Sorting nuts and bolts

[magnet]

Having just acquired a large cabinet of industrial drawers i thought now would be a good time to sort all the tins ,jam jars and assorted containers of the past 30 years of accumulated fastenings.

So after work for the last fortnight i've brought up to the house a couple of containers and emptied them out on to an old tin tray on the dining room table and sorted them.
You would think a more boring occupation would be hard to imagine but i found it rewarding and strangely relaxing.

I am frankly amazed at the amount and variety that i have sorted and now i can put my hands straight on what i want. I still have work to do with all the things that fall outside nuts and bolts but for the first time ever i feel like the place is becoming more organised.

My ultimate goal is to get my workshop set up so my son who is hoping to study engineering can learn a few skills off his old Dad and maybe have a bit more to offer a prospective employer down the line.

So my reason for posting this is to perhaps encourage others to do the same.

 

[anto]

It's on my to do list. .... at the bottom lol

 

[Olderisbetter]

I love to sort nuts and bolts, screws and general drawer fulls of mixed bits (OCD), I have been cleaning bricks in my spare time over the last few weeks managed to get 800 ready to lay so far..

 

[slim_boy_fat]

I have a couple of glass jars waiting for the right moment. I got two of these, and they're great for the small stuff and take up much less than [say] travel sweet tins which I also have in 'readiness' Tricky to find at an acceptable price now, though

https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=r...SRyNjXAhVsIsAKHbnQDssQsAQILA&biw=1440&bih=794

 

[cumbriasteve]

I was given a brilliant 120 drawer wall cabinet, it was about 4ft x 4ft and from a dentists.

I spent the best part of 2 weeks on and off sorting every nut/washer/bolt/spring etc, complete with nice labels, it was going to be a sight to behold, an OCD sufferers vision of heaven

What I really wished was that when I held it up with one screw to check for level and location I had remembered to put the other seven screws in when I came back from my dinner and before putting approx 60 full drawers back in ....

 

[optima21]

I'm very unorganised and untidy, but try and keep small items organised, I use clear compartment boxes from Home Bargains, I think they're £2.50 each.

one box has one thread size in (luckily Im working in metric only)

.
the internal bits can be removed so are good for me keeping milling accessories, lathe tool bits, tig consumables etc

a few months ago I was given a job of sorting some bottles of paint out for painting model kits. there were hundreds of them, it was very relaxing, giving moral support to relatives while they were moving mail order company.

 

[bigegg]

I was given a brilliant 120 drawer wall cabinet, it was about 4ft x 4ft and from a dentists.

I spent the best part of 2 weeks on and off sorting every nut/washer/bolt/spring etc, complete with nice labels, it was going to be a sight to behold, an OCD sufferers vision of heaven

What I really wished was that when I held it up with one screw to check for level and location I had remembered to put the other seven screws in when I came back from my dinner and before putting approx 60 full drawers back in ....

 

[magnet]

I was given a brilliant 120 drawer wall cabinet, it was about 4ft x 4ft and from a dentists.

I spent the best part of 2 weeks on and off sorting every nut/washer/bolt/spring etc, complete with nice labels, it was going to be a sight to behold, an OCD sufferers vision of heaven

What I really wished was that when I held it up with one screw to check for level and location I had remembered to put the other seven screws in when I came back from my dinner and before putting approx 60 full drawers back in ....

Yeah those drawers sound like mine. They came out of an old school ironmongers i hit on by chance when my Dads neighbour wanted rid to give them more room to get their new car in the garage.

I securely screwed mine to the wall of the shed and have tried to keep heavier items near the bottom, they wouldn't need to tip over on one of the kids

 

[magnet]

I love to sort nuts and bolts, screws and general drawer fulls of mixed bits (OCD), I have been cleaning bricks in my spare time over the last few weeks managed to get 800 ready to lay so far..

I grew up doing stuff like that i think it stems from my Dad growing up during the war he saved and still saves all sorts i remember cleaning bricks from an old demolished garage that were then used to build the base of his new shed.

Straightening nails was another one i still do it today i very seldom buy nails or screws i have so many salvaged ones its just good old common sense.

What are your reclaimed bricks for if you dont mind ne asking.

 

[plewlandsbob]

Having just acquired a large cabinet of industrial drawers i thought now would be a good time to sort all the tins ,jam jars and assorted containers of the past 30 years of accumulated fastenings.

So after work for the last fortnight i've brought up to the house a couple of containers and emptied them out on to an old tin tray on the dining room table and sorted them.
You would think a more boring occupation would be hard to imagine but i found it rewarding and strangely relaxing.

I am frankly amazed at the amount and variety that i have sorted and now i can put my hands straight on what i want. I still have work to do with all the things that fall outside nuts and bolts but for the first time ever i feel like the place is becoming more organised.

My ultimate goal is to get my workshop set up so my son who is hoping to study engineering can learn a few skills off his old Dad and maybe have a bit more to offer a prospective employer down the line.

So my reason for posting this is to perhaps encourage others to do the same.

I have been doing the same,in my garage. I had buckets and tubs full of mixed bolts ,nuts and washers. It was so bad that it would take longer to look for bolts than it did, to do a job. I started by separating everything in to piles of big bolts ,small bolts, plain washers, spring washers etc. Then sorted each pile into thread size and put each size into a separate container.
Wife kept saying "just throw them all out and buy new ones" . She couldn't grasp that a lot of it was UNC/ UNF and not easy to get around here, off the shelf anymore.
I have a couple of old tractors, so the UNC/ UNF is good to have.
Also sorted out all the other boxes of assorted junk, kept the good/ handy bits ,organised in to separate containers and scrapped all the rubbish.
I too found it to be very therapeutic and very rewarding.
Wife would have killed me if I tried to do it on kitchen table lol.

 

[ukracer]

Having just acquired a large cabinet of industrial drawers i thought now would be a good time to sort all the tins ,jam jars and assorted containers of the past 30 years of accumulated fastenings.

So after work for the last fortnight i've brought up to the house a couple of containers and emptied them out on to an old tin tray on the dining room table and sorted them.
You would think a more boring occupation would be hard to imagine but i found it rewarding and strangely relaxing.

I am frankly amazed at the amount and variety that i have sorted and now i can put my hands straight on what i want. I still have work to do with all the things that fall outside nuts and bolts but for the first time ever i feel like the place is becoming more organised.

My ultimate goal is to get my workshop set up so my son who is hoping to study engineering can learn a few skills off his old Dad and maybe have a bit more to offer a prospective employer down the line.

So my reason for posting this is to perhaps encourage others to do the same.

Try sorting through 2 tons of bolts...lol

As of yesterday i feel i am able to start getting more sorted.....tool boxes came just at the right time. I have been ill for the past week during the night so feeling very tired during the day.........but i also find sorting theraputic as long as i dont have to throw anything away......lol

 

[ukracer]

I love to sort nuts and bolts, screws and general drawer fulls of mixed bits (OCD), I have been cleaning bricks in my spare time over the last few weeks managed to get 800 ready to lay so far..

You love to sort anything into boxes...lol

 

[Cris B]

Having tried various combinations of plastic organisers, containers, jars, etc this is the solution I've come up with after taking inspiration from the Garage Journal forum. I can't be doing with wasting time look for nuts and bolts. They all get sorted in my garage now*

*There is at least one box of miscellaneous waiting to be sorted...

 

[Migmac]

I have a couple of glass jars waiting for the right moment. I got two of these, and they're great for the small stuff and take up much less than [say] travel sweet tins which I also have in 'readiness' Tricky to find at an acceptable price now, though

https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=r...SRyNjXAhVsIsAKHbnQDssQsAQILA&biw=1440&bih=794

John, I have one of those roly things. It doesn’t get used, if you want it you can have it

 

[Hog-Rider]

I have plastic ,Old Ice cream Containers.One for Odd nuts,One for Odd bolts setscrews, One for matched nuts bolts/Large/Small.Same again for Metric/Imp..Some going back 50 years. Also I just cant help removing old Screws/fasteners from things, When they are Broken/stopped working, Just before I throw them away. Still cant find what I want lol. .

 

[hunter27]

Well embarrassingly I have a large builders bucket and a metal storage tray brimming with bolts,washers springs,clips, rivets and very few nuts of all denominations. mainly pre used. When I need something I tip the lot out and then shovel it all back in. The only thing I keep separate is stainless steel stuff.
I wish I was tidy like you lot

 

[pedrobedro]

I have some plastic peanut butter jars washed out and screw the lids to the underside of shelves then thread the jars onto them. I put a few bolts with nuts and washers in each so I know where to lay my hands on them when I'm doing anything in the shed.

 

[steveo3002]

is it a rule that however many nuts n bolts and what not in stock you will still never have the one you need lol

 

[slim_boy_fat]

John, I have one of those roly things. It doesn’t get used, if you want it you can have it

Oh, yes please.

I'm very unorganised and untidy, but try and keep small items organised, I use clear compartment boxes from Home Bargains, I think they're £2.50 each.

I'm very unorganised and untidy, but try and keep small items organised, I use clear compartment boxes from Home Bargains, I think they're £2.50 each.

That's very good, but where are the labels for the side(s)/edge(s) for ease of identifying the contents?

 

[wristpin]

I have some plastic peanut butter jars washed out and screw the lids to the underside of shelves then thread the jars onto them. I put a few bolts with nuts and washers in each so I know where to lay my hands on them when I'm doing anything in the shed.

I know someone who many years ago did the same with old glass jam jars.
At a certain point the vibration from the bench grinder undid most at the same time !!!!