While bubble wrap, "egg crate" foam, used carpet padding, etc. are all excellent wrapping materials, they may not be readily available to you. A far more practical and inexpensive method is to use normal household materials such as newspaper and cardboard. In wrapping normal size insulators, open, full sheets of newspaper are recommended. If your newspaper doesn't use the smudgeless inks, you may wish to buy blank newsprint which is often available from the local paper in the form of roll ends.

To wrap with newsprint, start at a corner using two thicknesses of paper. Roll the insulator on a diagonal toward the opposite corner, folding the left and right edges of the paper over the insulator as it is rolled. By folding the edges uniformly, this folding process creates a relatively even insulating cushion of air and paper. After the corner of the paper is reached, repeat the process with two more sheets of paper. Tape the loose end to keep the paper from unraveling. Once all pieces are so wrapped, there are a number of tips to packing them within the box. When using foams or bubble wraps it is important to seal any open ends so the insulator doesn't slip out when removed from the box.

Most pieces which are damaged during shipping are those which have inadequate wrapping, insufficient separation from each other in the box, or which are too close to the surfaces or corners of the box. To prevent internal damage, it is imperative that the pieces be separated from each other with materials such as foam pieces, bubble wrap, crumpled newspaper, cardboard, or other lightweight material. It is strongly recommended that pieces be boxed in a single layer in a vertical position (like glass food and beverage containers) as opposed to laying them on their sides. The potential for damage is greatest when is pressure exerted on the sides of an insulator skirt. Unfortunately, boxes are sometimes shipped on their sides or upside down, so pieces should be positioned so that they can sustain some weight and pressure from all directions. When the shape of a box dictates that insulators are likely to be shipped on their sides, greater insulation between the insulator and box walls is necessary.

Pieces with extended skirts, ears, etc., are best protected if the piece is encircled with cardboard or placed in a separate box after it is wrapped. Double decking in the shipping box is not a problem with a couple sheets of cardboard placed between the layers of vertically arranged insulators.

With large insulators, each wrapped piece should be placed in a box slightly larger than the piece. That box should be placed inside a larger box with sufficient padding to prevent the smaller box from being crushed by, or crushing, other contents. The double box (boxes within a box) technique is also recommended for shipping pieces of higher value and for overseas shipments. For very valuable pieces, placing the wrapped insulator into coffee cans within an insulated box provides maximum protection from crushing or other damage.

To prevent breakage from dropped or crushed boxes, it is important not to place pieces close to the corners, sides, top, or bottom. To create insulated spacing, the same insulative materials listed above can be used. Another excellent source of spacing insulation is the cardboard core of fabric bolts which are available from fabric stores. They are about 1" thick and can be cut to fit any portion of the box. Solid sheets of styrofoam are also effective, if you can find them.

The area between the box surfaces and the contents should be sufficiently padded to absorb dropping or sharp blows from the outside. Pieces should be snugly packed to prevent shifting. While the Post Office and UPS encourage several inches of insulation, an inch on the sides and bottom and two inches on the top are usually more than adequate.

All flaps should be securely taped. A continuous wrap around the box, parallel with the flap seam, is most desirable. Wide cellophane type tapes are preferable to duct tape, paper tape, etc. Except in boxes with heavy contents, the expensive reinforced strapping tapes are not necessary.