How to organize ye olde bolt bucket?

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The akros are good for large qts and large sizes.
For stuff needed on the go.. ..
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For smalls, I use what others are showing (small slide out bins) like #8..
For everyone it's different.. space, needs, garage vs shop..

For sorting, I preferred the handle it once, and be done with it. But I can see the advantage of chunking it down over and over.

edit: btw these are great for sorting.
dump a bunch of stuff in here, and sort what you want, then dump the rest.

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As with most storage problems, bolts (and screws) are an individual issue. Every one is different because every situation is different. I have metal siding and roofing on my barn and shop. Large (#10? X 1-1/2) sheet metal screws, in large quantities. A #10 can (3 lb coffee can) works for those. Really small screws, like 3/0-120 X 3/32 are in a plastic fishing tackle box. Along with other screws that I can't see when they fall. Optical screws came in their own plastic container. And drywall screws are in their original boxes. (6X6X6 boxes)

I end up purchasing most of my fasteners. There are some salvage but I have found that for the cost at a local supply house for a dozen machine screws, I can purchase a 100 lot package from a screw supplier. That makes it easy to "overlook" salvage. Although I do watch for them. And save them. Different methods for different sizes.

There are a few "large" bolts, 5/8 and 3/4 stuff for my tractor.But the few I have are in a toolbox near the tractor. I had a salvage of 6mm X 75mm(?) bolts from some HF changeover. 50 or so. . . Those got a 1 pound coffee can. Some associated parts (nuts & washers) fill peanut butter jars. Baby food jars were too small. As I stated, most every situation is particular to the individual.

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woodchucker said:
edit: btw these are great for sorting.
dump a bunch of stuff in here, and sort what you want, then dump the rest.

Harbor Freight Tools – Quality Tools at Discount Prices Since 1977

Harbor Freight buys their top quality tools from the same factories that supply our competitors. We cut out the middleman and pass the savings to you!
www.harborfreight.com www.harborfreight.com
Click to expand...
I've posted about my roll-around "hardware store" previously.
kHPIM5374.jpg
kHPIM5504.jpg
What I haven't included is the fact that I use the tall, narrow space to the right of the multi-drawer units (at the top level on each of the four sides) to keep one of those HF sorting trays handy. They're absolutely VITAL to finding a given length/head style/material or a set of matching fasteners for a project! Thanks, @woodchucker, for the reminder!

Back when HF used to have coupons for free items (some of which were more handy than others) I always wanted to suggest the trays as a candidate for giveaways. I'm sure they'd have been a hit with customers (and inexpensive, so they wouldn't have cost HF too much).
 
Bi11Hudson said:
Baby food jars were too small. As I stated, most every situation is particular to the individual.
Click to expand...
yea, I'd agree about the new jars, but back in the 50s the bottles were bigger.
new on the left, old on the right. these held my dads most used size screws and things. Wood screws, machine screws, washers.
they had much more room than the current jars. I don't recommend either for todays needs. And he also had shelves and shelves of coffee cans filled with bigger bolts and stuff.
20211001_104743.jpg
 
The absolute best thing about being organized like this is you no longer have to wonder if you have or don't have a certain thing in those buckets. If it's not in the correct storage bin, then you don't have it. Saves hours or digging through buckets for something that might not even be there. If you do have it, it takes 5 seconds to find it.
Sorting stuff is kind of a zen thing anyway. Grab a beer, put on some music and go to it.
 
John281 said:
If you do have it, it takes 5 seconds to find it.
Click to expand...
Takes me more like 10 minutes with my stack of stuff.
woodchucker said:
yea, I'd agree about the new jars, but back in the 50s the bottles were bigger.
Click to expand...
The ones I remember from 1955, my "baby" brother ate from and I scrounged for Pop were the ones I was thinking of. The ones from my time I was too small to be concerned with.

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