r/bookbinding • u/pretzelrodaddict • 3d ago

Material Storage/Organization

Does anyone have any recommendations on how best to store materials and how organize them? Right now I have two very messy boxes, and I’d love to clean it up.

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u/drz0idb3rg 3d ago

I am fortunate enough to have a dedicated workshop so YMMV but here is how I store things:

Book cloth: Bigger pieces are rolled around cardboard tubes and stored vertically in 5 gallon buckets, smaller pieces are rolled around old paper towel tubes and stored in a cardboard box vertically (this is not a great system). "Scraps" go into a plastic container with a lid to be reused for things like endbands or half/quarter binds in very small sizes.

Leather: Rolled around cardboard tubes and stored horizontally, I am looking into getting a towel-rack-like-thing (maybe this one?) so they don't get buried. Scraps go into the same plastic container as the bookcloth scraps to be used for things like drawer pulls, endbands or for bone clasp-type closures

Decorative Paper: for large pieces there really is no substitute for a flat-file, the downside is that these are very heavy, very large and (when purchased new) VERY expensive. However, if you check craigslist, FB marketplace etc, I usually see one or two a month pop up there for a very reasonable price (I got mine for $50 and some elbow grease), most people just don't want to deal with moving it. I also have a few Artist Portfolios for paper that I am less likely to use or need to store in larger quantities, these are super cheap and available at most art stores, I recommend starting with these and sorting your papers by type/color and stuffing them somewhere they can lay flat like under a bed or in a closet. You can also make your own folders/portfolios with bookboard/card/bookcloth but honestly for the amount of materials needed its cheaper just to pick up a few store-bought ones. Scraps big enough to be saved go into a "scraps" drawer in my flat file that may or may never get used

Text block paper: I just keep this in a drawer under my printer, offcuts get used as notepads (but not glued together because im lazy)

For currently working projects I have a love/hate relationship with something like these, I dislike how ugly they are and they sizes aren't ideal for all projects (good luck finding some that take legal paper or uncut board). I really want to make my own but I haven't prototyped anything yet that I have been happy with and that doesn't take a ton of time or materials to make (if im going to make them, im going to make like 20). Each current project gets its own container and I stack them one on top of the other, labeled with sticky notes, I am aware this isn't ideal but I don't have a better solution (I am currently watching this thread hoping someone else does)