Moving Your Display Cabinets to Different Rooms (2 Viewers)

[Deitz]

I just finished removing all of the figures from a display cabinet. I am moving the display cabinet to a different room. Thank goodness it was the display cabinet that displayed my K&C tanks. Luckily, I did not damage any figures . Hopefully, I will not damage them when I put them back in. I would hate to remove the figures from my Little Legion, Trophy or Britains cabinets. It took a lot longer than I thought it would. I did not box them up but put them on the bar and on tables in the basement. Not boxing them up saved some time

Have any other treefroggers moved their display cabinets.

Brian

 

[wadepat]

Hi Brian,

Yes, I have moved display cabinets. When we moved from our previous home to our newer home, I carefully boxed every figure for which I had boxes. Figures without original boxes were carefully individually wrapped in bubble wrap and placed in small cardboard boxes. I also had to perform the same tasks with my wife's antique miniature children's glass dishes collection. It took me several weeks to pack all the items and move them into the new house. I do not think I ever want to face such a task again, especially due to the fact my collection has greatly grown since our move! ^&grin

Since my display cabinets are glass curio cabinets, I had professional movers move the curios from our previous home into our present home. They wrapped each curio in plastic before attempting to move them. Once they were in our new house, I was doubly glad I had not attempted to move them myself. Try as hard as I might, I do not think I could have managed the job nearly as well as the movers.

Good luck with moving your cabinet and your figures! I am certain you will accomplish the task without mishap!

Warmest personal regards,

Pat

 

[wayne556517]

I just dropped AK030 damaged the tracks
and then my pet hate,moving wheels AK046 and LW043 just rolled of the shelf both front wheels smashed
Im lucky Obee is handy but im not happy,hope you have no mishaps mate.

 

[TomNT]

Hello Brian

I am almost finished moving my collection into another house and I am relieved it’s coming to an end. I wrapped tissue paper around most of my figures and then placed them into cardboard boxes for transportation. I also placed my AFV/vehicles etc in boxes and put some tissue around them, or in the case of the wheeled vehicles, under and in front of the wheels to stop them moving around in the boxes. Except for one of my glass cabinets, I managed to move all my cabinets without dismantling them although I did remove the shelves beforehand. Other than one minor hitch, everything went to plan and I didn't have any casualties’ among the troops, damage to the vehicles or cabinets. It was an epic move and not one that I would like to do in a hurry again!

Tom

 

[Mitch]

I have most of mine in the loft. Having just had the loft re-insulated and newly floored etc it was a horrible job moving everything down through a 3.5 X 3.5 hatch. I just stored it in my workroom whilst the work was being done. I throw away well, recycle all the boxes so, they were standing on tables and the floor.. safe I thought. That was until the idiot workman fell through the ceiling (had to be the room where my sets were) and landed on them or, some anyway.

I don't like moving the figures and AFV's to clean them let alone think of moving house
Mitch

 

[DMNamiot]

Having moved a lot over the years I am going to be glad when we settle in an area and I can get all of my TS on display again. Its a bear moving them so once we retire its not happening again... But I will keep all of the boxes just in case:wink2:

Dave

 

[simmo]

Glad the move went well.

My first job was as a removal man but I only lasted one day.

The boss gave me a massive roll of bubble wrap and I asked him "What do I do with this?". He said "Pop it over there in the corner" and I was still there 2 hours later.....

 

[Andanna]

This is the sole reason for procrastinating getting new wall-to-wall carpeting .....

 

[lancer]

I just dropped AK030 damaged the tracks
and then my pet hate,moving wheels AK046 and LW043 just rolled of the shelf both front wheels smashed
Im lucky Obee is handy but im not happy,hope you have no mishaps mate.

Working wheels on models of this expense is insanity. Too much money involved to watch them roll off a shelf. Hope your repairs go okay. -- Al

 

[wayne556517]

Working wheels on models of this expense is insanity. Too much money involved to watch them roll off a shelf. Hope your repairs go okay. -- Al

Mate i agree a pet hate moving wheels why they do i don't know there not toys.......................
Im lucky to live 10 minutes from John O'Brien but it still cost money but John will fix them and we get to have a beer so not all doom and gloom.........................^&grin

 

[Arnhemjim]

Moved from Southern California to Arizona in 2000, after retirement. All sets, vehicles and individual figures wrapped and back in original boxes, then larger boxes. As I recall, at the very least a month plus. Done to martial music, a genuine embarkation, music helped. Once in new home purchased modular set of teak bookcases and lighted display cabinets with glass doors and shelves. Took another couple of months to march approximately a brigade group back on to shelves. Again martial music helped. Although regularly harassed about accumulation of dust, have rationalized it as the "sands of history" in miniature. A few years ago replaced carpeting with tile in the rest of house, NOT THE LIBRARY/PARADE-GROUND!! Dear bride tried to dust once, did to the "Thin Red Streak" what the Russian Cavalry could not do at Balaklava, NEVER AGAIN!! Anyone who has to totally, or even partially, "maneuver" their troops, has my total sympathy.
Slainte Mhor (Gaelic for "Great Good Health")
Arnhem Jim
Arizona Territory

 

[ivanmoe]

Working wheels on models of this expense is insanity. Too much money involved to watch them roll off a shelf. Hope your repairs go okay. -- Al

Several months ago, Al and I discussed this on one of the other forums. About two weeks later, I nudged a P-51 forward looking to make a small "alley" behind it. Instead of moving forward an inch or so, the front-wheels rolled off of the shelf and the model plunged toward the floor. Believe it or not, I caught it on the way down and it's undamaged. {eek3}

Moving?

I've found that the damage suffered by my collection is directly proportional to the amount of handling that the items endure. This is particularly true of casual handling, "oh, I just have to take another, closer look at that piece." This is not to be confused with cleaning or moving days, BTW. Those events are the equivalent of mobilizing for collectibles war. As a rule of thumb, then, I try not to mess with the stuff unless I'm willing to do what it takes to protect things.

Rules:

1. Think things through and allow enough time that there's no need to rush.
2. Removing items, work carefully from front to back.
3. Provision for a clean, "pest-free," area in which to store things until they are set back up.
4. If collectibles require cleaning, do it carefully and completely.
5. If the cabinets/shelves/glass need cleaning, do it completely
6. Have a plan for arranging/rearranging items on return to the cabinet.
7. Returning items, work carefully from back to front.
8. Close the doors and leave the collection alone!

In my years of displaying models, I've only damaged one item, a lost loop antenna off of a Fw-190, on moving day. Conversely, casual handling has led to all sort of mayhem, the most frequent victim being pitot-heads and antennas. While I've always been able to glue them back on, I still feel like a complete dope for even opening the cabinet. Where I've been darn near free of mishaps on moving\cleaning days, perhaps 5-10% of my collection has been compromised via casual handling. The incident that I described at the top of this post, with the P-51, was just such an incident. Dumb, dumb, dumb!:redface2:

Finally, if a visitor wants to have a "closer look," I hand them a Franklin Mint F-86 that I keep on hand for just such occasions. The greatest threat there, is that they'll drop it on their foot and break a toe!:wink2:

 

[Toy Soldier Brigade]

When I was setting up my toy soldier room I had new carpet installed with extra thick padding. If you drop a figure you can usually catch it on the bounce

 

[TomNT]

Working wheels on models of this expense is insanity. Too much money involved to watch them roll off a shelf. Hope your repairs go okay. -- Al

Mate i agree a pet hate moving wheels why they do i don't know there not toys.......................
Im lucky to live 10 minutes from John O'Brien but it still cost money but John will fix them and we get to have a beer so not all doom and gloom.........................^&grin

Fellas

I agree somewhat about your comments on moving wheels but I also think by having wheels that can move or roll, it can make it easier to move or re-position a vehicle inside a display cabinet. As I mentioned in my previous post in this thread, im currently at the tail end of moving my collection into another house and I found it slightly easier to set up and re-position my "moving wheels" vehicles inside my display cabinets as opposed to doing the same with my "fixed wheels" vehicles.

Tom

 

[ivanmoe]

Fellas

I agree somewhat about your comments on moving wheels but I also think by having wheels that can move or roll, it can make it easier to move or re-position a vehicle inside a display cabinet. As I mentioned in my previous post in this thread, im currently at the tail end of moving my collection into another house and I found it slightly easier to set up and re-position my "moving wheels" vehicles inside my display cabinets as opposed to doing the same with my "fixed wheels" vehicles.

Tom

Hi Tom,

There are certainly pros and cons, safety-wise, as regards moving-wheels as a feature. As Al mentioned, they really do exhibit rather more "mobility" than is desirable in some situations. And, as I stated above, I've had a fairly dramatic close-call for the same reason. On the other hand, I've noticed that some of my heavier pieces, sans rolling-wheels, tend to scratch the glass shelving in my display case (if dragged over the surface). A real concern, apart from the visible damage, is the fact that scratches in tempered glass weaken the the material and make it more susceptible to failure. When you've got close to $10K packed in a curio, the possibility of a collapse has to figure fairly large in ones approach to what gets displayed. Personally, I'll likely continue to buy the best items that I can afford within the ranges that I collect, fixed-wheels, or otherwise.

-Moe

 

[TomNT]

Hi Tom,

There are certainly pros and cons, safety-wise, as regards moving-wheels as a feature. As Al mentioned, they really do exhibit rather more "mobility" than is desirable in some situations. And, as I stated above, I've had a fairly dramatic close-call for the same reason. On the other hand, I've noticed that some of my heavier pieces, sans rolling-wheels, tend to scratch the glass shelving in my display case (if dragged over the surface). A real concern, apart from the visible damage, is the fact that scratches in tempered glass weaken the the material and make it more susceptible to failure. When you've got close to $10K packed in a curio, the possibility of a collapse has to figure fairly large in ones approach to what gets displayed. Personally, I'll likely continue to buy the best items that I can afford within the ranges that I collect, fixed-wheels, or otherwise.

-Moe

Agreed Moe, I have had some reasonably close calls with vehicles rolling off the edge of my shelves (luckily none went airborne) so for me im kinda on the fence on the moving wheels feature. That's interesting about the scratches in the glass as I have never thought about it that way and now I am a little worried as I have a few scratches on several of my cabinets! {sm2}

Tom

 

[Jack]

Hi Tom,

There are certainly pros and cons, safety-wise, as regards moving-wheels as a feature. As Al mentioned, they really do exhibit rather more "mobility" than is desirable in some situations. And, as I stated above, I've had a fairly dramatic close-call for the same reason. On the other hand, I've noticed that some of my heavier pieces, sans rolling-wheels, tend to scratch the glass shelving in my display case (if dragged over the surface). A real concern, apart from the visible damage, is the fact that scratches in tempered glass weaken the the material and make it more susceptible to failure. When you've got close to $10K packed in a curio, the possibility of a collapse has to figure fairly large in ones approach to what gets displayed. Personally, I'll likely continue to buy the best items that I can afford within the ranges that I collect, fixed-wheels, or otherwise.

-Moe

Moe

I need some clarification about how deep a scratch needs to be in order for it to weaken glass. This morning Tom and I were witness to Waynepoo climbing up onto his high horse in his hobby room{sm4} and making some wild claims about how deep a scratch would need to be. I would love to prove him wrong. {sm3}

Jack

 

[ivanmoe]

Moe

I need some clarification about how deep a scratch needs to be in order for it to weaken glass. This morning Tom and I were witness to Waynepoo climbing up onto his high horse in his hobby room{sm4} and making some wild claims about how deep a scratch would need to be. I would love to prove him wrong. {sm3}

Jack

Hi Jack,

Did Waynepoo "consumer-test" his theory?

j/k...

I'm not so much concerned with what the precise parameters of the problem are, as I am with being safe. A scratch that induces failure in one piece of glass might not destroy another piece, because "all tempered glass is not created equal."

Just now, I tried to find some explanation of what I suggested in my post above. However, most of it's written in language that transcends most of our ability to digest it. With that limitation in mind, here's a blurb from Wikipedia regarding the subject:

Because of the balanced stresses in the glass, damage to the glass will eventually result in the glass shattering into thumbnail-sized pieces. The glass is most susceptible to breakage due to damage to the edge of the glass where the tensile stress is the greatest, but shattering can also occur in the event of a hard impact in the middle of the glass pane or if the impact is concentrated (for example, striking the glass with a point).

A video illustrating such an event:

[video=youtube;xPwaq_6aXbo]http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=xPwaq_6aXbo[/video]

A reasonable response to the video is, "what moron is going to hit his shelf with a hammer?" Well, my concern is that a TS that falls a foot onto a lower shelf might have some of the same effect. BTW, I'm much more concerned about TS than models because the specific gravity of a metal soldier is so much greater than that of a diecast model, focusing the force of impact in more of a hammer-like fashion. Another cause for concern is a phenomena associated with tempered glass known as "spontaneous failure," which occurs when the material appears to fail for no reason. However, my reading indicates that the failure is really not spontaneous at all. Rather, it's associated with damage to the glass which occurred hours, days or months before (years, perhaps). Factors which introduce variability into failure are quality, thickness, total surface area, load and damage. Damage is more likely to induce failure when it occurs at the edges or center of the material.

Finally, I know someone who experienced just such a failure. It was of the "spontaneous" variety and occurred in an Ikea display cabinet containing some diecast model airplanes, a load well under the stated "safety" limit of 25 pounds. The shelf that failed collapsed onto a lower shelf, which withstood the impact, but the models were hash. A shelf and models below that level were undamaged. Ikea doesn't warranty its shelving against damaged contents, BTW. It's my understanding that no tempered glass sold in the USA does either. Because the quality of the glass is a central issue, I'd be deeply concerned about buying material of Chinese manufacture. What can we do to limit the possibility of such a catastrophe? Find the best possibile combination of thickness and quality that you can, and go with it. Even that wasn't enough for me, so I added a rider to my collectibles policy which insures against such an event.

Thoughts?

 

[ivanmoe]

Having spent several minutes composing my post above, I subsequently found a video that delves into the complexities of tempered glass failure. If you watch the whole piece, I suspect that some of you will have a greater appreciation of my concerns:

http://www.nbcdfw.com/investigations/No-Recall-on-IKEA-Glass-Desks-Following-Scant-Reports-of-Spontaneous-Shattering-189749201.html

 

[Jack]

Hi Jack,

Did Waynepoo "consumer-test" his theory?

j/k...

I'm not so much concerned with what the precise parameters of the problem are, as I am with being safe. A scratch that induces failure in one piece of glass might not destroy another piece, because "all tempered glass is not created equal."

Just now, I tried to find some explanation of what I suggested in my post above. However, most of it's written in language that transcends most of our ability to digest it. With that limitation in mind, here's a blurb from Wikipedia regarding the subject:



A video illustrating such an event:

[video=youtube;xPwaq_6aXbo]http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=xPwaq_6aXbo[/video]

A reasonable response to the video is, "what moron is going to hit his shelf with a hammer?" Well, my concern is that a TS that falls a foot onto a lower shelf might have some of the same effect. BTW, I'm much more concerned about TS than models because the specific gravity of a metal soldier is so much greater than that of a diecast model, focusing the force of impact in more of a hammer-like fashion. Another cause for concern is a phenomena associated with tempered glass known as "spontaneous failure," which occurs when the material appears to fail for no reason. However, my reading indicates that the failure is really not spontaneous at all. Rather, it's associated with damage to the glass which occurred hours, days or months before (years, perhaps). Factors which introduce variability into failure are quality, thickness, total surface area, load and damage. Damage is more likely to induce failure when it occurs at the edges or center of the material.

Finally, I know someone who experienced just such a failure. It was of the "spontaneous" variety and occurred in an Ikea display cabinet containing some diecast model airplanes, a load well under the stated "safety" limit of 25 pounds. The shelf that failed collapsed onto a lower shelf, which withstood the impact, but the models were hash. A shelf and models below that level were undamaged. Ikea doesn't warranty its shelving against damaged contents, BTW. It's my understanding that no tempered glass sold in the USA does either. Because the quality of the glass is a central issue, I'd be deeply concerned about buying material of Chinese manufacture. What can we do to limit the possibility of such a catastrophe? Find the best possibile combination of thickness and quality that you can, and go with it. Even that wasn't enough for me, so I added a rider to my collectibles policy which insures against such an event.

Thoughts?

Moe

Now that is impressive! Thank you for taking the time to reply at length. It does have me looking at my shelves in a rather suspicious manner though. I have thick glass but I always thought the supports were the issue not the glass itself.

Jack