Not just a pretty face – painted crates
September 10th, 2009
Painted crates enjoy a couple of benefits besides a modest aesthetic bump. Any given shipment of them is instantly recognizable in large warehouses of unrelated crates and pallets. Larger museums tend to have their own proprietary color, and for the purposes of this you would have to ask your friendly neighborhood registrar. But I imagine that one benefit is revealing at a glance which stored crates were commissioned by the museum and which may belong to some one else. Likewise when the crates travel in large exhibitions.
Last but not least, there is a technical element. The crates shown here are covered with a coat of primer, three coats of paint and two coats of clear lacquer. This adds up to a bit of a moisture barrier. Should the crates fall into the ocean, the MDO walls will do most of the work in keeping the contents dry for a spell, but the paint helps slow down serious damage to the solid pine battens and subsequent seepage at the corners. In less catastrophic conditions however – say, a heavy rain – the water won’t get past the paint and Neoprene lid gasket.
Here is a snapshot of the same crates recently spotted in the wild, along with one from another company in the same shipment. Labels and documentation accompany all such shipments, but there is never any question where each of these crates will eventually be returned.
-Chris
Tags: battens, documentation, labels, lacquer, large exhibitions, lid gasket, moisture barrier, museums, Neoprene, painted crates, pallets, primer, proprietary color, seepage, shipment, stored crates
August 31st, 2011 at 11:58 pm
How long have you been blogging for? you made blogging look easy. The overall look of your site is great, as well as the content! I’m not sure where you’re getting your information, but good topic. I needs to spend some time learning much more or understanding more.