Storage boxes for 24x36 prints?

[Darin Boville]

I purchased a pack of corrugated Archival Methods print storage boxes in 24x30 and they are nice. Expensive, but nice.

Does anyone have a source for 24x36 boxes that won't collapse under its own weight?

Thanks,

--Darin

[Daniel Stone]

Is rolling them up in (large) diameter tubes out of the question altogether? A friend had this dilemma(but with 40x50" prints), and he settled on large cardboard shipping tubes with plastic caps. He used archival, buffered sheets of paper to separate the prints(inkjets) from the non-archival tube walls. The larger diameter of the tube allowed for minimal curling. Tubes were 48" long. I believe he acquired them from Uline

-Dan

[Drew Wiley]

Roll them up and ya gotta reroll them the other direction for awhile, then press them flat under a weight till the end of time to get them back to pretending to be
flat. Not a good idea for anything of value, unless it's just for temporary shipping purposes, unmounted of course. But no sense interjecting my own idea of how
to store them, if you think cardboard boxes are pricey.

[Eric Woodbury]

Not sure what kind of box you are looking for exactly. I get my portfolio boxes from Kevin Martini-Fuller out of Philadelphia. Beautiful boxes. Full custom. However you want them. They are a work of art unto themselves. Mine are usually 11x14 or 16x20. Never ordered anything larger.

[Darin Boville]

I'm paying $30 per box for a 24x30 archival cardboard box. Non-archiaval ones are, what, a $1.50? On the other hand it *is* a nice box, drop side, fitted lit. They just don't seem to make them in 35mm film ratio (24x26). Found Kevin's Facebook page but his website, listed there, is dead. I can get very nice boxes for about $135 each for 24x36. Just looking for something archival for storage, not presentation. I see one on Adorama but it looks like it might not hold up to the weight...

--Darin

[Drew Wiley]

It is frustrating. I've resorted to either using flat files or now preparing to make my own big solander cases, though if I do go to all that trouble, I'm going to make
them deluxe furniture-quality. One more project on the list.

[Ginette]

My suggestion will be to do your own boxes in Coroplast. This is the way we do in museums. Low cost and good looking when they are done carefully.
Usual way to do : You cut 1 wall only along the channels (for your longer measure) and cut halfway in the other way. You put screws in the corner (in the shorter side that it screw throw the channels).
A very good reading about https://www.cci-icc.gc.ca/resources-ressources/publications/Downloads/TechnicalBulletins/Eng/TB14-WorkingwithPolyethyleneFoamandFlutedPlasticSheet.pdf
I have ny own technique to do these boxes, I don't cut walls but heat them and side melt together and are very strong. If someone wish to have, I can do any special sizes, and boxes are done very carefully.
I recommand Coroplast in 5 ou 6mm instead of the standard 4mm and screws #5 in 1 1/4". In standard 4'x8' you can do 40" wide with 4" walls by the length you need.

[Vaughn]

24.5" x 36.5" x 3" Just under $30 each.

http://conservationresources.com/Main/section_2/section2_12.htm

Good company.

[Drew Wiley]

Big dry-mounted matted prints get rather heavy in a stack. I'd be a bit skeptical about the utility of inexpensive fomeboard boxes etc to reliably hold the weight
of more than a few at a time. There are some specialty strong honeycomb sheet products extant, but the cost of sheets in small volume would give you a heart attack. And some special skills and gear are needed to work with them. I'm still not certain what I'm going to do. But whatever it is, I'll deliberately make it a fun
project.

[K. Praslowicz]

24.5" x 36.5" x 3" Just under $30 each.

http://conservationresources.com/Main/section_2/section2_12.htm

Good company.

Seconded. I have couple of their 24x30 boxes and they work great without collapsing under their own weight. If I leave them out I'll sometimes find my fifteen pound cat sleeping in top of it without making them collapse.

[Ginette]

Big dry-mounted matted prints get rather heavy in a stack. I'd be a bit skeptical about the utility of inexpensive fomeboard boxes etc to reliably hold the weight
of more than a few at a time. There are some specialty strong honeycomb sheet products extant, but the cost of sheets in small volume would give you a heart attack. And some special skills and gear are needed to work with them. I'm still not certain what I'm going to do. But whatever it is, I'll deliberately make it a fun
project.
Drew, coroplast is not foamboard. In the ICC technical bulletin I point as reference, working with foam was explained because foam is used to stabilise artefacts in the coroplast box.
Coroplast box in 5-6mm are much more solid that .060 cardboard box. Channel walls get also heavier with the thickness.
But in both case, it is better to stack same size boxes only.
I cannot comment a 24x36"cardboard box as the max. size I manipulated is 20x24". But I can comment on Coroplast boxes 40"x 60" in 6mm with my heating technique. I think the next time I will do one, I will test it like Richard Ritter who stand on his camera bed. I don't think a cardboard box will like this treatment.
24x36" should be OK for matted prints, still not so large and probably very similar to your 24x30" Darin.

[Tin Can]

Drew, coroplast is not foamboard. In the ICC technical bulletin I point as reference, working with foam was explained because foam is used to stabilise artefacts in the coroplast box.
Coroplast box in 5-6mm are much more solid that .060 cardboard box. Channel walls get also heavier with the thickness.
But in both case, it is better to stack same size boxes only.
I cannot comment a 24x36"cardboard box as the max. size I manipulated is 20x24". But I can comment on Coroplast boxes 40"x 60" in 6mm with my heating technique. I think the next time I will do one, I will test it like Richard Ritter who stand on his camera bed. I don't think a cardboard box will like this treatment.
24x36" should be OK for matted prints, still not so large and probably very similar to your 24x30" Darin.

I bought 4 sheets of white 10mm 4x8 feet Coroplast, they had a strong out-gassing smell I did not like and it took weeks to subside when unstacked and taped together for V-Flats. Bought direct from Chicago distributor, fresh from huge boxes.

BUT, I also bought white 5mm and had them cut for free 10 24X30 inch pieces for signage which did not have nearly as bad a smell.

The stuff is cheap, strong and weatherproof. Heck, some make kayaks (http://www.orukayak.com/) from it.

So how safe is Coroplast for fine art storage?

[Ginette]

I bought 4 sheets of white 10mm 4x8 feet Coroplast, they had a strong out-gassing smell I did not like and it took weeks to subside when unstacked and taped together for V-Flats. Bought direct from Chicago distributor, fresh from huge boxes.

BUT, I also bought white 5mm and had them cut for free 10 24X30 inch pieces for signage which did not have nearly as bad a smell.

The stuff is cheap, strong and weatherproof. Heck, some make kayaks (http://www.orukayak.com/) from it.

So how safe is Coroplast for fine art storage?

Very suitable with the use of other material like rag board for paper works, tyvek with textiles, ethafoam with 3D items that need to be stabilised, etc, each material have their specifics favorites.
Coroplast is polypropylene or polypropylene/polyethylene polymer, product is relatively pure, stable, acid-free and inert. The only problem can be the static charge and because of this, it is non recommended for artworks with flaking paint, or powdery media such as chalk, charcoal and pastels.

Additives are added as this product is mostly use for outdoor signage and printing so they threated it with what they call "Corona Discharge" (don't ask me what it is exactly !) Described as this by the manufacturer: "electrostatically double treated by "Corona Discharge" on both sides to allow specifically formulated inks and adhesives to adhere." But manufacturer recommandation is to use the sheets no more than 2 years because this treatment gone with time.
The sheets can be modified with various additives, "which are melt-blended into the sheet to meet the specific needs of the customer. Needs that require additives include: ultra violet protection, anti-static, flame retardancy, and color".

A version is free from all additives : Coroplast Archival http://www.coroplast.com/catalog/coroplast-archival/ Maybe some manufacturers can call this product by different name. But it is easy to ask them that you wish their version with no additives.

I don't know Randy what additives can smell like the batch you have. Maybe if you have a reference number on the sheet, you can retreive the treatment they received.

Note : even if static can be problematic, "it is not recommended to use antistatic or flame retardant Coroplast™ panels because of the possibility that the additives may eventually migrate to the surface and interact with artifact’s components" this quote is not from the manufacturers but from the Centre de Conservation du Québec (conservation and restoration specialists), you can found their recommendations at this link in English http://preservart.ccq.gouv.qc.ca/ProduitFiche.aspx?NoProduit=P0030 (maybe you will have to click the English tab at top right of the website and redo the link to have the text in English).
Another Coroplast product used in museums is the Coroplast CI (corrosion Intercept) but it is a very specific usage.

Globally the regular grade is not a bad product. The Centre de Conservation recommend the use of Regular grade and Archival grade. Archival grade can be harder to find.
For my own usage and for all museum I worked, I used the regular grade.

Funny the kayak, so everything can be done with coro.

[Darin Boville]

An update.

I found boxes at Adorama. Ordered two to try out. Not bad. Seem sturdy enough for my purposes. Just under $40. So ordered four more and timed my printing so that the boxes would get here just when I needed them.

Of that was a mistake. They don't show and so I check the tracking--the are still at Adorama. They are "Pending." No further explanation. No E-mail alerting me to the delay. I e-mail them. No response. E-mail them again. We'll see. Meanwhiel I'm already printing and running out of space quickly...

So i look around and this time find Gaylord. They offer a number of options in 24x36. I go with the metal edge ones similar to the one's I'm using, order five. There's a new customer 15% discount. Ends up being just under $40 a box. They are shipping from Syracuse, NY to California so we'll see how long they take to get here. Shipping was only $28.

http://www.gaylord.com/Preservation/Photo-Print-%26-Art-Preservation/Storage-Boxes/Gaylord%26%23174%3B-Blue-Grey-Drop-Front-Oversize-Archival-Print-Box/p/HYB02305

I remember now why I don't order from Adorama. Every third order is f'd up. Canceling my order now...

--Darin

[Michael Rosenberg]

I want to second what Jim has stated about Coroplast. It is archival, odorless, and available from local plastic suppliers. You can get them in 4x8 sheets, and some places will cut to size with razor blades or on a saw. I have a wall mounted mat cutter and could quickly cut them down.

i have used 10 mm thick for shelves on bolt-less shelving instead of mdf board (supports up to 500lbs/sq in.) that I use to store my prints in my studio. I also used this thickness to reinforce the sides of print shipping boxes and shipped them with no problem. I use 4 mm for small boxes and 6 mm for larger size storage boxes. I use a strip heater ($45.00) to soften the board before bending them (see links I was securing corners with Loctite 606 glue, but switched to screws at Jim's suggestion. They are stronger than cardboard boxes, and much cheaper! You can make them as you need them, so I don't need space for empty boxes. I also use it for backing board in framed prints - it gives better support and protection than foam core (and archival foam core is not cheap!)

The ones I bought were not coated for signage, so I don't know much about that. I think Home Depot sells 4 mm 24x36 cut sheets for about $10, and they may be coated.

Mike