Safest practical way to pack irregular-shaped fragile items for moving
March 16, 2022 12:08 AM Subscribe
I own a collection of irreplaceable ceramics, many of which have weird skinny or especially breakable bits sticking off of them. The actual monetary value isn't super high but many were made by artists who are no longer producing that piece. I'm also moving 1000 miles cross-country in a month's time. What's the safest way to pack my collection for the move?
Some more details that may be helpful:
- We are hiring a full-service moving company, including packing, for most of our belongings. However, I don't trust the moving company's stated "wrap everything in paper 3 times" approach, mainly because their liability is limited to replacement value and the pieces aren't actually worth a lot of money, they're just extremely difficult to replace. Plus, it's a long-distance move so the boxes will be moved multiple times across different trucks at various times.
- We are personally driving a compact SUV between the old and new locations, so we can hand-transport a reasonable number of items, potentially the entire collection if it's packed in a reasonably compact manner.
- Most of these items were shipped to me over the years, and arrived safely -- but I don't know what the best practices are for shipping fragile ceramics, nor how to correctly pack them. Something involving packing peanuts and double-boxing, in addition to bubble wrap, maybe? Do I really need to double box every single item (I imagine that this is going to fill up my SUV fast), and if so, where do I acquire all of these specialized supplies? I've been to U-Haul before to buy supplies for a prior move, and their dish-pack supplies are useful for standard-sized fragile items like dishes, but not for ceramics that are all different sizes and pointy in different dimensions.
tl;dr - I have 20-30 "smaller than a breadbox" fragile items of irregular shape that I want to make as sure as possible won't break during transit, and ideally they would all fit into the back of an SUV after being boxed up (or be packed so securely that I can trust it to movers of unknown carefulness). Is this possible?
Some more details that may be helpful:
- We are hiring a full-service moving company, including packing, for most of our belongings. However, I don't trust the moving company's stated "wrap everything in paper 3 times" approach, mainly because their liability is limited to replacement value and the pieces aren't actually worth a lot of money, they're just extremely difficult to replace. Plus, it's a long-distance move so the boxes will be moved multiple times across different trucks at various times.
- We are personally driving a compact SUV between the old and new locations, so we can hand-transport a reasonable number of items, potentially the entire collection if it's packed in a reasonably compact manner.
- Most of these items were shipped to me over the years, and arrived safely -- but I don't know what the best practices are for shipping fragile ceramics, nor how to correctly pack them. Something involving packing peanuts and double-boxing, in addition to bubble wrap, maybe? Do I really need to double box every single item (I imagine that this is going to fill up my SUV fast), and if so, where do I acquire all of these specialized supplies? I've been to U-Haul before to buy supplies for a prior move, and their dish-pack supplies are useful for standard-sized fragile items like dishes, but not for ceramics that are all different sizes and pointy in different dimensions.
tl;dr - I have 20-30 "smaller than a breadbox" fragile items of irregular shape that I want to make as sure as possible won't break during transit, and ideally they would all fit into the back of an SUV after being boxed up (or be packed so securely that I can trust it to movers of unknown carefulness). Is this possible?
Best answer: It depends on your budget. Ceramics should be housed in custom laser cut foam inserts within a wooden shipping crate, but that is pricey.
If these were mine (and speaking as an ex-art technician) I would purchase 2" plastazote foam sheets online, and wrap the ceramics individually in bubblewrap before cutting the foam sheets to fit around. Plastozote foam can be cut with a stanley blade or a bread knife - you can cut voids in it, or scoop it out, to fit the shape of the ceramics with the goal of having them held firmly in place. Then fit this into a box (tri-wall card if you can get it, thick as possible otherwise.) Pack out voids with newsprint. If it's not possible to cut the foam to hold the ceramic in place due to protruding handles or similar, then line the box with the foam then pack the ceramic tightly with newsprint within, or, section up the box internally with the foam and lay the ceramics in the box seperated by the foam, either upright or on their side, whichever seems safest depending on their design.
Think ahead about the dimensions of the space you have (back seat of SUV? trunk?) and think about building your own boxes from sheets of card to fit this space, then subdividing the box and padding it out with foam to secure the ceramics. If you can custom build a box/boxes to snugly fit a space in the SUV then you're half way there - reducing movement of the box itself will reduce the chances of damage.
There are plenty of tutorials on youtube about how to cut and form simple boxes. If you are transporting yourself think about whether you need a full box, or whether an open tray will suffice. If you can't find foam online then look for a packing/shipping company in your area (often based near airports) who will sell you it. They will also be able to advise you further.
tl;dr - investment, especially in foam, is crucial. Don't rely on bubblewrap/peanuts/paper alone.
posted by mani at 12:49 AM on March 16, 2022 [7 favorites]
If these were mine (and speaking as an ex-art technician) I would purchase 2" plastazote foam sheets online, and wrap the ceramics individually in bubblewrap before cutting the foam sheets to fit around. Plastozote foam can be cut with a stanley blade or a bread knife - you can cut voids in it, or scoop it out, to fit the shape of the ceramics with the goal of having them held firmly in place. Then fit this into a box (tri-wall card if you can get it, thick as possible otherwise.) Pack out voids with newsprint. If it's not possible to cut the foam to hold the ceramic in place due to protruding handles or similar, then line the box with the foam then pack the ceramic tightly with newsprint within, or, section up the box internally with the foam and lay the ceramics in the box seperated by the foam, either upright or on their side, whichever seems safest depending on their design.
Think ahead about the dimensions of the space you have (back seat of SUV? trunk?) and think about building your own boxes from sheets of card to fit this space, then subdividing the box and padding it out with foam to secure the ceramics. If you can custom build a box/boxes to snugly fit a space in the SUV then you're half way there - reducing movement of the box itself will reduce the chances of damage.
There are plenty of tutorials on youtube about how to cut and form simple boxes. If you are transporting yourself think about whether you need a full box, or whether an open tray will suffice. If you can't find foam online then look for a packing/shipping company in your area (often based near airports) who will sell you it. They will also be able to advise you further.
tl;dr - investment, especially in foam, is crucial. Don't rely on bubblewrap/peanuts/paper alone.
posted by mani at 12:49 AM on March 16, 2022 [7 favorites]
You’ll need to protect such hard, brittle items from jostling against or hitting each other, from being hit by impacts coming from outside their container, and from being supported in ways that allow the weight of their heavier parts to bear on their delicate parts. Double boxing goes a long way toward protecting items from impacts coming from outside of the outer box, but multiple objects can probably be placed in one double-box arrangement if it’s going on a truck, and the double boxing might not be necessary at all if you’re taking it carefully in your own vehicle.
Inside of the box, pour a layer of packing peanuts deep enough to keep items suspended comfortably above the bottom. Nestle objects into the peanuts. Add strips of corrugated cardboard between objects to ensure they can’t shift and touch each other. Fill with enough peanuts that they’ll be lightly compressed to prevent shifting when the box is closed. I’d be ok with doing multiple layers like this in the same box, separated by sheets of cardboard and peanuts.
posted by jon1270 at 12:56 AM on March 16, 2022 [1 favorite]
Inside of the box, pour a layer of packing peanuts deep enough to keep items suspended comfortably above the bottom. Nestle objects into the peanuts. Add strips of corrugated cardboard between objects to ensure they can’t shift and touch each other. Fill with enough peanuts that they’ll be lightly compressed to prevent shifting when the box is closed. I’d be ok with doing multiple layers like this in the same box, separated by sheets of cardboard and peanuts.
posted by jon1270 at 12:56 AM on March 16, 2022 [1 favorite]
I've been pondering a non-wasteful way to pack them in beans and/or rice, and I think I've got one.
For each object:
Either clean the object to food safety or put it in a (reusable but food clean) plastic bag.
Get a box that's big enough to hold the item with a 1.5"-ish margin around all sides. Line it with a reusable and food clean bag that's wide open on top - fold the edges of the bag down around the box opening to make this easier.
Pour enough rice, beans, or some other filler about 1.5" deep in the bottom of the bag, place the cleaned or plastic bagged item in there on top of the filler, then fill the box the rest of the way with the rice and/or beans. Seal the larger bag around this, then seal the box around that.
Each item should now be very protected. Just in case they shift down to the bottom of the box, though, I'd transport them in some larger containing box (or securely on your car seat) that is cushioned underneath.
posted by amtho at 1:04 AM on March 16, 2022 [1 favorite]
For each object:
Either clean the object to food safety or put it in a (reusable but food clean) plastic bag.
Get a box that's big enough to hold the item with a 1.5"-ish margin around all sides. Line it with a reusable and food clean bag that's wide open on top - fold the edges of the bag down around the box opening to make this easier.
Pour enough rice, beans, or some other filler about 1.5" deep in the bottom of the bag, place the cleaned or plastic bagged item in there on top of the filler, then fill the box the rest of the way with the rice and/or beans. Seal the larger bag around this, then seal the box around that.
Each item should now be very protected. Just in case they shift down to the bottom of the box, though, I'd transport them in some larger containing box (or securely on your car seat) that is cushioned underneath.
posted by amtho at 1:04 AM on March 16, 2022 [1 favorite]
Best answer: Part of my job is actually posting small antiques such as ceramics. To my knowledge, haven't broken one yet. You don't want packing peanuts, you want boxes and boxes of bubble wrap and packing paper/ newspaper. Here is what I do:
Wrap any small, narrow extremities in bubble wrap until they are a similar width to the rest of the object. Then wrap the whole object generously in bubble wrap until you can't really feel the shape underneath. If you know where any particularly fragile bits are, like the spout of a teapot, you can roll the item in a larger sheet of bubble wrap and then kind of roll the loose ends up towards the more fragile end and tape it there and it will create a fat bubble cushion.
In your cardboard box, scrunch up a bunch of paper to create a thick padded section on the bottom. Put your bubbled-wrapped item in, then shove scrunched up paper around all the sides so that it cannot move. If you want to put multiple items in one box, you can lay them side by side with paper wedged in between, and/ or put more paper in between the layers so you are always putting an object onto a flat scrunchy paper layer. Really shove it in there, and finish by shoving as much scrunched up paper into the box as you can before taping the lid.
When you're done, there should be a layer of scrunched up paper between every object and every outside surface. They should also be wedged into position by the paper so that if you shake the box, nothing moves. The problem with packing peanuts is they can shift.
This is how I pack things for sending in the post, where you have to imagine the box might be dropped upside-down and then kicked. Double boxing is not neccessary if you are the one carrying the boxes and likely to exercise some care.
posted by stillnocturnal at 2:50 AM on March 16, 2022 [12 favorites]
Wrap any small, narrow extremities in bubble wrap until they are a similar width to the rest of the object. Then wrap the whole object generously in bubble wrap until you can't really feel the shape underneath. If you know where any particularly fragile bits are, like the spout of a teapot, you can roll the item in a larger sheet of bubble wrap and then kind of roll the loose ends up towards the more fragile end and tape it there and it will create a fat bubble cushion.
In your cardboard box, scrunch up a bunch of paper to create a thick padded section on the bottom. Put your bubbled-wrapped item in, then shove scrunched up paper around all the sides so that it cannot move. If you want to put multiple items in one box, you can lay them side by side with paper wedged in between, and/ or put more paper in between the layers so you are always putting an object onto a flat scrunchy paper layer. Really shove it in there, and finish by shoving as much scrunched up paper into the box as you can before taping the lid.
When you're done, there should be a layer of scrunched up paper between every object and every outside surface. They should also be wedged into position by the paper so that if you shake the box, nothing moves. The problem with packing peanuts is they can shift.
This is how I pack things for sending in the post, where you have to imagine the box might be dropped upside-down and then kicked. Double boxing is not neccessary if you are the one carrying the boxes and likely to exercise some care.
posted by stillnocturnal at 2:50 AM on March 16, 2022 [12 favorites]
Best answer: Seconding both bubble wrap and double boxing. I used to work in a gallery and shipping ceramics was part of my job. Your main goals are that nothing moves inside the container and there is enough filled extra space between the item and it's second box that it will not be broken if the box is dropped (both packing peanuts and crumpled paper will work for this). You can get rolls of bubble wrap and packing peanuts from Staples.
posted by pangolin party at 2:55 AM on March 16, 2022
posted by pangolin party at 2:55 AM on March 16, 2022
(I will add that double boxing would be the gold standard, but we can't often do that at my work because of the random objects we are sending vs boxes we have. If your packers are moving fragile stuff, double boxing might be worth it. I personally wouldn't find it necessary for anything I was moving myself, but it really depends just how safe you want to be.)
posted by stillnocturnal at 3:07 AM on March 16, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by stillnocturnal at 3:07 AM on March 16, 2022 [1 favorite]
You know those plastic travel bags that you put bulky clothes in and then seal and attach a vacuum cleaner to suck them down flat? Do that but don't suck out the air. Find one a bit smaller than your box, bubble wrap items and put them in the bag all tight like, then seal the bag and blow it up instead of sucking it down. Pack the big air bag full of stuff in the box.
This is about how I get some nasty chemicals in the mail from a lab. Except they have a hot sealer. So bottles wrapped in bubble wrap and tape/fused together packed in another bag of air fused shut, wrapped again in bubble wrap and packed in a third bag fused together. Shoved into a box and mailed. Nothing has ever broken.
Or being crafty... I would build an interior box out of cardboard and packing tape and/or hot glue. Put down a layer of peanuts around the interior box. Lay out items on the bottom of the inner box and use the scraps of cardboard to build walls around each individual item held in place with hot glue. Make them all the same height. Place item in it's own private place and package tape it down to the cardboard bottom so it can't move. Add some peanuts to level out that first level and then put another piece of cardboard on top of that and repeat with more items. Lay out the next layer, build the walls, tape items in place, add peanuts, top with another layer of cardboard. Repeat until the inner box is full, put a top on the whole thing, then another layer of peanuts to fill the outer box before taping it shut. This is pretty much how Adam Savage builds custom tool organizers for his shop drawers. Everything gets it's own little custom fit boxed in area. (but it's usually just one layer and foam / hot glue.
You could also probably just get a roll of craft paper and crumple it up a bunch then wrap each item that way (instead of bubble wrap), package tape it into shape and just fill the inner box that way, depends on how heavy some of the items are.
(I guess I'd have to see what's being packed. I have tons of cardboard of various sorts and a hot glue gun already....)
posted by zengargoyle at 3:34 AM on March 16, 2022
This is about how I get some nasty chemicals in the mail from a lab. Except they have a hot sealer. So bottles wrapped in bubble wrap and tape/fused together packed in another bag of air fused shut, wrapped again in bubble wrap and packed in a third bag fused together. Shoved into a box and mailed. Nothing has ever broken.
Or being crafty... I would build an interior box out of cardboard and packing tape and/or hot glue. Put down a layer of peanuts around the interior box. Lay out items on the bottom of the inner box and use the scraps of cardboard to build walls around each individual item held in place with hot glue. Make them all the same height. Place item in it's own private place and package tape it down to the cardboard bottom so it can't move. Add some peanuts to level out that first level and then put another piece of cardboard on top of that and repeat with more items. Lay out the next layer, build the walls, tape items in place, add peanuts, top with another layer of cardboard. Repeat until the inner box is full, put a top on the whole thing, then another layer of peanuts to fill the outer box before taping it shut. This is pretty much how Adam Savage builds custom tool organizers for his shop drawers. Everything gets it's own little custom fit boxed in area. (but it's usually just one layer and foam / hot glue.
You could also probably just get a roll of craft paper and crumple it up a bunch then wrap each item that way (instead of bubble wrap), package tape it into shape and just fill the inner box that way, depends on how heavy some of the items are.
(I guess I'd have to see what's being packed. I have tons of cardboard of various sorts and a hot glue gun already....)
posted by zengargoyle at 3:34 AM on March 16, 2022
I forgot to say in terms of different size boxes, small grocery stores will often set aside boxes for you if you ask. Also liquor stores, though their boxes tend to all be the same size.
posted by pangolin party at 4:00 AM on March 16, 2022
posted by pangolin party at 4:00 AM on March 16, 2022
Best answer: I have a more unorthodox way of packing my ceramics (i am the maker of very impractical, fragile ceramics with bits that stick out).
-I find a box that's a bit bigger than the piece.
-I place the piece inside a big garbage bag. I double-bag if there are sharp bits that might poke a hole in the bag.
-I place the bag piece inside the box
-i spray some PU foam (like for insulation in your home) inside the box, around the foot of the bagged piece. It expands a lot, so i only do a thin layer at the bottom. You don't need to cover the entire piece as long as the bottom is secure.
I let the foam expand and harden. It's then a very very custom fit for the box.
Once i arrive at the destination, i cut the foam off with a stanley knife. the foam will only stick to the plastic bag, which you can safely remove from the piece.
I usually have an exhibition that travels from location to location, so if i cut the foam off neatly, i can even reuse it for the next time.
posted by PardonMyFrench at 4:03 AM on March 16, 2022 [9 favorites]
-I find a box that's a bit bigger than the piece.
-I place the piece inside a big garbage bag. I double-bag if there are sharp bits that might poke a hole in the bag.
-I place the bag piece inside the box
-i spray some PU foam (like for insulation in your home) inside the box, around the foot of the bagged piece. It expands a lot, so i only do a thin layer at the bottom. You don't need to cover the entire piece as long as the bottom is secure.
I let the foam expand and harden. It's then a very very custom fit for the box.
Once i arrive at the destination, i cut the foam off with a stanley knife. the foam will only stick to the plastic bag, which you can safely remove from the piece.
I usually have an exhibition that travels from location to location, so if i cut the foam off neatly, i can even reuse it for the next time.
posted by PardonMyFrench at 4:03 AM on March 16, 2022 [9 favorites]
Best answer: You need special expanding packing foam at all the pitch points, if not a full custom foam bedding.
Computer shippers use this called "instapak Quick RT", but there are many similar products. Basically, break the seal and it'll expand but for a few minutes, you can force it into a specific shape. After that, the foam hardens into a solid shape and becomes very supportive. You can get this in a variety of different sizes so you should be able to find enough to ship your oddly-shaped ceramics.
posted by kschang at 4:10 AM on March 16, 2022 [5 favorites]
Computer shippers use this called "instapak Quick RT", but there are many similar products. Basically, break the seal and it'll expand but for a few minutes, you can force it into a specific shape. After that, the foam hardens into a solid shape and becomes very supportive. You can get this in a variety of different sizes so you should be able to find enough to ship your oddly-shaped ceramics.
posted by kschang at 4:10 AM on March 16, 2022 [5 favorites]
The nice thing about the bubble wrap is that you can donate it to goodwill or other thrift shops afterwards because they use newspaper and bubble wrap for customers.
posted by gt2 at 5:23 AM on March 16, 2022
posted by gt2 at 5:23 AM on March 16, 2022
Best answer: I used to work at a Mailboxes Etc (now UPS Store) where we handled a lot of stuff like this.
If I was packing something to ship via UPS, I would pack the item in a close-fitting box, filling the empty space with packing peanuts, then float that box in another box with 2" clearance on all sides, filling the void with packing peanuts. Spray-in expandable foam would be better for the inner box, but we didn't have that setup in our store. In any case, this was reliable.
Most of the opportunity for damage comes when the package is handled. A UPS package might be handled many times along the way (probably transferred at least three times, and handled three times at each transfer point). Jostling en route is relatively benign if the package isn't sliding or bouncing around in the vehicle. If you are the one handling it, you know to be careful, and you'll only be handling it at the endpoints of the journey. I think for self-transport, you can get away with single-boxing. You could put two smaller items in a single box if each is wrapped in bubble wrap. For stackable stuff like plates, you can bundle them into stacks of ~5, laying microfoam in between each layer and tightly bundling the whole thing in microfoam or bubble wrap, but in all cases fill the box with packing peanuts and tape all the seams so that once taped shut, the box feels solid. This is important. Boxes should be rated for 200 lb. You should feel confident that if you stand on the box (and weigh less than 200 lb), it will not crush. Make sure that your load is secure in your vehicle to minimize bouncing.
posted by adamrice at 9:04 AM on March 16, 2022 [1 favorite]
If I was packing something to ship via UPS, I would pack the item in a close-fitting box, filling the empty space with packing peanuts, then float that box in another box with 2" clearance on all sides, filling the void with packing peanuts. Spray-in expandable foam would be better for the inner box, but we didn't have that setup in our store. In any case, this was reliable.
Most of the opportunity for damage comes when the package is handled. A UPS package might be handled many times along the way (probably transferred at least three times, and handled three times at each transfer point). Jostling en route is relatively benign if the package isn't sliding or bouncing around in the vehicle. If you are the one handling it, you know to be careful, and you'll only be handling it at the endpoints of the journey. I think for self-transport, you can get away with single-boxing. You could put two smaller items in a single box if each is wrapped in bubble wrap. For stackable stuff like plates, you can bundle them into stacks of ~5, laying microfoam in between each layer and tightly bundling the whole thing in microfoam or bubble wrap, but in all cases fill the box with packing peanuts and tape all the seams so that once taped shut, the box feels solid. This is important. Boxes should be rated for 200 lb. You should feel confident that if you stand on the box (and weigh less than 200 lb), it will not crush. Make sure that your load is secure in your vehicle to minimize bouncing.
posted by adamrice at 9:04 AM on March 16, 2022 [1 favorite]
I was interested in that Plastazote foam—I have some stuff I keep in the garage that’s just bubble wrapped in plastic tubs—until I looked at the cost. Most places ask you to request a quote—not a good sign. Finally found one that has prices, only have the 3/8 inch (and thinner) available. Comes to a little more than five cents a cubic inch. Which is $90 a cubic foot. I guess if I were storing human organs for transplant I’d consider that, but …
Is there someplace known only to museum people that is like “Plastazote R. Us” or is it really just for big ticket items? Note: I am not the original poster.
posted by Gilgamesh's Chauffeur at 10:19 AM on March 16, 2022
Is there someplace known only to museum people that is like “Plastazote R. Us” or is it really just for big ticket items? Note: I am not the original poster.
posted by Gilgamesh's Chauffeur at 10:19 AM on March 16, 2022
Would something like: Instapak Quick Room Temperature Expanding Foam Packaging Bag (#100, 25-Inch x 27-Inch, Case of 72)
From Amazon work? I'd put that around the pieces, and double box with packaging peanuts.
posted by Yavsy at 8:53 PM on March 17, 2022
From Amazon work? I'd put that around the pieces, and double box with packaging peanuts.
posted by Yavsy at 8:53 PM on March 17, 2022
Best answer: Contact your local university's art department and see if their ceramics instructor would be willing to freelance some packing for you. Nobody's better at this than the folks who have to ship their own work to/from gallery shows.
posted by kelegraph at 1:04 PM on March 18, 2022
posted by kelegraph at 1:04 PM on March 18, 2022
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by MexicanYenta at 12:48 AM on March 16, 2022