Kolkata, West Bengal to Long Beach, California

SoumyadeepDe

Hi,

Need some help in finding out how I can tranport a large number of paintings, art books and modified electronic equipment from Kolkata, West Bengal to Long Beach, California.

Some Background:

I am an Arts student of Biswo Bharati University wanting to specialize in Commmercial Arts in moulding, prefabrication and accelerated cast generation techniques among others.

There are a large number of instruments, equipments and tools that I need to have with me so that I can do my work.

For example, I need to extensively use electronically controlled heaters, stirrer, mixie, power tools, temperature contolled ovens, compressed paint spray etc.

My brother who is an engineer, works in Long Beach, California and had got me some handbooks from colleges around the area.

The kind of work they are doing there in this field is amazing. For example, they are doing groundbreaking work in compression moulding - something that is an extremely theoretical topic in India, mainy because of the advanced technologies required.

I am thinking of continuing my furthur education there; my brother would finance it of course; however he does not know how to transfer the large amount of equipment I need.

Engineers do not seem to require a lot of equipment, I don't understand why.

My brother being a computer engineer never needed anything more than a 2kg laptop so he is completely clueless about this.

He did get some costs estimated if I were to buy the same equipment from the US and arrived at a figure well over $80.000

It seems art equipment in US is extremely expensive. I also got many equipment at subsidised rates and through references, so it cost me much less than factory price.

Electronic devices were assembled at Jamshedpur and Chadni Chowk market so they do not look very polished, but they get the job done.

Will this be a problem in transportation? My brother was telling me that customs will throw away any "modified electronic equipment" from India? Is this true.

I also need help in estimating:

1. the cost of transportation involved
2. protocols/process to be followed to minimize damage to art equipment during transport (specially canvas, oil paint and spray bottle, horse hair brushes)
3. which courier/transporters/logistics companies would be best

I am worried about this whole thing as without my equipment I am nothing.

Thanks for your time,

Soumyadeep

nycank

Sheesh !!!!

Chemical Engineering students don't take catalytic converters; Mechanical don't a NC machine, and Physicists do a Hadron Collider take from Jhumritaliya, or Medinipore Institute of Technology; they do get their Masters/Ph.d none-the-less. So yes, engineers do not need lots of equipment to get an engineering degree.

For a Commercial Arts student, you indeed have a lot of hardware bro... I am amazed at your talent at getting all these below factory rates in Chandni Chowk.

If doing Grad Studies is what you want to do, get an admission with a fellowhip and that's that. I'd only take all these gear to Amrika if I were going there to start my own bizness rather than being a student on a F-1,X-1,K-1,Z-1.

Contact a containerized shipping Agent in Kolkata. Try Bengal Tiger Line Pvt. Ltd. (I have no interest in this company, nor have I ever been a shareholder or business partner ) Or just ask Kaku dada from Mullick Shipping Co. in Shipping Lane, Kolkata tell him Jorda sent you. Tini yello pages e listing korechen.

Good Luck.

[T.I.C]

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bade bhaisaheb is outsourced

SoumyadeepDe

Sorry, but I did not intend to "outsamrt" engineers.

It's just that my brother, who *is* one, does not seem to understand why I would need all these things.

I love my art. I have very few friends because I am obsessed with it all the time. They are my friends because we work together.

There are 24 hours a day, and I sleep for 4 -5 hours. Rest atleast 4 hours a day I need to be in touch with my art regardless of whether I do it at college or not.

Hence I need the tools.

I will try and find out from yellow pages thank you!

Any idea whether it will be worth sending/shipping these stuff?

How much will it cost?

Anyone did something like this before?

Boston123

You should revisit the possibility of buying used equipment in the US. I think the $ 80,000 estimate from your brother is a bit too much. Check for these pieces of equipment on e-Bay, or other electronic exchanges. Even some of the larger pieces like constant temp ovens, or paint spray guns( with compressed air) are not difficult to find, and cost very little( each of these can be had for under $ 1000, used). I would suggest that anything you cannot take with your check in baggage, you should plan to buy in the US.

nycank

For constant temperature ovens he needs to find a studio maybe But the suggestion of buying any supplies than dont fit in the checked baggages is a sound one.

First make a list of what you want shipped and how much they weigh, and the dimensions. A ship from Kolkatta to Long Beach, Ca could take months. There a shipping guru on India Mike; If this catches his eye, he might be in a better position to give time estimate.

Your best bet is to start making some phone calls once you have a weight and size all figured out. The more detailed and specific you are the more people wil be able to give you a guesstimate of price and delivery options.

vegan

Which schools are you thinking of? I lived in Irvine, a town next to Newport Beach and only Univ. of California, Irvine (UCI) was the big school in that area. Rest were Cal State, community colleges and private schools. I don't know much about your specialization but why Newport Beach? Just because your brother is there and you can stay with him? Just wondering.

nycank

Long Beach and Newport Beach are quite a distance However, newport beach does have a fairly decent art scene; and particularly beach side commercial art galleries and crafts stores. Long Beach has a a hugh container shipping yard, docks, and large convention center space.

camelgirl

You say you are nothing without your equipment. That's a very strange & sad thing to say! You may be used to having all your equipment around you, but you must come to realize that there isn't anything you use in India that can't be found in California. You are the same person with or without your beloved equipment!!

Shipping so much stuff is ridiculous. It would cost more than getting it in the U.S.

You may not be emotionally ready for this kind of a move. Maybe you should wait a bit longer, take a trip to the U.S. to visit your brother and then decide if you want to move to further your education. You will see for yourself how you can get everything you need & how much it will cost.

You shouldn't bring more than you can carry with you on the plane.

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vegan

Thanks. What was I thinking.

SoumyadeepDe

Acutally you guys are right about the emotion part.

I simply don't want to go to the US but my brother and parents are forcing me to as they think as an arts student I have no futue in India.

I have sold a few casts and paintings but my brother asked me to send him pictures and told me had I been in US I would have got much higher bids.

I am not sure what to do.

As for the equipments I have I will have to throw them away as no one will buy these .. most are hand made and not very well polished.

For example the kiln oven is a modified coil oven bought second hand.

Anyways, I hope somone like nycank was telling will notice this thread.

I am also willing to move my equipment with other people from Kolkata no problem.

I will look on ebay and try and locate same kind of stuff but labour in US is very expensive!

camelgirl

You are still "putting the cart before the horse". You should plan to go to the U.S.A. FIRST then research where you want to go to school, then look into buying what you will need AFTER you know where you will be going to school. You will certainly find lots & lots of information about how to get things cheaply or possibly free to use from the school.

Labor and EVERYTHING is expensive in the U.S.A. Forget about ebay until after you get there & have some idea of what you will be doing.

You might need a month just to get used to being in the U.S. & letting your brother show you around & help you get organized.

You are trying to imagine how you will do things in the U.S. based on how you do them in India. That's not how it will work. It's the opposite problem when we from the U.S. go to India & try to do things the same way we do them here--it doesn't work either--we have to adjust to India!!

SoumyadeepDe

camelgirl, good points :-D

You are correct about "putting the cart before the horse".

Yet, you have to understand that the reason behind doing this is because it costs a LOT of money to come back and return to th3 US once I am there!

A possibility in this case is I can ask my parents to pack the required stuff from me once I assess the situation in the US; however, my parents are quite old and the shippers very corrupt.

I would rather handle the packing and shippers myself - I hope you understand... a little bit of expense in that scenario is OK, as I am sure I would need to ship a few stuff anyways :-)

wonderwomanusa

One more thing to consider about all this equipment: in India, you are running on 220 volts. In the US, the voltage is 110. You would need a "step-down" transformer, and even then your Indian equipment may not run properly.

__________________
The map is not the territory. --Alfred Korzybski

SoumyadeepDe

Excellent point! I do not know about transfermer so I called up my bro and he says he alreday has a "swicthing line level convertor" whatever that means.

To my engineering impaired barin, it means I need not worry about this he he

nycank

SD: This is not the right forum to hangout deciding about career moves, your artistic potential, the merits of the Graduate School you intend to go, and the future of making a living as a commercial artist. There are tons of places where the discuss such things down to the minutea.

If your brother can help sell your existing castings in the US, it would be a good first step to assess the post education marketplace. If kiln is what you work with; and ceramics and metal are your area; let me tell you that art market is brutal.

Again, as other have pointed out - Don't put the cart before the horse. Talk to your potential faculty, and other artists and art students, before you spend a dime. If you have spare change lying around to give away many here will readily help ease the weight.