Small-parts inspection/clean-up device

Joel_BC

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In my shop, I store a lot of small parts (screws, washers, nuts, hooks, etc) in jars and bins...
4407_shop_storage.jpg


I made this device from a small baking pan, bought at a clearance sale for a couple bucks. It's sheet metal, and about 8x8" square and a bit over an inch-and-a-half deep.
4407_pan_and_jar.jpg


You can dump a jar or small bin out into the pan, spread out the parts, search through to find what you need, and then return the leftover parts back into their container easily. I cut a sort of "bird's mouth" shaped hole in one bottom corner of the pan - you can hold the pan in such a way that you get the parts to slide to the lowest corner and funnel back into the jar, bin, whatever.
4407_pan_close_up.jpg

I marked out the hole using a metal-worker's paint marker, cut it with a small disk on a die grinder, smoothed the edges of the hole with a cone-shaped grinding tip on the die grinder and then a hand file.

I like this better than picking up clumps of parts with my hand and trying to get them all back into the container - more efficient, easier, and you don't get stuck with any pointy little ends!
 

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