schemes for itinerant gel storage

[codered11343]

My TD wants a new way to store and organize are cuts of color. We are using a filing cabinet now and it works fine for most of the size cuts until you get into 10" and 12" cuts. We wants something thats on wheels so we can move it on stage to get color ready, and something that can keep track of most lighting accessories in this one place like gobo's, irise's, some smaller frames...that sort of stuff.
Someone has already recommended using old milk crates because thats what they use at her school. But thats not what I'm looking for. I'm looking for a "All in One" for lighting. Any ideas? Any photos? And thing?

Thanks

 

[icewolf08]

Re: Gel organization

Legal size lateral file cabinets.

They will fit your color up to 12"x12" cuts and you can probably get ones on wheels, or build a caster board for them. I use a bunch in varying sized for storing lots of different things, and they are lockable. I have one on the deck for storing spare lamps, tape, common tools (gam check, multi meter, etc). I have a bunch in my LX shop for color, PAR lamps, and many other things. They are great!

 

[Charc]

Re: Gel organization

Legal size lateral file cabinets.
<Image Removed>
They will fit your color up to 12"x12" cuts and you can probably get ones on wheels, or build a caster board for them. I use a bunch in varying sized for storing lots of different things, and they are lockable. I have one on the deck for storing spare lamps, tape, common tools (gam check, multi meter, etc). I have a bunch in my LX shop for color, PAR lamps, and many other things. They are great!

The only one with a gamchek at the place I interned was... me. We were trouble shooting some light, and it was really cumbersome what the ME was outlining, so I chimed in "Why not just grab a gamchek?"... multiple people cracked up... "It's not-for-profit, you think there's money for a gamcheck?". So there ya go: Alex one ups the <Removed> Theatre Company.

For gel organization: I think Egg crates really aren't that bad. It seems cheesy, and like the poor-man's solution, but they'll fit your cuts pretty well. (I think the 12' too), it's modular and stackable, easy enough to grab just the Blues, or just the Gobos. Plus, they're light. So, what do ya think?

 

[TimMiller]

Re: Gel organization

We went to walmart and bought a filing cabinent on wheels. It works perfectly for our gel file. Our gels consist of almost all par 64 cuts. I have all of the gels filed in folders and labeled. Then i have the colors in labeled zip lock bags. So if i need R-34. I just flip to it and pull out the zip lock bag of the gel, leaving the file folder in the cabinent so i can easily find where it goes back.

 

[Gar]

Large gel storage

Hi all,
I don't post questions/stuff usually, so I hope this exact question hasn't been posted before.
Here Goes...
I'm cleaning the light shop this week, and re-organizing all the gels in our library. I'm trying to figure out how to store the cyc gel cuts for the Altman Cycs. These guys are 15" x 15". Right now they are all piled onto a few of the full sheet storage rack. I need the full sheet racks, so the cycs need to move.
I was thinking of sticking the cuts in folders and storing them upright by number. I've been looking for file folders big enough to hold the 15" cuts. I can't find any of these file folders in my first scan of the internet.
Does anybody have any method of storing these sized gels? Or does anyone know of file folders big enough to hold the 15" cuts?
Any ideas are appreciated. We have something of a budget, but most of is being spend on file folders for regular size gels.
Thanks in advanced,
Garvin Jellison
Lighting Supervisor
Illusion Theater

 

[mbandgeek]

Re: Large gel storage

Just a quick thought. have you thought about using manilla envelopes? in a quick search i was able to find envelopes up to 10" x 15" There may be larger out there i don't know.

 

[mbandgeek]

Re: Large gel storage

I just found a 17.5" x 14.5"

http://www.newguardian.com/pockets.html

its at the bottom of the heavyweight list.

 

[Gar]

Re: Large gel storage

I actually just found those folders. Thanks a lot though. I think they might work. I really like the manilla envelope idea.

 

[porkchop]

Re: Large gel storage

http://www.staples.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/CategoryDisplay?&secondlevelCategoryId=10081&firstlevelCatName=Furniture&firstlevelCategoryId=10705&langId=-1&storeId=10001&splCatType=2&catalogId=10051&cmArea=&categoryId=10816&secondlevelCatName=File+and+Storage+Cabinets

Staples sells a variety of 15" file cabinets. Woot that wat teh EASY yo. (No I'm not an ex Staples employee I swear)

 

[gafftaper]

Re: Large gel storage

How about the big manila envelopes in one of those plastic "milk crates" you can also get at Staples? Nice and cheap... throw it up on a shelf.

 

[Charc]

Re: Large gel storage

How about the big manila envelopes in one of those plastic "milk crates" you can also get at Staples? Nice and cheap... throw it up on a shelf.

It would have to be an oversize milk crate.

 

[Gar]

Re: Large gel storage

Thanks everybody! I've got a shelf that will hold the 15" manilla envelopes.
I'm going to put them up there. If we can get one, I'd really like a oversized file cabinet to hold the cyc cuts, but I don't think we have quite enough gel to warrent a complete file cabinet for them. If I find a 15" milk crate that might be the happy medium for now.
Thanks Again,

Garvin

 

[gafftapegreenia]

Re: Large gel storage

Look at these here milk crates.

 

[ship]

Re: Large gel storage

I normally build pre-cut gel file boxes to the size I need and use 1/8" plywood or even cardbaord as dividers.

15.5" wide x 12" high inside with a flip top 3.5" lid out of say plywood, a few hinges and a latch shouldn't take too much time. Nor would cutting and labeling the dividers. You than store the box with the other pre-cut gel boxes on a shelf. With the latched lid, you don't "Pie" the gel and it is portable as an all in one thing for use on stage.

(Anyone know where the term "Pie" comes from in spilling something?)

If you get really fancy perhaps dove tail the box and Japan it. Still my favorite solution has always been one box per pre-cut gel size with simply plywood dividers between the gels or say one divider between each ten in a series. Also provide for yourself room to store the frames when building the box. Perhaps even another box or a tray in it for the paper brads.

 

[beachcombah15]

Convenient Gel sheet Storage?

Does anyone have any crack ideas on storing their gel sheets so their not always wrapped up in a tube? or any ideas that im too stupid to think of...haha. Everytime I need to go to cut a new gel i end up taking 10-15 minutes matching all the sides on the sheets so they roll up evenly back in the tube...

 

[Footer]

Re: Convenient Gel sheet Storage?

The "industry standard" way of doing it is something like this...

I have seen people use old drafting filing cabinets as well as individual PVC Pipe for each type of gel (yes, that would be a wall of over 300 tubes).

 

[beachcombah15]

Re: Convenient Gel sheet Storage?

so gel storage= pipe organ! haha

 

[waynehoskins]

Re: Convenient Gel sheet Storage?

I use my version of a drafting "flat file" -- which to normal people resembles a flat surface with a pile of stuff on it.

 

[lieperjp]

Re: Convenient Gel sheet Storage?

If you want to get some new drafting cabinets, good luck as they are very, very expensive. See these here.

Something else that you could do is get a rolling tube rack, something like these. You don't even have to keep the tubes, just roll up the gel and stick the rolls in. I work at an office supply store, and we have several of the wire ones in our store like this or this. The metal ones are actually much sturdier than they look. Biggestbook.com is where many small office supply stores can get products, if you don't want to order online. Just take in the item number. Again, they're all pretty expensive. You're better off just building something with leftover pieces of wood.

We use something like what Footer posted above... we don't use that much gel so we just have it separated by base color on each shelf. Also, I use two mobile file bins for cut gel (one for our strip lights and a second larger one for the rest of the lights.)

 

[Wolf]

Re: Convenient Gel sheet Storage?

The "industry standard" way of doing it is something like this...

I have seen people use old drafting filing cabinets as well as individual PVC Pipe for each type of gel (yes, that would be a wall of over 300 tubes).

This is what I use, works great and on mine the shelfs slide out. We keep about 5 different colors on each.