| Display
While much of the joy of sand collecting comes from being
out in the field and returning home with a bulging bag of
interesting samples, there is also another equally joyful
aspect of sand collecting, that of storing and displaying
your collection.
Samples are most often stored and displayed in some form
of clear walled container, either a glass bottle, plastic
container or self-seal polythene bag. The choice is down to
individual preference and also often dependant on
cost and the availability of the storage container. For display I use
10 ml clear plastic (polystyrene) test tubes, bought
from an laboratory consumables supplier. They are all labelled
on the side and have a permanent home in a custom built
storage and display cabinet in the shed.
They cost only a few pence each, complete with stoppers, and even when a collection
runs into many thousands, the cost still remains reasonable.
Whatever container you choose, and self-sealing polythene
bags are the most cost effective, you should be aware that
future supplies may be uncertain and the container you use
when you start collecting may go out of production or be
otherwise unobtainable at a later date. The internet is the ideal way to source containers for
display. Search for ecological materials supplies,
laboratory supplies and packing. A sand collection can
grow surprisingly quickly and when you start counting into
the hundreds or even thousands, the cost of display or
storage containers can be considerable. The cheapest way
I've found is to use self-seal polythene bags which cost
only a few pence each. The next most economical rigid
container I've come across are 100 mm x 16 mm diameter
polystyrene test tubes. Purchasing these in batches of 1000
is not that more expensive and they are also more practical
for displaying your collection. Of course, you need not
restrict yourself to a single method for displaying your
collection. While my main collection uses polystyrene test
tubes inside a purpose built cabinet, I also have various
choice samples displayed around the shed, on ledges, window
sills and in some small purpose-built racks. I use 62 mm
high x 44 mm diameter clear plastic containers with a
capacity of 60 ml, bought in batches of 100 from an online
laboratory disposables supplier. They make a nice visual
addition to my main collection. Some have also found their
way into the house and onto my desk at the office. |
