Sponsored by the
Museum of Natural
Science, Louisiana State University
Messages on AVECOL concerning sources of
skeleton boxes, late Feb. 2009
Several museums in the Midwest
use All-Packaging in Kansas City. They custom make boxes and can use
archival quality materials if requested. 1515 West Ninth Street, Kansas
City, MO 64101. 800-229-3711.

This past summer I ordered boxes
for osteo collections. 7-7/16" x
4-11/16"
x 3-11/16" -- 1-1/2" (the last number being the depth of the lid). Two-piece
set-up box made of 35pt white vat acid free board tight wrapped base and lid in
acid free white litho paper. My quote‚Ä® ranged
from $4.42 each for 100 to $2.45 each for 500. Plus shipping. 
I
would expect the prices to have gone up since then. 


All-Packaging has been very
helpful in the past, even to the point of allowing multiple museums to order
from same run (same size and material), thus allowing a cheaper per unit price,
and then shipping and billing separately to each museum.
Thomas Labedz, Collections
Manager‚Ä®, Division of Botany and Division of Zoology University of Nebraska
State Museum
One route, especially if you only need a small number
of boxes, is to check with a conservation supply house. One such company is
University Products. They have a standard line of various types of boxes. They
also will work with you for custom size boxes. The advantage here is they often
have boxes ready to ship. The price per box can run higher than the second
option but depending on the quantity your need the overall price might be
cheaper.
The other route, as Thomas Labedz pointed out, is go
straight to a box manufacturer. We order most of our boxes and specimen trays
from Pohlig Bros, located outside of Richmond, VA. I
can give you more detailed contact information if you need it.
Using a box manufacturer usually means you have to
order larger quantities of each size so they can do a factory run. Also, the
first time you order a custom size they can be some additional charges for the
tool and die sets to cut the boxes. However, a manufacturer may already have
the tool and die set for many sizes and styles of boxes already in their
possession. Once they make a tool and die set for a custom size you order, they
should retain it for future orders saving some costs on future orders.
Most box manufacturers will have a minimum size order
since they have to get their equipment geared up to produced the order. The
price per box will drop as you order larger quantities.
Check to see if there are box manufacturers near your
location. That can cut down on shipping costs.
James Dean, Collection
Manager, Smithsonian Institution Division of Birds
We also use All Packaging
in Kansas for our skeleton boxes and have been happy with them.  However, as best I have been able to get them
to tell me (several years ago), the boxboard they use is pH neutral at
manufacture and not lignin free. What this means is that the boxboard is
probably well buffered to counteract the acidity of the lignin.  There is the potential for the box to become
acidic over time as the buffer is exhausted (lignin releases acids as it ages)
and buffers can potentially affect pigments (not a big problem with skeletons,
but an issue for unit trays for skins). 
The box covering (at least the white we use) is lignin free but
this part of it doesn't actually touch the skeleton.  While buffered boxboard is not ideal, it is
better than the old acidic boxboard that was used.
Another thing that I will
mention about this company is that their box runs are usually + or - 5% of
what you order and you pay for what is actually delivered.
Dr. Jean L. Woods, Curator of Birds, Delaware Museum of Natural History
To follow up on James' message
about custom orders from University Products 


The Michigan State University Museum ordered custom unbuffered archival
boxes and trays from University Products for our mammal collection. An IMLS‚Ä®
grant paid for custom dies to be manufactured for these in 2006.  Other institutions are welcome to place
orders for products that use "our” dies. 
Below are sizes and specifications along with product catalog numbers.
Contact John Dunphy at University Products for
updated pricing. 

 The products are not inexpensive.  These products and specs were approved by
Conservator Catharine Hawks for our grant project.  Prices below were applied to an order that we
placed in September 2008. 


Cathy recommended that we
purchase unbuffered boxes for our collections. It 
is my experience that most
"off the shelf" box products from archival supplies companies (e.g.
Hollinger, University Products, Metal Edge, etc.) 
come with a buffer. 


University Products
Quotation for Michigan State University Museum

.
Our 2006 custom order had
Bid number 05-08-477 and invoice number
871276-00.  Our 2008 custom order had Bid number
07-09-434 and invoice number 93275-00. 


Acid-free UNBUFFERED Boxes
and Trays:


Item 1: Custom
Tray for MSU Museum Made from 40 pt. thickness unbuffered acid-free,
lignin-free tan board with metal edge construction.  Size 8”wide x 16.5” long x 1” high
 Catalog
Number 9-7520-1‚Ä®$2.85 each‚Ä®(MSU Museum die)


Item 2: Custom Box with
Short Lid Like University Products Shoebox style 732-1285 to fit 5” x 8” x 12” but
made with unbuffered board. Made from 40 pt. thickness unbuffered‚Ä® acid-free,
lignin-free tan board with metal edge construction. ‚Ä® Catalog Number
9-7520-2‚Ä®$11.55 each‚Ä®(University Products die)


Item 3: Custom Box
with Short Lid Lid to measure 4 7/8”wide x 11
1/8”long to fit over box with similar width
 and length. Box to have
height of 3 ½”. 
 Made from 40 pt. thickness unbuffered acid-free, lignin-free
tan board with metal edge construction. Catalog Number 9-7520-3‚Ä®$6.25 each‚Ä®(MSU
Museum die)


Item 4: Small
Artifact Storage Box Unbuffered with full telescoping top
 SIZE IS 2 ½” x 2 ½”
x 1 ¼”
We need this to be made just like University Products 734-2525 but without
the buffer Must be unbuffered. 
Per University Products, this can be made with
2 ply white board which is‚Ä® unbuffered‚Ä® Catalog Number 9-7520-6‚Ä®$2.02 each‚Ä®
(University Products die). 

 Our 2006 order also included the following custom
boxes. I don't have‚Ä® University Products catalog numbers for these, but MSU
Museum dies were 
produced for these items.


Item 1: Custom Box with
Short Lid Lid to measure 3 1/8"wide x 6
3/8" long to fit over box with similar width and length. Box to have
height of 3 1/4". Made from 40 pt. thickness‚Ä® unbuffered acid-free,
lignin-free tan board with metal edge construction. ‚Ä® $4.60 each in 2006‚Ä®(MSU
Museum die)


Item 2: Custom Box with
Short Lid Lid to measure 2 7/8"wide x 5
1/2" long to fit over box with similar width and length. Box to have
height of 2 1/2". Made from 40 pt. thickness‚Ä® unbuffered acid-free,
lignin-free tan board with metal edge construction. ‚Ä®$4.75 each in 2006). ‚Ä®(MSU
Museum die)


Laura Abraczinskas. Michigan State University
Following Dave Parmelee's lead, we've gone to clear plastic boxes for
skeletons - it is so easy to see whether it is going to be useful for you
before having to open it. The only drawback that I've seen is that 
you don't
want to expose them to high concentrations of PDB or
naphthalene. (But we don't
have those in skeleton cabinets anyway.) Our
 current source is here: 

 www.thomasnet.com/profile/576174/oppenheim-plastics-co-inc.html 

Oppenheim Plastics Co., Inc. E-mail this company 
http://www.OppenheimPlastics.com
 P.O. Box 310, 
Saddle River, NJ 07458-0310
. Phone: 201-391-3811,
888-386-6382 (toll free)
. Fax: 201-391-4811


Kevin Winker, 
University
of Alaska Museum