Zen for adults, good training for the kids.
I save up scrap fasteners and wiring parts thru out the year that are not worth my time to put away either at work or home. In winter when its cold, the car is in the garage and I’m out of projects I can do; I start to restock my bins for the coming year. Most bins are full now/again and surplus once sorted for bulk amount goes back to work. If no room in the bins at work for the pre-sorted fasteners, they go into pre-packaged overstock which hopefully I check before ordering for a project or running low.
Trick is to store the misc. scrap parts in small containers like the petri dishes / electrical tape containers or in small boxes, rather than in large intimidating containers. Little baggies of four screws left over from a new NEMA 1 box not used, two pack of screws from a wall plate also not used...etc. Much easier to sort many small containers or baggies than having to dump a large container. Trick is to not get active projects parts mixed up with fasteners to restock.... found the missing wing nut for my currently worked on box spot, along with some other parts for it. Also forgot in the pile, a furniture handle assembly I was supposed to fix or find a replacement for, for my Mom.
Small containers unless it’s stuff like drywall screws and bolts. Them I used to save and dump on a table for theater board meetings. They would sort such things while discussing saving money. And in general collecting up all the fasteners removed from a show is easier in a five gallon bucket to sort by many while all around a table... discussing stuff. This collecting and training time, as long as for such buckets one finds time to actually dump and sort properly - takes supervision to sort properly, and specifically a plan as to doing the work. Kind of like the difference between having a text book and reading it. It can be fun and a learning experience - should become that and a party almost.
Sorting with supervision is a really useful training thing, you get to teach the hardware and with time - say a few thousand drywall screws, upon just looking at a drywall screw you can tell its length, gauge and thread class. Mostly the same with bolts in even today, I have sorted enough bolts over the years I can even tell if metric or standard and get really close to size and length. Can pick up on little details like the color of zinc or black coating and normally tell all about it. This if you have sorted enough so as to just look at something and tell metric or standard, Its type and class etc.
My Father started me sorting fasteners for him since the time I was tall enough to see the top of his work table. Dad had less bins... think I even own some of them today, I have a wall of bins at home and even more at work. My Brother and Dad would be busy fixing cars, I got to sort the fasteners, but it became a part of me as per a part of my Brother in difference. Easier back in the early 70's to figure out what fastener was what - less of them in types. I think next year my daughter will start sorting my bolts. She is anxious to help Daddy in any way garage related she can, and has enjoyed our garage time.
Can be good (not clean) but family fun... spread out a bunch of nuts, bolts, washers etc. on a table. Just start sorting what is what like a puzzle. Find matches etc. Enough bins to put them away at work or home at some point what's saved. Good winter project.
I save up scrap fasteners and wiring parts thru out the year that are not worth my time to put away either at work or home. In winter when its cold, the car is in the garage and I’m out of projects I can do; I start to restock my bins for the coming year. Most bins are full now/again and surplus once sorted for bulk amount goes back to work. If no room in the bins at work for the pre-sorted fasteners, they go into pre-packaged overstock which hopefully I check before ordering for a project or running low.
Trick is to store the misc. scrap parts in small containers like the petri dishes / electrical tape containers or in small boxes, rather than in large intimidating containers. Little baggies of four screws left over from a new NEMA 1 box not used, two pack of screws from a wall plate also not used...etc. Much easier to sort many small containers or baggies than having to dump a large container. Trick is to not get active projects parts mixed up with fasteners to restock.... found the missing wing nut for my currently worked on box spot, along with some other parts for it. Also forgot in the pile, a furniture handle assembly I was supposed to fix or find a replacement for, for my Mom.
Small containers unless it’s stuff like drywall screws and bolts. Them I used to save and dump on a table for theater board meetings. They would sort such things while discussing saving money. And in general collecting up all the fasteners removed from a show is easier in a five gallon bucket to sort by many while all around a table... discussing stuff. This collecting and training time, as long as for such buckets one finds time to actually dump and sort properly - takes supervision to sort properly, and specifically a plan as to doing the work. Kind of like the difference between having a text book and reading it. It can be fun and a learning experience - should become that and a party almost.
Sorting with supervision is a really useful training thing, you get to teach the hardware and with time - say a few thousand drywall screws, upon just looking at a drywall screw you can tell its length, gauge and thread class. Mostly the same with bolts in even today, I have sorted enough bolts over the years I can even tell if metric or standard and get really close to size and length. Can pick up on little details like the color of zinc or black coating and normally tell all about it. This if you have sorted enough so as to just look at something and tell metric or standard, Its type and class etc.
My Father started me sorting fasteners for him since the time I was tall enough to see the top of his work table. Dad had less bins... think I even own some of them today, I have a wall of bins at home and even more at work. My Brother and Dad would be busy fixing cars, I got to sort the fasteners, but it became a part of me as per a part of my Brother in difference. Easier back in the early 70's to figure out what fastener was what - less of them in types. I think next year my daughter will start sorting my bolts. She is anxious to help Daddy in any way garage related she can, and has enjoyed our garage time.
Can be good (not clean) but family fun... spread out a bunch of nuts, bolts, washers etc. on a table. Just start sorting what is what like a puzzle. Find matches etc. Enough bins to put them away at work or home at some point what's saved. Good winter project.
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