How to I best label my collection?

Shepherd Jim · Jun 28, 2010

Okay! I've recently re-located my collection of "rigging knives" from an oversized shoebox to a nice oak, Grizzly, multi-drawer toolbox.

If I dump all my Buck 315 Yachtsman into a drawer how do I keep track of which is which: "Which was the one I bought on eBay last week for $34 ...which did I find at the auction last year for $5?"

I have one of the Brother label makers but am not too excited about sticking anything to my knives. Little tags with strings are possible; though not all knives have bails or loops for convenient attaching of same.

I've thought about finding (or making) narrow plastic sleeves in which I could insert a knife along with an ID paper/card/label.

I'm hoping you all who have been collecting knives for YEARS longer than this newbie have long ago solved this problem!

How do you label/identify the knives in your collection?

I hope your weather today is a lot less foggy and rainy than mine.
Jim

FlaMtnBkr · Jun 28, 2010

I would probably try a plastic bag out although I don't really collect knives. They make those short and wide zip lock bags for snacks which should work good for folders. Plus it will keep humidity out and you won't have to worry about oil and could actual spray a little lube in the bag if the knife is carbon steel. You can write on the bad with a marker or put a piece of paper in with the knife. Maybe also number the bags and make a spread sheet on the computer to keep all the details and print out a copy to keep in the storage box.

Patrickknives · Jun 28, 2010

Keep a note book with a photo log, allows you to add catalog pages and other info on the knife as you may come across.

Obsessed with Edges · Jun 28, 2010

FlaMtnBkr said:
I would probably try a plastic bag out although I don't really collect knives. They make those short and wide zip lock bags for snacks which should work good for folders. Plus it will keep humidity out and you won't have to worry about oil and could actual spray a little lube in the bag if the knife is carbon steel. You can write on the bad with a marker or put a piece of paper in with the knife. Maybe also number the bags and make a spread sheet on the computer to keep all the details and print out a copy to keep in the storage box.

I've come to swear by the good ol' zip-loc bags. I've been storing a lot of my knives this way for years, and as long as you put 'em in there clean & DRY, it's a great way to protect them. Never had any corrosion issues when stored this way. Additionally, I'll also wrap some knives in a clean, dry, soft rag/towel before putting them in the bags. That helps to pad them against dings/bumps if you happen to store them in bulk containers.

I have lots of grand ambitions & ideas about how I'd like to store or display my knives, but haven't been sufficiently proactive about doing it yet. Ideally, it'd great to build my own storage & displays from exotic woods & glass, and then dedicate individual spaces or slots for specific knives. Assign each slot a number, perhaps based on row/column or whatever, and then keep track of each position and it's contents with a corresponding entry in an Excel spreadsheet. The spreadsheet can be as simple or as detailed as you want to make it, with make/model/vintage info, date of purchase, price info, etc. You can even include links to photos of each knife within the spreadsheet. The spreadsheet could be an excellent way to document everything for insurance purposes, too.

Steel Talon · Jun 28, 2010

How about those small manilla tags that have a string attached to them available at office supply stores. You can write your details on the tag and attach said tag to the specific knife..Many gun stores use them to attach gun prices to the trigger guards.

Since you now have a nice oak cabinet storage. You can go to a trophy shop and have them custom cut and engrave small plates that you can attach to each drawer to identify the contenets. They can also attach them to the drawers for you with nail heads tiny screw heads or adhesive plate tape. If you take the tool chest with you.

Shepherd Jim · Jun 28, 2010

Hey, thanks guys for all the response!

I grabbed a box of those "snack" zip-lock plastic bags this afternoon. I want to corral my knives WITH labels pretty quick. I bet I've bought close to two dozen knives in the last month and a half and I'm already having trouble remembering which were at what price on which date.

Woe is me. Ten or so years ago when I announced I was collecting JUST "rigging knives" I thought I was protecting myself. I had no idea there was were so many riggers! In retrospect I should have maybe just set out to collect riggers made by Camillus after WW2.

I found a company in Calif. that sold plastic "bags" as a continuous "tube" on a roll. I fooled around with some paper scraps and a few knives and determined that MOST folders would fit comfortabll in a 2" wide bag, but some of the heftier knives would not. So, a 3" wide pouch would fit just about any folder and most fixed blades. You cut off a long enough piece of tube to hold your knife and heat-seal one end to make a neat pouch. The "tubing" was pretty cheap, but the heat sealers were a mite pricey and I know what my DW would have to say if I asked to borrow HER steam iron. And of course, the open end of the bag wouldn't have any closure system like a zip or anything.

I also found a source for zip-seal bags of just about any size one could think of -- and in a 4 mil thickness would be much more protective and long-lasting than the standard supermarket ZipLocks. But, they had a $100 minimum order which meant I would have had to order like maybe 4,000 bags! If anyone out there would like to go in with me and order some bags let me know (PM or email prob best: jimtheshepherd@yahoo.com -- I was sort of torn between 3" x 6" and the 3" x 8".

I gotta run! Thanx again for all the input! Jim

Mr. McMick · Jun 29, 2010

While it seems you've got this figured out, I figure my two cents worth wont hurt. What I usually do is array them all out on a table/desktop, then put small labels beside them, usually taped to the desk/table surface. Granted, this is not the best for transportation, and can be messed up pretty readily, but it seems to me that the bag option would take away from the beauty of the knife. Anyhow, you could always get something like a traveling/display case/bag (sorry for being inarticulate there, can't remember the name) and label the spots in that. Just some thoughts

Shepherd Jim · Sep 27, 2010

Steel Talon said:
How about those small manilla tags that have a string attached to them available at office supply stores. You can write your details on the tag and attach said tag to the specific knife.....<snip....

Hey Steel Talon: I keep coming back to your suggestion about using the stringed tags. I'd be inclined to assign a database "ID No." to each knife and have that written on the tags with maybe a quick, abbreviated description/name -- rather than trying to fit in ALL the info I might have regarding a knife.

A lot of my riggers have a bail (loop, shackle) so attaching the tag's string would be SOP. I'm thinking that a good way to deal with knives without bails would be to just lay the tag's string across the knife and close the blade on it.

Mr. McMick said:
..<snip>...What I usually do is array them all out on a table/desktop, then put small labels beside them, usually taped to the desk/table surface. Granted, this is not the best for transportation, ..<snip>...

Hi Mr. McMick: Yeah, I am thinking at this point more about storage and short-range transport (around the house vs. cross-country). My wife's being fairly understanding about my whole "knife thing" but I know she'd SNAP if I started taking up much real estate in the house to display the collection.