Technical Body guys, where do you store all your tools and materials?

I am starting to rethink my bodywork room. I have cabinets hanging from the roof down about 4 ft. They are running over crazy full.

I have dura blocks, blocking boards, foam flexible blocks, 3 or 4 da's, air files, da sandpaper,air file paper, primer guns, paint guns, disposable cups and rings, all of the product like primers, paints, hardeners etc.

I know I should invest in a fire cabinet, but they get pricey. I have thought about it though.

I was thinking of an office supply cabinet for the non flammable stuff. I need something with lots of shelves. Something like this would be ideal, but it is kinda pricey. https://www.uline.com/Product/Detai...WbovMmOuR1pQVX9rXbgaAoGpEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds

I don't want any exposed shelves, due to all of the sanding dust etc.


Out of sight , out of mind.......

Ideas?

 

I've bought 12" pine boards and shelf brackets, and stuck shelves everywhere lol. All of my sandpaper is in a cabinet, primer and body filler stay on the bench. 5 gallon thinner cans are in the floor under the paint bench. My biggest storage issue is leftover paint. Kinda like nuts and bolts and scrap metal, i keep everything lol

 

I do too. That's my problem.

 

There are times I wish I remembered ! LOL

 

I utilize the floor quite a bit lately since I ran out of elevated horizontal spaces. Things are spread out, easy to find, I don't have to spend a lot of time walking to the tool box...although they all look somewhat alike when covered in a fine layer of bondo dust.

 

That's what i looks like now. It's like a mine field.

 

And not to mention 4 air hoses cuz I get too impatient to keep disconnecting and re-connecting air boards, DA's, air nozzle, etc. It's a mine field with snakes!

 

Generally paint and body chemicals are designed to have an unopened shelf life of about 18 months. Shorter once opened so I don't keep much of that stuff around. Not worth the risk of something failing down the road to save a few bucks. I buy in sizes I need to minimise leftovers. I might keep a little bit around for non critical stuff but wont use old products on stuff that matters seen way too much of it fail.

 

Most of mine isn't. I painted 3 cars last year.

 

I did 3 last week root hopefully 3 more this week coming up

 

I'm not that fast. Most were family freebies.

 

Hope that image was just show an tell as Uline is way to expensive.

 

Older painter I knew kept his leftover paint in an old refrigerator.....unplugged/non-working. (the old one door style)
Minimized temperature swings on the paint, and a poor mans fire cabinet

 

Not sure about where you live, but we have places here that sell used storage cabinets and shelving. The prices are pennies on the dollar compared to what it sold for new. Also check out Craigslist, as people often sell cabinets for $10-$20 each there. I found some on CL locally that were $10 ea. and were 6 ft. tall metal cabinets with 6 shelves. I wish I had room for all of them, as he had 6 cabinets and said I could take all 6 for $50. I bought two, and called a bunch of guys, but nobody wanted to go grab some.

 

That’s why I don’t own it.

 

I bought some lateral file cabinets when one of the local businesses went under renovation. I think I bought 5 for $200. That’s kinda what I am looking for, repurposed stuff for cheap.

 

Goodwill or Habitat for Humanity.

 

The Habitat stores usually have high quality file cabinets an often have the legal/medical file cabinets with the lift up doors on them. Those don't take a lot of space out into the room and keep stuff out of sight. The cost is usually way less than what it costs to buy boards and plywood to make something to store stuff in.

 

If you're patient.....I found a really nice fire cabinet on craigslist for relatively cheap. At least, compared to new fire cabinets. I think it was $200.

 

That’s what I bought for my main shop. I may try to find more of those.

 

If that cabinet your looking at isn't air tight, its going to get body dust in it anyway.
An old fridge (doesn't need to work, but a functioning light inside would be helpful) to use as a fire box would work.

A closet outside of the body room might be a great idea, the stuff would be all together, and would stay pretty clean. Just big enough to put in lots of shelves and good lighting, only needs to be big enough for the shelves and room to turn around in. Can be made lockable, and pretty air tight if desired. Gene

 

^^^^this. I have always stored pain and products in an old fridge. If temps change dramatically does not hurt. plus the are somewhat fire resistant. we took the motor, compressor etc off the one we had after recovering the freon. It was a side by side sandpaper, blocks, da's etc in fridge side and paint in freezer side.

 

God I wish I knew.... I can never find what I want when I need it...

 

Gene, I doesn’t have to be air tight, just not laying out in the open.

 

You might check with various doctors' offices or medical centers. Even your vet's or dentist's. With all the records being kept digitally these days, there are lots of surplus cabinets.

 

We bought a bunch of the cabinets you listed from a business that was closing down a few years ago. Got them for 10% of what they where worth new.

we do have a large fire cabinet at work for all the paint and thinners bondo etc.

sand paper files tape etc are kept in plastic tote style tool boxes in the cabinets

pretty cheap and easily organized, only thing that was expensive was the fire cabinet, as it was bought new.

 

One side of my garage is old file cabinets I got for free. But it's real easy to stack stuff in front of them. I probably don't have as much body stuff as you do, but I also have an old Proto lower tool box cabinet for all the body hand tools.

 

I bent some strap in half, bolted some pvc pipe to it and put it on back of the box for hammers.............but that's not what your asking about is it?

Sorry crappy phone pics

 

X 2 on file cabinets. I have over 40 from in the basement to in the garage. . I have 5 drawers dedicated to spray paint cans. One drawer is for flat black, I use it alot. It can hold 36 cans. You can open the drawer up all the way and see the can in the way back of the drawer. Use to have all my tape(masking, scotch, electrical ect...) in a box on top of my toolbox. I then put them in a dedicated drawer in one of my toolboxes. Now with the drawer open, I can see everyone of my rolls with out moving a single item. I`m no mechanic but I do have a file cabinet dedicated for my Car batteries and supplies. All my jumper cables and chargers go in one drawer. All my battery tools and testers in another and all my battery supplies go in another. And one for old batteries. You would be suprised how much crap you have spread out everywhere. Then when you isolate it to one location, No more hunting for it. Just open a drawer and in a quick glance, you can see what you have. And you can see what you don`t have. It is also easy to tell someone where to find something also. Even when you aren`t there.