To Pack Away ,Or Not

Forgive me if I misunderstand, but isn't it better to pack your stuff before you move rather than after? I don't know if you have access to them but I found paper cartons to be an effective way to move. I got them at any place that did lots of printing and/or copying.

Bill Banaszak, MFE Sr.

This seems to be a non-issue. When moving, unbuilt kits are the *easiest* thing one has to deal with. They weigh next to nothing, and since they are boxed, can be crammed into any box, nook, cranny, or open spot in your car...for the move.

...Now...you hundreds of books...which weigh a *ton*... should be your concern.

:o)

For books...try "banana boxes", available from the produce department in your local grocery store. They are fairly big, and incredibly strong.

the point with bags is to make it easier. they are so much easier to carry, especially for a bad back. you can't overload them and hurt yourself, they stack perfectly and are easier to store. i know the boxes you speak of...it's easy to make them too heavy, they are a awkward size and don't store worth a damn. the only way you'll become a believer in shopping bags is try it....a million bag ladys can't be wrong.

snipped-for-privacy@some.domain (e) wrote in :

They may be easier to carry, but stacking? Once full, they're all different sizes, so good luck with that. I think you'll end up renting a bigger van/making more trips.

Boxes can be filled with one layer of books and some lighter stuff (maybe a model) on top. With a cart, you can move 4-10 at a time, which makes for much quicker loading than just carrying two bags.

snipped-for-privacy@xxxxmsnet.nl.invalid (Harro de Jong) wrote in news:97B052942Wile.E.Coyote@62.58.50.216:

Best thing whit moving is to get EVERYTHING packed in boxes as mucha as possible, THEN ask some friends to help you haul everything over to the new place, where YOU stand at the door and tell them where everything has to go. About moving my kits; I found out I had more boxes with kits than "normal" household stuff, just stuff the unbuilt and boxed kits in bigger boxes (of all sizes you can get, but boxes of one size stack better. Unbuilt kits I move my self (nobody touches them) so its better to move them first in boxes filled with (i used) foam chips and place them in a seperate room, corner, where nobody has to be during the moving.

That's how I did it several times,

But remember, there is NO kit MOVE PROOF. some will get damaged!

Cheers and good luck in yr new dwelling

Dennis

=== I moved from Austin, TX to Virginia and back, and always packed my models (built/unbuilt) before I moved. Did not have any broken when I moved to VA, but did have some severely shattered on the way back - packed by the movers!!!

Get good mover's insurance, in addition to what the moving company offers - it really works, and like Yogi says, "it's better to have it and not need it, than to need it and not have it."

Boxes to use, from my experience, are heavy duty type like the big computer monitor boxes. These have really thick walls that will withstand rough handling. Built models should be packed in a box at least twice their size and packed with styrofoam peanuts or unsalted popcorn. Using a bigger box provides for settling during transit.

Just my two cents,

Ray Austin, TX ===

snipped-for-privacy@sbcglobal.net (Ray S. & Nayda Katzaman) wrote in :

Over here, the movers usually have boxes you can use. They're standard-size (lxwxh = something like 50x30x40), and sturdy enough that they can be stacked 6 high when full. They're also designed to fold flat when not in use. I filled about 50 of these the last time I moved. Much more convenient than having to find your own boxes.

I recently repacked all my models, finished and unfinished, from underbed cardboard storage boxes that I had stored under the basement stairs, to plastic underbed storage boxes. The cardboard boxed had crushed somewhat due to them being stacked on top of each other for 25 years allowing dust to gather inside the boxes, and breaking off antennas, wheels, and other small parts. I got the plastic boxes at Wally World for $3.68 each for the 28 quart size (I don't know why they use a liquid measure). They are about 14" x

20" x 5-1/2" in size. I bought 7 of them and need about 3 more (I bought all they had at the time). What's good about them is that you can see what's inside and they stack easily because the lids have a recessed area that the bottom of another box will fit into.

For moving books, I go to my local liquor store and get boxes there. They're large enough to hold a good number of books, but not so large that when stuffed full they're overly heavy.

Just my $.02.

bags stack easily. just load them to the squarest or most even rectangular shape you can. i have stacked them very tigh, up to 8 foot high stacks. i know it sounds counterintuitive, but just try it. i have several thousand books, (mostly paperback....) and i fit them into a space you wouldn't believe. you can load up a two wheeler with book bags easily.

as a veteran of a military family and a restless youth, i can state this is the way to do it. you may get minimal damage, but if you do it right, you won't lose parts. i'm a light weight collector, less than 200. i keep them all in a spare closet in the spare bedroom. they were overflowing, so yesterday i empyied the closet and repacked. any kit boxn that could hold smaller kit boxes got them. by packing smart, i have half a closet now. i will post pics in the binary group and a heads up here. i was amazed at how well the could fit.

very clever...mind if i steal your idea?

I'm in the middle of a move right now with about half of my stash now onboard, the rest still in storage awaiting some weather cooperation. Many of the kits and other trinkets in there have been in my stash at one location or another since the mid 80s.

Here's what worked for me and what I discovered along the way

1) I measured the storage room and figured out which size boxes would fill it to capacity in a neat little matrix of storage boxes. 2) I grabbed a bunch of kits and other stuff I own too much of and worked out some possible sizes that might work as a universal one-size fits all storage box. I think I came up with 20x20x24 being the best fit for 90% or better of what I needed to store. When I couldn't get those cheaply or easily because they are a custom size, I opted for 20x20x20 in. 200lb test boxes.

3) There's a practical limit to what you can cram into a box, lift and stack on top of it. You wouldn't want to fill a 20cube box with books, and you wouldn't want to lift or stack them either. For the heavy stuff I used flat boxes - something on the order of 4" deep and 14"-16" square. Not too heavy when filled and they stacked high and without much lean. They also looked like they'd be useful for mailing packages after the books were relocated to their new home

4) Packing. I arranged the insides of the boxes so there was at least an inch of space at the top, just in case the boxes failed. Some did a little. I did pack them a little snug horizontally, gambling that the sides of the boxes would buckle out and not in and that packed side by side and tightly, each box would reinforce its neighbors. That pretty much worked out as I expected with a few exceptions. When I cracked open the scarier looking boxes, the air gap spared what was inside. The only kit that was crumpled after all of this was the one I dropped when I pulled it out of the storage box to look at it. Figures.

As for built kits and special stuff that needed a little extra attention - I bought or made cardboard pads to separate and reinforce the insides horizontally and vertically. I used newspaper, tissue paper (gift wrap not bathroom stuff) and peanuts if I had them. The trick with the peanuts is to make sure you bag the item first. Toss something unwrapped into a box of peanuts at your own peril.

5) Humidity will kill you (or at least your cardboard). The boxes I removed from indoor storage were in great shape. Even with a load of four or more boxes stacked on top of them and a long time in storage under load. Conversely, I used two of these very same boxes to throw some junk inside out in my garage and they were crushed and falling apart inside of 6 months. I'm glad nothing important was in them.

6) Try not to get in a funk where you let your stuff stay in storage for a long time - even if it's just a closet. If you're not enjoying it and its not making you any money (possibly even costing you money), you have to question the sanity of the whole thing of stashing away more than you'll ever use or enjoy. Ask me how I know. ;-)

On the other hand it is a little like Christmas when i was a kid. I've been opening up these boxes and getting reacquainted with some old favorties - and some others that are headed straight to eBay.

Hope that helps anyone in the same predicament; and to the original poster - good luck on the move.

WmB

Moved for the last time a few years ago. About 1200 unbuilt kits, fifty built models, 600+ books and magazines.

I found one source for all of the storage and move: Borders (or any large book store). Always stacks of empty boxes used to ship books in back of the store. As they were meant to ship books they didn't get too heavy yet they are big enough to hold all but the largest kits. All the same sized boxes allowed for best storage of unbuilt kits.

All of the built models made it with no breakage. Each was put into a plastic zip lock pouch, the bags of models put into a box full of foam peanuts.

Eventually I marked each box of unbuilt kits (now about 2000) with the contents to make it easier to find things. When the attic is finished they go into their own insulated, ventilated space out of the boxes onto shelves.

The MAI Library is mostly > > I'm moving soon,should i box up all my unbuilt models

What a response!,the bad news is -I'm moving,the good- it's only about

5miles,i've got some boxes this dell came in,but,i get the feeling i'll need more,hopefully getting closer to ''M"DAY,it'll all come ogeather.Yes,a hand truck will be a good friend.

" snipped-for-privacy@netscape.com" wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@i39g2000cwa.googlegroups.com:

Tom, did you get my email about the production of kits??

Please let me know.

TIA,

Dennis

snipped-for-privacy@some.domain (e) wrote in :

Looking at my own book collection, I'd have to say 'it depends'. Mine have too much variation in size to be stacked like that. Also, 8ft stacks of books aren't the most stable. Try stacking 'em like that in a moving van, then driving 100 km. They'll be all over the place (unless you barricade them in tightly).

i have many odd shapes too. i have had them 5 seet high in my van, packed in with boxes to keep them stable.