Storage boxes for 24x36 prints?

[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 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 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/Pro...oProduit=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/...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