Packaging Items for Transportation.

[JohnB]

G'day all,
This is really a brain picking exercise.
How do you all package your treasured works for transport to and from your Shows, Markets etc. ?

I use plastic tubs, with lids and seperate the differing styles into different tubs. Eg. Desk sets in 1, Key Racks another, Photo frames another etc.

Before I place the items in the tubs I put each in a seperate sample bag. (These are made from calico with a draw string and are designed for ore samples).
I get them from a local business "Active Industries" they employ people with disabilities, and the bags only cost about 40 cents each.

Enquiring Minds want to know.

[Steviegwood]

Hi John, I use plastic totes also. I use plastic bags for each individual piece and sometimes seperate the layers in the totes with heavy bath towels to help cushion the pieces. So far I have only had a couple pieces get damaged and they were very fragile pieces to start with. Steve

[William Young]

I use the strong boxes that bannanas come in for the bigger stuff with lots of paper towels and old terry towels or pieces of bed sheet material for padding between delicate items.
Large stacks of turned bowls can be easily protected with just a sheet of paper towel between them and a towel wrapped around the stack . I can put 100 pens in layers in a plastic box with a lid with just a layer of paper towels separating the layers. Many turnings can be safely transported like that.
For my scrollsawed items that are more delicate and require a lot more room I just wrap them as best as I can with towels and put some in bags if I can find some big enough and either place them on top of each other (for the least delicate ones) or side by side in the boxes. I have enough room on the floor of my pickup truck bed and behind the seat that I don't need to stack the boxes. I just push them in from back to front.
When I get there I unload the back ones first of course but to save crawling in to get the boxes at the front I just use a stick with a hook on it and pull them to the back.
W.Y.

[knothead]

John,
I use butcher paper to make my own bags. Made a dispenser for the roll and tape. Takes about 20 seconds per bag and I can make them the size of the piece. Real cheep to. I to like William use banana boxes because they are strong and have hand holds (and lets not forget - free)

Tom

[CanadianScroller]

The Toymakers Society has a large display with shelves on it. The display folds in half for transportation. The toys stay in the same location....relatively.
Open the display and everything is ready to go.

[Janette]

I use totes for most of the stuff. Bubblewrap envelopes in between for protection. Each piece I make, I make a bubblewrap "bag" for it. The largest pieces that won't fit in a tote go into a neoprene type bag with a handle on it. We also have to fit our booth stuff too- that takes up more room than the inventory.

[JohnB]

G'day all,

Steve, Great minds

Carl, I like that Idea. It's a real pain in the backside setting up and dismantling your display.

Bill, you're lucky having that much room in the pickup. I do like the idea of a stick with a hook to get at the furthest boxes.

Tom, I use some cardboard boxes, for those items too large to fit in the plastic ones. I have made 2 wooden boxes. 1 for transporting and displaying my puzzles and another which consists of a number of trays stacked, for transporting, sorting and displaying my alphabet trains.

Janette, I know exactly what you mean by trying to fit stock and display in the one vehicle.
I purchased a 6" x 4' covered trailer last year and transport, and store stock in that. The back of the ute is used for the display tables and stands. Having the trailer means I can start packing up stock with out having to do it any particular order, and I also don't have to unpack when I get home or pack before going. Sure makes markets more fun.

BTW Do you use an impulse sealer to make the bubble wrap bags ?

[Plaquerd]

For plaques I use rectangular 90quart/80 liter plastic tubs, wrap everything in two to three layers of bubble wrap. Place the pieces front to front, back to back, front to front, back to back, standing on their edges in the tub until the it is full. For "smalls" I use boxes that Avon products come shipped in (see pic).
Then jam it all into the back of my pick-up.......ute.

[Tor]

Well, guess I'll chime in now. When I transport things, I use a laptop carry bag. I know, unfair isn't it?

Tor

[shanklessaw]

I use Clorox boxes for my 8x10s. Its a good fit when they are standing on their sides (8 inch side up). I use cardboard dividers to protect them. I have clothe straps holding the top to the box with velcro to carry. I can get about 20 pictures in each box. When you use all the same size box, it is easier to stack when carrying. I use a two wheeled Wells Cargo cycle wagon and a pickup truck.