in (top left in the photo above).
I also have a LOT of extra clay because none of the local retail outlets stock the clay brands I use, so I tend to buy large quantities to minimise the postage cost per packet. On top of that, I have stocks of discontinued formulations (Kato) and discontinued colours (Premo). Whatever isn’t in the working clay area sits in my 10 litre containers at the bottom of the same bookcase. I replenish my working supplies from these every now and then.
I would love to have drawer units similar to Cindy’s — not for clay storage, but for storing beads, findings and the other zillion small bits and pieces I have — but I’ve never been able to get anything suitable here in Australia. The best drawer units I could find locally were still much too small in terms of the number of drawers and the drawer depth, and the base units were in bright colours rather than neutrals which also ruled them out for me. I also really wanted clear drawers, not translucent, but didn’t even get that far although I’ve seen pictures of what I want in other studios overseas.
The completely clear plastic tends not to be safe for all brands of clay. Most of my supplies are stored in completely clear ‘KRUS’ containers from IKEA which fit perfectly into my bookcases. I also use these for storing canes. They’re totally Kato-safe, but are only semi-Premo-safe and are totally incompatible with both Pardo and Fimo, so I line them with cling film for storing non-Kato canes. The result is still much easier to see through than translucent plastic.
I have wondered about your storage, Cindy! Thanks for telling us about it. My dad used to have one of those kind of cabinets and now, my mom has it with screws and nails and all sorts of things that are handy to have around the house, so I recognized yours as soon as I saw them.
When my mom moved from our house to my brother’s a few months ago, it gave me room for a studio and I decided getting some of those cabinets for storage would be a great addition. I mentioned it to a friend and she said she had some that she would give me! She used to store embroidery floss in them, but no longer was doing that, so they were just gathering dust. She stayed true to her word and one of them has the same size and number of drawers as yours… 60 drawers that will hold 2 blocks of clay each. I love it! The other cabinet is about the same size, but has larger drawers.
I don’t yet have all the colors of clay (I use Premo), so I have room in my small drawers for findings and other things. The larger drawers have tools, such as my cookie cutters, and other supplies. I’ve tried to be careful not to put raw clay directly on the plastic. I’m glad you talked about testing it. I need to do that. How long should I leave the raw clay on before I know that it is safe? I would love to be able to put my canes in the drawers without having to worry about a reaction.
My studio still has a ways to go before it is set up and organized the way I want it. I was recently diagnosed with stage 4 osteoarthritis in one knee and am in the process of seeing whether something short of surgery will relieve the pain. That has wreaked havoc with my already bad back. Otherwise, I would have my studio painted in the bright colors that I want so that I can move my new to me desk in and then build the work table that I want. When I get my work table, I’ll probably add some more of the little cabinets! They are so handy!
Thanks Cindy been wondering where to have a look at those cabinet. Right now I keep my clay in those black containers you get struesel in from the supermarket bakery, the lids are clear and each one holds about 17 blocks of clay and I can stack them in a basket I keep in a book shelf next to my chair. I like baskets as they are decorative and hold everything neatly and I can organize them by the different project materials I use such as wire wrapping, clay, beads and string for bead looming.I also clean up the pretty quart jars from my candles and they hold beads and mosaic tiles all lined up on another book case making it easier to see what I am looking for. They can even hold finished pendants, eyeglass chains and earrings in like color waves.
Betty B. I too have arthritis in my right hand and left knee both give out on occasion I also have fibromyalgia, I have been taking Tumeric for some time and while it isn’t a cure and thee are still small flare ups it seems to help especially with the fobromyalgia, I also just read that fresh ginger added to meals will help with the swelling and pain so I am going to try that.Of course ask a Dr. first but natural is always better than pharmicuticals for me. Good luck I know how frustrating it can be to want to do something and your body just doesn’t cooperate or actively fights you
Hi, Cheryl! Your storage system sounds so pretty! Love the idea of the decorative jars for storing beads in. I have a few of those candle jars… unfortunately, they still have candles in them! I’ll have to get more conscientious about using them. :-)
Thanks for the suggestion about the turmeric. I did try that for awhile when I had De Quervain’s tenosynovitis, which is very painful. It did help some, but I ran out and never got any more since the De Quervain’s was pretty well gone by then. I saw the ortho yesterday. Either today or Monday, I will go get a different brace for my knee to see if that helps. The one they gave me when I first saw the ortho is pretty worthless. I talked to him about the effect my weight has on it and he explained how the increase in weight increases the pain. He said if I lost weight, I might not have to have surgery, but we discussed other options, too. No condemnation… just the facts. I love this guy! :-) I think it’s time to get serious about my weight again. There is a workout that I have been doing for the past couple of years that had relieved the pain after a few months, but I had some schedule changes and quit doing it. It was several months later that the pain came back with a vengeance! I’ve been working out again, but not as consistently as I need to. I’m also checking into other natural remedies. I think it was a Google search (love Google!) that took me to some reviews on Amazon for Osteo-Biflex glucosamine and chondroitin. I’ve taken glucosamine and chondroitin before, but not that brand. Several of the reviewers said the brand really makes a difference (there was another good one mentioned, too), so I think I’ll give that a try, too. I’ll keep searching until I find something that works! :-)
Glad you like the candle jars, to clean them I put them inthe freezer and pop out the large leftover chunhs then into the micro wave and wipe them out with a paper towel after which I can scrub them with dish soap and they are perfect.
I too had problems with my weight and serious health problems so last year I had a gastric bypass and have lost 115 lbs, much of my pain is gone as well as the cholesterol that was in the 400, the sleep apnea ( I stopped breathing on an average of 500 times an hour ) the chronic fatigue is minimal but if I do too much I will still crash for a couple of days which is better than a few weeks like in the past the arthritis is still there but less painful and my knee and hand both still swell up and give out from time to time but they are both much more manageable now.. I haver to caution though, the bypass does work but they don’t tell you that your life is forever changed and you will react violantly to foods and drink that you can no longer have. a few months ago I started experiencing severe pain every time I ate and learned ( on my own, dr’s wont tell you this as the bypass is their new cash cow ) that I needed to take at least 2 gas-x pills and two acidoflilos capsules with every meal. I also had ibs before so I still have it and take something for regularity daily or things back up and the pain is intense. While this works for me based on the alternative I do not recommend it for anyone who just wants to ” lose a little weight ” as I said before it is the new cash cow so be sure to google the pros and cons for the things the Dr’s wont tell you and explore less drastic alternatives like the band first. this is life changing in good and bad ways.
Good luck and research, research,research before doing anything thia drastic and make sure you have a responsible Dr.
Thanks for the tips on cleaning out the candle jars, Cheryl! My SIL has done a lot of candle-making, so I knew about the freezer tip, but she doesn’t go to trouble of getting the wax completely out since she just fills them again!
Wow! My issues pale in comparison to yours! Thanks for the warnings. I can see how you might have thought I was referring to some kind of weight loss surgery, but I was actually referring to knee replacement! I guess I should have been more specific. LOL I have friends and family that have been through both lapband and gastric bypass. I never could understand why they did it when they had to be on a special diet for several weeks beforehand, anyway, and lost a significant amount just doing that. Why not just continue until the weight is gone? Yeah, I know… you go back to eating like before and gain it all back, but it doesn’t have to be that way. Then, there are all the issues that you have mentioned. I guess for some people, it’s critical to do it, but I know of some that just want to lose the weight, not necessarily for health reasons. I know what kind of diet works for me… it’s just a matter of buckling down to do it and sticking with it. I don’t think I even would qualify for bariatric surgery and never want to get to that point. I’m at my personal limit right now and it’s causing an awful lot of pain, so it’s definitely time to do something about it. I can’t even imagine what it wold be like if I were to allow it to go any higher. Next weekend is a big party weekend for my in-laws who will be celebrating their 65th anniversary, so my husband and I have set Monday, the 17th, as our start date! :-)
Hi Betty, thank you for your awesome comment! In regards to how long you should test raw clay on your plastic drawers to see if they are compatible, the longer the better, but you will usually see a reaction within a day or so, if it is going to be a problem for you.
Thanks, Cindy! I’ve had a test going for a few days now and not a sign of any problem! Guess I can get rid of the Ziploc bags and parchment paper. Yay! :-)
Still googling around looking at clear plastic containers for clay storage and ran across this site which sells plastic hinges for use in industry, both piano style and regular hinge style. Has anyone ever tried one of these with polymer clay to test the results?
If it is made of level 5 plastic, and would tolerate the clay, it would sure make book covers, small cabinet doors and the like.
Called the online/store folks today, and they are researching the type of plastic used to make these hinges to get back to me. You can call the store to order amounts over $30 (not including the glue). Lesser amounts can be ordered online.
TAP Plastics Inc, 800-246-5055
They use IPS Weld On Acrylic Cement to join the hinge to the acrylic sheets to make box doors, etc. The glue is $8.65, and the hinges are very inexpensive. Budget constraints keep me from experimenting with it now, but, if anyone has used these with the acrylic cement to attach it to polymer clay successfully, would sure appreciate hearing about your results.
If this works, I could see lovely photo albums and such being created with the piano or cabinet hinges, using polymer clay covers.
Could you please share with me/ us which drawer organizer
(brand & model) you’ve purchased from the Container Store? anybody else that has had success a with any retailer & brand container that they also found a great deal on? Much appreciate any info on any deals found on any polymer clay merchandise. I’ll do the same whenever I found a deal we can all benefit from. Thanks in advance and much appreciated.
Matingbflies.
Hi Mary Ann!
Can give you three units that work well for poly clay storage. First Cindy’s units (you can see them in her video) which she purchased through Canadian Tire Stores (no online ordering).
The second is a series of products called Stack-On, available online: 39 Stack-On 39 Drawer Storage Cabinets, DSB-39, #4403, is the largest. The grey/blue holding unit is made of #6 plastic, and each of the drawers is marked with #5 plastic type symbols. They have several models that stack together of this same family. I have several of these and love them.
The third is a 40 drawer storage unit purchased online at Harbor Freight, or call to order 800-423-2567. The specifics: 40 Bin Organizer With Full Length Drawer, Storehouse – Item#94375
The last are containers from IKEA, the KRUS line, as mentioned by Sue F. These seem to be store only purchase items.
Also if you go to the search box at the top of this page and request “storage” you will get a ton of blog information and comments that will give you more information and more leads.
The Container Store has a metal cabinets available for crafters.
All best.
We don’t have a Container Store around here and I didn’t see anything online like the little drawers. One of the units that I have is a Stack-On. (Not sure about the other one.) The brand name seems to be missing, but there is a little indented place where it should be. It looks like they have started molding that in and maybe it used to be a separate piece that was glued on or something. Anyway, the Stack-On cabinets are carried by Home Depot, online at least. If you sort by brand, though, the 60 drawer cabinet may not show up. It didn’t for me, but the Model # of DS-60 is listed in the description. It’s a great little unit and can be mounted to the wall, if desired. I love mine and plan to get some more! Soon! I just bought more clay at Michael’s tonight for $1 each! :-)
Hi,
I store my clay exactly the same way. i did not test the plastic, but will do now. i just lined the drawers with parchment paper to be on the safe side.
Yea! This is perfect timing! My son and I are getting ready to sit up our claying workshops and were discussing storing the clay. I have been told the little floss boxes make for good storage too. Thanks Cindy and all of you for your ideas.
I’ve been using portable crafts tubs designed to hold embroidery floss for the past two years. These are for my mixed colors and I tape the color names to the inside of the lid. My blocks of unmixed clay I use craft quality shoe tubs – one for each brand of clay. Both types of tubs have held up over time with no bad clay/plastic reactions. I love the drawer idea and may move to that when I have a dedicated craft room. :)
Cindy,
Doesn’t your clay dry out when left in the drawers without wrapping?
Hi Maria, no most polymer clays that are cured by baking won’t dry out by being unwrapped and out in the air, but they can leach out their oils if they sit on something absorbent like a wood table or some paper.? So keep that in mind when storing your polymer clay. Thanks for asking!
Hi Cindy, thanks for the info on the bins. I store my clay in small dresser drawers. My question on the bins is my craft room is very sunny, I thought clay is sun sensitve. So if I got something like the bins you have , would I have to cover them.
You make an excellent point Jeanine! Yes if you had some heat or direct sun on your drawers of clay, it would cause the premature aging of your polymer clay. (Seems sun does that to all of us! lol) Any way, if you have to put your bins in a location where the sunlight will hit it, you could slip a piece of decorative paper into the fronts of the drawers. In this case you’d probably want to label them since you would not be able to see what is inside. Thanks for bringing that up!
Hi Betty,
please wish your in-laws the best and many more years to come, we will be 38 this year and hope to double that, you know best, friends and all that. My mother had knee surgery on both knees a few months ago and while the pain is bad it was nothing compared to what it was before surgery, they have improved the technique so much that her recovery was weeks instead of months and she is very happy she did it. She spent years in terror of the procedure because of all the horror stories going around, but my neighbor had it done not long ago and I was able to reassure her that it is now not so bad.I had to bully hert into it a bit but she is glad I did. But then I’m a bite the bullet and get it done kind of gal. Good luck.
I am crazy about making cuff bracelets, but my blank is flaking and showing rust on the inside is there something I can coat it with to stop and repair this that won’t effect the clay? I also found a cute inexpensive way to hold and display them, I put them on paint roller brushes, they fit perfectly and the rollers come in many different colors, I can stand them on end or run a dowel or wire through them and put hooks on the wall to hold the whole thing horizontally. each one holds 9 bracelets.at a show a piece of wood with vertical dowels would hold them upright for display.
Although I’ve heard that knee replacement is painful, I’ve also heard from some friends for whom there was very little pain. Pain isn’t really the issue, though. Anesthesia makes me pretty sick. I’d rather endure the pain! My doctor said I would only be in the hospital a couple of days, then either to rehab for a few days or home with out-patient rehab. I went to get a different brace today, but the one that had been recommended to me wasn’t going to work for me. They are ordering a different one for me to try. If that doesn’t work, well… we’ll see!
That’s too bad about your bracelet! Hope you figure out some way to fix it! I like your display idea with the paint rollers. Clever!
OK… it’s late and I really should go to bed! LOL Thanks for the well-wishes for my in-laws! For their 60th, we did a big family cruise. That was a big mile-stone. This, of course, is even bigger! They talked about another cruise, but no one could pull it together this time, so we are partying as a family this weekend. It will be casual and a lot of fun!
Congrats on 38 years! That is also a big mile-stone! I hope you are planning to do something really special to celebrate!
I am holding out for 40 when I hope to renew our vows and maybe even have that postponed honeymoon. At our age we would appreciate it more and even get out of the room to enjoy the sites unlike true newly weds,lol
Have a wonderful time.
Best of luck Betty,
There is nothing worse than needing to get somewhere and your legs don’t cooperate.
Looks like everyone is all fired up about the storage units,can’t wait to get mine, so many great options and theser would be terrific for transporting jewelry to shows and flea markets, you wouldn’t even have to pack and unpack
Sorry Cheyrl, I missed your question… to clarify your cuff blank is a metal (chrome plated maybe?) and you have polymer clay on the top of the blank. Now the plating has flaked off and started rusting underneath and you need a product to stop the rusting that won’t interfere with the polymer clay. Is that correct?
If so, two products come to mind. 1) PYMII Spray and 2) Renaissance Wax. Either product will work beautifully to seal in the metal and preventing it from further rusting and they both are polymer clay compatible.
If you aren’t familiar with those products, type them into the search box at the top of this blog and you will find posts on both of these great products. Good luck!
Betty,
My mother hsd the surgery last year and is glad she did, her recovery was weeks instead of months as the Dr’s are done ” practicing ” and now know what they are doing, just stay away from anything made by Stryker, my son’s father-in-law ( as well as many others ) had to have his hip re-done when the stryker appliance fell apart. please wish your in-laws many more happy years together.
Cindy love the drawers and can’t wait to get some when the budget allows.The first time I saw them I had stars in my eyes.I have an old table for my work surface and it is wide enough to set the boxes at the back and still leave enough space to work. My studio is 2/3 of what used to be my husbands home office when he worked for IBM and delt with the sister dept in China making mainframes. Now he flies fighter jets while I make jewelry, it is quite pleasant and after 38 yrs we still enjoy each others company even if there are many contented silences.
I still wrap my clay in glad even when in the bakery containers so the colors don’t attatch to each other and I am still afraid they will dry out if not used soon enough. I bought some glad last year that turned out to be the red x-mas kind but have not used it for the clay since I am worried that it will transfer the color to the clay, I use the clear I had left for clay.I guess I should put a small piece of clay in it and see what happens. I’ll let you know.
Hello, All!
I store my odds and ends of clay in two Pyrex 9×9 glass baking dishes (you know, the kind for brownies!). If I have mixes, I roll them in logs and if the odd end is a pure color, I shape the log square so I can tell the difference. I put them in lines according to color family, dark to light. I usually only have one dish full up at a time because I make it a point to never let odds and ends go for more than a month, even canes. To do this, every once in a while I just sit with what is available in front of me and let myself play even more spontaneously than I usually do. I end up with wonderful things that I never thought to make and then I bead them up or whatever needs done with them. If I have a mix that I don’t like too much (which doesn’t happen often) I just blend it all up and use it for my sculpt bases or foundations for beads, etc.. My unopened packages of clay are stored in a wooden cabinet unit. They are kept like Sue F. keeps hers, in spectrum order by style. I also work on a marble board. I bought a professional pastry board (the biggest they had) on Amazon and it is awesome to work on. I use a large piece of tempered glass for keeping the current palatte of colors in front of me, across the marble work board so I can just reach over. I keep the assorted pieces of sculpts there and any mixes used and unused that are pertinent at the time. I recently got a 19″ tempered glass Lazy Susan for working my sculpts and it even happens to match my marble. It is as smooth as silk. I bought it on Amazon also and very inexpensive. For me, the glass and marble are the way to go. They are easy to clean, do not stain, keep the clay cool,don’t create reactions and with care will last a lifetime. And that is good, because I intend to keep claying that long.
Love to All,
Andrea
Hello Cindy, I’m a new subscriber from Maine! I love you’re style of teaching. You’re tips make me want to go back and try polymer clay all over again! My thing is making jewelry…with whatever materials I have and can afford. Thanks a bunch! God bless!
I watched your video about storing polymer clay in plastic drawers, but unfortunately my clay is already became sticky, should I cut off the sticky part or just knead it back into the clay. Also, are there any way I can clean off the gooey things that is stuck in the drawers?
Thank you.
Hi Dorothy, it sounds like your plastic is indeed reacting with your clay. As far as your clay goes, you can cut off any bits that may have gone sticky or hard and crunchy, and keep the rest. Clean off the plastic drawers by scraping off the gunk and then cleaning with rubbing alcohol. You may not be able to totally remove the mark left by the clay… it may stay foggy or pitted, but if you remove the reacting clay, it should prevent it from causing further damage. Good luck!
Thank you so much!
Okay Cindy, I have an unusual compatibility question dealing with polymer clay. I am thinking about getting a 3D printer, and have started researching models, it seems there are two types of filament that these printers use PLA and ABS. Would you happen to know either or both of these are compatible with PC? The idea is to “print” forms and then veneer them with PC. The other question would be if the printed forms are compatible with the 265 degree temps for curing PC, but that would be a useless question if PLA, ABS or both are incompatible with PC.
Thanks a million!!!
Hi Ken, have you ever bought any products from Terry Morris at EpoxyJewelry? You could talk to him. He does 3-D printing and knows a fair amount about compatibility issues. I’m think he could answer your questions for you. He also has a Facebook page if you would like to contact him there. Just tell I sent you. He will probably help. Good luck! Let us know how it goes…
I chatted with Terry Morris, and he stated that the two types( PLA & ABS ) of filaments have melting temperatures that are below that of the curing temp for PC, so I guess plan “B” is in order of making molds of the printed objects.
I recently went to Harbor Freight, their version was not as is pictured on the website. The outside housing was not one solid piece, they now have it looking like several pieces I was not thrilled with the construction of it. However Stack-on also carries the 60 drawer that has the same dimensions as your organizer according to the websites. I have found that Walmart, Home Depot, and Northern tool all have this but Wally World and Home Depot only seem to have them online, and not available in my local stores. I have NOT checked at Northern Tool since the closest store is almost 40 miles away and I haven’t been near one. I had hoped that I could swing by and get a few since they are on sale at the moment.
Guess I will keep looking for something similar closer.
Thanks Laura for sharing your finds with us. That info will be helpful for many!
I have found that Walmart has some nice pencil boxes for under a dollar and they go on sale for 25. from time to time, especially at the start of the school year. I have picked up several and they stack beautifully and are large enough to store entire catagories of tools and colors of clay. Lined and stacked against the back wall along my work table they are accessible and keep everything neat and clean. Until I can afford the boxes with drawers they are a nice alternative and since they come in colors my tool and clay storage can be color coded. They are somewhat see through so everything is easy to find and since I like symetry it works for me. because they stack they take up less room than the big boxes as well. Just a thought for anyone like me who need to watch the budget.
Awesome idea Cheyrl! It sounds like you found something that really works for you. I take it that the plastic pencil boxes you are using are polymer clay safe since you didn’t mention the clay eating at the plastic. This smaller storage solution should work well for many people here that have smaller workspaces to work in. Thanks for sharing!
I have been using the pencil boxes for a couple of year now and have had no problems with them eating the clay of course no matter what I put it in I always wrap it in saran wrap to keep it from drying out too fast. Whatever bits and oieces that fall onto the surface of the box have never eaten into it though.
I am looking at storage bins for my PC. The drawers are made of polypropylene but the cabinet is made of polystyrene. I cannot see any contact of the clay with the cabinet. I don’t think that any reaction from fumes would take place. I don’t plan on my clay being around for a year, so I think this would be safe for storage. What do you think?
Hi Kathleen, yeah my storage unit is the same… it’s fine, just keep the clay inside the drawer and don’t stick the raw clay to the cabinet and you’ll be good to go. I’ve had my clay in them for years and years with no problems!
I would like to know how you keep those plastic bins on top of each other against your wall I have them but I don’t know how to keep them from falling frontwards or whatever and you know how can I stack them on top of each other do you glue them do you hammer them on the wall do you put tape to hold them up anything would be a help to me I’d like to get my art room fixed up. And I like Monica on the other side lol please let me know I really really need help with getting everything organized I don’t feel like I should be doing clay if I’m not organized.
Hi Kathay, if you look at the back of these units, they have some of those keyhole hanging holes that you can hang them on the wall with screws. You want to mount them directly into studs (or you can add a backer board to the wall that is screwed into studs and then hang the units anywhere on the backer board.) You may want to solicit some help with that if you haven’t mounted cabinets to walls before, but it is quite a simple job. As far as glue or tape… neither is necessary if they’re screwed into the wall. The ones I have are designed to stack nicely.
In regards to Monica, were you saying you liked her in the new spot or back to the old spot? LOL
Lastly, although it is better to be organized than not to be, don’t let your organizing hold you back from creating. Lots of incredible artists are horribly organized and create all the time in chaos. I’d rather see you making stuff in a mess, then never making anything in an organized studio. Supplies are meant to be used… not just to be collected. :)
First only my opinion I liked Monica in the old spot.you can see your studio better. Now is there any other way to attach the clay bins I rent. I can tape them if you know of a tape but I can’t putscrew any thing in the walls maybe Mail. Your are great. By the way my husband has dementia Alzheimer’s it’s hard just show them love even if you don’t understand anything you’re saying. And remind them Who You Are. God bless you
You wouldn’t need to mount them to the wall if you had them side by side rather than stacking. Or if you did want to stack them, you could have them stacked on the floor. You just want to make sure that they can’t fall over and hurt someone. (I don’t think tape would be a good option though. Wouldn’t be strong enough in an earthquake or if you had a bunch of drawers pulled out at once. Better be safe than sorry.)
Thank you for your advice about the clay drawers I have to stack them one on top of the other but I’ll get permission from my landlady to drill holes in the wall also I have one more statement is there any way that you can hold the speaker closer to you a little bit closer so you’re a little louder when you’re doing your weekly wonderful Q&A I love watching it I never can watch it on Wednesday when it’s being shown but I make sure I watch it as soon as I can usually it’s on Friday but I don’t care as long as I can see you I’ve learned so much from you.
Thank you Kathay for your kind words. Yes I will try and bring the mic closer when I do the LIVE broadcasts. It can be tricky during an unboxing, because the mic gets in the way, but I will do my best. Perhaps in the future I can figure out a different way to mount the mic so it id off the table. so many things… so little time. Take care! <3