Custom Fitting A Box To House An Object

Our library collections hold books, but also other three-dimensional objects. These items (and even the books) are not always regular shapes that fit into commercially made housing. Sometimes we need to either build a box from scratch or adapt a purchased box to house these items. For example in 2012, we created housing for a collection of canes that required some adaptation to their rectangular boxes. There are many ways to adapt a box to hold objects, and a variety of materials can be used: Ethafoam, Volara, archival corrugated board, Tyvek, archival tissue paper, among others.

Recently a wooden cross from World War One needed special attention to house it safely. I documented the steps I took to adapt a commercially made box and have included a diagram to illustrate the mathematics of the interior boxes.

I started with a commercially purchased box that was slightly larger in all dimensions than the item.

My goal was to create a recess for the cross within the box by making interior boxes of archival corrugated board.

These interior corrugated boxes are designed to fill empty space to create the recess. They are glued shut and maintain stability by including a top (as well as a bottom), though the top isn’t strictly necessary. I calculated and constructed them based on the methods used in Andrea Krupp’s great instructions for the corrugated clamshell box, which I learned from Hedi Kyle.

When designing these interiors keep in mind where and how the item is stored (horizontally or vertically), how frequently it is handled, and how it can be removed from the box.

To create the interior corrugated boxes here are the steps I took.

1) With the cross in place, I measured the four quadrants of empty space on the box bottom. I subtracted ¼ inch from the length and ¼ inch from the width of each of those rectangles (this gives some breathing room to the cross for removal). Using the dimensions of the box bottom I adjusted my calculations so the two boxes on the left side were equivalent to the boxes on the right side boxes (as mirrored pairs). This simplified things by requiring only two sizes of boxes. I now had the length (L) and width (W) measurements. I then measured the large outer box depth for the thickness (TH) measurement. This should be very slightly lower than the box side, but keep in mind any additional layers of material (Volara, paperwork, etc.) that need to go over the top before the lid goes on and account for that in your thickness measurement.

Consulting the diagram I have drawn out while reading further might be useful.

Definitions used on the diagram:

L = length
W = width
TH = thickness
BT = board thickness
Solid lines = cut
Dotted lines = score/fold
Grey areas = cut away/remove
Tab = 1 inch

I chose to create a 1-inch tab for gluing my box together. Smaller boxes could certainly be made with thinner tabs.

Using my measurements (L,W,TH) and 1/8 inch archival corrugated board, I cut a rectangular board based on these formulas:

Height of board = 2TH + 2L + 1Tab + [4BT or 1”]

Width of board = 2TH + 1W + 2Tab + [3BT or 1”]


2) Then using the cutting and folding diagram I measured and drew out my box onto the board and cut.

A few tips:

Start measuring and marking lines from the same square corner (both horizontally and vertically).

It is easier to bend with the corrugations so keep that in mind when choosing which way to orient the board, though either way does work.

I used a scrap of board as a jig to mark my BT (board thickness) as I drew these lines out. You could laminate multiple pieces of board together to create a jig for easier measuring.

As you see on the diagram I have added a board thickness to each dimension (W, L, TH) to account for the walls and folds. I didn't add the board thickness to the three most exterior tabs since those tabs needn't be a precise size.

3) Once the box is cut out gently score the lines with a bone folder, and fold them up. Then the tabs need to be delaminated before gluing them down.

This board is made of three layers: flat paper, corrugated paper, and then another layer of flat paper. The corrugated paper in the middle of the tabs will be cut away and the two flat layers will be glued to the adjacent side, one on the interior and one on the exterior making for a strong and square attachment. You will be separating seven tabs: the four to create the box bottom and the three to attach the top to the sides.

4) Gently using a microspatula and/or an awl separate the layers.

You can also gently use your hands to pull these layers apart once you get them started.

5) When they are separated carefully bend the flat layers aside and cut the corrugated piece away.

6) Lay waste paper under the two tabs and apply glue, then fold up the side to create the 3D box and press into place. Do this to all sides of the box creating the box bottom.

7) Now prior to gluing down the top cut away two small areas in the interior tab coming off the top.

This will allow the tab to set inside the box without hitting the interior side tabs. Glue up all interior tabs (even though they may not adhere) and the exterior tab coming off the box top. Close box and press. Then glue up the remaining exterior tabs on the two sides and press.

Here are the first two boxes in place to check the fit.

After the four corrugated boxes were made, I set them within the big box. I checked the fit of the cross within the space to make sure all was as it should be. Then I cut Volara to fit into the recess so the cross was laying on something softer than the board. The friction between the Volara and the cross helps hold the object in place.

8) Once the parts were cut, assembled, and the fit tested, I first glued the corrugated boxes, then the Volara, into the box bottom with PVA.

I weighed down the corrugated boxes to ensure good adhesion.

After everything was dry the cross went into its new housing ready for the shelf.

Interior compartments can be constructed in all sorts of ways and materials. They can be adapted for use in basic or deluxe boxes. This is one method, and if you have another you would like to share, we’d love to hear it!


Written by Stephanie Wolff

Help Around the Corner

Without the department of Shipping and Receiving, what would we do? They are responsible for delivering all the unique supplies we order in Preservation Services, such as big heavy pallets of binder's board and cartons of heavy paper. On the two occasions that we hosted the Guild of Book Workers traveling exhibit, we were the last venue and therefore we had to send each book back to the binder. Every address had to be entered into the shipping database and with Jim Guay at the helm everything got shipped out without a glitch. He even helped us pack up some of the more tricky-to-pack items!

Shipping and receiving is just around the corner and down the hall, which is very convenient as they are also responsible for picking up books and delivering them to other locations in the library system. So whenever we can be of assistance to Jim we do our best.

Recently as part of our goodwill mission to the College we created a portfolio to house a historic print of the Dartmouth campus for the visit of Kosovo President Atifete Jahjaga on behalf of the President's office.

President of Kosovo Atifete Jahjaga visits Dartmouth.

Soon after her visit, Jim told us that the President's office needed help to ship the print to Kosovo. He of course obliged and then we of course helped as well. Below is the series of steps made to package this special item.

The portfolio was placed inside a custom-made 20-point wrapper.

We sandwiched the portfolio in its wrapper between two sheets of oversized binders board.

Then we used lots of plastic wrap to fully seal the item. This was wrapped in both directions.

We added extra plastic to further reinforce the corners.

All sealed with extra padding!

Next we placed a few layers of bubble wrap into a box base and wrapped more around the item.

Then we adjusted the box for a perfect fit, paying extra attention to the corners and fine tuning the box dimensions.

Just enough room for some more padding, tucked in tightly around the item.

Then Jim taped the box together, using lots of tape to make sure it stays in good shape on the journey.

All dressed up and ready to go.

We are more than happy to help the staff of Shipping and Receiving, especially when it comes to packing delicate objects. This item was shipped and well-received!

Written by Deborah Howe.

Housing Odd Collections

Remember the little guy from my last post? Well I finished a display and storage box for him to live in which allows for easy viewing without having to touch him, which could transmit damaging oils and residue from our hands.

First I constructed a simple four-walled box for the base. My vision was to have him standing on a piece of thick ethafoam, so my measurement for the inner base box was the thickness of the ethafoam by the width and depth of the figurine. I covered the top edge of the box with some red tissue and to this inner base I attached four flaps covered in black cloth.

Here is the covering of the flaps.

The long side will be used as the hinge to attach to the box base.

To cover up the interior edge and to add strength to the hinge, I covered the inside edge of the board, making sure the cloth was pressed firmly against the thickness of the board edge. The flaps were then attached to the inner base box.

Inner box with all four flaps attached.

I then made an outer base box covered in black.

 This will be the outside of the base.

Here is the inner base box with the flanges nestled into the black outer base box.

Then I made a nice foam base to hold him in an elevated position.

Using a jewelers saw I cut a piece of ethafoam to fit into the box.

Perfectly-fitted ethafoam base nestled in the box.

Next came the telescoping top. The measurement was the same as the base box for the area and the height was measured from the top edge of the base to a bit above the height of the figurine.

In order to facilitate lifting I cut out two semi-circles on opposite sides. These need special care for covering.

The top almost covered.

Since my little figurine was hollow inside, I made a cushion of polyfill and soft Tyvek which was fitted up inside the hollow area. Then I was able to inset two wooden dowels which were used to anchor him into the ethafoam.

The little guy sitting on his custom support.

The black cloth looks nice but it can collect dust. One quick method of getting rid of the specks is to use a piece of the same cloth and wipe down the surface, cloth side to cloth side.

Removing dust.

Here is the lid of the box being lifted.

And voilà, here is the little guy all ready for display.

These types of projects are a fun way to develop innovative solutions and are creative challenges that keep the job interesting.

Written by Deborah Howe.

Team Work

One of the great things about my job is the chance to work collaboratively with many people across the library system, especially my colleagues in Rauner Special Collections.

One of the more recent projects we addressed was reevaluating the housing and use of Dartmouth's Dr. Seuss collection. This collection is from Theodor Geisel’s early days of advertising, and consists of many varied items.

The collection had been assembled over a period of time and so some of the items were stored in folders and then placed in boxes, some were matted and then placed in a sturdy box, and other items were simply loose in a box.

In order to assess the collection for housing needs with anticipated use in mind, we met with the person in charge of the collection and the person who oversees the care of it. Here we are looking at the different type of materials to see what there is:

Being able to discuss how the collection will be used is valuable information to have when deciding what type of housing to create. For instance, a collection of copy work ready for press had all been matted in very thick mats and then housed in a heavy box. These items didn’t need to be framed, and through discussion with the staff it was decided to remove the art from the mats and store it in a file folder, thus making it easier to use and freeing up quite a lot of space.

Some items, such as the one I'm looking at in the picture above, had good housing like this Mylar cover. However, the Mylar sleeve was open on three sides, which meant the item kept slipping out of it during use. So we were able to seal up one of the sides to create an “L” sleeve using our ultrasonic encapsulation machine. At the same time, we fabricated other Mylar sleeves for some of the over-sized items, such as the “Flit” poster seen above, which was taken out of the black matting.

This is a small group of similar material that needed to stay together, so we re-foldered it and placed it in a document folder. Without input and information from the curators, such as which items need to remain together, it can be impossible to make the best choice when it comes to deciding on the proper housing needs.

This last item will be a challenge but certainly a fun one. This is a bottle stop that needs to stand upright, in full view, so that it doesn’t have to be handled. I will construct an armature to hold it upright and fabricate a box which will also function as a display stand.

With projects like this, where functionality and use play an important role in the treatment decision, it is crucial to have good communication with the people who use the material. Thinking outside the box can often result in innovative and creative solutions, which is an exciting process that builds on communication and positive team work.

Written by Deborah Howe.