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Packing & Shipping

PACKING AND SHIPPING PAPER ARTIFACTS

Ship Only When Necessary

The best way to transport an irreplaceable document, book, or work of art on paper is to pack it securely and deliver it yourself. Even under the best of circumstances, shipping by common carrier always involves some risk. Objects may be exposed to crushing, shock, vibrations, or drastic changes in temperature and relative humidity (RH). Packages can be left out in the rain. Every year conservators see many examples of objects damaged in shipment.

Unfortunately, adequate conservation facilities are not found everywhere and shipping may be unavoidable. The possibility of damage can be minimized by choosing a reliable carrier and, even more, by packing the object securely.

Insurance in Transit

Transit insurance can be purchased in any amount, but special insurance may not be necessary. Reliable conservation providers like NEDCC have comprehensive fine arts insurance that covers most objects traveling to and from the laboratory as well as on site. This coverage includes transport by many common carriers. To confirm that your objects are properly insured by a conservation provider's policy, you should call them and discuss the limitations of coverage. In addition, it is always advisable to purchase a token amount of the insurance offered by the carrier to encourage careful handling.

Shipping Options

U. S. Postal Service Registered Mail (not merely Insured or First Class): Although a trip to the post office is required, this is the recommended way to ship art and artifacts of moderate size and value. Packages traveling by Registered Mail are limited to 70 pounds and 108 inches. Size is determined by adding length (the longest dimension) to the girth (2 times the width plus 2 times the height). A crate measuring 40" x 25" x 5" would have a combined girth and length of 100" [40" + (25" x 2) + (5" x 2)]. The U. S. Postal Service requires that all seams on Registered Mail packages be sealed with brown paper packing tape (see Packing, below).

Air Freight or Air Express: These companies are recommended for crates that are too large or too heavy to go by Registered Mail. They are expensive, but prompt. Some companies offer door-to-door service. See Yellow Pages for different air cargo companies and call them for rates and size limitations.

Fine Arts Shipping Services (see Yellow Pages or call the nearest large museum): These offer door- to-door trucking with special handling for valuable or irreplaceable objects. Some offer packing and crating service. Fine arts shippers are very reliable and usually expensive.

UPS and Federal Express: These carriers will not knowingly accept art objects, unique items, or irreplaceable artifacts, and for that reason we usually do not recommend them as carriers for works of art or historical materials. However, UPS Next Day and Second Day shipments and FedEx service are covered by the NEDCC's insurance policy. If ground transportation via UPS is used, we recommend short distances, less than 150 miles.

Shipping on Monday or Tuesday of a week when there are no holidays is recommended. This decreases the risk of the package being left unattended or outdoors over a weekend. If possible, do not ship during extremely cold, very humid or stormy periods.

Of course, careful packing with appropriate materials is most important. Follow the packing instructions below, and call NEDCC if you have questions.

Packing Flat Paper Objects

Note: packaging materials do not have to be acid-free if they are not in direct contact with the objects and if the shipment will be unpacked right away.

If the objects are framed and it is safe to do so, remove them from the frames. Then pack as follows:

First Wrapping: Wrap each object in a clean smooth paper such as acid-free glassine or tissue paper. It is often desirable to place a stiff, non-acidic paper or cardboard behind especially fragile objects to support them.

Second Wrapping: The objects should be placed between stiff boards and secured to one of the boards with envelope corners. The boards should be taped together and wrapped in a sturdy material such as Kraft paper. Objects of like size may be packaged together at this stage.

You may be tempted to use a water resistant sheeting such as polyethylene. Use of non-breathing, impermeable material may not be wise. If the package is subjected to abrupt temperature drops, condensation can form inside the package.

Cushioning: Padding helps absorb shocks and keeps objects from shifting. It may also provide thermal insulation and a humidity buffer. Cushioning materials are recommended especially for fragile objects or those with insecure media, and they are essential for objects that must be sent under glass.

These materials are usually made of plastic. Polyethylene or polypropylene foams with brand names like Ethafoam®, Volara®, or Microfoam® are especially popular with museums for packaging. Some polyethylene or polypropylene foam products are even suitable for long term storage. They come in sheets of various thickness or in blocks that can be cut to cradle and support three-dimensional objects. Polystyrene foams such as Styrofoam® can also be used for cushioning but are not chemically stable enough for long term storage.

Filling the crate with plastic "peanuts" also provides a cushion. As always, the objects should be wrapped first.

Packing with "bubble wrap" is another option, but, because bubble wrap is a sheet that does not breathe, it should not be sealed around the object. In addition, bubble wrap can stain and should never be used in direct contact with a sheet of paper or a book cover.

Shipping Containers: The Sandwich. Next, place the wrapped object(s) in the shipping container. Crating is especially recommended (see below). If a small number of sheets are involved, however, it is acceptable to sandwich them between two rigid sheets. Half inch plywood, Masonite®, or honeycomb board are recommended. For small objects, several layers of sturdy cardboard may be used. The cardboard must be rigid and dense enough to resist puncturing or bending. If layers of corrugated board are used, some conservators recommend placing each sheet with the grain perpendicular to that of adjoining layers for increased rigidity. In any sandwich, the boards should be 4" larger than the object (2" additional in each direction). To prevent slipping, the wrapped objects should be secured to one of the boards with strips of tape across the corners (if the objects have been well wrapped and will be unpacked right away, they will not be endangered by the tape. It is better to use crates for large objects. If they are sandwiched, very thick or dense boards must be used, and wooden cross pieces may be advisable.

The sandwich package should be sealed at the edges with tape and wrapped with a sturdy material such as Kraft paper. All the seams on Registered Mail packages must be sealed with brown paper tape (no glossy, filament-reinforced or self-stick tapes are allowed by the Postal Service for registered packages).

Crates: Crates afford more protection than sandwiches and are usually the better choice. They are necessary for books and other three-dimensional or heavy objects, for large numbers of artifacts, or for objects that need ample cushioning. Although waterproof containers can be made at great cost, ordinary wood crates are not waterproof or even water resistant. The most you can expect from the average well-made crate is physical protection. To ensure that the contents are not exposed to rain or other hazardous conditions, you must use a reliable carrier.

Each object should be wrapped and packed so it does not slide around in the crate. Enclose a packing list of all objects as well as your name, address, phone number and any special instructions.

Wood, especially plywood, is the material most commonly used for crating. If you make the crate yourself, use flat head screws. Nails are not as strong and are difficult to remove when unpacking. Removing nails may cause jarring of the contents and damage to the crate, which might otherwise be reused. Large crates should have handles or wood extensions that allow them to be lifted and moved easily. Crates with nothing to hold onto are apt to be dropped, pushed, or tumbled.

Procedures for Special Kinds of Materials

Books: The principles for packing books for shipment are similar to those for sending flat objects. Books, however, tend to be heavier and have corners that are subject to crushing. They must be shipped in rigidly constructed crates or boxes rather than in padded book bags. Each volume in the box should be wrapped individually. The first wrapping material should be clean, smooth paper like acid-free tissue or glassine. If the volume is bound in a paper wrapper or a limp binding, acid-free boards should be cut to the size of the volume and placed on the outside of the front and back covers before the volume is wrapped a second time. The second wrapper should be a padding material that will both absorb shocks and buffer changes in temperature and RH. This second layer may be one of the cushioning materials listed in the Flat Paper section, bubble wrap, or flexible rolling corrugated wrap. The whole book, including spine, fore edge, top and bottom, should be covered. The volume can be wrapped a third time in sturdy paper. This package should be placed in a wood crate or rigidly constructed carton surrounded by cushioning material like Ethafoam, bubble wrap, or peanuts as described above. The number of volumes shipped in one carton should be determined by value, weight and size. If a carton containing several volumes is shipped, it should weigh no more than 20 pounds.

Fragile or Delicate Objects: Special care must be taken with fragile objects. Those with friable (insecure) media such as pastels or charcoal drawings are especially vulnerable to vibrations, which occur during travel. Such materials should be hand-carried whenever possible. If pastels must be shipped, speak with a conservator first. It is essential that fragile objects be well cushioned (see above).

Objects Framed Under Glass: If the object is framed with glass and cannot be safely removed from the frame, it is best not to ship it. If sending such an object is absolutely necessary, apply strips of masking tape to the glass. The tape may not keep the glass from cracking, but it will hold the glass in position so there is less danger of damaging the object. The tape should cover the entire surface of the glass in parallel strips that are both vertical and horizontal. To absorb shocks, framed pictures must be cushioned extremely well.

Rolled Objects: Although paper artifacts should be shipped flat whenever possible, it is often more practical to roll very large sheet materials. To avoid crushing, such objects are best rolled around the outside of a wide-diameter tube, wrapped with cushioning material, and placed inside a very tough larger tube. A less desirable option is to wrap and cushion the rolled object and place it inside a tube. The object must be wrapped first so that it can be extracted from the tube by pulling on the wrapping rather than on the object itself. Tubes used for shipping should be at least four inches in diameter and strong enough to withstand being run over by a forklift (this does happen).

For More Information

For additional information, see Stephen Horne, Way to Go!, Hamilton, NY: Gallery Association of New York State, 1985, or Nathan Stolow, Conservation Standards for Works of Art in Transit and on Exhibition, Paris: UNESCO, 1979.

If you have questions about packing and shipping, call NEDCC any weekday between 8:30 and 4:30, (978) 470-1010.