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Today I finally completed a little project that I started last Fall (not the correct time of year to start this type of project), but it seemed like a good idea at the time. Not much to it, but you need warm weather if you are going to do it outside (I have to do painting outside).

I have a complete set of 9.00 X 16.00 tire chains for my truck (both axles) and my trailer (yeah, I know, but that's what I got). Keeping them in cloth bags just ended up with rotted bags; keeping them in the tool boxes under the bed just left me with rusty, greasy, tangled chains sets.

So, it dawned on me that maybe I could fit them into ammo cans. 20MM cans were too big, 30 cal. cans were too small, so was the normal .50 cal cans, but the "fat" .50 cal cans were just right for an axle set. So now I just needed to label the cans so I would know what was in all the different cans without having to open them.

Stencils! That's the ticket! So, I decided to start labeling cans.

Evil Dr. Porkchop over on Steel Soldiers (I have no interest in his operation) can make 4 different sizes of stencils very, very reasonably. So I made a list, got a bid, ordered a bunch of different ones and started stenciling. I learned that stenciling outside in 50 degree weather doesn't work very well. So, I waited until it got to be "summer" in the Pacific Northwest (over 65 degrees).

I also learned that the yellow printing on the side of the ammo cans comes off very easily with lacquer thinner, but the lacquer thinner doesn't remove the o.d. paint. Nice to know.

Anyway, below are a couple of pictures of the tire chain cans and the lid of a 20MM can I am using for my slave cables. I've also put all my tow chains in labeled cans and I'm going to get my crane kit, and other various kits stenciled. It will certainly make finding things a lot easier.

I've also learned stenciling cans gets very tiresome very quickly. My limit is 3 or 4 cans a day (both sides). Also, magnets are your friends.

Excellent work, and good info for all!
Gary

Thanks, guys!

I just thought it mighty help others with storage issues.

The crane kit got finished today (just needed to stencil it).

A couple of pictures of it are below.

The box says 124 lbs.

The box is a liar.

Nice work and a great way to store the extras. I love the "collateral material" phrase. Sounds much better than say "Stuff and Things"

Great job

Bert

David, the stencil on the crane box was copied off of the old original box, word for word. That's why I called the box a liar. That thing weighs way more than 125 lbs (closer to double that).

It is nice to have things labeled. fewer questions and you can certainly find things a lot quicker. i will be glad to be done with stenciling, though.

Thanks, Bert.

Glad you liked the photos. I've heard you really like photos.

Those look great. I collect all kinds of surplus military boxes and crates and all yours are very neat. The stencils make the finished product. I have already used your method to remove some of the old markings from a 50 cal box that I was using for my lube stuff. If you have the opportunity, show the drawers you made for the tool bins in the box. They are the best I have seen yet.

Thanks for posting all the great pictures for us to enjoy. They are great motivation for the rest of us slackers to get moving on our projects.

Jess

I have been keeping chain in an ammo box for years. Liberally spray it down with WD-40 and close is back up. Mine look (and smell) great!

Yep, they work great. It just got to a point with me that I ended up opening ammo box after ammo box looking to find what I was after (they all weighed about the same). Then last winter the stencil idea occurred to me (a little slow, I know).