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Pak Mail Bronze Shipping

Bronze Shipping

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The first thing you should be concerned about when shipping bronze sculptures is insurance. It’s highly important to get full coverage for such a valuable item because many things can happen during transit. Depending on the size and weight of the sculpture, you need to calculate the shipping cost, VAT, and customs that you will be paying.

Here, the way the sculpture is packed plays a big role. Without proper packing, you might be receiving a broken sculpture with your money down the drain. Wherever you plan to ship the sculpture, there are a few customs regulations that need to be followed. For example, any personal item that is being shipped to China and costs more than CNY 1,000 can be returned by the authorities, any crate that boards a ship to the UK needs to be fumigated and in KSA, a Clean Report of Findings is required from the origin country before anything above USD 100 is shipped.

Once you have found out the customs regulations of the country you are shipping your bronze sculpture to, you can start packing. Following are the tools you will need and the steps you need to follow for packing your bronze sculpture:

Materials List

  • Sturdy cardboard box
  • Bubble wrap (small and big sheet)
  • Custom wooden crate
  • Shredded paper
  • Cotton
  • Packing tape

Step #1

If the sculpture has any sharp corners or protruding edges, cover them with cotton. Create a nice thick padding and wrap it at least 4 times around the protruding part. Attach cardboard corners to prevent the sculpture’s edges from chipping.

Step #2

Cut the thin bubble wrap and wrap it around the sculpture twice. Seal the bubble wrap with packing tape but make sure it does not come in contact with the sculpture. Wrap the sculpture vertically, again overlapping the previous layer to cover the bottom and top surface.

Step #3

Take the big bubble wrap sheet and cover the sculpture entirely. Secure all around with packing tape. Avoid tapping too much or you might have difficulty when unpacking.

Step #4

If the sculpture weighs less than 5 lbs, then you can pack it in a cardboard box. If not, you need to get a custom wooden crate. Let’s assume that the sculpture weighs less than 5 lbs. Following are the instruction on how to pack the sculpture in a cardboard box:

·        Step #5

Make sure the cardboard box has 2 inches of free space on all sides, one the sculpture is placed inside it. Double tape the bottom of the cardboard box just to make sure that the flaps do not open accidentally.

·        Step #6

Lay down a layer of shredded and wadded paper. Place the sculpture inside the box and fill any space with more wadded paper. Shake the box so that the sculpture situates itself fully in between the wadded paper.

·        Step #7

Close the lid and shake the box to see if you feel any movement. If you think that the sculpture still needs extra padding, then add more shredded paper.

·        Step #8

Before tapping the flaps, drop a few packets of drying agent (calcium chloride) into the cardboard box. Any water that might come into contact with the sculpture will be immediately absorbed by the drying agent.

·        Step #9

Close the flaps and secure them with packing tape. For added safety, shrink wrap the package.

·        Step #10

Print “THIS SIDE UP” and “FRAGILE” on a paper in bold letters and attach it to the box

These 10 steps will help you pack your bronze sculpture easily for its safe arrival at the destination. In the case you are using a wooden crate, follow the same instruction but use packing peanuts instead of shredded paper.

Bronze Shipping

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The horror stories of bronze sculptures being shipped and arriving broken into pieces are abundant. Imagine, you lovingly sent a sculpture to an art gallery in the UK for an exhibit and upon its arrival; you get a phone call that the corner of the sculpture has been chipped.

No point in yelling at the courier company because this is somewhat your fault too. Yes, the courier company didn’t do a good enough job in shipping the sculpture but something that you did not pay much attention to was its packaging. All that VAT and customs amount paid down the drain, moreover, the gallery can no longer display your artwork.

So, let’s talk about packaging:

A Few Points to Remember

  • Customs in the UK require the wooden crate to be fumigated before it boards the ship
  • Depending on the weight of your sculpture, select an appropriate crate that can handle it throughout the journey
  • In some cases, where the bronze sculpture is small and lightweight, so much so that it can be easily picked up by hand, you can ship it in corrugated carton
  • Secure the lid of the crate with stainless steel bolts instead of nails

5-Step Process for Packing Your Bronze Sculpture for Safe Shipping

Step #1

Buy a crate that can be easily taken apart and is a tight fit for your sculpture. The first order of business is to construct supports for the base of the sculpture so that it does not slip and slide inside the crate.

Measure the base of the sculpture to create supports for it. Using block pieces of wood, construct two pockets on either side of the crate’s box. The pockets should be bolted to the base diagonally so that the sculpture can slide in easily.

Step #2

Using either thin foam sheets or felt sheets, rap the bottom of the sculpture and slide it into the pockets. Make sure that the sculpture fits in snugly and doesn’t move from its place when shaken.

Step #3

Wrap the visible area of the sculpture in bubble wrap and secure it with masking tape. Make sure that the tape does not touch the sculpture.

Step #4

Construct the four sides of the crate and secure them with bolts. If you see empty space inside the box, fill it foam blocks. These foam blocks are a better alternative to packing peanuts because they don’t make a mess.

Step #5

When shipping bronze sculptures abroad, remember, there’s going to be a massive change in the temperature. This can harm the metal and cause the color of the sculpture to fade away. While the bubble wrap will provide protection, you still need to take extra measures to make sure that the sculpture arrives safely at your destination. So, before bolting down the lid, drop a few packets of drying agent (calcium chloride) into the crate. Any water that might come into contact with the sculpture will be immediately absorbed by the drying agent.

If your sculpture is constructed of several pieces, then it is better to disassemble it and pack each part separately. Once packed, place them in the crate, in between foam blocks to prevent any shocks from damaging the pieces.

So, there you go… a safe way to pack and ship your bronze sculpture.