Filament Sample Holder (storage)

I have a lot of filament samples and I needed a new way to store them. I had the idea to make something similar to magazine holders, but slightly smaller. Since they can made out of filament boxes, I have lots of material on hand to make a bunch of them!

Consumables you will need:

• One cardboard box. Holes / windows on one side of the box are fine. The boxes my inland filament comes in work great.

• Craft glue. I found tacky glue to be easiest, but we are gluing cardboard to cardboard so most glues will work

Tools you will need

• Writings tools. Whatever you want to use to trace before cutting.

• Cutting tools. I mostly used an exacto blade, but some areas have multiple layers of cardboard where a utility knife or scissor helps.

As a first step we want to convert the reusable cardboard box into a solid sturdy box.

Using your glue on every flap, close the box. Try to get glue on all of the flaps, and an even spread out to near the edges. We will be cutting into this later so the better it is glued the easier it will be.

Put your box to the side and wait for the glue to dry before continuing.

You always get nicer results if you trace before you cut. Since I was making a bunch I cut a template out of an old cereal box.

Keep in mind the desired profile. If your boxes are solid on all sides you may want to design it so that you get two symmetrical holders. Since all of my boxes have holes on one panel, I went with a design where there is a higher front panel and more room for a label, but I only get one holder from every box.

Cut along your trace lines. I found scissors chewed up the cardboard so a few passes with my exacto blade worked better. The side panels will have multiple layers of cardboard you need to cut through, those may be easier with a scissor or hobby knife.

If one of the panels comes unglued, don't panic! Just use some more glue, press it together and let it dry.

After you are done cutting, give everything a quick check and glue up any flaps that came loose from cutting.

You should now have a functional holder! If you want, you can cover or paint them now to get a clean look, or just leave them unfinished like I did. I find I can fit about 8-10 samples in them, though that is cramped.