A powder, when mixed with water, ferments into a thick shock-absorbant gelatin. Toss your fragile items into the mix and let it solidify. The gelatin's non-residual, so when you're unpacking you can just crumble it off. Comes in grape, strawberry, lime, orange, and chocolate pudding. Add fruit cocktail for some extra 'pow'.
-- oatcake, May 15 2003

Instapak (foam packing technology) http://www.sealedai...nstapak/default.htm
Polyurethane foam, but I'm sure you could come up with an equivalent foaming gelatin. [DrCurry, Oct 05 2004]

Foaming Gelatin http://michaeldavy..../howto_foamgel.html
Recyclable, according to other links. [DrCurry, Oct 05 2004]

nice if rather HEAVY.
-- po, May 15 2003


How about some foaming action?
-- oatcake, May 15 2003


Foaming action is ++gooder.
-- thumbwax, May 15 2003


The biggest problems may be (1) to get cardboard cartons that will not leak while the liquid gelatin is setting; (2) getting moving men who won't charge exorbitant fees for the extra weight; and (3) finding moving vans that are properly refrigerated so that all your careful packaging doesn't melt and evaporate as your fragile crystal crosses the Mojave, Gibson, or Kalahari Deserts. Oh, and mice. Did I mention mice and other critters? Maybe you should just stick to sheet foam and styrofoam peanuts.
-- jurist, May 15 2003


do mice like jelly?
-- po, May 15 2003


It would be rather heavy. How about packing marshmallows? (Actually, I have seen rice used in Indonesia as a packing medium for eggs)
-- hippo, May 15 2003


Packing marshmallows. Now there's an idea.
-- FloridaManatee, May 15 2003


Heavy, plus everything would settle to the bottom before the gelatin set up.
-- waugsqueke, May 15 2003


Re mice: Mix in some poison, and if mice eat the Jello, you'll still have dead mouse bodies to cushion the package contents. Or if it's left a bit longer, maggots.
-- beauxeault, May 15 2003


Definitely could be done with foam, which should resist settling better. The other solution is to provide simple formers to hold the plates in place while the foam dries. Cute.
-- DrCurry, May 15 2003


Expanding foam as packing material is Baked.

Jello would be fun if you could eat it, but would probably melt in transit.
-- phoenix, May 15 2003


Ugh. Thankfully non-packing material Jello that you can eat already exists.
-- waugsqueke, May 15 2003


Masterfully restated, gentlemen. My hat's off.
-- jurist, May 15 2003


Mind you, this gelatin wouldn't be exactly like Jello; it wouldn't melt at room temperature. And the density could be at such a level that things float instead of sink.
-- oatcake, May 15 2003


How packing it with a lighter-than-air solid. Should even reduce the shipping cost.

[blissmiss] I'm sad that your peanut-flavored packing peanuts idea died in the purge. I check my mailbox every day hoping to get a box full of peanut butter from you.
-- Worldgineer, May 15 2003



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