Fossil Storage Recommendation?

[TNCollector]

I have a lot of small fossils, both vertebrates and invertebrates, that are starting to clutter around my apartment in junky plastic bins and bags. It is starting to get out of hand. I need something that is good for on a budget, but has the capacity to hold a large number of fossils and keep them safe. I do not want to display them, just keep them organized. I like the idea of having a wood cabinet of shallow drawers. I have been on the search for a decently priced wood map cabinet for a long time now, but I am coming up short. All of them are either far too small or way to expensive. Further, I have heard that certain woods like oak can release harmful acids to fragile fossils, and I have quite a few fossils that are very thin and prone to deterioration.

 

Does anyone know of anything that I might be able to use for a decent price?

 

I don't have a lot of time to build my own set. I do have a circular saw, drill press, and a sanding wheel, but if it takes more than a weekend to build, it is not worth the time to me. But I am open to anyone offering some plans to build a simple storage solution. 

 

Thanks!

[Bobby Rico]

Hi I don't know about woods like oak releasing harmful acids . I always line my cabinet draws with fabric and padded card to help protect the fossils. How about vintage metal filling cabinets I like the old industrial look . Nice contrast to the natural look of the fossil.  Bobby 

[caldigger]

Nice looking unit Bobby, what is the size of that piece?  I got one from Craigslist that has six shallow drawers on top, a big deep drawer in the middle and two half size deep drawers at the bottom. It fits not only small fossils, but also any supplies I need. At 47" wide and 30" deep,  it holds quite a lot. The guy I bought it from said his dad built it when he was an architect.

[Dsailor]

Hi, aside from building one, I would look for "watch makers cabinet" when searching online for stuff. They have the perfect sized small drawers. Also, older cabinets from art classrooms have nice wide shallow drawers used for storing prints. What is the median size of the fossils you have?

[Bobby Rico]

Hi  

vintage watch makers cabinets are nice also you can look at wooden tool chests. With the tool chest you do get a couple of deeper draws .  I have one I will add a picture later..As for sizes of fossils it is the thickness of the fossil I have problem with 3cm to 5cms is my limit . If you have the skill and tools I would take your time and make a cabinet your self.

 

Kind regards 

bobby

[Bobby Rico]

Tool chest 

 

[Bobby Rico]

[TNCollector]

17 hours ago, Dsailor said:

Hi, aside from building one, I would look for "watch makers cabinet" when searching online for stuff. They have the perfect sized small drawers. Also, older cabinets from art classrooms have nice wide shallow drawers used for storing prints. What is the median size of the fossils you have?

My fossil are generally 1 to 2 inches on average, but there are a lot of them. 

 

Honestly I'm not sure if building one would be cheaper or not. Birch plywood is a decent price, but I would need quite a bit of it.

[Bobby Rico]

Make it . mate . You will  be happy with it for years then. 

[hrguy54]

Since most of my pieces are small...brachiopods, horn corals, trilobites, gastropods....I am able to categorize my best specimens very nicely in an old library card catalog cabinet. Only a few modifications were needed.

 

[Nanosaurus]

I use stackable Sterilite drawers that can be found at various stores relatively cheaply, then I use small trays and foam for storage of individual fossils within the drawers. Makes moving and storage pretty easy.

[Dsailor]

4 hours ago, TNCollector said:

My fossil are generally 1 to 2 inches on average, but there are a lot of them. 

 

Honestly I'm not sure if building one would be cheaper or not. Birch plywood is a decent price, but I would need quite a bit of it.

To be honest, building one without a table saw would be really frustrating. It is almost warm enough for garage sales and flea markets here so I d guess Tennessee would already have them. You can find stuff dirt cheap at yard sales. Even dressers can be used if you use plywood as a horizontal divider. Sort of a lift-off divider. I use quarter inch foam core for all my storage to keep things separate. It is cheap, can be cut with a straightedge and knife, can be hot glued together, and isn't permanent. You can also get it at a drug store, craft place or wal-mart type place. Good luck

[Dsailor]

5 hours ago, Bobby Rico said:

Tool chest 

 

That is a cool old chest

[Bobby Rico]

Thank you very much. I would love to get another one the same  They would look good stacked together. Bobby

[erose]

Great suggestions and examples.  I am an industrial designer specializing in museum exhibit design. Years ago I was so frustrated with the high cost of large (>24x36) flat files (AKA map drawers) that I finally built my own. The slides were expensive and I used a better grade of plywood but they did require some skill.  For museum work there is a whole industry now built around conservation and archiving to protect collections from decay.

 

I am always keeping my eyes open for used cabinets. Craig's list, yard sales, Goodwill etc. are my hunting spots. Unfortunately most used furniture shops know the value of them and you never see them cheap. 

 

Of course what you collect will dictate what size drawers you need. And keep in mind you will be putting rocks in yours not paper or small tools and parts so don't bother with anything flimsy.

 

ALSO: the issue with Oak and some other hardwoods is that they give off an acidic vapor over time.  Acid is the bane of all archivists. It reacts with old materials, minerals, paper*, etc.  When you see the term "archival-quality" or similar words it generally means without acid or otherwise stable. You can seal Oak to minimize the problem but it then just looks like plastic.

 

*"PULP paper…in the mid 1800's a process was developed, using acid, to make much cheaper paper. Still in use today but the paper that is produced will always crumble away over time as the acid eventually eats it up. Books produced before then are often in better shape.

[Nimravis]

@TNCollector, Even though this was an earlier post, I thought that I would share how I store smaller fossils. One day when stopping at a Goodwill to see if there were any fossil books available, and yes there are fossil books to be found, the last one that I found was a hardback version of "The Big Cats and their Fossil Relatives". But I am going off subject, back on subject- while at Goodwill I came across a couple clear / flat Plano fishing tackle boxes. These turn out to be a great way to store smaller size fossils and you can stack them on shelves in place in cabinets, as I do.

 

These boxes come in different sizes and different configurations. Below are 3 of them that I picked up today for $1.99 each, such a deal.

 

 

Below are a few that contain some fossils, as you can see, the fossils fit nicely inside and the boxes are extremely strong and close securely.

 

 

The below pic shows how the stack inside a cabinet. Since they are clear, you can see inside them for to find out which one you are looking for, or you can easily apply a label on the side for easy container identification. Over the last year or so, I have purchased many of these containers from Goodwill, ranging in price from .50 to $2.99.

 

 

On a side note, I also bought ($2.99) this handled fishing tackle box that opens on either side. This is a great addition to your field fossil collecting gear, I use them when hunting smaller items. It allows me to easily carry this while I search for fossils and since it is compartmentalized I can separate the fossils as I find them and without worrying about damaging them.

 

  

 

[Wrangellian]

Didn't notice this thread first time around, but if it's not too late to comment: I like the idea of buying an old wooden drawer unit - which I'm sure you can find for much cheaper than the shallow-drawer units you're talking about - and building new, shallower drawers for it. A bit of effort but at least you don't have to build the casing. I haven't tried it, I have always built my own units from scratch, but it might be worth a try. I might still do it as I've got a bunch more clutter to deal with...

 

Nice assortment here, Bobby, me likee!

On 3/27/2017 at 9:32 AM, Bobby Rico said:

 

[Bobby Rico]

Thank you very much @Wrangellian . That was an old photo I have now added a little more order to the draws now and I have add legs to the tool cabinet . Have you any photos of the cabinets you have made please . The engines toolboxs looks great but in the uk they sale for big money as they are used as jewellery boxes.?

cheers Bobby 

[Shamalama]

Check out a company called "Really Useful Boxes". They are made in the UK, Modular and very sturdy. I use a few of them for my bulk fossil storage from particular sites (like Arkona) as it is easier to move and longer lasting than my usual storage medium, cardboard soda/beer flats.  A bit more expensive that the thrift shop tackle or hardware/tool storage units but worth it in my opinion. Huge range of sizes too!

[JohnBrewer]

I’d go for a hardwood plan chest. I’m looking for an old wooden one myself. Can be pricey but a nice one makes for beautiful furniture too. As they’re often used in a museum I research at sometimes I’d have no issues with any out gassing which I would if it were pine. 

[Wrangellian]

8 hours ago, JohnBrewer said:

I’d go for a hardwood plan chest. I’m looking for an old wooden one myself. Can be pricey but a nice one makes for beautiful furniture too. As they’re often used in a museum I research at sometimes I’d have no issues with any out gassing which I would if it were pine.

Pine is bad too, like oak? I guess that's not surprising, but it narrows the options for wood when building these things. What else should be avoided?

I've been using alder and birch plywood mainly, but have used pine. The pine might be treated/kiln-dried, and I hope any gas problem is neutralized this way.

 

11 hours ago, Bobby Rico said:

Thank you very much @Wrangellian . That was an old photo I have now added a little more order to the draws now and I have add legs to the tool cabinet . Have you any photos of the cabinets you have made please . The engines toolboxs looks great but in the uk they sale for big money as they are used as jewellery boxes.?

cheers Bobby 

 

[Bobby Rico]

Fantastic @Wrangellian You are a real craftsman.

Just an idea empty out half your draws, add the contents of them to the Secret Santa and then send the fossil to me and you will save yourself lots of time by Not spending weeks making new cabinets.   

[Bobby Rico]

Hi , I have just added some legs to my engineers toolbox. My wife likes it , she said it looks like a vintage TV .  I said to her that’s a good thing then because we don’t have a TV and now we have something to look at in the evening. . I have add a picture of the draws out it shows how much can be crammed into a small space. Cheers Bobby 

 

[MikeR]

I use old map storage cabinets.  New they are pricey but the older used cabinets can be found around $200 or less and work very well with smaller fossils such as shells.

[Bobby Rico]

Great collection mike.