Keeping Material Organized

[Gregg Machel]

What are some of the ways all of you keep your fly tying materials organized? I'm in my first year of fly tying and it's already getting out of hand. I've got a couple compartment boxes (the plastic ones), one for hooks, one for flies, and a little 12" X 8" desk organizer that I keep the smaller stuff in. I still find that I have stuff laying all over the place. I do have a big desk, which is shared with my computer, so I think I have ample room for everything. I'd just be curious to know how everyone else organizes their materials.

[Bob Scheidt]

Hi Gregg,
I have some of those plastic storage drawer-racks that I use. I am sure you have seen them. They come 3 or 4 drawers high and you can stack them on top of each other.
Some of them have shallow drawers. I use some cardboard to divide the shallow drawer and store similiar size threads in each compartment.

Other things to remember--I keep all beads in the original bags and some times put those bags in sandwich bags. I try to keep them airtight to prevent tarnishing over time. Months won't tarnish beads, years will.

I went to the no pest strips for bug protection for my expensive feathers, choice hair and hard to get stuff. I get them at Orchard supply, I think they are called hot shots, no pest strip. No mess and they do the job.

Bob Scheidt

[Darian]

I'm probably like everyone else, here..... My fly tying area alternatley looks like a bomb dropped on it and clean as a pin (not often, tho). Once in a fit of clarity, I bought a piece of furniture (a secretary with drawers) and that is the base camp for my activities, now. Got all kinds of storage boxes for extra stuff, hooks, flies.

I agree with Bob about the use of the pest strips..... I've had a few infestations over the years and kept 'em under control wsith the strips.

[Hairstacker]

My storage is probably no different than everyone else's. I keep threads in two flat plastic boxes that are thin enough to keep them from falling over inside. I have similar, individual plastic boxes for hooks, beads, miscellaneous, etc. I keep flash material (Krystal Flash, Flashabou, etc.) in a shoe box, since I don't worry about bugs getting in there. For the bulk of my material, I acquired two of the very large, under-the-bed plastic storage boxes from WalMart/Target -- they're inexpensive and I use one for furs and the other for feathers and I keep inside each box a couple of film canisters with holes drilled in the lids full of mothballs to control pests. Putting them under the bed keeps them out of the way and out of sight. Getting ready to buy my 3rd under-the-bed storage bin, as I find myself buying new materials virtually every time I tie a new pattern, despite the oodles of stuff I have already. I use an Excel workbook to keep track of everything -- separate worksheets for feathers, furs, hooks, dubbing, synthetics, wires, etc. I have this Excel workbook downloaded to my Palm T3, where I also keep track of my "to buy" lists, as it'll fit in my pocket when I go to the fly shop -- otherwise, I tend to buy stuff I already have.

[Darian]

Holeeeee Cats Mike,..... I thought I was involved. I'm still using manual spreadsheets for cost/inventory fig's....

I use crates with the folding tops for storage of furs/hair/feathers.... and a clear plastic box fir storage of threads (....has posts on the bottom for spools) Got 'em from a combo of Home Depot and some sewing/yardage shop near here.

[Hairstacker]

Darian, Darian, Darian . . . MANUAL spreadsheets?!? You should really consider converting those to Excel. SO much easier to keep organized, as you can insert/delete/copy-paste rows with just a few mouse clicks. That way you can keep all colors of bucktail together in one section, all colors of deer body hair together in another section, all your dubbing together by type, etc.

The Palm T3 part might be a little overboard (although I think not), but it allows me to carry with me pictures (including slide shows) of fish caught (including David Lee's gargantuan striper for inspiration ), fly fishing and fly tying articles to read (something to do during business meetings), lists of hooks available in barbless, a bead-hook cross-sizing chart, leader formulas, etc. I also have a program on there named "FlyBox" I downloaded for free off the net that keeps track of fly patterns and the materials that comprise them, as well as a hatch/insect database that allows you to track insects, their description, by date, time, location, and temperature. Have I mentioned my fishing watch?

[Darian]

Miiiiike,..... Have you ever seen this on a bumper sticker "He who dies with the most toy's wins"

Ya know, I was sure that helping the first fly caught fish guys out with the recommedndation for a twelve point program was aimed in the right direction, but.....

Tell me truthfully now, can you quit ... Anytime you want Cold turkey ..... I know a good twelve point program...... :P :P :P

[Gregg Machel]

Great ideas everyone, thanks for your feedback. I never thought of the bugs getting into the feathers and fur. That's going to be the next thing that I do! I bought a case for hooks and beads this weekend, that that cleared up a lot of clutter already! Does it ever end? My guess is a simple .... No!

[Gregg Machel]

Oh, I forgot ... Hairstacker, would you be willing to send a copy of your spreadsheet my way? I don't need the data, I'm just interested in how you organized and formatted it. That is a great idea.

[David Lee]

Hey , Gregg - Organization is highly overrated .

I have around 6 or so Sterilite bins for big stuff , around 10 mid-sized ones for flash , rabbit , etc. , 4 full hook boxes (each w/ 20-something compartments ) , a vertical chest w/ drawers for thread ..... I still can't find anything I'm lookin' for .

The nice part of all that crap in chaos is .... whenever I look for a specific thing (let's say ....wine saddle hackles) , I find all sorts of cool stuff I'd forgotten I Had . Kind of like getting a present or a gift sometimes

Take a deep breath , you're a fly-tyer now - you're not SUPPOSED to have a grip on finding anything :P !

Nice meeting you on Saturday , give a shout if you need any "strange" material . David