Storage solution(s)5633
 Collector
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BabaLament private msg quote post Address this user | |
| Hi guys! I've brought this up before; there isn't an off-the-shelf/retail comic book storage cabinet out there. There are plenty of really inventive & beautiful one-of-a-kind pieces that are a work of art on their own merit; *AND* they store comics! I had the cube of BCW long boxes w/ houses, but when those are loaded down, its a pain in the butt to try and open the ones towards the bottom of the stack. So I bought some inexpensive garage shelving at Lowe's ( https://www.lowes.com/pd/edsal-72-in-H-x-48-in-W-x-24-in-D-5-Tier-Steel-Freestanding-Shelving-Unit/1000527 ) for $70, and they work just fine. 800lbs/shelf capacity, so I figure even a row of five fully loaded long boxes won't be too much trouble. The only thing I haven't done yet is run to Michaels or Hobby Lobby to buy some felt to put over the particleboard; give the boxes a smooth surface, try and keep the boxes from too much damage/wear. Unfortunately, it looks good once assembled. Putting this thing together requires at least two people, preferably three. Two to keep the damn thing stable while the third person puts the pieces together. Or you can do it like me, solo, with enough salt and swearing to qualify as an honorary sailor. Taking a break from having metal rods fall on my head. While recovering w/ a frosty beverage, anyone care to share what their storage solutions look like?   |
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 I bought a meat grinder on amazon for $60 and it's changed my life.
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kaptainmyke private msg quote post Address this user | |
    I use metal baker's racks you can put together and disassemble with a rubber mallet. They don't seem to place pressure lines on the bottoms of the boxes either because I use short boxes. Hard on the back and arms though. |
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 Collector
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comicsforme private msg quote post Address this user | |
| U might put some thin boards on the metal rack kaptainmyke for your boxs.Just suggestions | ||
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 Forum Crier
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OGJackster private msg quote post Address this user | |
Looks like mine but way more cluttered! |
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I bought a meat grinder on amazon for $60 and it's changed my life.
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kaptainmyke private msg quote post Address this user | |
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 Collector
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KCBatmanFan private msg quote post Address this user | |
 I use DrawerBoxes. I need 10 more to get everything flowed in. Other than my "keystone" box bulging a little, causing a slight lean (going to shore this up with the new stacks) they work great overall, and you can still pull out the bottom boxes. |
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Collector
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comicsforme private msg quote post Address this user | |
| Just a few to collect only.My wife has even more.McDonald's | ||
| Post 8 • IP flag post | ||
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Collector
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KCBatmanFan private msg quote post Address this user | |
| I'd love to do lateral file cabinets, but man are the expensive and heavy! I remember seeing something on MTV back in the day (remember when it was worth watching?) and Sebastian Bach from Skid Row was showing off his collection and he had all of his in lateral files. Edit: Found it, he shows FF #6, Hulk 3 and AF #15. I was thinking he actual had more cabinets, but he does have them with two rows in each drawer. |
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 COLLECTOR
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shrewbeer private msg quote post Address this user | |
Quote:Originally Posted by kaptainmyke I use this warehouse often. Big flood scare last year tho, but she held up well!  |
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BabaLament private msg quote post Address this user | |
@comicsforme Neat! I didn't know Amazing did Houston once upon a time. Would be nice if they came through again; could use some McFarlane & Liefeld signatures.  |
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| Post 11 • IP flag post | ||
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Collector
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BabaLament private msg quote post Address this user | |
@shrewbeer Yeah, tell me about it. I'm in the Houston area & my first response to Hurricane Harvey was "how many comic boxes can I get into the attic?" Ended up being for nothing, the house stayed dry.  |
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Collector
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comicsforme private msg quote post Address this user | |
| Mabey i will see you BabyLament at Comicpalooza.I have 3 day pass. | ||
| Post 13 • IP flag post | ||
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I bought a meat grinder on amazon for $60 and it's changed my life.
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kaptainmyke private msg quote post Address this user | |
| climate controlled airplane hangar storage is the best, totally secure and no one gets in there! ooooowwwww! | ||
| Post 14 • IP flag post | ||
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Collector
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BabaLament private msg quote post Address this user | |
| @comicsforme I’ll be there! 3-Day VIP this year (I want the free comics in the swag bag). I didn’t get a booth this year b/c I don’t think I have enough inventory yet. Maybe next year. I finally got the metal abomination put together & loaded down with boxes. It doesn’t look too bad; going to see if I can build a cabinet around it w/ doors that I can stain to give it a furniture look.  |
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BrianGreensnips private msg quote post Address this user | |
| @BabaLament It must feel good to get that done. I hope to have my comic book room area done by summer. Changing all my long boxes to short boxes. Relocating all of them from my furnace(mechanical)room to a finished part of the basement. Going with the metal racks,framed comic book artwork, Smooth,large table with extra lighting for bagging and boarding and just messing around with my books.I cannot wait. | ||
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 I'll probably wake up constipated.
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Pre_Coder private msg quote post Address this user | |
Quote:Originally Posted by BrianGreensnips Totally agree! Short boxes over the long box,.. for the collector. |
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BrianGreensnips private msg quote post Address this user | |
Quote:Originally Posted by Pre_CoderYeah, they just got too heavy and bulky. |
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| Post 18 • IP flag post | ||
 I'm a #2.
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BigRedOne1944 private msg quote post Address this user | |
| After years of lugging around long and Short Boxes I finally decided 2 years ago to build a comic book cabinet. OK, So I was eyeballing this wall in the lower level of my home(my mancave). I initially thought it was dead space behind the wall. ONLY one way to find Out....... After knocking the drywall off and exposing it.... I was wrong. It was actually a concrete block wall. So I had to start my cabinet out a bit farther, rather than back into the wall as I initially thought. SO.... After doing some measuring and such, I figured I could get 7 comic drawers wide in the space I had available to me on the wall. So I got it framed up and got the drywall roughed in. Ive never had a water problem in the lower level, but just as a precaution I built the base of the cabinet 4 inches off the floor. I had to move the light switch and will have to later relocate some of the outlets You can see the block wall in the back. I installed a vapor barrier and insulated the wall with 2" foam board insulation. This is not an exterior wall so the insulation might not have been necessary, but I felt it best to have that barrier between my collection and the wall. I could have possibly gotten an 8th row(Drawer) to the left, but it was going to be pretty tight and I thought it would be best to leave myself some "Play" here and just use that extra space for some Shelving. The framed in recessed opening on the right side will be lighted "shadow box" with a glass shelve to be used to highlight and display some of my Military Figures, Books, Cards. More on the Pain in the ass this would become later.   So now that I had my cabinet roughed in, my next decision was what kind of Drawer System to use. * While I do have basic carpentry skills, I was not confident enough that I could design, lay-out and build custom pull out drawers * I contacted a local guy about building some modular cabinet drawers, but the cost was just too high. Being the tight ass that I am. I decided that I would just design and make custom covers for these acid free Comic Drawer Boxes. http://www.collectiondrawer.com/order/ While cost did weigh in on my decision, there were other factors involved that eventually swayed me to go with customizing the Drawer boxes. #1 The Comic Drawer boxes and their design with their two part inner shell make them Super Strong as well as being Acid Free. They also completely enclose my books, even over the top side. I feel they offer my books better protection, than a standard file cabinet type drawer. #2 They are individual, independent modular units, meaning if I were to ever move from this residence I can simply pull the finished wood slats and foam board dividers Pull my Drawer boxes and take them with me and then easily convert the remaning cabinet opening into a finished closet. Now that I had decided to go the economical route I needed to figure out how I was going to do the layout and spacing. I wanted 2 inch spacing on all four sides of each Drawer. I had to settle for 2 inch spacing on just the sides of the drawers because I couldn't afford to loss 12 inches of height by spacing 2 inches on the top and bottom of each level of drawers. So I began the layout of my first row of Drawers using 2 inch foam board as spacers. The foam board spacers would be recessed just deep enough to allow for the plywood slats I would later cut sand and paint to match the walls of the room. The 2 inch foam Board would also serve as support for the next level of Drawers. My next problem was, "what to use as a base for the next level?" I tried a solid piece of plywood, but I was not happy with how it fit. Then I found these cedar boards used to line closets with and they worked nicely! AND now my whole cabinet would be enclosed with cedar which would help protect from bugs, insects, etc... A Win Win! You can see I also made a couple rough proto type plywood drawer covers  Having now established my first row of drawers and their spacing. I needed to decide how I was going to design and make the Drawer Fronts. At this point I decided to cut a few Proto-Type drawer covers out of some scap plywood. At first I thought about just making the Drawer fronts solid and mounting some type of handle on them. I scrapped that Idea in favor of making each Drawer front its own book display.  This created another problem though. How would I make them each hold a book for display. After much trial and error, I cut some more proto type drawer fronts, this time using 1/4 inch hardboard.  My next issue was, How to design a way to make the Drawer fronts not only functional, but also a display for the comics. I kind of knew what I wanted to do, but I hadn't yet been able to find the right material to do it. My plan was to make some kind of "Rail system" that the books could slide into and then Slide out of the way to expose the "Pull Slots" for the drawers. At first I tried the make these "Rails" out of wood, but that failed miserably. So I was kind of in a bind on the project. UNTIL! One day I was just wondering around Menards looking for possible ideas when I stumbled across this PVC Channel used on house siding. IT was PERFECT! $3 bucks for a 8 ft strip made it cheap as well! I would need to cut and fabricate a set for each drawer. After cutting and assembling all the Drawer fronts for the first row of Drawers, I was all set to go!  THEN! I attempted to paint them with an Acrylic Spray paint and ruined them all, because the paint would not adhere to the Hardboard properly. ARRRGGGGGGGGGGGGG!!!! I had to remove them all and start all over. You can see the junk ones in the fore ground after I remade and assembled another set.  I don't know what I was thinking, I should have known that the hardboard would need to be primed before painting. The other problem was finding the right product to prime the hardboard. Apparently this Hardboard is use by artist and painters and I came across a web-site on how they prime and prepare their hardboard for acrylic and oil painting. They used an acrylic paste primer called "Gesso" to prime and prepare their boards for painting. The new fronts I made in the photo above were primed and sanded using the Gesso primer.  I was now ready for my second attempt at painting them! While Using the Gesso solved the primer problem, it would not be the last of my painting woes. I ruined countless more of the Drawer fronts with impatient painting. 5-6 light even coats were needed. Trying to circumvent the process only resulted in runs and Paint separation, especially on the PVC channels. The final 3-4 coats of Clear Coat sealer also caused similar problems if applied in to heavy of coats. Good Thing the Hardboard and PVC channel was cheap, because I was going through it like gangbusters! More ruined Fronts laying in the front. I had to stop and go outside and burn my burnpile it was getting so big! PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE!  Soooo...... After finally perfecting my painting technique I FINALLY got the first row of Drawer Faces done. Now it was time to see if all my measuring and plotting would pay off in establishing my next level of Drawers. The most critical part was establishing the first cedar boards making up the base of the second level, The reveal had to be perfect to match the lower level Drawer faces, as well as the finished wood Spacer slats on the second level.   After establishing the reveal for the cedar boards making up the base of the second level it was time to get started on making the Spacing foam boards and the finished spacer slats. The wife was not happy with this process!!! I ripped the 2inch foam board on my table saw and that crap was EVERYWHERE! So Far so good as the cedar board base went down pretty smooth with no problems. OK, One issue I had was how I was going the secure the Finished wood faces to the foam board Spacers. I didn't want any nails or screws to show and besides, that wasn't an option for the obvious reason screws and or nails were not going to hold securely into the foam board spacers. I cut a series of grooves onto the back side of the painted spacer boards and they were liquid nailed to the foam board. Two trim nails are also securing it from the top through the cedar base board. They were pretty darn solid.  After establishing the second level of drawers and completing the construction and painting of the spacers, the second level was ready for the drawer covers. After learning from my mistakes, the second level drawer faces were completed and installed much smoother. Still, it was a time consuming process in making each Drawer face fit just perfect. Now it was just a matter of repeating the whole process for the third level of Drawers.   At this point I had come to a cross road in the project. After the 3rd level of Comic Drawers the design was going to change in order to accommodate other areas of my collection, such as Magazines, Graphic novels, LP records, CGC graded comics and my Card collection as well as a spot for my Stereo Equipment. So it was once again time to do some measuring and figuring. I initially thought I might be able to work a Flat screen TV into the unit, but I simply ran out of room to do so. Level Four was design using the Magazine sized Comic drawer Boxes that would be able to accommodate CGC and CBCS Slabbed books.   I also added LED lighting    Its still a work in progress and while it is fully functional at this point I still have not decided on what kind of shelving to do on the left side and that damn Shadow Box on the right is still unfinished. I would also like to remove the Florissant light fixtures from the ceiling of the room and install Can lights and or some kind of track lighting. I'll get yer done someday though!     |
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| Post 19 • IP flag post | ||
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I'm a #2.
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BigRedOne1944 private msg quote post Address this user | |
| I also wanted to note that any suggestions for finishing the remaining areas of my cabinet are greatly appreciated. | ||
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comicsforme private msg quote post Address this user | |
| How much out of pocket so for? | ||
| Post 21 • IP flag post | ||
 Collector
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thelastbard private msg quote post Address this user | |
| @BigRedOne1944 I'm hoping when my family lands in our NEXT house, I can come up with a more permanent solution for my collection. Right now, when we rent or own (right now, we own), I'm always looking for a nice hidey hole for my collection except for a few boxes, all of my trades (on shelves), and slabs. This house, our staircase has one of those great closets that goes on forever beneath it, which is perfect for stacking long boxes. My office is a good size, but I didn't want to overwhelm the space by taking all of it up with boxes, and I know we're not going to be here for more than a few years, thus no permanent solution. Love what you've done there! Gives me some ideas... Here, if we were going to be here for a LONG time, I could whack through a wall and get into a crawl space on the other side and get some interesting options.  |
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Marximus private msg quote post Address this user | |
Quote:Originally Posted by BigRedOne1944  |
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| Post 23 • IP flag post | ||
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I'm a #2.
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BigRedOne1944 private msg quote post Address this user | |
Quote:Originally Posted by comicsforme Im thinking I probably have $500-$600 wrapped up in it at this point |
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| Post 24 • IP flag post | ||
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I'm a #2.
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BigRedOne1944 private msg quote post Address this user | |
Quote:Originally Posted by thelastbard Its always nice to access a new house for potential storage options. Of coarse my wife feels that checking out the plumbing, electrical and other mechanical aspects of the house are much higher priority, Can you believe that?  The other nice thing about my cabinet set up is that it is not necessarily permanent. If I were to ever move from the residence I can simply pull the Foam spacers and cedar tops and take the drawer boxes with me and easily convert the opening into a closet or Entertainment center. |
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I'm a #2.
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BigRedOne1944 private msg quote post Address this user | |
Quote:Originally Posted by Marximus It is a cave I do do most of my detective work there and I have been known to sleep hanging upside down in there ......Yes.... I think I may very well be Batman! |
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thelastbard private msg quote post Address this user | |
| @BigRedOne1944 Well, with the house we bought a couple of years ago, we knew it wasn't permanent, just to get away from a more expensive area and into something affordable. Next will be something more permanent hopefully. Good to know what you built IS moveable, though!! It looks awesome without being uber-geek, you know? Access without being obviously in the way. | ||
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BrianGreensnips private msg quote post Address this user | |
| @thelastbard About that space under the stairs. Is it unconditioned? The reason I ask is when I lived with my parents I was buying.multiples of books. Punisher Volume 1,#1 with the gren cover and Flash #1 with the yellow cover from I believe 1987. I put them in bags and boards in a manela envelope under the stairway to the basement.I had a couple copies of each. I pulled them out a couple years later and they were trashed.The moisture was to high and ruined them. Almost to a moldy state. I had to throw them out.It was pretty disappointing.I assume your area is conditioned. Just wanted to make others aware of that too on this sight. | ||
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I'm a #2.
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BigRedOne1944 private msg quote post Address this user | |
Quote:Originally Posted by BrianGreensnips Brian is correct, in that you need to make sure the area your choose for storing your books is not prone to high level of moisture or extreme temperature fluctuations. Many have no other choices but to store their books in basement areas. A dehumidifier is highly recommended in those type of areas. Three words: Cool, Dry, Dark |
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| Post 29 • IP flag post | ||
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BabaLament private msg quote post Address this user | |
| @BigRedOne1944 Has anyone opened a secure storage facility for investment grade comics & books? Gold & silver coin people have Citadel Global Depository; but given the value of some high dollar books, and the environmental conditions in some areas, I'd have thought this would be kind of a neat thing. Keep your books in a secure, climate controlled "vault"; and have them shipped back & forth as necessary whenever the owner wants to physically take possession, buy/sell, etc. Just a thought. |
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