Correct Packing
Good packing is very important for all objects, especially hairpins. Hairpins are often highly decorated, with a lot of beads, very thin metal sheet details, fine wires, and with gilding or enamel. Therefore, they are very fragile and need careful support and protection. A lot of hairpins are damaged during travelling or because of bad storage and packing. They may be crushed or a loose piece of wire or sheet can become hooked on other things in the same bag or box. Some of the hairpins may be distorted and some of them may lose loose or break fragile parts.
Packing must do two important things - it should provide support, and protection for the object. Often, providing support involves making a "nest" out of inert foam or acid-free tissue paper. It can be dangerous to wrap fragile objects in tissue paper by rolling the tissue paper around the object. Anyone unwrapping the object has to turn it over and over to unwind the paper. The object may even get lost in the folds of tissue and get lost, falling on the floor in the process. It is better to make small nests or cushions that provide support and pack the object in s strong plastic or cardboard box.
Packing must do two important things - it should provide support, and protection for the object. Often, providing support involves making a "nest" out of inert foam or acid-free tissue paper. It can be dangerous to wrap fragile objects in tissue paper by rolling the tissue paper around the object. Anyone unwrapping the object has to turn it over and over to unwind the paper. The object may even get lost in the folds of tissue and get lost, falling on the floor in the process. It is better to make small nests or cushions that provide support and pack the object in s strong plastic or cardboard box.
Here are some examples of correct packing solutions.
http://www.hairpinmuseum.org/packing.html
http://www.hairpinmuseum.org/emergency-packing.html
Protection of objects also includes providing a suitable, stable environment for your objects. For metal objects a safe environment is one that has a low relative humidity (below 35% if possible) and protects the metal surface from polluting gasses in the atmosphere. Gasses such as hydrogen sulphide (H2S) ammonia (NH3) or acetic acid (CH3-COOH) are all found in trace amounts in air (especially near food) and will accelerate the tarnishing and corrosion of metals.
For organic materials such as paper, cardboard, wood and textiles the relative humidity should be higher (in the range 55-65%). In Taiwan and many other countries it is expensive, if not impossible to maintain a room at fixed humidities. It is therefore advisable to pack objects in airtight boxes together with something to stabilise the humidity. Silica gel (often found in small packets with electrical goods) is a well known desiccant and will absorb up to its own weight in water. What is less well known is that it can he "conditioned" to maintain a volume of air at any relative humidity = high or low.
http://www.hairpinmuseum.org/packing.html
http://www.hairpinmuseum.org/emergency-packing.html
Protection of objects also includes providing a suitable, stable environment for your objects. For metal objects a safe environment is one that has a low relative humidity (below 35% if possible) and protects the metal surface from polluting gasses in the atmosphere. Gasses such as hydrogen sulphide (H2S) ammonia (NH3) or acetic acid (CH3-COOH) are all found in trace amounts in air (especially near food) and will accelerate the tarnishing and corrosion of metals.
For organic materials such as paper, cardboard, wood and textiles the relative humidity should be higher (in the range 55-65%). In Taiwan and many other countries it is expensive, if not impossible to maintain a room at fixed humidities. It is therefore advisable to pack objects in airtight boxes together with something to stabilise the humidity. Silica gel (often found in small packets with electrical goods) is a well known desiccant and will absorb up to its own weight in water. What is less well known is that it can he "conditioned" to maintain a volume of air at any relative humidity = high or low.
