CLose-up of the wire storage in paper straws, showing the labels

Storing Pivot Wires in Paper Straws

I recently bought my first pinion wires (pivot wires) from Timesavers, and was stumped for a while about how to store the tiny things without mixing them up.

The pivot wires came in little sandwich bags, with only the Timesavers item number on them. I was thinking of 3D printing some kind of storage, then happened on the idea of using paper straws.

So I ordered 100 paper straws – the smallest number I could buy – from Amazon.

Paper straws I'm using to store pinion wires.
Paper straws I’m using to store pinion wires.

Using a Dymo labeler and the smallest font it could print, I created labels that were just the right size. I taped them onto the straws, then crimped both ends and taped the bottom end closed. Perfect!

Now each straw shows the type of wire, its size in inches, and its size in millimeters – so it should be easy to find exactly the wire I want.

The labeled straws, showing the type of wire and its size in inches and millimeters.
The labeled straws, showing the type of wire and its size in inches and millimeters.