Metalworker's Collector Cards

Or... "How It All Got Started, Chapter 1"

Playing Cards. I don't recall what the original inspiration was, but it turned out to be a great idea. Unique and successful enough that I thought I'd share this experience with others.

Basically, instead of making a single list of the things I needed to build my metal shop, I made a playing card out of each item. On each card is the following:

The common name of the item
A "priority" number circled in the upper right corner. The ratings are:
1. Would be nice to have someday
2. Thinking about it, but not ready to buy
3. Probably will need it soon
4. Necessary item, buy soon
5. Required item, must buy NOW.
A picture of the item, or close facsimile
List of variations, example: countersinks are 60° or 82°
Companies that sell the item, their item # and price
On the back are sometimes the item parameters such as weight or dimensions which may affect my purchase decision

The cards themselves were produced using MS Word and setting up a label sheet of 3x3 cards. I inserted pictures into the cells and then printed them on a color printer using cardstock. Because these were "cards" it was extremely handy to sort them any way I wanted to. Usually there were two piles when I went through a company catalog. Company "X" has the item, or Company "X" doesn't sell it or is too high priced. Any cards left over reminded me that I forgot to look for it or needed to find another source.

I've never used this system before to make purchasing decisions, but I have to say that it was really effective and I will do it again for any new hobby or project which requires a variety of items.

Metalworker's Collector Cards

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