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newsprint and packing

updated fri 8 apr 05

 

Vince Pitelka on wed 6 apr 05


> But , making use of old Newspapers is a wonderful way of
> becomeing acquainted with the events and personages of our
> Nation and of the World..!

Yes, that was the problem I had. When I first started shipping wares I was
on the cheap, and I got bales of newsprint from the local recycling center.
I love to read, but in this case I needed to be packing pottery. When
packing with sheet newspaper, it is impossible to avoid reading articles and
comics, and I wasted a lot of time.

From that, I graduated to recycled shredded paper, but either of these
choices are pretty poor packing materials. They are too compressible, and
if you pack in enough wadded or shredded paper to really immobilize the
wares, you have added POUNDS AND POUNDS to the weight of the package. The
customer is paying for shipping, and they really resent that extra weight.
And remember, the heavier the package, the harder it hits when dropped.
That hard-packed paper will keep the pots from moving around, but it really
doesn't absorb much shock. Most of my loss in shipping occurred before I
started using new boxes, single-face corrugated, bubble wrap, and flopak
(peanuts).
Best wishes -
- Vince

Vince Pitelka
Appalachian Center for Craft, Tennessee Technological University
Smithville TN 37166, 615/597-6801 x111
vpitelka@dtccom.net, wpitelka@tntech.edu
http://iweb.tntech.edu/wpitelka/
http://www.tntech.edu/craftcenter/