Well, today was spent packing pots! Before doing this though, I did the
sanitizing process.

Friday night, I filled the tub with a 10% solution of household bleach and
90% water. I put my pots in the tub. Left all that overnight. Drained
the tub, rinsed. Spread around to dry.

Today, I setup myself with bubble wrap and packing tape. Went to town. I
started wrapping the very small pots. I have a lot of tiny pots, some
micro-minis from Luis, some other rather small ones as well. Didn't
actually pack the pots, just set them aside.

Then I moved to larger pots and nestled as many as I could. Went that way,
until I had several bundles.

Then I got my boxes ready (the small Uhaul ones), lined it with a big
plastic garbage bag (shipping container may be at sea and on dock a while,
want to avoid humidity trouble as much as possible). Then I lined the
bottom of the boxes with bath towel. Started putting my pot bundles in,
filling lose space with socks, laying tshirts in between layers of bundles.

I managed to fit nearly all my pots in 2 uhaul boxes. Granted, most of my
pots are small ones, but I'm glad it fit in two boxes. Put a print out of
the sanitizing procedures I took in each box, sealed the whole thing! Bingo.

It took me about 4 hours to do the job right.

Only one more weekend before shipping container will be here. Yeowza.

Nicolas
http://www.bmee.net
"A community that excludes even one of its members is no community at all"
- Dan Wilkins
"You must deal with me as I think of myself" J. Hockenberry

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At 08:43 PM 8/10/03 -0400, Nicolas Steenhout wrote:
Well, today was spent packing pots!
Today, I setup myself with bubble wrap and packing tape. Went to town. I
started wrapping the very small pots. I have a lot of tiny pots, some
micro-minis from Luis, some other rather small ones as well. Didn't
actually pack the pots, just set them aside.

Then I moved to larger pots and nestled as many as I could. Went that way,
until I had several bundles.

Then I got my boxes ready (the small Uhaul ones), lined it with a big
plastic garbage bag (shipping container may be at sea and on dock a while,
want to avoid humidity trouble as much as possible). Then I lined the
bottom of the boxes with bath towel. Started putting my pot bundles in,
filling lose space with socks, laying tshirts in between layers of bundles...

Nicolas

Hope they arrive safely. The biggest problem with pots and other breakables
is that, if not packed properly, they can shift and come into contact with
each other and thus break or chip. To prevent this most packers cut strips
of cardboard a little wider than the long dimension of the the pot. Wrap
the cardboard around the pot and secure it with packing tape, then tape
across the ends so it can't escape the 'tube' you just made. This makes it
impossible for the pots to contact each other. Double boxing also helps and
is achieved by putting a thin layer of packing 'peanuts' on the floor of
the box and covering them with a second floor of cardboard. The sides can
also be treated this way. This prevents damage from dropping. Tape all the
seams of the boxes with packing tape. The stresses boxes go through by
handlers is pretty incredible, not something you would want to watch.



Brent in Northern California
Evergreen Gardenworks USDA Zone 8 Sunset Zone 14

http://www.EvergreenGardenworks.com

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The biggest problem with pots and other breakables
is that, if not packed properly, they can shift and come into contact with
each other and thus break or chip.

righto, that was one concern of mine.

To prevent this most packers cut strips
of cardboard a little wider than the long dimension of the the pot. Wrap
the cardboard around the pot and secure it with packing tape, then tape
across the ends so it can't escape the 'tube' you just made.

That would have been an other option, but would have taken a lot more space
than what I've been able to do with bubble wrap and nesting pots. I think
I should be safe.

Double boxing also helps and
is achieved by putting a thin layer of packing 'peanuts' on the floor of
the box and covering them with a second floor of cardboard. The sides can
also be treated this way. This prevents damage from dropping.

Oh! Fantastic idea, thank you :-) Now to find boxes that aren't too much
bigger than the ones I have the pots in ;-)

Tape all the
seams of the boxes with packing tape. The stresses boxes go through by
handlers is pretty incredible, not something you would want to watch.

Well, I've seen airport baggage handlers drop a $12K power wheelchair from
10' high, and not carring one whit, in plain view of the wheelchair
owner. I can't begin go to imagine what a handler would do when not
overseen by someone. However, this is HUGELY reduced, since I am getting a
20' container delivered at my home, I am packing it myself, and no one will
get in the container (one hopes, especially not thieves), until the other
end, at which point customs officers are supposed to open the container in
my presence. That's the theory anyway.

I'll make sure to inform y'all on how it goes. Thanks Brent

Nic
"You must deal with me as I think of myself" J. Hockenberry
http://bmee.net

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Nicolas;

Here's how I package delicate electronics components for shipment around the
world. I'm absolutely convinced your pots will never get broken if you
follow these steps ......

1) get a box large enough to hold all your pots plus four inches of space in
all dimensions.
2) purchase a can (or two) of spray-in foam insulation from Wal-Mart or
other hardware store.
3) line the entire box with a plastic garbage bag.
4) spray foam into bottom of box and quickly cover with another plastic bag.
(this step takes a little practice getting the right amount of foam, because
it grows very large very quickly !!)
5) while the foam is still pliant press your pots (face up) into it.
6) cover the pots with another plastic bag making sure you've pressed the
bag into each of the pots, then squirt another layer of foam on top of them.
Make sure this layer is about 4 inches thick.
7) another plastic bag, more pots, more foam.

Continue this process until the box is nearly full then top the box off with
a final layer of foam.
You'll successfully create a sandwich of foam/plastic bag/pots/foam/plastic
bag/pots that'll withstand any airport ape.

Unpacks real easy too !!

Mark Hill -Zone 6
(with TONS of practice shipping overseas)

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Gee, it's good to read that you are up to the packing stage. I guess it
means that you have finally found a shipping company that suits your
requirements?
Good luck with all the last bits and pieces.

Lisa

"Nicolas Steenhout" :

Well, today was spent packing pots!
(...)
Only one more weekend before shipping container will be here. Yeowza.

Nicolas

http://www.bmee.net
"A community that excludes even one of its members is no community at all"
- Dan Wilkins
"You must deal with me as I think of myself" J. Hockenberry

Gee, it's good to read that you are up to the packing stage.

Considering I have to be on the move in two weeks, I have to be packing!

I guess it
means that you have finally found a shipping company that suits your
requirements?

No! You woud'nt believe the saga of the shipping company.

Right now, we don't have officialy a shipping contract, though we have two
potentials. US Based companies wouldn't respond to me. Lynne was
successful getting answers from Cosco NZ, but even Cosco NZ cannot get
Cosco USA to play ball...

Good luck with all the last bits and pieces.

Thank you

Nicolas
http://www.bmee.net
"A community that excludes even one of its members is no community at all"
- Dan Wilkins
"You must deal with me as I think of myself" J. Hockenberry

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************************************************** ******************************
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