As Curator of the state of Virginia's art collection in Richmond, I am
responsible for a vast artwork collection which consists mainly of portraits
scattered around various buildings and Capitol Square.  Because the
collection is widely dispersed, I frequently have to move paintings from one
building to another.  I have developed a very satisfactory packing system
using mirror-packs, and to move packed paintings I use a "panel moving" cart
like those used to haul sheets of plywood.  With its three removable
uprights it works perfectly, except for the casters.

Initially, I purchased the "quiet" rolling casters which have a "soft" wheel
as opposed to the harder, standard casters (all four casters swivel).  They
do little towards reducing vibration and are not all that "quiet."  In
addition, since we are often moving paintings between buildings, the cart
necessarily travels along asphalt parking lots, brick pavements, over door
thresholds, and carpets.  Even in our own building, there are abrupt
thresholds to "hurdle."  These are less than ideal conditions for moving
art, so I want as smooth a ride as possible.  Because of these rough
terrains, the soft wheels I purchased have apparently been damaged and now
cause even more vibration. Next I purchased pneumatic casters which
wonderfully and gently overcame all those obstacles, EXCEPT that turning the
cart is now near impossible, especially when weighted down, because these
rubber wheels won't spin to readjust themselves.  This is a big problem in
tight spaces.

I cannot find casters that will both absorb shock and vibration adequately,
yet turn on a dime.  Unless I can find another caster, I feel compelled to
put the original casters back on the cart.  I have considered trying various
types of cushioning material between the caster plate and the cart frame,
too.  However, the ideal caster seems to be one whose outer layer is like
the so-called "soft" material of the original casters around a pneumatic
core to absorb vibration.

A search of the COOL & Museum-L archives yielded little.  Any ideas?
Thanks!

Tracy Kamerer
Artwork Coordinator
The Library of Virginia
E-mail: [log in to unmask]

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