This guide is intended to show people how to pack Lladro and other figurines and fragile items so that they survive shipping and arrive safely and unbroken. I recently sold a collection of large, unboxed Lladro Figurines. These porcelain figurines stood up to 20 inches tall, 18 inches wide, and 6 inches deep with all sorts of tiny leaves, flowers, and figures attached. These figurines are difficult enough to send in their original box, but if you dont have a box, they can be a nightmare. After a lot of research and several phone calls to experts I gebined several ideas and came up with a method of shipping these figurines, and other items equally fragile, without them getting broken in transit.
First, you must think like an engineer.
When you are packing something this fragile, with lots of stress areas, you must stand back and look at the item long and hard and try to figure out what could break, how it could break, and what would cause the stress on it. Take your time with this, do not hurry. This is the most important part.
Next, you must figure out what you will need to do and what materials you will need to have in order to protect those fragile areas and stress points so that they do not get damaged or damage other parts of the item.
Once you have determined what stress areas there are and what you need to protect them, you are ready to assemble your materials. Do Not start until you have all your materials assembled.
Be Aware, packing an item like the one I am about to show you will take most of a day. Do not be afraid to charge for packing. Anyone who is willing to pay what these items are worth will be happy to pay for proper packing to assure a safe delivery.
Here is what we are packing in this demonstration.
Packing Materials List.Strapping tape. The kind with strands of fibers imbedded insideBlue painters tapeClear packaging tapeToilet paper, very softNylon twineA package of wooden skewersMedium bubble wrapPacking peanutsA piece of inch plywood cut to the size of the bottom of your inner box exactly1 inch rigid foam insulation sheets. 1 or 2 4x8 sheets will do depending on the size of your item and your boxA drillA saw, preferably a circular saw. NOTE: If you dont have a saw, you can measure the bottom of the box and have the lumberyard cut the wood for you.Cut a piece of the foam the same size as the wood.A glue gun or other type of glueScissorsBox cutterTwo heavy duty boxes, one about 3 inches larger than your figurine on the sides and top and one about 3 inches larger than the first one on all sides including the top and bottom.
You are probably wondering why you need some of the materials on this list. It will begee clear as you go through the process.
Packing StepsAssemble your smaller box. You might have to cut it down to size to be about 3 inches larger than the figurine on all sides and the top. Make sure it is the correct size before you tape the bottom.
Cut the plywood to fit, exactly, in the bottom of the box. NOTE, If you dont have a saw, you can measure the bottom of the box and have the lumberyard cut the wood for you.
Use the box cutter and cut a piece of the insulation foam exactly the same size as the wood.
Place the foam on the wood and then place your figurine on top of the foam.Position it so that none of the edges are less than 3 inches from the edge of the foam.Trace the bottom of the figurine on the foam.Take the figurine off and cut out the area you traced. You will now have a piece of foam with a hole in it the same shape as the bottom of the figurine.
Test the size of the hole by placing the figurine in the hole. It should fit snuggly and no piece of the figurine should be stressed. You may have to make some minor adjustments to the hole so the figurine sits all the way down to the wood.
Take the figurine out of the hole and glue the foam to the board.
Now you will protect the fragile elements of the figurine.Take toilet paper and wad it, do not wrap it, and place it against fragile pieces on the figurine.Secure it with the blue painters tape, do not use any other type of tape.Continue to do this until all of the fragile pieces are cushioned and secured.
You will now determine where you will place the ties that secure the figurine to the board. You will be placing two or three spans of twine across the base and through holes in the board to hold the figurine in place.
Place the figurine in the hole and press it down to the board.Look at where you can place twine ties across the base of the figurine to hold it down. You will want to have two or three spans of twine to hold the figurine in place and mark the spots
Take the figurine out of the hole and drill holes where you marked. There should be two holes for each span of twine.
Place the figurine in the hole.Cut a piece of twine and thread it up from the bottom of the board, over the base of the figurine, and down the opposite hole. Do this two or three times. I use one of the skewers as a sort of needle to push the twine through the hole.
With someone holding the figurine and the base, tilt the base and tie the twine under the board as tight as you can.Take one of the wooden skewer sticks, break it in half, and use it to twist the twine under the board until it is very tight.Secure the skewer with tape so it does not unwind.Repeat the last 4 steps for the rest of the spans.
Time to put it in the box.Place the base with the secured figurine in the smaller box.Carefully wrap bubble wrap around each segment of the figurine. DO NOT wrap any two elements together. NOTE, This picture shows bubble wrap around the entire figurine but none of the bubble wrap spans from one element to another which would band them together. Also, there is plenty of bubble wrap between the girl and the tree.
Cut two pieces of foam insulation to the exact size of two opposite sides of the box. There will be a top piece of foam so be sure to leave enough room at the top to put a foam cap on.Place the two side pieces in the box so that they fit exactly side to side and from the top of the board to the top of the box, less the amount of space needed for the top piece of foam.Measure the space between the pieces of foam and cut the two remaining side pieces and place them in the box.You should now have a foam box within your box that sits on the wood and foam base and reaches to the top of the box with enough room left for a foam lid.
Roll small segments of bubble wrap into cylinders and place them against the figurine, starting at the base, in a log cabin type structure. Pay special attention to placing bubble wrap rolls between any elements of the figurine that might break and bang into another piece.Keep placing rolled bubble wrap in the box until the box is filled with rolls to the top of the rigid foam.
Cut a piece of foam to place on the top of the foam box.Close the box and tape it well with strapping tape. Be sure to tape all the edges as this creates a vacuum-like atmosphere in the box that discourages implosion.Be sure to tape all edges of the bottom of the box as well.
Place 3 inches of packing peanuts inside the larger box.Place the smaller box inside the larger box.Fill with peanuts and pack well, but not too tight, around all sides.Create unpacking instructions, be specific, and place them on top of the peanuts. Many times items get broken when the buyer unpacks. Be sure to let them know how to unpack their item safely.
Close and seal the box on all sides and edges with strapping tape, bottom and top.
Congratulate yourself, you are done.
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