Fred Parker on wed 9 jan 08
Daryl:
All of the following only applies if cost is an issue. Otherwise go to a
lab supply house on the internet and pay big bucks for nice jars with
screw-top lids.
You didn't mention what amounts of chemicals you need to store, so this
might be way off...
I am not a high volume potter at this stage, so my glaze mixing tends to
be somewhat moderate. However, I do fairly regular testing (always in
search of the perfect glaze) so I maintain a fairly large inventory of
materials.
For up to appx 5# quantities I stumbled on used coffee containers some
time back -- the large plastic ones that hold 39 oz of ground coffee.
They are plastic (don't break when dropped), with plastic lids that can
keep coffee fresh. I figure they will also keep moisture out, and so far
it seems to work. It takes time to collect enough, depending on how much
coffee you drink, but putting the word out among friends will get you
plenty in record time, and they are free.
Re the "don't break when dropped" comment, I learned this the hard way
with a nearly-full container of whiting. I don't remember if the lid was
on or off, but I was mixing glazes and dropped it. Spent considerable
time cleaning up later, but grateful it was whiting and not barium carb.
For smaller quantities I go to a wholesale grocery store located at a
State farmer's market. These stores cater to the "7-11" and "Mom-and-Pop"
type stores, and are open to the public. In Georgia, where I live, the
larger cities have farmers markets and every one I know of has one of
these wholesale groceries. I don't know if this is standard for other
states, but wholesale groceries catering to this market are probably
everywhere. Look in the area where the plastic plates, forks etc are.
They sell plastic, see-through deli containers in various sizes up to
about a quart. You can get a hundred with lids for well under ten bucks.
The lids are good enough to contain coleslaw, potato salad and all that
other stuff they sell at truck stops. They are perfect for coloring
oxides and other materials I keep in smaller quantities, up to a pound or
two (depending on the material.)
Another great use for these deli containers is small batches of test
glazes. They come in sizes down to 8 oz or so, and these stores also have
plastic cups with lids that are even smaller and cheaper.
For labels I use the Avery style that has ten labels on a sheet, along
with the free Avery software available on the web. Actually I use the
cheaper Staples knock-off with the Avery software.
Organizing glaze materials is an ongoing "work in progress" for me. I'll
probably never get everything neatly stored, but this method has done
wonders -- for very little cost.
Fred Parker
On Tue, 8 Jan 2008 00:24:15 -0500, Daryl Shafran
wrote:
>Does anyone have suggestions for storage containers for glaze chemicals?
I have been looking at
>plastic bins but there are so many different ones to pick from. I would
like them to stack if possible,
>or have easy access from the sides (does this exist?). Any suggestions
would be appreciated.
>
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James and Sherron Bowen on wed 9 jan 08
Grocery stores that have in house bakeries or delis get food products, such
as frosting for donuts, in plastic buckets with lids that may be had for the
asking.
JB
----- Original Message -----
From: "Fred Parker"
To:
Sent: Wednesday, January 09, 2008 10:33 AM
Subject: Re: chemical containers -- cheap or free
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