Bubble wrap: Which way does it go? - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: Halcyon
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: April 27, 2025, 01:34:07 am
content: This question came up the other day and I wanted to see everyone's thoughts and comments.When wrapping an item for postage etc... Do you wrap it so that the bubbles face inwards towards the item, or outwards?

author: Psi
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 27, 2025, 01:39:56 am
content: Bubbles inwards towards the item-It looks better,-If you put the bubbles on the outside then you can't re-use the bubble wrap because when you pull off the tape it ruptures all the bubbles.-The bubbles squash and conform to the non-standard-shaped object being packaged. So makes sense to put the bubbles towards the non-standard shaped object and not towards the box which is a smooth flat surfaces

author: themadhippy
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 27, 2025, 01:54:28 am
content: Double wrap so the bubbles are both out and in

author: Halcyon
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: April 27, 2025, 02:01:22 am
content: Quote from: Psi on April 27, 2025, 01:39:56 amReally good points, I hadn't thought about those!

author: wraper
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: April 27, 2025, 02:06:54 am
content: Bubbles away from sharp objects. Opposite side is thicker and more robust.

author: CatalinaWOW
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 27, 2025, 04:44:15 am
content: Quote from: Psi on April 27, 2025, 01:39:56 amThose are generally sound points, but I have encountered situations where the logic doesn't work.Irregular objects often have sharp edges and corners which tend to pop bubbles. The tougher flat side survives better here.Re-use when the flat side is taped is often difficult or impossible because many of the tapes become so well bonded to the lovely flat surface that the only way to get it off requires ripping the bubble wrap into small nearly useless bits. Yet you can sometimes find the edge of the bubbles and carefully cut there, but not always.All in all I don't think it matters all that much. There are more important problems to solve.

author: Halcyon
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: April 27, 2025, 09:41:01 am
content: I've added another voting option, because the answer doesn't seem so simple.

author: Psi
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 27, 2025, 12:19:02 pm
content: Quote from: CatalinaWOW on April 27, 2025, 04:44:15 amThere's always exceptions.

author: Psi
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 27, 2025, 12:23:11 pm
content: What's next... What's your preferred gas/gases for inside the bubble wrap?I kind of want to see what happens when you set fire to bubble wrap full of a stoichiometric hydrogen and oxygen mix. Does it go off like 100's of little firecrackers?Would make a cool YouTube video but good luck running a bubble wrap machine with that mix without everything exploding on you.

author: Zenith
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 27, 2025, 12:29:44 pm
content: Oxygen and acetylene. If you are going to do something, don't do it by halves.

author: Psi
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 27, 2025, 12:40:26 pm
content: Quote from: Zenith on April 27, 2025, 12:29:44 pmOxy Hydrogen is more explosive.Oxy Acetylene gets a higher tempIf you want to go all the way I guess Fluorine and Hydrogen is probably where you want to be. Or rather, where you want to be as far away as possible.

author: nctnico
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 27, 2025, 12:54:42 pm
content: I like to put the bubbles inwards so it is easy to use tape to stick the wrapping together.

author: coppercone2
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 27, 2025, 03:00:45 pm
content: I think bubbles can catch on features and yank things

author: u666sa
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 27, 2025, 03:15:16 pm
content: Quote from: Halcyon on April 27, 2025, 01:34:07 amBubbles inwards, so that you don't scratch the item and/or pop the bubbles during handling during packing and handling during shipping.