Windstone Editions creates beautiful sculptures from the talented Melody Peña. When you ship these sculptures great care needs to be taken so that they arrive at their destination safely and intact. Not only is it heart breaking to the receiver to get a broken item, but it costs you, the sender more time and effort attempting to claim insurance on the package. Wouldn’t it be better all the way around to avoid the mishap in the first place?

The main thing you must remember about these sculptures is that they are made out of gypsum and are breakable like glass. Many people believe that since these sculptures are heavy, they can withstand a beating like wood or stone. Let me assure you they cannot.

Box Basics:

If you have the original boxes, these are by far the best method of shipment. Most Windstone boxes are plain brown, with a sticker denoting the sculpture it was made for and with either a Styrofoam or cardboard insert made to the fit the specific sculpture. Some even come with heavy duty plastic bags which help prevent paint rubs. Some of the smaller pieces came in market white boxes with no inserts but only packaging paper inside.

If you don’t have the original boxes, don’t fret, you can make one, but some time and effort must be put forth. The box you choose must have enough space left around the sculpture (on all sides and also in depth) to allow for bubble wrap, but not so much that it shifts or moves.

Make a padded bed in the box of bubble wrap with or without peanuts. Don’t use packing peanuts alone because they shift around too much. Also add padding to all sides.

Now wrap the piece in multiple layers of bubble wrap. One or two pieces will not do, nor will towels or newspapers. The problem with these materials is that they compress and the real danger in shipping (besides crushing) is vibration produced by dropping the box in transit. Too much vibration and although the box was not crushed you will have a perfectly wrapped, but broken Windstone. (If you want to see examples of this, scroll down to the ‘Double-Box Shipping Method’ section.) You might be tempted to use only packing peanuts, but this will allow the piece to move around too much, and the item could settle next to the side of the box without padding between it and the box. Use packaging tape to securely seal the box. Packing peanuts should be used, however, when you add the second box for shipping.

Moving a sculpture wrapped in one box like this is fine for transportation by car, but it will not work for shipping via a carrier. For that you will need to use the Double-Box Shipping Method (see below).

Double-Box Shipping Method:

Once you have the piece properly wrapped in the right sized box, this step is easy. You need to use this method even when you have the original box. (This is, in fact, the method used by the Windstone company when sending items out from their factory.) As mentioned before vibration and crushing are the enemies in the shipping gauntlet from your house to that of your receiver. The first box, shown above, keeps the piece secure (mostly from vibration), but the double boxing not only keeps movement inside to a minimum, it also protects from the piece being crushed. I have seen outer boxes, completely busted and collapsed on one side, but the piece inside was safe because the inner box gave another level of protection.

All you need to do is find a second box that is approximately 2-4” wider on all sides (and depth) than the inside box and fill with packing peanuts. Pour some packing peanuts into the bottom (about 1/3) and then place the inner box inside. Continue to add peanuts until all sides and the top around the inner box are filled in. When the box flaps are closed there shouldn’t be any movement if the box is shaken.

Then tape up the box, label, and ship. That’s all there is to it!

If you think this is too much work, look at what can happen if you don’t.

This unicorn was sent in a box of only packing peanuts. The piece shifted and the mane was broken off.

This poor Flion™ was not double boxed and was packed with only some tissue paper and a thin layer of bubble wrap.

The box was intact and not crushed, yet the piece broke anyway. Even the word “Fragile” on the box couldn’t save it.

This black griffin was sent priority via the United States Postal Service. In the picture you can see that the box is slightly crushed, but the vibration killed this unfortunate griffin. He was only packaged with a layer or two of bubble wrap and a box full of packing peanuts.

Shipping Multiple Items:

When shipping multiple pieces you still need to use the Double-Box method. In this case you would still need to individually box each piece and then you could put all of these boxes into one larger shipping box with packaging peanuts (with enough space for peanuts around each inner box). The larger and heavier the pieces the less likely this will work well. For very large pieces it is recommended that they are Double-Boxed and then shipped separately.

For those who decide to only use bubble wrap for multiple items, this is what can happen. The items will hit each other in transit and all that will be left is pieces.

A little time and extra effort can ensure that your pieces have a fighting chance in the shipping system. Not only will the receiver appreciate your effort, but you can save yourself a lot of time, money, and aggravation in the long run.

If you would like to learn more about Windstone Editions, Melody Peña, or just meet other collectors please stop by the Windstone Forum at http://www.windstoneeditions.com/forums/ and sign-up today!

All statues shown are Copyright © Windstone Editions.