Thread subject: Diptera.info :: Suppliers of wooden store boxes for insect specimens

Posted by Susan R Walter on 23-09-2006 14:02
#2

Nigel

I have three suggestions, all of which involve a bit of time on your part.

1. Do you know anyone who enjoys cabinet making as a hobby who you could present with your specification and get them to make you up boxes at little more than cost? It is the sort of thing my father would have done for me in the days when I lived a few blocks away from him.

2. Is there a workshop for the disabled near you? These are becoming fewer and fewer, but they will often teach their clients woodworking skills and sell the end product at very reasonable prices.

3. Trawl the antique shops, or more to the point, the shops purporting to be antique shops, where you can often pick up plain wooden boxes that have previously housed not only entomology collections, but cutlery, photograpic slides, all sorts of things. Also don't discount metal boxes - these sorts of shops may also have more modern aluminium or powder coated steel boxes which should be fine for your purpose. Trendy stationers cum lifestyle storage shops (eg Paperchase) may also have metal boxes. The only disadvantage of this approach is that it pot luck what turns up and involves checking the shops regularly until you eventually get what you want.