Plastic medicine containers. Use for modelling?

[melmerby]

Hi all

Being one who doesn't like chucking anything away that might be useful, i have stocks of various bits and bobs.

One item is plastic tablet containers.

They are cylindrical and are 87mm long by 26mm diameter.

Any suggestions as to use for structures/rolling stock etc?

[cypherman]

Hi,

I use them for storing small drill bits and screwdriver heads.

[melmerby]

8 minutes ago, cypherman said:

Hi,

I use them for storing small drill bits and screwdriver heads.

I've thought about it a bit more and a group of them stuck together would be ideal for a paint brush stand.

[BR60103]

I have a few labelled "It's fallen off a loco."

Also stores of little bits from kits or to go on as details.

I haven't managed to incorporate them in building yet.

 

 

[Enterprisingwestern]

 

To get ideas about using various domestic containers and other off the wall items, search out Allen Downes' industrial modelling, there will be medicine related items in there for sure!

ISTR he built a steelworks out of what seemed to be the contents of his recycling bin!

 

Mike.

[Michael Hodgson]

tobacco tins always proved usefulfor storing small screws etc

[Nearholmer]

And, if you smoked lots of tobacco, you needed lots of tablets for chest illnesses, which provided further containers -a win, win really.

[Dunsignalling]

I've built up quite a rack of cylindrical containers that formerly held Tesco Cod Liver Oil capsules or other supplements. Very good for screws, nuts & bolts, etc.

 

Tubs that hold 60 pieces of Wrigley chewing gum are also very useful. Roughly the same diameter but half the height and with a wider neck. 

 

Few of us smoke any more, and tobacco now seems to come in "pouches" rather than tins. The latter can still be obtained but have ceased to be a free resource. They generally seem to be "artistically decorated" these days and priced accordingly, though plain ones can be found.   

 

I noticed many of my ancient baccy tins (some of which belonged to my grandfathers) were getting rusty and sought a like-for-like substitute that I could just swap the contents into,

 

My recommendation is the 200ml food storage box by Sistema Plastics. Pretty much identical size, clip-on lids with airtight seals and shaped top and bottom to allow secure stacking. There is also a double-depth version (400ml).

 

OK it means spending a little cash but I just buy another pack as more of my old tins need replacing. Cheaper equivalents of similar capacity can sometimes be had from Poundland, but they are differently proportioned and I find the lids, which have four clips, rather fiddly.

 

 John

Edited December 10, 2022 by Dunsignalling

[ianLMS]

A friend used to give me his daughter in law's epi-pen containers. I have around 30 with holes in the top for all my brass wire, rods, tubes and styrene strips. Just had to build a tiered stand to hold them upright. 

 

 

 

 

[Garside]

I have used calcium tablet containers for grain silos on my N gauge layout to make a building similar to the  shredded Wheat factory in Welwyn Garden City at the back of the station, I have also used them for paint brushes screwed to a length of 2*1 but they have ended up with lengths of plastrut and brass tubes. Screw top tablet containers make good paint units for thinned enamel for the air brush when I have mixed too much, generally black and brown for scenic use.

 

 Regards Mike 

 

[SM42]

Cut em in half lengthways and use them to bulk out a wagon sheet as the underlying load. 

 

Remove bottom and add a plasticard flange to one end and use as a pipe for a wagon load (unsheeted)

 

In fact any variation for  one of those strange bits of engineering seen in wagons or storage yards. You could even cut them up in random shapes for a constituent in a scrap load / pile.

 

Andy

[ianLMS]

Not quite medicine containers but useful recycling all the same.

 

We have a chinese takeaway 2 doors down which is deadly, but as a bi-product of supporting the local economy, the plastic tubs come in very useful!!!

 

And yes, over the last 10 years, that is a lot of chinese meals!

 

Edited December 20, 2022 by ianLMS

[Enterprisingwestern]

 

I buy them 50 at a time from my local plastics supplier, at a price probably cheaper than the hot water required to wash them out!

 

Mike.

[HonestTom]

A couple of YouTubers I follow are Bill Making Stuff and Studson Studios. They don't do railway modelling stuff, being more sci-fi/fantasy, but they are big fans of recycling plastic rubbish. I'd recommend checking them out if you want to get lots of ideas for what you can do with the stuff you throw away.

Edited December 20, 2022 by HonestTom

[melmerby]

On 10/12/2022 at 07:44, Michael Hodgson said:

tobacco tins always proved useful for storing small screws etc

IIRC many years ago, someone built a valve oscilloscope using baccy tins for the various modules.

They were a good (free) way of getting a screened box and being tinplate could be soldered to.

 

A guy where I worked smoked Old Holborn(?) roll ups and I accumulated a few from him.

More than 30 years later, I've still got a couple, one is full of twist drills.

Another useful box was the Agfa slide box, approx 6 x 5.5 x 11cm - all sorts in those.

[TheQ]

I've a couple of diabetic test strip holders imitating oil tanks on my N gauge layout.

I've another full of fence posts,  20mm long by 0.6mm square copper wire cut from a roll, painted brown. Now being planted, when it's empty I'll make another batch.

And another with very small drill bits in it.

SWMBO likes peanut butter which comes in plastic jars these day, they've been used for all sorts of things.

 

[Free At Last]

These can often be found in plentiful growing near the play areas in children's parks.

Has anyone found a modelling use for them?

[woodenhead]

9 minutes ago, Free At Last said:

These can often be found in plentiful growing near the play areas in children's parks.

Has anyone found a modelling use for them?

You know they are suppositories don't you?