At 04:31 PM 19-01-2000 -0500, you wrote:
>Hello,
>
>We are considering purchasing polyethylene/polpropylene corrugated boxes
>for storage . . .
>Just wondering if anyone out there is currently using them and what you
>think are the pros and cons.

Dear Karen -

I have been making custom boxes for our anthropology collection for about
four years now.  I use a corrugated polyethylene, Corrulite, that I order
from our local plastics distributor.  I chose it over Coroplast because its
B-flute design is more rigid and because it can be much more easily glued
with a glue gun.  It is lightweight, easy to cut and fold, and makes boxes
that can carry quite a bit of weight and withstand stacking very well.

I made two boxes last year to house four long antique guns and two swords.
The guns are very heavy and I knew that the plastic would not be rigid
enough to support that amount of weight in a long narrow container.  What
we did is cut a piece of plywood to fit the outside bottom of the box; we
painted it with latex paint to seal it and then simply screwed it on with
wood screws through the bottom of the box and into the plywood.  It worked
a treat.

The conclusion of all this rambling is that you could certainly use the
same bracing method for commercially produced boxes if you were concerned
with whether they could support heavy specimens.  For lesser support needs
I simply cross-ply the Corrulite.  It also has the virtue of allowing you
to build customized trays, mounts and dividers inside your boxes.  Large
unsupported stacking trays inside boxes will tend to bow, so you need to
design appropriate supports.
I frequently make drop-side boxes with pull-out trays for items that cannot
stand much handling; I also use it to make trays or bases for items that
will sit out on shelves, constructing supports out of ethafoam, to minimize
handling of the objects.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me.
Anne T. Lane, Collections Assistant
Museum of York County
4621 Mount Gallant Road,
Rock Hill, SC 29732-9905
803-329-2121, ext. 104
FAX 803-329-5249

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