Filament Storage Ideas? (Page 1 of 3)

I doubt it would help for that many spools, but I use a cooler that has a nice sealing top as the bin to store my filament (not close to 30 reels though). I also have some containers of the crystal cat litter inside it that various people recommend as a drying agent.

You can get some really big coolers, mind you, but that can get expensive.

All seem like possible ideas. I may just need to do the multiple plastic bins methods just because I have so many rolls. So many colors.....they need to be had lol

I just throw some silica into the bag the filament came with. If I know I'm not gonna use the filament for a long time, I high tech trash bag it like COASTER
Personally, I keep the filaments I use often right next to my chair in one of those plastic desk organizers from Walmart (like $12). I can fit 3 Octave spools in each of the larger drawers. Including some HTPLA, I have 7 spools in one convenient area.
All the PLA spools literally falling out of my closet, though...

I need a shrink ray

Haha maybe a reefer...

I think that since your printer is all up and running at the moment.  You should consider buying some fancy filament to celebrate

I am just as bad with parts for mods.  Everyone needs at least one extra of everything, right?
I literally have enough extra parts around to build another printer.  Not to mention an extra printer just in case something happens to the other one

I am guessing you and I are two of Tim's favorite customers.

An air conditioner is just a huge efficient dehumidifier. If anything, having the filament next to the output of an air conditioner would be good for the filament.

I've been toying with the idea of buying a used freezer to store filament in.  They seal airtight, and I don't even care if it works; I'll probably just put damp-rid in the bottom anyway.  It shouldn't be difficult to mount some rod holders to support numerous spools; not sure if it would hold 30 though.

Craisglist in my area has several upright- and chest-type freezers (15 cu. ft.) in the $60-$75 range.

Just as a note; most of the speciality filaments will have a 'shelf life'... there is a strong temptation to stock up and have stuff 'on hand' but keep in mind that its print quality will degrade over time regardless... stuff like laywoo; laybrick; nylons; etc. You need to use it within 12-18months from production (not sale)... 

Its maybe a 'nice' problem to have to have to chew through a couple of rolls of t-glasse for example before they 'expire'; but its also probably not a cost-effective approach.  The same applies for ABS and PLA.. but the more vanilla a filament is, the more life it will have. The more exotic; the less inert the filament will be regardless of how its stored.

So unless you are turning over that much filament; mass storage is probably not a good approach to engineer around. Instead look to have a solid supply relationship so you can rapidly acquire 'fresh stock' as needed.

Thanks for that note Adrian.
Wouldn't it be nice if suppliers had a "Best If Used By" sticker on their spools?

Then again, the user's method of storage may negate the "expiration" as portrayed on said sticker.