Nikom Chimnok on sun 31 oct 99
Hello Superpackers,
I just read thru the archives about using spray-in-place
polyurethane foam as packing. I've used canned foam, and know that it has
both great compressive strength, and also expansive force. This I learned by
spraying the cavity between door jamb and house frame, and it expanded so
forcefully that I couldn't open the door after it dried.
Normally I would never consider using such a method for packing
pots--we do container loads with used cardboard boxes and used foam, and
lose few enough that it would be uneconomic to improve on the method.
But now I'm getting inquiries about these 3 foot high 3 foot
diameter planters. Pack them one by one and you end up with 24 per 20 foot
container. At $65 each (my price) a container is worth $1560. Freight to
Seattle is $2800. Bad economics.
So I want to nest them--build a plywood box and foam as many as ten
into a stack with just enough clearance that a forklift could remove it from
the container. $15000 worth of pots makes the freight costs seem less
onerous. I'm curious if anyone has any experience with this sort of thing.
I can see geometrically that pots this size are not strong like
small pots. The walls are proportionally much thinner, and I know from
experience in nesting smaller planters that if anything's going to break,
it's the big outside pot. In my proposed stack all but the top one are
"outside", so it's a bit frightening.
By the way, I would probably also be using poured urethane, not
sprayed. Spray equipment is hard to come by here, but drums of the two
chemicals are readily available. We've already played with poured urethane,
which is how sheet urethane is produced--pour into steel boxes, then slice.
I'd be thankful to hear what anyone has to say, especially if you've
already tried tricks like this.
TIA,
Nikom
Louis H.. Katz on mon 1 nov 99
Hi Nik,
Skutt kilns packes thier polygonal kilns in boxes using polyethylene plastic
tubes about 5" diameter, overlapped at the bottom and run up the sides. They
foam them. I am not sure how they fill them. I think these tubes would work
good for nestling planters.
(BTW)By the way, Suwanee Natewong of Umdang Ceramics your neighbor, has a great
piece in our gallery. It is part of an exhibition of work held in conjunction
with our now over Oso Bay Biennial. The exhbition also has work by Rosie
Wynkoop, Kurt Weiser, Gail Busch.
Suwanee is doing good, working hard, and her monumental mural making class is a
smashing success so far.
Louis
Nikom Chimnok wrote:
> ----------------------------Original message----------------------------
> Hello Superpackers,
>
> I just read thru the archives about using spray-in-place
> polyurethane foam as packing. I've used canned foam, and know that it has
> both great compressive strength, and also expansive force. This I learned by
> spraying the cavity between door jamb and house frame, and it expanded so
> forcefully that I couldn't open the door after it dried.
>
> Normally I would never consider using such a method for packing
> pots--we do container loads with used cardboard boxes and used foam, and
> lose few enough that it would be uneconomic to improve on the method.
>
> But now I'm getting inquiries about these 3 foot high 3 foot
> diameter planters. Pack them one by one and you end up with 24 per 20 foot
> container. At $65 each (my price) a container is worth $1560. Freight to
> Seattle is $2800. Bad economics.
>
> So I want to nest them--build a plywood box and foam as many as ten
> into a stack with just enough clearance that a forklift could remove it from
> the container. $15000 worth of pots makes the freight costs seem less
> onerous. I'm curious if anyone has any experience with this sort of thing.
>
> I can see geometrically that pots this size are not strong like
> small pots. The walls are proportionally much thinner, and I know from
> experience in nesting smaller planters that if anything's going to break,
> it's the big outside pot. In my proposed stack all but the top one are
> "outside", so it's a bit frightening.
>
> By the way, I would probably also be using poured urethane, not
> sprayed. Spray equipment is hard to come by here, but drums of the two
> chemicals are readily available. We've already played with poured urethane,
> which is how sheet urethane is produced--pour into steel boxes, then slice.
>
> I'd be thankful to hear what anyone has to say, especially if you've
> already tried tricks like this.
>
> TIA,
> Nikom
John Rodgers on mon 1 nov 99
Nikom, if you are going to be making these planters in large quantities...and I
assume you are since yours is a production plant...you may want to consider
setting up molds to produce rigid foam(not hard, just rigid) custom fit packing
units to hold yet separate nested pottery. I looked into this one for my own
shop in Alaska and I learned you can eingineer packing materials to be nested
and for nesting product yet padding for protection. I could make molds, and pour
liquid urethane foam resins myself to make the custom packing. I designed one
for stacking a series of same size plates in a box. The first piece of foam was
molded to fit the bottom of the box. It was concave, and had a small raised
ridge around the edge to catch the rim of the plate. The plate was placed in the
concavity, the next layer of rigid molded foam was placed on top of the plate
and the next plate laid in place. This went on until the box was filled.The foam
provided a snug fit, and protected the plates.
Something of this nature might work.
John Rodgers
Nikom Chimnok wrote:
> ----------------------------Original message----------------------------
> Hello Superpackers,
>
> I just read thru the archives about using spray-in-place
> polyurethane foam as packing. I've used canned foam, and know that it has
> both great compressive strength, and also expansive force. This I learned by
> spraying the cavity between door jamb and house frame, and it expanded so
> forcefully that I couldn't open the door after it dried.
>
> Normally I would never consider using such a method for packing
> pots--we do container loads with used cardboard boxes and used foam, and
> lose few enough that it would be uneconomic to improve on the method.
>
> But now I'm getting inquiries about these 3 foot high 3 foot
> diameter planters. Pack them one by one and you end up with 24 per 20 foot
> container. At $65 each (my price) a container is worth $1560. Freight to
> Seattle is $2800. Bad economics.
>
> So I want to nest them--build a plywood box and foam as many as ten
> into a stack with just enough clearance that a forklift could remove it from
> the container. $15000 worth of pots makes the freight costs seem less
> onerous. I'm curious if anyone has any experience with this sort of thing.
>
> I can see geometrically that pots this size are not strong like
> small pots. The walls are proportionally much thinner, and I know from
> experience in nesting smaller planters that if anything's going to break,
> it's the big outside pot. In my proposed stack all but the top one are
> "outside", so it's a bit frightening.
>
> By the way, I would probably also be using poured urethane, not
> sprayed. Spray equipment is hard to come by here, but drums of the two
> chemicals are readily available. We've already played with poured urethane,
> which is how sheet urethane is produced--pour into steel boxes, then slice.
>
> I'd be thankful to hear what anyone has to say, especially if you've
> already tried tricks like this.
>
> TIA,
> Nikom
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