Storage Solutions for Engraving Materials and Trophy Parts
Bob Hagel shares tips for keeping materials organized and in good condition
Shelving for engraving materials
Sheet materials for engraving include acrylic plastic, wood, metal, and leatherette. To prevent the materials from warping, bending, or wrinkling (leatherette), they should be stored flat.
We have custom-built vertical storage shelves to store all our 12″ X 24″ materials. The shelving structure is made from 1?4″ pressboard or could be made from particleboard or plywood. Pressboard provides a lot of strength and rigidity. If the shelves will be exposed to high humidity or moisture, paint them or finish them with a clear coat.
Our shelves are made from 1/8″ pressboard and slide in and out of the structure, as they slide into grooves routed into the structure. The groves are 1 1/2″ apart, allowing me to skip a groove and have spaces 3″ apart for those materials I use in higher quantity. Each shelving structure houses nine to 11 different materials or colors. These shelves are placed on typical metal shelving and fit three of them across.
I store materials as to how they relate to each other. Woods are near each other, as are acrylics by color combinations. They may be sorted by thickness, top or layer bottom color, outdoor materials, etc.
Boxes for trophy parts
Trophy tops and columns are stored in boxes. If you have a lot of columns and are concerned about the rigidity of the boxes, use double-layer heavy-duty boxes. You can also use PVC pipes cut to length, which are rigid enough to provide organization to your columns. Plastic storage containers made for home closets make good storage units for trophy parts. Smaller plastic storage units can be found in hardware stores.
