Comments on: Jewelry Wire Storage: suggestions please

By: Rena Klingenberg

Rena Klingenberg — Tue, 31 Oct 2017 16:05:38 +0000

In reply to Camille R. Camille, thanks so much for sharing this great wire storage idea. :) I think I have one of those paper towel holders!

By: Camille R

Camille R — Tue, 31 Oct 2017 15:55:50 +0000

I found some small paper towel-like holders with heavy bottoms at a rummage sale. I can stack the spools and when I need to use wire, it pulls freely without getting tangled. I keep several different types and colors of wire on one spool for my “basic” jewelry making. I store the spools on a shelf.

Another idea is to use pant hangers that have several horizontal bars that flip up to open. I store spools of ribbon on them but they would work for wire, too.

Hope this helps!

By: Rena Klingenberg

Rena Klingenberg — Wed, 30 Mar 2016 00:14:33 +0000

In reply to Carolyn Clark.

Great word, Carolyn! I agree completely about “put-away-able” – it’s one of my main principles for my jewelry supply storage system too! 🙂

By: Carolyn Clark

Carolyn Clark — Tue, 29 Mar 2016 23:51:01 +0000

I’m a small RV so everything needs to be portable and put-away-able. (my new word) so I have a fishing tackle box. The big spools fit fine and you can leave I’m or take out the dividers.

By: Alicia Rivera

Alicia Rivera — Sat, 05 Sep 2015 21:49:57 +0000

What about coffee cans; peanut cans; Pringle’s cans? Any type of can that comes with one of those plastic, reusable lids.

By: Autumn

Autumn — Fri, 04 Sep 2015 02:25:24 +0000

Thanks for the suggestions everyone! Some of them (the binders/folders) won’t work due to the plastic spool size. I could take the wire off the spool and coil it again myself so everything is uniform size… I’m actually moving to my own house (my first!) this week, so I get to create the studio I want. I’m also running low on wire, so now’s a good time to figure this out!

Cora – I’m wondering if DVD cases would work too. Since wire is notorious for not staying in perfect coils, that would also contain the “unwinding”. Let’s see if I can find some empty cases and try it out.

Deb – I’d considered peg board, but I still have the issue of what I put the wire inside. I don’t want to store bronze and copper wire without some sort of protection, but plastic bags also aren’t good enough.

By: Susan Anderson

Susan Anderson — Wed, 02 Sep 2015 20:11:59 +0000

Like Rena I store my wire in drawers. I have one of those plastic storage drawer containers, it has 4 clear plastic drawers in graduated sizes, that works great. It fits under one of my work tables so it is out of the way but easily accessible. And best of all, I got it at the thrift store for $2.

By: Poppy Pickwick

Poppy Pickwick — Wed, 02 Sep 2015 05:04:05 +0000

I use from JoAnn’s Fabric store a ribbon holder. It is a stand alone or wall hanging unit. I simply don’t use all of the rods if I need space for larger spools, but spools slip on and off the rods nicely, and it makes easy to sort wire by gauge and metal. I currently have two of these for wire, two for craft ribbon and one is also used by my daughter for her wire. At Black Friday sales you can usually get them for $9.99, or regular price is about $19.99.

By: Cora

Cora — Wed, 02 Sep 2015 04:16:37 +0000

I buy sterling silver wire usually in 10m lots. My supplier makes a coil about the diameter of a CD or DVD disc. I store the coils in their original bags in the cases you buy (used to buy ?) 10 rewritable CDs in.
cheers
Cora

By: Glenda munguia

Glenda munguia — Tue, 01 Sep 2015 19:46:08 +0000

Hi, I bought a bracelet holder at an Indian store going out of business. It consist of one stand and three bars. The ends of each bar rest on the stand. I am able to put big spools of thick wire In it. Though a bit tilted sideways. The spools that are too small for that I put in a plastic box. Getting out a spool that is in the middle of the bar means getting the rest out, but I try to place the large ones so they can go over the rest. I hope it helps.

By: Donna Jadis

Donna Jadis — Tue, 01 Sep 2015 19:15:51 +0000

Hi Autumn… I used to keep my wire supplies in 3 ring binders, but it got to be too much. I found a portable file box that holds hanging file folders, which fits in the tall bottom drawer of my Elfa system desk with the lid/carry handle removed. I have 25 hanging folders in the box, each with a folder tab showing the wire type and gauge (i.e.; “SS/AGS: 24g”, “GF:22g”). In each folder are two large plastic zip loc type bags labeled with the wire type and hardness. They hold full-size coils and make it easy to find, use and refile the wire I need when I need it.

Of course, that drawer is VERY heavy and has to be pulled out and pushed back with some oomph! It’s not perfect, and not all my wire fits into the box (all my copper is also in the drawer, but in the extra space outside the file box, also bagged and labeled.)

By: Nancy Bailey

Nancy Bailey — Tue, 01 Sep 2015 14:32:52 +0000

Hi Autumn,
We bought a plastic file box and labeled dividers with the wire gauge and slip the wire (in zip lock bags) in each labeled divider. It works really well.

By: Greg Stice

Greg Stice — Tue, 01 Sep 2015 13:50:23 +0000

I use a 3 ring binder and plastic page protectors, it allows you to see & it fits on the bookshelf.

By: Deb Fortin

Deb Fortin — Tue, 01 Sep 2015 12:00:02 +0000

I use a lot of wire in my jewellery making and I have a retail spinner with slat board on all four sides. I got it from a store closeout sale (You could do the same thing with pegboard fastened to a wall ).
I use the medium length hardware store hooks that fit pegboard . I sort my wire according to colour first,all the silver together , then copper , then gold tone, etc etc. then by size; largest ,12-14 gauge and down to 28 -the smallest size I use.
My wire is highly visible , easy to remove and replace and also very easy to see when I am getting low on a particular gauge and needs reordering.
I also hang all my wire working tools on this spinner as it holds baskets and shelves as well. It takes up little floor space but holds a ton of supplies and tools.

By: Susan

Susan — Tue, 01 Sep 2015 11:46:44 +0000

I had a large legal size accordian-style file folder that I wasn’t using in my office and labelled each section with the type of wire and gauge. It fits everything except the big reels I get from Rio, and those I hang on a pegboard I tacked up over my work table. I love the file folder and being so organized, which doesn’t come easily to me. And all those short lengths are easily identifiable now.

By: Rena Klingenberg

Rena Klingenberg — Tue, 01 Sep 2015 03:07:51 +0000

Hi Autumn! I store my metals and wire in drawers, sorted by metal type. So all my copper sheet and copper wire are in the same drawer, in clear ziplock bags, with each bag labeled for the temper and gauge of wire or metal sheet. It's so easy to see everything I've got, and find what I need immediately. You can see pictures of my system here: Storing Jewelry Supplies - Rena's System - the picture of my copper metal & wire drawer is the 6th photo from the top of that page.