CA-AB Hobby plastic drawer storage units

[PeterT]

Figured some of you may have gone down this path. Considering replacing my 30 year old unit which I'm outgrowing & looking pretty grotty. Shockingly, prices at tool stores & even Amazon are high IMO. I learned my lesson recently when I was complaining about the high cost of Amazon plastic organizing trays for drawers & my found the same thing, or close enough for 1/6 the price at dollar store. Any leads or places to check out?

 

[slow-poke]

I have a large bag (perhaps 30?) of various iterations of these little organizers (small, medium and large). If anyone wants them they are free for the taking. I'm in Ottawa.

 

[Mcgyver]

Ali has lots of inexpensive dividers,
View attachment 58089

What makes me crazy with most of those is the removable dividers; never works, they fail/fall out and stuff gets mixed up. I throw them out.

The two I like are the Stanley, which comes in two styles, small and large boxes and these Flambeau boxes. The later are styrene, rigid clear plastic and are well made (supposed to be US made). They have all kinds of models, but I like the 36 compartment non removable divider one for small stuff. Mousers site is down, but here's from my last purchase if the exact part number is useful (not all models have the fixed dividers) . $29 cdn, no shipping >$100 and next day delivery.

Where Stanley needs to get whacked with the stupid stick is great geezy ugly sticker they put on on them that is hard to remove - defeats the purpose of the clear top. I am reluctant to try solvents on the plastic, but despite this fail they are still a favourite.

 

[Susquatch]

Where Stanley needs to get whacked with the stupid stick is great geezy ugly sticker they put on on them that is hard to remove - defeats the purpose of the clear top.

I use hot water on the opposite side if I can. If not, I use a low temp heat gun or hair dryer from a distance. It softens the adhesive.

The other trick is to pull slowly. The adhesive they usually use on labels is like toffee. It will break or become detached if pulled too fast. If you pull slowly and pace the pull rate to the relaxation rate of the adhesive, they will "usually" come off clean. Low heat and Patience is the order of the day.

If all else fails, Goo Gone won't hurt the plastic.

Goo Gone

Don't make the mistake of removing the small orifice from the bottle. It's perfectly designed to control the application rate.

Sometimes the goo gone will leave a bit of residue too from the dissolved adhesive. A little alcohol solves that problem.

The two I like are the Stanley, which comes in two styles, small and large boxes and these Flambeau boxes.

I like the flambeau boxes too.

Dewalt has started making small stackable organizers now too. But they are also expensive.

The dollar store often has organizer trays. Ya, the trays and bins and cabinets all look like a broncs zoo, but...... they do work!

 

[Dan Dubeau]

For bigger hardware storage, I use Stanley sortmasters, and built this rack to house them.

 

[Doggggboy]

Where Stanley needs to get whacked with the stupid stick is great geezy ugly sticker they put on on them that is hard to remove - defeats the purpose of the clear top. I am reluctant to try solvents on the plastic, but despite this fail they are still a favourite.

Heat gun, patience and a little Brakekleen if there is residue.

 

[SomeGuy]

I use hot water on the opposite side if I can. If not, I use a low temp heat gun or hair dryer from a distance. It softens the adhesive.

The other trick is to pull slowly. The adhesive they usually use on labels is like toffee. It will break or become detached if pulled too fast. If you pull slowly and pace the pull rate to the relaxation rate of the adhesive, they will "usually" come off clean. Low heat and Patience is the order of the day.

If all else fails, Goo Gone won't hurt the plastic.

Goo Gone

Don't make the mistake of removing the small orifice from the bottle. It's perfectly designed to control the application rate.

Sometimes the goo gone will leave a bit of residue too from the dissolved adhesive. A little alcohol solves that problem.



I like the flambeau boxes too.

Dewalt has started making small stackable organizers now too. But they are also expensive.

The dollar store often has organizer trays. Ya, the trays and bins and cabinets all look like a broncs zoo, but...... they do work!

Can echo this, goo gone is the solution for label residue and it's pretty gentle on the underlying materials.

 

[PeterT]

Don't get me started on labels (removal). Apparently my family job titles are not confined to Manager of all things mechanical, electrical or otherwise leaking, IT specialist/bumbler, Custodian of all time sensitive reminders (renewals, bills, parking tickets...), Snow removal crew of one... you get the picture. Now Sticker Removal Specialist was added, with no pay increase. I have an arsenal of shop chemicals but I usually begin in a specific order because sometimes, depending on the plastic, it may fog up (dissolving). And I am guilty of this on my own shop labelling method which is masking tape & Sharpie. There is something about either aged masking tape or maybe new suppliers with different adhesive properties that can make it really bond over time, but the paper itself shreds. So on my carboard boxes I now put a pre-tape of film packaging tape so I have a chance of getting the masking tape label tape off without destroying the box. Also, some of those citrus water based removal solutions (Goo Gone & its derivatives) can work well on adhesives, but some can fog some plastics. I've seen aluminum go dull satin or worse. So its 'natural' all right, so is snake venom LOL. Side note, methanol is a very effective felt pen & layout blue removal. Lighter fluid is a good GP medium. The toughest plastics are whatever composition old school tupperware was made from. The drawers on my first Amazon link visually appear to be made from that kind of stuff. I went through this rigmarole storing resins & catalysts. Some plastics work & others not.

I highly recommend these plastic razor gismos. Sharp & tough enough to scrape under labels etc. but wont scratch like a real razor.

 

[whydontu]

Glue gun works reasonably well as a method to retain the stupid little plastic dividers. The glue doesn’t adhere very well to plastic but sticks enough to keep them from falling out.