# schemes for itinerant gel storage



## codered11343 (Mar 3, 2008)

My TD wants a new way to store and organize are cuts of color. We are using a filing cabinet now and it works fine for most of the size cuts until you get into 10" and 12" cuts. We wants something thats on wheels so we can move it on stage to get color ready, and something that can keep track of most lighting accessories in this one place like gobo's, irise's, some smaller frames...that sort of stuff.
Someone has already recommended using old milk crates because thats what they use at her school. But thats not what I'm looking for. I'm looking for a "All in One" for lighting. Any ideas? Any photos? And thing?

Thanks


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## icewolf08 (Mar 3, 2008)

*Re: Gel organization*

Legal size lateral file cabinets.


They will fit your color up to 12"x12" cuts and you can probably get ones on wheels, or build a caster board for them. I use a bunch in varying sized for storing lots of different things, and they are lockable. I have one on the deck for storing spare lamps, tape, common tools (gam check, multi meter, etc). I have a bunch in my LX shop for color, PAR lamps, and many other things. They are great!


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## Charc (Mar 3, 2008)

*Re: Gel organization*


icewolf08 said:


> Legal size lateral file cabinets.
> <Image Removed>
> They will fit your color up to 12"x12" cuts and you can probably get ones on wheels, or build a caster board for them. I use a bunch in varying sized for storing lots of different things, and they are lockable. I have one on the deck for storing spare lamps, tape, common tools (gam check, multi meter, etc). I have a bunch in my LX shop for color, PAR lamps, and many other things. They are great!



The only one with a gamchek at the place I interned was... me. We were trouble shooting some light, and it was really cumbersome what the ME was outlining, so I chimed in "Why not just grab a gamchek?"... multiple people cracked up... "It's not-for-profit, you think there's money for a gamcheck?". So there ya go: Alex one ups the <Removed> Theatre Company.

For gel organization: I think Egg crates really aren't that bad. It seems cheesy, and like the poor-man's solution, but they'll fit your cuts pretty well. (I think the 12' too), it's modular and stackable, easy enough to grab just the Blues, or just the Gobos. Plus, they're light. So, what do ya think?


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## TimMiller (Mar 4, 2008)

*Re: Gel organization*

We went to walmart and bought a filing cabinent on wheels. It works perfectly for our gel file. Our gels consist of almost all par 64 cuts. I have all of the gels filed in folders and labeled. Then i have the colors in labeled zip lock bags. So if i need R-34. I just flip to it and pull out the zip lock bag of the gel, leaving the file folder in the cabinent so i can easily find where it goes back.


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## Gar (Mar 8, 2008)

*Large gel storage*

Hi all,
I don't post questions/stuff usually, so I hope this exact question hasn't been posted before. 
Here Goes...
I'm cleaning the light shop this week, and re-organizing all the gels in our library. I'm trying to figure out how to store the cyc gel cuts for the Altman Cycs. These guys are 15" x 15". Right now they are all piled onto a few of the full sheet storage rack. I need the full sheet racks, so the cycs need to move.
I was thinking of sticking the cuts in folders and storing them upright by number. I've been looking for file folders big enough to hold the 15" cuts. I can't find any of these file folders in my first scan of the internet. 
Does anybody have any method of storing these sized gels? Or does anyone know of file folders big enough to hold the 15" cuts? 
Any ideas are appreciated. We have something of a budget, but most of is being spend on file folders for regular size gels.
Thanks in advanced,
Garvin Jellison
Lighting Supervisor
Illusion Theater


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## mbandgeek (Mar 8, 2008)

*Re: Large gel storage*

Just a quick thought. have you thought about using manilla envelopes? in a quick search i was able to find envelopes up to 10" x 15" There may be larger out there i don't know.


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## mbandgeek (Mar 8, 2008)

*Re: Large gel storage*

I just found a 17.5" x 14.5"

http://www.newguardian.com/pockets.html

its at the bottom of the heavyweight list.


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## Gar (Mar 8, 2008)

*Re: Large gel storage*

I actually just found those folders. Thanks a lot though. I think they might work. I really like the manilla envelope idea.


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## porkchop (Mar 9, 2008)

*Re: Large gel storage*

http://www.staples.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/CategoryDisplay?&secondlevelCategoryId=10081&firstlevelCatName=Furniture&firstlevelCategoryId=10705&langId=-1&storeId=10001&splCatType=2&catalogId=10051&cmArea=&categoryId=10816&secondlevelCatName=File+and+Storage+Cabinets

Staples sells a variety of 15" file cabinets. Woot that wat teh EASY yo. (No I'm not an ex Staples employee I swear)


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## gafftaper (Mar 10, 2008)

*Re: Large gel storage*

How about the big manila envelopes in one of those plastic "milk crates" you can also get at Staples? Nice and cheap... throw it up on a shelf.


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## Charc (Mar 10, 2008)

*Re: Large gel storage*


gafftaper said:


> How about the big manila envelopes in one of those plastic "milk crates" you can also get at Staples? Nice and cheap... throw it up on a shelf.



It would have to be an oversize milk crate.


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## Gar (Mar 10, 2008)

*Re: Large gel storage*

Thanks everybody! I've got a shelf that will hold the 15" manilla envelopes.
I'm going to put them up there. If we can get one, I'd really like a oversized file cabinet to hold the cyc cuts, but I don't think we have quite enough gel to warrent a complete file cabinet for them. If I find a 15" milk crate that might be the happy medium for now.
Thanks Again,

Garvin


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## gafftapegreenia (Mar 10, 2008)

*Re: Large gel storage*

Look at these here milk crates.


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## ship (Mar 10, 2008)

*Re: Large gel storage*

I normally build pre-cut gel file boxes to the size I need and use 1/8" plywood or even cardbaord as dividers.

15.5" wide x 12" high inside with a flip top 3.5" lid out of say plywood, a few hinges and a latch shouldn't take too much time. Nor would cutting and labeling the dividers. You than store the box with the other pre-cut gel boxes on a shelf. With the latched lid, you don't "Pie" the gel and it is portable as an all in one thing for use on stage.

(Anyone know where the term "Pie" comes from in spilling something?)

If you get really fancy perhaps dove tail the box and Japan it. Still my favorite solution has always been one box per pre-cut gel size with simply plywood dividers between the gels or say one divider between each ten in a series. Also provide for yourself room to store the frames when building the box. Perhaps even another box or a tray in it for the paper brads.


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## beachcombah15 (Jan 6, 2009)

*Convenient Gel sheet Storage?*

Does anyone have any crack ideas on storing their gel sheets so their not always wrapped up in a tube? or any ideas that im too stupid to think of...haha. Everytime I need to go to cut a new gel i end up taking 10-15 minutes matching all the sides on the sheets so they roll up evenly back in the tube...


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## Footer (Jan 6, 2009)

*Re: Convenient Gel sheet Storage?*

The "industry standard" way of doing it is something like this...

I have seen people use old drafting filing cabinets as well as individual PVC Pipe for each type of gel (yes, that would be a wall of over 300 tubes).


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## beachcombah15 (Jan 6, 2009)

*Re: Convenient Gel sheet Storage?*

so gel storage= pipe organ! haha


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## waynehoskins (Jan 6, 2009)

*Re: Convenient Gel sheet Storage?*

I use my version of a drafting "flat file" -- which to normal people resembles a flat surface with a pile of stuff on it.


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## lieperjp (Jan 6, 2009)

*Re: Convenient Gel sheet Storage?*

If you want to get some new drafting cabinets, good luck as they are very, very expensive. See these here.

Something else that you could do is get a rolling tube rack, something like these. You don't even have to keep the tubes, just roll up the gel and stick the rolls in. I work at an office supply store, and we have several of the wire ones in our store like this or this. The metal ones are actually much sturdier than they look. Biggestbook.com is where many small office supply stores can get products, if you don't want to order online. Just take in the item number. Again, they're all pretty expensive. You're better off just building something with leftover pieces of wood.

We use something like what Footer posted above... we don't use that much gel so we just have it separated by base color on each shelf. Also, I use two mobile file bins for cut gel (one for our strip lights and a second larger one for the rest of the lights.)


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## Wolf (Jan 6, 2009)

*Re: Convenient Gel sheet Storage?*


Footer said:


> The "industry standard" way of doing it is something like this...
> 
> 
> I have seen people use old drafting filing cabinets as well as individual PVC Pipe for each type of gel (yes, that would be a wall of over 300 tubes).



This is what I use, works great and on mine the shelfs slide out. We keep about 5 different colors on each.


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## Esoteric (Jan 6, 2009)

*Re: Convenient Gel sheet Storage?*

I keep sheets rolled up in shipping tubes (many times you can get them free), and cuts in file folders in a traditional file cabinet. Something I picked up at the PAC,

Mike


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## Wolf (Jan 6, 2009)

*Re: Convenient Gel sheet Storage?*


Esoteric said:


> I keep sheets rolled up in shipping tubes (many times you can get them free), and cuts in file folders in a traditional file cabinet. Something I picked up at the PAC,
> 
> Mike



To me it seems as if that would way to many tubes, and take up a lot of space. I could see keeping some tubes on hand for when you need to take full sheets with you but other than that not so much.

Is there a reason you use tubes?


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## Esoteric (Jan 6, 2009)

*Re: Convenient Gel sheet Storage?*


Wolf said:


> To me it seems as if that would way to many tubes, and take up a lot of space. I could see keeping some tubes on hand for when you need to take full sheets with you but other than that not so much.
> 
> Is there a reason you use tubes?



We (the two churches I freelance for on a regular basis) do not keep a lot of sheets. We only keep about 4 colors in sheets. Everything else is ordered and cut up as it is needed.

When we were at the PAC and when I spent time TDing at a theater where we kept significant amounts of gel we used one of those old style files.

Of course at the PAC we would order gel by the roll and not the sheet.

Mike


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## aporter2012 (Jan 7, 2009)

*Re: Convenient Gel sheet Storage?*

At my theatre we use old Accordion Folios for all the cut gell. They come in handy because it is one folio so we are not dealing with alot of storage, and the gell stays flat and organized by color. As for big sheets, we keep them in an art portfolio. Again, we have one thing that holds the gell so we dont have to juggle a bunch of tubes.


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## venuetech (Jan 7, 2009)

*Re: Convenient Gel sheet Storage?*

Just make a tray 1/4" plywood base with 1x2 sides on edge.
inside dimensions about an inch larger than the common sheet 21x25


you may want to make a lid for it. I would just rip one of the long sides down by 3/8" then rip a groove into the others for a 1/8" panel to slide in and out of.

glue and screw the unit together. if you have lots of color to deal with make the base about 1" wider that would give you some 1/2" ears that could fit into a simple slotted cabinet


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## Kelite (Jan 7, 2009)

*Re: Convenient Gel sheet Storage?*


Footer said:


> The "industry standard" way of doing it is something like this...



The pictured Apollo gel cabinet is sold outright as well as given as a freebie to dealers that stock gel. If you are interested in the design, I can get some info to you. They are made locally by an Amish company and hold up very well! 

(Fresh homemade fruit pies can be stored in the cabinet to cool when every other shelf is removed too...)


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## beachcombah15 (Jan 7, 2009)

*Re: Convenient Gel sheet Storage?*


Kelite said:


> The pictured Apollo gel cabinet is sold outright as well as given as a freebie to dealers that stock gel. If you are interested in the design, I can get some info to you. They are made locally by an Amish company and hold up very well!
> 
> (Fresh homemade fruit pies can be stored in the cabinet to cool when every other shelf is removed too...)



I would love some info!


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## Esoteric (Jan 7, 2009)

*Re: Convenient Gel sheet Storage?*


aporter2012 said:


> At my theatre we use old Accordion Folios for all the cut gell. They come in handy because it is one folio so we are not dealing with alot of storage, and the gell stays flat and organized by color. As for big sheets, we keep them in an art portfolio. Again, we have one thing that holds the gell so we dont have to juggle a bunch of tubes.



Yeah, but putting the tubes in vertical storage works just as well. No juggling necessary.

Mike


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## derekleffew (Jan 7, 2009)

*Re: Convenient Gel sheet Storage?*


beachcombah15 said:


> I would love some info!


Shelves of 1/4" Tempered HDF (Masonite) measuring 25" deep x 23" wide (21" wide if never planning to use Lee Filters, or 25" wide if planning on using Apollo's 24x24 sheets). Sides of cabinet are 3/4" Cabinet Grade plywood 25" deep x however high (but I wouldn't go more than 24" due to warping and weight). Sides have 5/16" wide by 3/8" deep grooves on 1" centers for the shelves to slide into. Tops and bottoms can be whatever is available, but a rigid back is essential for stability. A fun project for a carpenter to use his stacked dado-head cutter on his table saw. Alternatively, the grooves can be cut with a router fitted with a dado bit and a good straight edge. Hint: For best alignment, cut all the grooves first on a piece 50" wide x ~24" high, then crosscut in half.

Most places will not have the space or need for each drawer to be a single color. Up to five colors adjacent colors could go on the same shelf. Proper labeling and filing are essential!


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## Kelite (Jan 7, 2009)

*Re: Convenient Gel sheet Storage?*


derekleffew said:


> Hint: For best alignment, cut all the grooves first on a piece 50" wide x ~24" high, then crosscut in half.





Spoken with wisdom and insight. Thank you Derek!!!


(Now, about those pies...)


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## BillESC (Jan 7, 2009)

*Re: Convenient Gel sheet Storage?*

Keith,

Never thought of the pies... great idea!

We have three of your racks stacked one atop of the other. Uses minimal floor space and can easily store a thousand sheets of Apollo gel.


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## KeeperoftheKeys (Jan 7, 2009)

*Re: Convenient Gel sheet Storage?*

A theatre I worked at just had a gel cutting room, the cut gels were kept in multiple regular filing cabinets with a folder for every number (I don't remember if it was also separated by size but I don't think so).

There were large cubes for the gel frames.

Various types of cutting machines with the lines of the various needed sizes already marked.

Uncut sheets were kept in small deep square compartments a bit higher up, and yes there just were lots of squares to hold all the different gels.


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## lazor (Jan 9, 2009)

*Re: Convenient Gel sheet Storage?*


Kelite said:


> This is what we use as well.
> Gives us plenty of space to keep not only full sheets but partially cut sheets as well. And we use Rosco, GAM and Lee.


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## Esoteric (Jan 9, 2009)

*Re: Convenient Gel sheet Storage?*

Yeah, we had a corner of Bills Bar (the electric shop at UT) set up for gel cutting and storage. We used file cabinets (cut gel), vertical racks (uncut sheets), and shipping tubes (for rolls of gel).

Mike


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## Fireguy551 (Jan 10, 2009)

*Re: Convenient Gel sheet Storage?*

If you call up a Lee Distributer they sell a shelf that looks like Footer's picture. Probably a couple grand though. My arts center stores gel in blueprint shipping boxes. I will try and get a picture up here but they are basically 1' x 1' x 3' boxes with dividers to make 16 squares. We have about 30 of these boxes (1 square for each gel # we keep in stock). If you are storing lots of sheets, I have not seen a way that stays organized without taking up lots of space.


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## Kelite (Jan 12, 2009)

*Re: Convenient Gel sheet Storage?*


Fireguy551 said:


> If you call up a Lee Distributer they sell a shelf that looks like Footer's picture. Probably a couple grand though.



The Apollo cabinet that is pictured earlier in this thread has an MSRP of $359, so it shouldn't break too many piggy banks. (As long as you don't drop it on the 'lil oinker)


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## JChenault (Jan 25, 2010)

I do a lot of work in small venues that are not terribly organized in terms of color. Over the years I have established a reasonable inventory of cut color, partial rolls of color, and full rolls of color. When I get a gig I select my color, see how much I have in inventory, and purchase what I need to complete the order. When I get to the theatre I either cut the color myself, or find a minion to do it for me.

Now I have no problem with storing the cut color. I have a plastic file box with file folders, a folder for each number, etc. The issue is how to deal with full and partial sheets. 

Currently I have a maintain about six rolls of colors where each roll is a single manufacturer, and each roll is sorted by a range of numbers ( Say Rosco 01 to 49) . I maintain an inventory for each roll and have it in the plastic sleeve that holds the roll ( remember the old apollo plastic sleeves - that's what I mean). The issues are:


The rolls tend to get unwieldy and roll around the trunk of my car.
The edges of color tends to get a bit crinkled over time as I unroll and re-roll the colors etc.
I have problems with untrained minions cutting color. They don't maintain the numeric order in the roll, update inventory sheets, etc.

Anyone have any ideas how to make this easier? I think I am looking for ideas for storage tubes, multiple storage tubes, or some other approach I have not considered.

How do others deal with this issue?


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## Lotos (Jan 25, 2010)

JChenault said:


> The issues are:
> 
> 
> The rolls tend to get unwieldy and roll around the trunk of my car.
> ...


 
Well, for full sheets, we store in a 'pizza box' style cardboard drawer... They seem to be sized ideally for Gel Sheets, though I have no idea where they came from, or when they arrived. They are slightly larger than a pizza box, in terms of width and length, and the front pulls out like a drawer... Unsure of how else to describe... But you could likely sit 5 or 6 of these in your trunk with no issues. That would remove the 'damaged corners' from constant roll and unroll...
If this idea appeals to you, I'm sure I could pester my TD for information on the source of these.

As for minions... There really is no solution... I mean, you can type out a list of instructions going from 'Remove Gel carefully, mark twice, cut once, store in numerical order, etc' But if they fail to manage this by themselves... Chances are they won't follow the instructions anyway :neutral:


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## seanandkate (Jan 25, 2010)

Haven't seen the Apollo plastic sleeves that you mention, but might a plastic drafting tube (I had one that was adjustable length) do the trick? I had an old tube that I used for designs that was maybe 4-5" in diameter (so it could fit loads of gel), and I could adjust the length in 2" increments (so the gel shouldn't shift up and down the length too much). If it comes with a carrying strap, you've also solved the "rolling in the trunk" problem.

As for the minions, +1 for Alex -- you're pooched.


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## derekleffew (Jan 25, 2010)

Partial sheets are the devil's playground! (or something like that.) When cutting I almost always cut the rest of the sheet into usable cuts: 10x10, 7.5x7.5, or whatever I've cut so far, to use as spares.

The worst is looking at a what you think is a full sheet and needing 4- 10x10 cuts, only to find a 6.25x6.25 corner missing. Arrrgh!

Lotos, your "pizza boxes" may be from Rosco: #08601 Storage Drawers (set of 6). I've also seen similar boxes for archiving architectural drawings in drafting supply catalogs. Since I mentioned Rosco, to be fair, Apollo makes a nice, though not very portable, Gel Cabinet. If one prefers "rolling one's own," 3 or 4" PVC pipe with end caps makes a nice tube. 


Stuck On Now – Englert Civic Theatre, Iowa City | iSquint.net


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## Anvilx (Jan 25, 2010)

I use PVC pipes for my uncut gel. Since I deal with small volumes I use smaller pipes then Dereklefew recommended, 2" if I remember correctly. My PVC pipes are covered in a layer of gaff tape. No I didn't do it, they were covered long before I arrived. The benefit of this is that I can stack them up easily and rearrange them.


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## rochem (Jan 25, 2010)

I keep a large (and steadily growing) inventory of gel which I've aquired over time, and a lot of it is full or partial sheets. To store these, I have a couple poster storage tubes which I carry with me. Two are for full, uncut sheets (one for Rosco and one for Lee/Apollo/Gam) and two are for partial (again, Rosco and Lee/Apollo/Gam). I think I got them for free when I ordered some posters from JR Clancy, but they're small and very easy to carry and even came with caps so I can close them up. I maintain an updated inventory list on the tube, so knowing at a glance what I have isn't as important. 

As for the minion thing - good luck. Usually, when I have other people cut gel for me, I pull out the sheets they'll need and give them a list of how many cuts of what size of what color, and I give them a color frame for each size they'll need so they can trace an outline onto the gel. For inventory, I always update that myself, and I end up putting everything away myself, since I will often be moving a sheet from one of the "New" tubes to one of the "Partial" tubes.


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## LampyTom (Jan 26, 2010)

I just use a plastic bin. Nothing fancy but it does the job.

Just pick up a plastic bin from a cheap store or wherever, roll up the sheets and plonk them in the bin (obviously remove the bin lid so it's an open bin for easy access). You could then have separate colours in separate bins (e.g. bin 1 = 010 - 100) or a different bin for every manufacturor.


Works for me and is what all the other techies in the local area do!


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## Kelite (Jan 26, 2010)

rochem said:


> As for the minion thing - good luck. Usually, when I have other people cut gel for me, I pull out the sheets they'll need and give them a list of how many cuts of what size of what color, and I give them a color frame for each size they'll need so they can trace an outline onto the gel.





FWIW- the Apollo _PerfGel_ is a free feature provided to users with these problems. The gel sheets arrive to the venue ready to tear apart and install. 
(The minions will have to do something more minion-ish, such as gaffer taping some cabling down or running for coffee...)


Apollo Design | PerfGel

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=epa2Oe5gNVY


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## OnWithTheShow (Jan 26, 2010)

For cut sheets we have a regular filing cabinet with drawers for each brand and then files for each color.

For full and near full sheets we have a drafting file with drawers for each brand and the sheets organized numerically. 

Of course this doesnt work for a portable set up.


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## wolf825 (Jan 26, 2010)

FWIW you can find Blueprint storage drawers used or in most cases being tossed out instead of having to pay the full brand new price. Brand New they run about $1k+ but as I said--many office buildings, schools and similar businesses will routinely toss them out rather frequently because they outgrow them...so just go looking...found tons of them used or for free just for the hauling (they weigh a lot!)

They are great for full sheet storage and easy organization by brand or color... 





-w


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## venuetech (Jan 26, 2010)

I think when large color orders are shipped from the manufacturer to the vendor they some times ship in a flat cardboard box. you could ask your vendor if they have any of these.

or you could go to a art/crafts store and look for a Portfolio of suitable size.
ArtSuppliesOnline.com - Alvin Prestige Elegance Heavy-Duty Nylon Portfolios

another source of a large cardboard flat box may be the "flip chart" easel pads these ship in boxes of 5-10 so if you could find one of those boxes and cut to size.


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## willbb123 (Jan 26, 2010)

derekleffew said:


> If one prefers "rolling one's own," 3 or 4" PVC pipe with end caps makes a nice tube.
> 
> 
> Stuck On Now – Englert Civic Theatre, Iowa City | iSquint.net



That pic looks familiar. 

I'd really prefer shelves but there really isn't room for them. 
The PVC is heaver then the cardboard, but I know they aren't going to fall apart. 

I did the same tubes for a community theater.


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## WooferHound (Jul 3, 2010)

*Filing Gels ?*

How do you file your gels for reuse. I have tried many ways and attempt to keep them in numbered order, but many brands duplicate the numbers with other brands, not to mention that there are 1000 different colors. In the spot booth I keep them in a small file with about 20 folders of general colors and it's not too hard to keep up with. In the coves FOH it's a little bit of a combination of both. How do you do it ?


by number
by brand
by color
they always stay in the light/frame​
stashed in the bottom of a big drawer randomly
scattered on the catwalk


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## derekleffew (Jul 3, 2010)

*Re: Filing Gels ?*


WooferHound said:


> ... I have tried many ways and attempt to keep them in numbered order, but many brands duplicate the numbers with other brands, ...


Yeah, Roscolux 132 is quite different than Lee 132. 

The most common prefixes are:
R00, R000, R0000 = Roscolux, (Some use X00)
L000 = Lee Filters
G000 = GamColor
AP0000 = ApolloGel

Usually, one can get by with one box or cabinet for the primary brand (most often Roscolux, see here), and another box or cabinet for the others combined.


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## photoatdv (Oct 9, 2010)

Okay, so I know this has been discussed a lot, but none of the ideas really work for me. I have probably around 200 sheets of gel (mostly full but some partial) and hundreds of cuts in assorted sizes. I currently have them roughly sorted by color. Many I also do not know the actual color because they are not marked (I've acquired leftovers over the years-- I didn't do it!), believe it or not this includes some full sheets (not sure how). I need a way to store them where they will not get messed up and I can go through and find the needed colors relatively easily. Inventory is not so important because my shows usually fall under the categories of either I order all the needed gel for the show or I'm pulling all or most from my stock (and just look through for what I have enough of that works).

To add to the fun storage space is at a premium and it needs to be easily transportable as well. For the cut sheets I have new and like new cuts, and the starting to go ones that I use schools and such (no, I don't use badly faded ones or ones with holes even for that-- but the ones that you can tell have seen better days).

Thanks everyone.


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## sk8rsdad (Oct 9, 2010)

I have never come up with a system that survived the next person along to pull gel, even when the next person along is me. That being said, my best success has been using artist portfolios for full sheets and expandable folders for cut sheets.


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## adirks (Oct 9, 2010)

We file cuts in standard manila office file folders by color number in milk crates, separate series by size up to 6-7.5" (S4s, parnels) and 8-10"(pars, fresnels) - and limited 4" (strips). The half-dozen crates store on shelves under the cutting/repair bench. Full and partial sheets store in an old flat drawing drawer cabinet layered by number. The crates can move easily out to the rolling work table for the hang and strike. Quick, easy, and our color costs on any show are fairly low to cover burnouts and adding a few more cuts or an occasional new color. The bottom line for any system is somebody has to file color at every strike/changeover.


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## avkid (Oct 11, 2010)

File folders in a short filing cabinet.
If you add wheels to the cabinet or build it into a road case it becomes portable.


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## zuixro (Oct 11, 2010)

We have a 5 drawer filing cabinet, 4 feet wide, 6 feet high, on casters. It even has a flip down table for cutting gel. Top two drawers are for Lamps, adapters, etc. Next drawer is Rosco gel #'s 01 through 99 (roughly), 2-3 manila file folders per color (Sorted by size Fresnel, S-4, and one other size, I don't remember what it goes to). Next drawer is R100 and above, and the few Lee colors that we use. Most of these only have 1 folder since they are used less. Bottom drawer is full sheets and large scraps. 

It would work well, except the people who sort the gel don't care and just throw it in whatever folder looks close. I pulled the folder for R34 the other day and it was full of R37.


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## JChenault (Oct 11, 2010)

I have come to be a believer in the 'Don't keep any partial sheets - cut them all up and file them'. I keep my cut gel in manila file folders. One color per folder in numeric order by manufacturer. I keep my whole sheets rolled up with a listing on the outside of what I have.

If I have a cut sheet that is not labeled ( or is even slightly burned ) it is not gel it is garbage.


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## Kelite (Oct 11, 2010)

photoatdv said:


> Okay, so I know this has been discussed a lot, but none of the ideas really work for me. I have probably around 200 sheets of gel (mostly full but some partial) and hundreds of cuts in assorted sizes.


 


One solution our dealers use in their showrooms and also provide to theaters is the Apollo Gel Cabinet- Apollo Design | Gel Cabinet - Module

Many theaters have vertical storage space for gel while other ME's prefer horizontal storage of gel sheets. It really depends upon your available storage space and preference.


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## carsonld (Apr 1, 2015)

I am trying to find a way to store our stock gel sheets that we have. Being a high school, we cannot afford the gel cabinets. We have about 20 colors on hand (some full and some partially cut) that I need to find a place to store, preferably by each color (R80, R26, R01, and so on) but with a growing inventory I dont know if it would bet better to just store them in red, green, blue, white, tan, etc. Any suggestions?


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## petercav17 (Apr 1, 2015)

Are you able to get a normal filing cabinet? You could organize gel by number and put them in folders. That works well for cuts 12" or less, and you can roll up larger sheets and put them in another drawer. Talk to the janitors and see if they have old filing cabinets.
Never put different cuts of gel in the same folder (ie red, blue, etc.) because you're going to end up forgetting to label a cut, plop it in the "red" folder, and confuse it as something else when you go to hang and your plot is going to end up as all different assorted shades of "red".


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## Dionysus (Apr 2, 2015)

carsonld said:


> I am trying to find a way to store our stock gel sheets that we have. Being a high school, we cannot afford the gel cabinets. We have about 20 colors on hand (some full and some partially cut) that I need to find a place to store, preferably by each color (R80, R26, R01, and so on) but with a growing inventory I dont know if it would bet better to just store them in red, green, blue, white, tan, etc. Any suggestions?



I agree that filing cabinets work fine, and I am sure the school board can get you one fairly easily. This is exactly the system I work with it three venues. An old filing cabinet or three. "Legal" sized cabinets work best, you can fit two 7.5" frames (6" fixtures) side by side just barely. Hanging file folders work as well, especially for loose cut gel not in frames.
I keep sheets that haven't been cut, on top of the cabinet.


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## Catwalker (Apr 3, 2015)

At our place, we use accordion folders. They are more portable than filing cabinets, so we can bring them up onto our catwalk.


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## Dionysus (Apr 5, 2015)

Catwalker said:


> At our place, we use accordion folders. They are more portable than filing cabinets, so we can bring them up onto our catwalk.


We always pull gel, and only carry what we need out to the catwalks, etc.. I actually had an accordion folder at one time to facilitate that.
For shows on the go I find one of those plastic file containers (about the size of a bankers box, and designed to accommodate hanging file folders) works great. Especially loaded up with cuts for PAR64s.


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