Tips for Safely Transporting Your Metal Sculpture

Many people would assume that a metal sculpture is easy to ship, but nothing could be further from the truth. If it’s a large sculpture, you have a lot of weight to move around, but even smaller sculptures may be fragile. Thin or narrow pieces are at risk for breakage and often, metal can be dented or scratched.

How you ship your sculpture will depend on a few factors, including what size it is.

Small Sculptures

To package and secure your small metal sculpture that is less than a metre tall and under 3 kg, you’ll usually be fine with bubble wrap. Tape up the seams and add more bubble wrap around it if necessary. You want to ensure that any smaller pieces are protected from bumps.

The piece may then be placed in a box with shredded paper that is packed into the box. Be sure to lay some on the bottom so the sculpture can’t make its way to the bottom where it will be bumped. You may then tape the box closed.

Large Sculptures

For bigger pieces, you should ensure you cut pieces of foam to tape around sharp edges and points, then wrap them in bubble wrap to ensure there are no major bumps or scratches. For the next part, you have a few options.

First, you can get a large box or crate to set the sculpture in. This may be too big, however, for a crate. In that case, strapping the sculpture to a pallet can be helpful in stabilising it. You may also use a blanket to wrap around the sculpture.

Very large art pieces may need to be lifted by a crane onto the truck, which means they should have a solid base to stand on. These will need to be very well strapped and it’s important to double-check all straps to ensure nothing will pull loose or let the sculpture fall.

Transporting art is a very delicate task and not every haulage company is able to handle it. You should always make sure the company knows how to transport sculptures with care. If they have the appropriate experience, this can help you decide who to choose.

Ready to transport your metal art and need some experts to help with the process? At Nick Sampson, we know how to safely get your metal sculpture from one place to another with our sculpture transport service. Contact us now for a quote.