Shipping Paint?

[mrsuitcasegames]

So...

I have figured out a few things about shipping paint.

For one, paint gets frozen when you ship it through colorado in the winter. As a result, most companies won't ship paint in the winter.

Two, paint loses its "good" properties when you freeze it. It took me a while to figure it out, I eventually went on a model-building website and asked. Till then I was ranting on forums about how bad vallejo was. I bought a $200 paint set and My retailer at the time sent it to me in the winter time. So of course, it froze, and I thought the vallejo quality was what was wrong.

My question: Is there any way to pack a box to prevent paint from freezing? I'm sitting here on my reaper paint (which I don't like) and am either going to drive 2 hours to colorado springs to pick up paint in person, or wait til summer.

Any ideas?
-Zack

[YoungWolf777]

Short of packing it in a self-heated container I doubt there is. Even if you insulate something it will eventually cool to the ambient temperature, such as the kind in the back of a semi-trailer in winter.

If you had it overnighted via FedEx it shouldn't have time to freeze. A spendy option, but no less than a 4 hour round trip in winter I suspect.

[EZ mac]

I'd say just drive it'll be way less $$$ over anyotger ways.

Or u can get someone to insulate a box heavily (loads of thick towels or penuts and maybe in a second box)

or u can have someone throw some pocket warmers into the box and do the above.


Or u can have someone overnight paint but paint getting overnighted would cost a stupid amount.


I'd say just drive or wait.

[Ironhide]

The pocket warmer method is ill-advised. Would look rather silly if the box started smoking or expanding due to the chemical reaction not being able to ventilate. Think about what hot air does to a balloon, and then apply it to the box.

My advice is to inform the people you are ordering the paint from about the weather conditions, and to not use a shipping method that will cause the paints to freeze (such as in a truck with no heated cargo space).

[kturock]

You can do nothing. You're SoL.

Paint must go by truck. It can't fly on an airplane, so....

Also, even if it does somehow get on an airplane, the cargo area of most airplanes isn't heated.. It gets cold up there also.. so.. You're back to.. nothing.

Aerosols and all oil/laquer/petroleum based paints are combustables and not allowed on any airplane, common carrier, UPS or FED-EX. It's an FAA, and NTSB regulation.

Just as bad as gunpowder and primers. but not as bad as true blackpowder which is an explosive.

My best suggestion is to get some people together and make a road trip. Get paint and anything else you can't get locally.

[Ironhide]

I believe he is talking about the Vallejo bottled paints. Which don't fall into any of the above categories. It's not an aerosol, oil-based, lacquer, or petroleum-based paint. And I haven't encountered an acrylic-based paint that is flammable.

[kturock]

The shipping rules say no paint. It doesn't specify water-based vs oil-based. Flea collars are banned.

Per the FAA regs on usps.com:

What is a Hazardous Material?
Hazardous materials come in a wide variety of forms and can be chemical, biological, radioactive, or a combination thereof. If a material or substance can cause harm to someone or something, it can be considered a hazardous material.

The Postal Service’s definition of a hazardous material includes many common household and consumer products. These items may not be hazardous during normal use or storage in your home but can present a significant hazard when placed in the mail due to vibration, temperature changes, and variations in atmospheric pressure.

Some examples of commonly-used items restricted or considered hazardous under USPS regulations include:

Perfumes
Nail polish
Flea collars or flea sprays
Aerosols
Bleach
Pool chemicals
Paints
Matches
Batteries
Fuels or gasoline
Airbags
Dry ice
Mercury thermometers
Cleaning supplies
Items previously containing fuel
Glues
Fireworks

Other items, such as alcoholic beverages (beer, wine, liquor), are not considered hazardous but are prohibited and boxes displaying such markings are also prohibited.

It doesn't specify what type of paint.

Also like I said, it gets cold enough in cargo to freeze too.

So, back to a road trip.

[Ironhide]

I think you need to school them on the non-flammable varieties of paint.

The vendor could always use a shipping method that wouldn't freeze the paint due to the weather conditions. In other words, not USPS.

[kturock]

Everybody flies. Everybody uses trucks and sometimes trains.
There is no other method, no matter who the shipper is.

Just because you want it shipped overnight, doesn't mean they will.

The FAA regs cover all planes.

You also might want to read the mailabilty section. Also a dictionary to see the difference between, flammable, explosive and combustable. The are 2 clasifications:

The terms used in the standards that apply to hazard class 3 are defined as follows:

a. Flammable liquid means a liquid that has a flashpoint of not more than 141°F (60.5°C), or any material in a liquid phase that has a flashpoint at or above 100°F (38°C).

b. Combustible liquid means any liquid that does not meet the definition of any other hazard class and has a flashpoint above 141°F (60.5°C) and below 200°F (93°C). Note: A flammable liquid with a flashpoint at or above 100°F (38°C) that does not meet the definition of any other hazard class may be reclassified as a combustible liquid per 49 CFR 173.120(b).

Every thing burns, even steel & stone, it just needs a high enough temperture.

[mrsuitcasegames]

You can do nothing. You're SoL.

Paint must go by truck. It can't fly on an airplane, so....

Also, even if it does somehow get on an airplane, the cargo area of most airplanes isn't heated.. It gets cold up there also.. so.. You're back to.. nothing.

Aerosols and all oil/laquer/petroleum based paints are combustables and not allowed on any airplane, common carrier, UPS or FED-EX. It's an FAA, and NTSB regulation.

Just as bad as gunpowder and primers. but not as bad as true blackpowder which is an explosive.

My best suggestion is to get some people together and make a road trip. Get paint and anything else you can't get locally.

Question answered by our resident almighty postal worker!

I just don't own a car. I might eb able to get a road trip together, but in case I can't, how do I ship it here in the summer? It IS colorado, do you knwo if that is safe? What should I be aware of?

Thanks K.

[HarlequinZero]

Really? Then quite a few online vendors are breaking the law because I've ordered water based acrylic paints from at least half a dozen different shops and none of them have given me any grief about airmailing them to me. Spray primer is a whole different creature and that I can only order if I have it shipped via the slow boat with UPS. I've never used enamels, oils or alcohol based acrylics on my models so I don't know what the regs. are on mailing those. But water based acrylics have never been a problem no matter the brand.

[kturock]

Really? Then quite a few online vendors are breaking the law because I've ordered water based acrylic paints from at least half a dozen different shops and none of them have given me any grief about airmailing them to me. Spray primer is a whole different creature and that I can only order if I have it shipped via the slow boat with UPS. I've never used enamels, oils or alcohol based acrylics on my models so I don't know what the regs. are on mailing those. But water based acrylics have never been a problem no matter the brand.

Alot of vendors are ignorant of the rules; weather by choice or not.
We had a box, break open last week. It was full of live ammo. It was a flat rate box and had several hundred to a thousnad rounds of .223 in it.
Brass, with no primers or used primers, and the bullets themselves, are mailable, but not actual ammo, primers or gunpowder.

Note the list also says glues. It doesn't specify what types. Typical "Elmer's"white glue, you'd think would be ok..but not according to the list.

I myself got a bottle of 'super glue', from our old 'friend' at TDZ. He sent it to me free when i ordered to let me try it out. I forget which brand it was.

People dye baby chicks all the time and mail them express mail. That's a crime. Not mailing them, but dyeing them WE have to turn them in, both the sender and addressee. [animal cruelty].

Dry ice used to be ok, but then there were too many accidents with it, and now it's banned.

[AJCarrington]

People dye baby chicks all the time and mail them express mail. That's a crime. Not mailing them, but dyeing them WE have to turn them in, both the sender and addressee. [animal cruelty].

Pretty much OT, but WTF??? Had a double take when I saw this one...wow

AJC

[Ironhide]

There are several companies that offer climate-controlled shipping. If there wasn't companies like this it we would be kinda hard to transport priceless art and artifacts from museum to museum.

[mrsuitcasegames]

There are several companies that offer climate-controlled shipping. If there wasn't companies like this it we would be kinda hard to transport priceless art and artifacts from museum to museum.

Probably way outta my budget too.

I asked the war store phone operator what they could do about it, she said email Neal. I would have asked nate but he doesn't have as many years under his belt of mailing things as Neal does. I haven't emailed him. I think maybe he can figure something out so I will.

Wasn't there some kind of license you could get to mail aerosol spray paint?

And also, I forgot to mention that there was a user on here who bought my paint set from me back when I thought it just sucked. (I apologize if you ever read this) I shipped it to him, but I was straight up honest with the postal clerks about what was in it. They made me do some kind of specific shipping rate and it was fine, i.e. it couldn't go priority. So the "no airmail" thing adds up with that, but you go to any online retailer and they are selling Vallejo/GW/Reaper paint and shipping it priority. Surely there must be something one could do to get away with that legally.

Thanks for your help.