How to pack stone sculture for shipping

["Clive Murray-White" <clivemw@zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz>]

Hi Mary,

I'm surprised that this question doesn't come up all the time. George
has covered it all pretty well.

Its times like this you wish you lived in Pietrsanta, Italy because
there all you have to do is the ring the packer, he turns up, builds the
perfect wooden crate for the circumstance and someone comes along with
all the right gear to put in on a truck and off it goes to anywhere in
the world!

I think the biggest consideration in designing your crate/s is to take
into consideration the abilities of the people who are going to have to
unpack it, this often means that the crate must come apart in such a way
that the sculpture can be taken out easily!

36 x 28 x ? is a very heavy object, not some thing that anybody could
lift unless ? is very low.

There are companies that specialise in all aspects of transporting art,
usually more expensive than normal carriers but infinitely more careful.

You also have to ask why stone sculptors own trucks and have all sorts
of portable lifting gear! My version of this is a powerful 4x4 and a
purpose built trailer + an extensive range of lifting gear and instead
of crating a whole exhibition I treat the trailer as a crate and lock
all the work safely into place within it and then drive and unload it
myself. Terrifying when you think you're carrying at least a years wages
in some cases.

If I'm sending 1,2 or 3 smallish sculptures very long distances I have
my local cabinet maker make a separate well designed strong crate for
each work, pack the sculptures myself, bubble wrap around the work,
sheets of polystyrene and high density foam between the sculpture and
the walls floor and top of the crate and plastic bags pushed into every
remaining gap, extensive signage on each box, fragile, this way up and
the address etc. and then send by normal courier.

I'm sad to say that there is nothing wrong with what could be called
over packing your work and making it virtually bomb proof because there
is an old rule, if they can break it they will.

Good luck

Clive

Sculptor Clive Murray-White
Web: http://www.cowwarr.com/CliveMurray-White/