Advice Needed: Putting Props Into Storage

[MattgomeryBurns]

On the advice of el toro I picked up some Home Depot HDX Tough Storage Totes. The 55 gallon ones are huge! I ended up getting one and a few of the 38 gallon and 12 gallon ones since they will fit my different sized props best. I’ll probably need more, but this will be a good start.
They are a lot tougher than I was expecting so I’m happy with these. And the price is unbeatable. For 13 bins total it was only $140.

 

[MattgomeryBurns]

Welp, here's my entire collection If I can give some advice, you will need more bins than you think!

200+ items in 20 bins total:
-Six 12 gallon bins
-Nine 27 gallon bins
-Four 38 gallon bins
-One 55 gallon bin (the only one that my longer items would fit in)

Here is a link to the acid free tissue paper I used (much larger than the other makers): Amazon.com: 75 Sheets 24"x36" TheLinenLady's Acid Free Archival Tissue Paper-Unbuffered & Lignin Free ~Protect Your HEIRLOOMS!

For my screen used / production pieces, I wrapped them first in unbleached muslin. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0769GWMVT/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

The trickiest thing to pack was my 89 Batman cowl. Because of the shoulder scallops, it needed to be stored upright on its form. I couldn't find any containers tall enough. I went through 2 different dog food containers that were just barely too small. I finally settled on this 20 gallon Rubbermaid garbage can with airtight lid (it's about 2/3 the size of a normal sized garbage can): Rubbermaid Commercial Products BRUTE 20 Gal. Round Vented Trash Can with Lid-2031186 - The Home Depot

I've signed a one year lease on a climate controlled storage unit. It's going to be hard to resist buying new pieces for the next year or two

 

[Captain Dunsel]

Yeah one thing that I can suggest is DO NOT wrap bubble wrap around painted props that may be in storage for a long period of time...

I was between house moves and had to pack my props up for about 2 months, pending closing on a new house. The props were stored in plastic containers and wrapped with bubble wrap. They were also stored in a temporary home at regular room temperature.

When I unpacked them, 2 months later at our new home, nearly every prop that was painted had bubble wrap texture permanently imprinted on them. Something to do with the interaction of the plastic and pressure of the bubble wrap over the two month period of time.

 

[Markus]

Welp, here's my entire collection If I can give some advice, you will need more bins than you think!

View attachment 1337795

I've signed a one year lease on a climate controlled storage unit. It's going to be hard to resist buying new pieces for the next year or two

... and once you move into a bigger house and get your items out of the storage, you can use these bins to build an impressive group of Gonk droids!!

 

[MattgomeryBurns]

Yeah one thing that I can suggest is DO NOT wrap bubble wrap around painted props that may be in storage for a long period of time...

I was between house moves and had to pack my props up for about 2 months, pending closing on a new house. The props were stored in plastic containers and wrapped with bubble wrap. They were also stored in a temporary home at regular room temperature.

When I unpacked them, 2 months later at our new home, nearly every prop that was painted had bubble wrap texture permanently imprinted on them. Something to do with the interaction of the plastic and pressure of the bubble wrap over the two month period of time.

Ugh that's gotta sting. I wrapped all of mine in acid free tissue paper, so hopefully I'll avoid that fate.

... and once you move into a bigger house and get your items out of the storage, you can use these bins to build an impressive group of Gonk droids!!

YES! Stay tuned for the build thread