Collection Storage

While much of the joy of sand collecting comes from being out in the field and returning home with a bulging bag of interesting samples, there is also another equally joyful aspect of sand collecting, that of storing and displaying your collection.

Samples are most often stored and displayed in some form of clear walled container, either a glass bottle, plastic container or self-seal polythene bag. The choice is down to individual preference and also often dependant on cost and the availability of the storage container.

For both storage and display I use 15 ml clear glass vials, bought from an laboratory consumables supplier. They are all labelled on the side and have a permanent home in steel 10 drawer filing cabinets in the shed. The vials cost around 35 pence each, complete with stoppers, and even when a collection runs into many thousands, the cost still remains reasonable. The cabinets themselves cost around £90.00 each though you can find used ones on good condition online.

Whatever container you choose, and self-sealing polythene bags are the most cost effective, you should be aware that future supplies may be uncertain and the container you use when you start collecting may go out of production or be otherwise unobtainable at a later date. The internet is the ideal way to source containers for display. Search for ecological materials supplies, laboratory supplies and packing.

Copyright ©2020 Gary Buckham. All rights reserved.

This entry was posted in Sand. Bookmark the permalink.