Displaying Your Bayonet Collection

**porterkids** · 11-04-2012 11:43 AM

I have a few different ways that I store my collection. Like marysdad, I use flat files. I have two five-drawer units that I purchased from a drafting supply company. They are sized for 24" x 36" blueprints. They are natural finish oak and are furniture quality units. They weren't cheap but they do look very nice. I also have five-drawer unit that is sized for 30" x 42" prints. I salvaged this unit from an office I was renovating at work. This is also a wood unit. I prefer the wood units over the metal ones as I think they are more sturdy. I have several of the metal files in my office that are used for their intended purpose (blueprints) but the drawers have a tendancy to twist a little, especially when you have a heavy load in them. I also prefer the wood to metal contact of my drawers over the metal to metal contact. Unfortunately, or perhaps fortunately, my collection far exceeds the capacity of these drawers. I was able to pick up some card catalog files from a university library that was converting it's catalog system over to electronic only. I have two of these units, each with 72 drawers. You can't store longer bayonets in these, but they work great for M9 bayonets. The units are constructed of walnut with walnut faced drawers that have a plastic tray. Two M9s fit very nicely in each drawer, three if the are positioned carefully. These units have been ideal for storing my M9s and Buckmaster knives. Unfortunately I am running out of space in these, also. the balance of my collection is stored in eleven-gallon Rubbermaid containers. I have them sorted geographically in the containers and I built dollies for the containers to sit on. Four or five containers stack quite nicely on each dolly and that way I can move the stack easily.

I just did a search on Craig's list for my area and got 100 hits for "flat files". Saw some very nice units there. They are not cheap but are a very nice way to store your collection.