Gel Sheet Storage

[Chris Pritzlaff]

I am trying to find a way to keep my various sheets of gel organized - Till now I have just kept them rolled individually in a milkcrate, but its starting to get unorganized - I don't like the gel sheet holder because you have to go through all your sheets to find a specific color

 

I was wondering what everyone else does - any tips or tricks you would be willing to share?

[Chris Keth]

As unorganized as they get, I'm convinced that the milkcrate is the best way to do it. They are all visible and one can be chosen without getting a bunch of others out at the same time like the the gel rolls. Maybe clean your crate out once in a while and don't worry too much about it.

[Tom Banks]

The most organized I've seen is the milkcrate method with individual cardboard tubes cut to about 3 or 4 inches high in which each rolled up gel would fit into. That way you don't have to c47 each roll and if your crate isn't full they won't all fall over. I haven't tried this yet... I just end up reorganizing my gel before each shoot. It keeps me up to date on inventory too

[robert duke]

I have been using a method that I borrowed off Dan Cornwall. I grab any lost Camp chair bag at any outdoor function and keep colors in it. I keep a selection of each color and diffusion in each bag and when a light goes out a bag goes with it. you have a good selection right there at the light ready for you.

 

I keep about six bags ready filled with gel. It seems to work pretty good. I have my party gels in one.

 

for smaller cuts I have a small file box either the plastic or the metal ( the metal ones last longer 6x12x12) I keep plenty of each color in a file folder labeled ready to go. I have one box for color and one for diffusion.

 

I used to used the segregated milkcrate but got tired of someone dumping it over and it spilling or someone just making a mess of it. with the chair bags each light gets its own bag so the cuts are at hand immediately and go back immediately. no cross contamination. It takes a little more time on the front end and a little more space in the truck.

 

It works for me, it might work for you.

[Chris Keth]

It works for me, it might work for you.

 

That's a really good idea, and it saves people the time of running for gel.

[Chris Pritzlaff]

The most organized I've seen is the milkcrate method with individual cardboard tubes cut to about 3 or 4 inches high in which each rolled up gel would fit into. That way you don't have to c47 each roll and if your crate isn't full they won't all fall over. I haven't tried this yet... I just end up reorganizing my gel before each shoot. It keeps me up to date on inventory too

 

 

Yah - I saw that on the music video shoot- I think I may try that out cause It kept everything neat and organized - I just wanted to see if there were any other methods,

 

 

 

I like the bag method too

 

 

Thanks guys

[Mike Simpson]

I use a really big, but pretty shallow bucket. Kinda like an oversized painting bucket. Works pretty well.

 

I think ill try to combine it with the cardboard rolls idea though. I keep all my gels clipped with bullets and it never fails that the bullets are pulled off when someone is in a hurry and the bucket turns into a mess by the end of even a short shoot.

[Barry Cheong]

I have individual boxes made up for each of my tungsten lights (650/300/150). Each box is made out of plasticore and showcard and has ND 9/6/3, 216, 250, Opal, F/H/Q CTO, and F/H/Q CTB. Each kit lives with it's own light like some other people's system and everything fits into a milkcrate for transport.

 

 

[Mitch Lusas]

I made tubes out of cut PVC pipe (or you could use shipping tubes) for various sized lights. Gaff tape the bottoms. Drill holes at the top, run trick line through them and presto, a cheap handle with which to clip or hang anywhere (very useful for putting each tube with a light). This handle is also great for storing pegs. If you wanted, you could keep the tubes organized in a milk crate.

[Hal Smith]

The most organized I've seen is the milkcrate method with individual cardboard tubes cut to about 3 or 4 inches high in which each rolled up gel would fit into.............

I've seen gel storage bins constructed of a wood box where the top was drilled with a bunch of round holes with cardboard tubes glued into them. Each hole/tube was labelled with what is supposed to be stored in that tube. There probably was another matching piece of plywood towards the inside bottom of the box with a matching set of holes so that both the top and the bottom of the tubes were firmly located.

[Adam Richman]

Yah - I saw that on the music video shoot- I think I may try that out cause It kept everything neat and organized - I just wanted to see if there were any other methods,

 

You mean saw that in my kit :rolleyes: Hey Chris! Hey Tom! It works great, here's a link for the tubes I use (http://tinyurl.com/2xh8t7).

 

What I do is buy the full size 1-1/2" x 15" ones in a pack of 12 from Staples (if you order online it's cheaper and you don't get Staples' stickers on them like in the store). For smaller 12"x12" gels I take a blade and cut the tubes exactly in half. They come with caps which fit onto the tops/bottoms. After cutting them in half I have 2 tubes to fit 2 gels into, caps at the bottom. If I'm using full-size sheets, I simply don't cut the tube in half and use it full size at 15". You can fit roughly 75 gels in a milkcrate this way.

 

I also take two coffee cans (http://tinyurl.com/24k76o) and fit them into the crate full if C47's. All of my CC gels are labeled by 1/4, 1/2, FULL, etc. in one corner (not needed for stuff like white diffusion that I know is 250 or 216, etc.) so that I can tell a newbie grip to go to my case and grab me 1/4 CTB. They can easily find it based on the labeling.

 

And like Tom said, it keeps you organized up-to-date with your inventory.

[Chris Pritzlaff]

You mean saw that in my kit :rolleyes: Hey Chris! Hey Tom! It works great, here's a link for the tubes I use (http://tinyurl.com/2xh8t7).

 

 

I ended up going with that method - I mistakenly purchased the larger diameter tubes though so I couldn't fit nearly as many in each crate. However they sorted out nicely into rows which are organized horizontally by color (CTB, CTO, CTS, Plus green -etc) and then seperated vertically by strength (1/8 ,1/4 etc)

That method works well because you can quickly scan across the grid and grab the tube that corresponds to the color that you need - each tube contains 4-5 gel cuts in various sizes.