Large archival boxes

Karen Potje <kpotje [at] cca__qc__ca> writes

>At the Canadian Centre for Architecture we use large boxes made of
>acid-free corrugated cardboard (Interior dimensions 49" x 37" x 3")
>to store certain collections of flat oversize archival documents on
>open shelves.
>...
>Can anyone suggest another material which can be used to make these
>large boxes affordable.  Can anyone suggest a method of engineering
>a large corrugated plastic box to make it sturdy?  And does anyone
>have comments on the use of corrugated plastic for housings for
>artworks.  (Are there problems with dust?  Sharp edges? The
>pronounced corrugated texture, compared to that of the paper
>product?  Some awful thing I haven't even thought of?)

The performance of Coroplast boxes during a staged fire and
subsequent dousing by fire hoses was observed during the Burn Baby
Burn workshops sponsored by the Washington D.C. Conservation Guild
and AIC. As you might expect, being plastic they melted onto their
contents, damage which is often impossible to repair. In addition,
during any "water event" whether from burst pipes, sprinklers, or a
fire hose, a cardboard box will absorb remarkable quantities of
moisture, often protecting the contents from the worst kind of
damage. However when water enters a plastic box there are two
issues: it may not appear wet on the outside, and therefore not be
flagged as a problem; and the water will pool on the inside. I would
recommend strongly that you try to find a sturdier cardboard box,
perhaps one with a reinforced floor, rather than going to plastic.


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                  Conservation DistList Instance 14:2
                  Distributed: Thursday, June 29, 2000
                        Message Id: cdl-14-2-007
                                  ***