BPG Drop Spine Box with Interior Cradle

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Book and Paper Group Wiki > Housings > Drop Spine Box with Interior Cradle

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American Institute for Conservation (AIC). "BPG Drop Spine Box with Interior Cradle." AIC Wiki. May 12, 2025. https://www.conservation-wiki.com/wiki/BPG_Drop_Spine_Box_with_Interior_Cradle.

Variation 1

These images are of a cloth covered clamshell box made according to Katherine Beaty's instructions in "Cradle Box (Double Tray Clamshell Box With Built in Fold Out Cradle)" (2005). See also Beaty’s ANAGPIC (2005) presentation "21st c. Remedies to 19th c. Repairs of an 18th c. Koran: Materials Analysis, Treatment, and Housing" (PDF).

Variation 2

This housing style is useful for items that see frequent display (i.e. on VIP tours) and best for volumes greater than 1” thick, using soft bag weights to support the spine. Dimensions and assembly methods for Variation 2 differ slightly from Beaty's instructions in Variation 1 to match the standard New York Public Library construction style for special collections housings where side walls are attached to the exterior of each tray floor board (not placed on top) to help align the pieces at right angles and use the (short) grain direction to increase overall tray strength. Each short wall abuts the long wall at a right angle. Archival paper tray liners wrap around the tray edges.

Variation 3

Jeff Peachey designed a different model and described it in his October 27, 2009 blog post. In this version, the two sides of the cradle are attached to each other and unfold from the bottom tray of the drop spine box. Some potential advantages to this method:

• The spine of the cradle is the same size as the spine of the book and more closely follows the shape of the book.
• There is no risk of the wedge in the outer tray becoming loose over time and unexpectedly falling down onto the book when the box is opened.