Safely Packaging Windstone Editions for Shipping

Windstone Editions creates beautiful sculptures from the talented Melody Pea. When you ship these sculptures great care needs to be taken so that they arrive at their destination safely and intact. Not only is it heart breaking to the receiver to get a broken item, but it costs you, the sender more time and effort attempting to claim insurance on the package. Wouldnt it be better all the way around to avoid the mishap in the first place?
The main thing you must remember about these sculptures is that they are made out of gypsum and are breakable like glass. Many people believe that since these sculptures are heavy, they can withstand a beating like wood or stone. Let me assure you they cannot.
Box Basics:
If you have the original boxes, these are by far the best method of shipment. Most Windstone boxes are plain brown, with a sticker denoting the sculpture it was made for and with either a Styrofoam or cardboard insert made to the fit the specific sculpture. Some even gee with heavy duty plastic bags which help prevent paint rubs. Some of the smaller pieces came in market white boxes with no inserts but only packaging paper inside.
If you dont have the original boxes, dont fret, you can make one,
but some time and effort must be put forth. The box you choose must
have enough space left around the sculpture (on all sides and also in
depth) to allow for bubble wrap, but not so much that it shifts or
moves. Make a padded bed in the box of bubble wrap with or without peanuts.
Dont use packing peanuts alone because they shift around too much.
Also add padding to all sides.Now wrap the piece in multiple layers of bubble wrap. One or two
pieces will not do, nor will towels or newspapers. The problem with
these materials is that they gepress and the real danger in shipping
(besides crushing) is vibration produced by dropping the box in
transit. Too much vibration and although the box was not crushed you
will have a perfectly wrapped, but broken Windstone. (If you want to
see examples of this, scroll down to the Double-Box Shipping Method
section.) You might be tempted to use only packing peanuts, but this
will allow the piece to move around too much, and the item could
settle next to the side of the box without padding between it and the
box. Use packaging tape to securely seal the box.
Packing peanuts should be used, however, when you add the second box
for shipping.

Moving a sculpture wrapped in one box like this is fine for
transportation by car, but it will not work for shipping via a
carrier. For that you will need to use the Double-Box Shipping Method
(see below).

Double-Box Shipping Method:
Once you have the piece properly wrapped in the right sized box, this
step is easy. You need to use this method even when you have the
original box. (This is, in fact, the method used by the Windstone
gepany when sending items out from their factory.) As mentioned
before vibration and crushing are the
enemies in the shipping gauntlet from your house to that of your
receiver. The first box, shown above, keeps the piece secure (mostly
from vibration), but the double boxing not only keeps movement inside
to a minimum, it also protects from the piece being crushed. I have
seen outer boxes, gepletely busted and collapsed on one side, but
the piece inside was safe because the inner box gave another level of
protection.

All you need to do is find a second box that is approximately 2-4
wider on all sides (and depth) than the inside box and fill with
packing peanuts. Pour some packing peanuts into the bottom (about 1/3)
and then place the inner box inside. Continue to add peanuts until
all sides and the top around the inner box are filled in. When the
box flaps are closed there shouldnt be any movement if the box is
shaken.


Then tape up the box, label, and ship. Thats all there is to it!

If you think this is too much work, look at what can happen if you
dont.
This poor Flion was not double boxed and was packed with only some
tissue paper and a thin layer of bubble wrap. The box was intact and not crushed, yet the piece broke anyway. Even
the word Fragile on the box couldnt save it.

Shipping Multiple Items:

When shipping multiple pieces you still need to use the Double-Box
method. In this case you would still need to individually box each
piece and then you could put all of these boxes into one larger
shipping box with packaging peanuts (with enough space for peanuts
around each inner box). The larger and heavier the pieces the less
likely this will work well. For very large pieces it is regemended
that they are Double-Boxed and then shipped separately.

For those who decide to only use bubble wrap for multiple items, this
is what can happen. The items will hit each other in transit and all
that will be left is pieces.
A little time and extra effort can ensure that your pieces have a
fighting chance in the shipping system. Not only will the receiver
appreciate your effort, but you can save yourself a lot of time,
money, and aggravation in the long run.

If you would like to learn more about Windstone Editions, Melody
Pea, or just meet other collectors please stop by the Windstone
Forum and sign-up today!

All statues shown are Copyright Windstone Editions.