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I'm doing a show close to home and have a question on how to pack my work. I did one and had paper towel lint on my dark pieces and newsprint on some of my lighter pieces. don't want to ruin anything in transport. Any and all ideas would be appreciated.
Try bubble wrap
Cheapest place to buy??
Don't let bubble wrap come in contact with you turnings. The bubble wrap can damage your wax and/or your oil finish.
I have a ton of T-shirts that I use when I pack for shows. I wrap each piece in a T-shirt and then pack them securely in my plastic tubes. Have been using this process for about 6 years and have never had a problem. If you use stand or anything else to display your turnings, pack them in a separate box. If they get packed to close to the turnings and pressure is applied, any sharp corners can dent your turnings (don't ask me how I know :-( )
Bubble wrap will also react with lacquer based finishes, as well. It is alright for cushion, but DO NOT let it come in contact with finishes.
I always just use old towels.
I use white paper table covering, bought a roll at a party supply store. I cut it to various sizes and crunch it up then flatten to give a cushion effect. Reusable.
Thanks for the information. Never knew bubble wrap could do that kind of damage to a finish. Thanks!!
there is a product sold in small sheets as puppy training pads, plastic on one side and absorbant pad on the other. They are sold much larger for use in nursing homes and hospitals to put under incontinent patients. Those larger pads are about 36 x 40. As puppy pads, they can be cheap at places like Sam's Club or Walmart. The larger ones are also cheap from medical supply businesses.
You could always try Goodwill for old linens and wash them thoroughly before using.
The other thing is sometimes called dunnage, basically sheets of unprinted newsprint paper. U-line is a mail order place that sells several sizes in cases. Moving companies use it, Go to places like ebay and search for newsprint-packing paper. saw one offer right off 24 x 36 sheets, 25 pounds (about 400 sheets) for $1 per pound with free shipping. It may also come in handy for wrapping items for customers.
I use paper from U-Haul for package when we sell items at shows.
I went to a fabric store and bought some short ends of cloth. These are the bolt ends that are too short to sell at full price. My wife explained to her what we wanted them for, after that she would call whenever she had some available. We cut the cloth in about 1 yard squares and washed them to get the sizing out of the cloth. You can also find some of the markdown bolts of cloth at reasonable prices.
Your pieces also need to be fully cured, or it won't matter what you wrap them in. Not just dry, but FULLY cured. We did not hem them, so after awhile they had badly frayed edges, but that added " a homemade look" to the packing.
I do a lot of shipping so I bought several rolls of perforated foam sheets in 12" and 24" width. The foam doesn't leave marks like bubble wrap and 1/8" thickness is plenty of cushion for my bowls, platters, and peppermills. When I ship items I'll wrap them in a foam sheet(s) and then wrap that in bubble wrap. For going to local shows I just use the foam. You can put a sheet of foam in-between bowls and stack them that way in a box. I bought large rolls online but you can also find smaller rolls at Home Depot.