Replies

1. 
   BG | May 08, 2009 11:10am | #1

   ah6tyfour,

   Wow...so many questions before I can give you an answer...
   maybe a two part epoxy?

2. 
   KiddervilleAcres | May 08, 2009 02:34pm | #2

   ah6ty_4,

   My first thought was to spray shellac on it, a fter addressing it (This part might be fun).   Now you must remember that this prolly won't go through their mek-a-nikle mail sorter very well so will be subject to a lot of hand processing.

   Anyway, spraying it with shellac prolly won't kill any unscrupulous mail person should the pizza be too tempting to, well, pass along through the system.  And  may avoid another of those postal moments.  :-)

   Do I win for strangest post ever on this forum?

   That's a much more difficult question.

   Regards,

   Bob @ Kidderville Acres

   A Woodworkers mind should be the sharpest tool in the shop!

3. 
   SteveSchoene | May 08, 2009 03:57pm | #3

   I can't imagine anything that would work, that would retain the appearance, and that the Post Office (or FedEX or UPS) would accept.  At the very least it wouild have to have the box--besides the labeling on the box would really define the Pizza.  (And, even then you would have to lie about the contents.) 

4. 
   saschafer | May 08, 2009 04:02pm | #4

   Leave the slice in the refrigerator for a week or so first; that will dehydrate it and firm it up to where the USPS might consider accepting it. Shellac is probably your best bet as an initial barrier coat. Then apply several coats of epoxy (the kind used for laying up fiberglass) to solidify it.

   When I was in college, a friend of mine received a coconut in the mail from his mother (it was still in its husk, so about 10" in diameter), who at the time was working at the US military installation on Kwajalein Atoll in the South Pacific.

   -Steve

    

5. 
   Frank Vucolo | May 08, 2009 04:12pm | #5

   Love it! Sounds like someting I would do.

   IMHO, however, no matter how you seal it, it's not going to be stable enough to mail because, well, because it's a slice of pizza. The well sealed slice will bend, break crumble and fall apart. Besides, there's no way the USPS is going to take it.

   I suggest you seal it real well and then shrink wrap it to a piece of 1/4 ply cut to size and box it.

   It won't make quite the impact, but it should still be a hoot!

1. 
   ah6tyfour | May 08, 2009 05:58pm | #6

   Thanks for the replies! I was afraid everyone would just think I was some idiot and not bother to reply.I like the idea about letting it dehydrate in the fridge for a week. I've done that to slices I would have liked to eat and that thing was like a rock after a week =)So epoxy or shellac, given enough coats, should make the pizza pretty stiff right?I'm also going to try to keep it from molding so I'm going to bombard it with UV for 30 minutes to sterilize it (I work in a lab) and immediately get the first coat of shellac on it. That should kill all germs and keep new germs from getting to it. Who knows, it might last forever.Is there a substance that can seep into the pizza (if I were to submerge it into the substance for 30 minutes) and completely stiffen it as it dries? Diluted Gorilla Glue?KiddervilleAcres, thanks for the reminder about this needing to be hand-sorted. I'll double the postage + $1 stamp to make sure. And I will definitely seal the handwritten address. I'll probably write on after the first layer of shellac so I'll have a smooth surface to write on. Writing on the crust itself might be a bit difficult.Thanks for the ideas! Keep them coming!USPS is pretty forgiving (see Wired Magazine's "Return to Sender" contest) and I will probably drop it into a mail box instead of bringing it in. And I'll take a picture of it...my friend will have a good laugh knowing I tried.If a postal employee decides to...taste it for freshness, well...he deserves whats coming.... =D

   Edited 5/8/2009 11:10 am ET by ah6tyfour

1. 
   KiddervilleAcres | May 09, 2009 06:46am | #7

   Hey man, after all the pressure workin in the woodshop, sweatin thru a glueup and all.  Gotta have a wee bit of fun now and agin.

   All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy ye know.  Sumthin my grandpa used to say to my father when I acted up.  Said it quite a lot too.

   Regards,

   Bob @ Kidderville Acres

   A Woodworkers mind should be the sharpest tool in the shop!

   Edited 5/8/2009 11:48 pm ET by KiddervilleAcres

2. 
   Gretchen | May 11, 2009 03:28pm | #12

   Actually I think Frank has the only possibility. Freeze it, shrink wrap it, and address and mail it. It will arrive broken in half at least, but will get there, but not intact.Gretchen

6. 
   flairwoodworks | May 09, 2009 08:47pm | #8

   It is evident that you do not intend for the recipient to eat this pizza slice, so I would suggest that when the pizza is fresh, you carefully remove the toppings from the crust and insert a piece of 1/8" ply or like material in the middle for stiffness.

   Chris @ www.flairwoodwork.spaces.live.com
   and now www.flairwoodworks.com)

    - Success is not the key to happiness.  Happiness is the key to success.  If you love what you are doing, you will be successful. - Albert Schweitzer

1. 
   ah6tyfour | May 11, 2009 12:17am | #9

   Project update:I ended up going with a polyester casting resin from the craft store (Michaels). I was doing a google search for "liquid plastic" and it came up and seemed exactly what I needed. Liquid until the chemical reaction with the catalyst turns it into a clear plastic.I made up 20oz of it and poured it on the pizza so that the pizza was completely submerged. Half an hour later the liquid was starting to get noticeably thicker so I removed the pizza and let it rest at an angle for a few hours so the excess would drain off.It's still in the process of drying (I guess "curing at room temp" is a better description), but I think it worked. I poured the excess liquid back into the mixing container and noticed that I recovered about half of what I started with. That means a good 8-10oz of the liquid made it inside the pizza.The way the reaction works, any surface in contact with open air will stay tacky so I still need to go get a can of spray gloss to finish it up.If this works, I shall post a picture =)

   Edited 5/10/2009 5:19 pm ET by ah6tyfour

1. 
   DustyGeorge | May 11, 2009 05:16am | #10

   64,

   About 20 years ago I worked in the main post office here in San Antonio for a year.  We had quite a few wooden post cards come through with no problem.  Don't see why a properly dried and treated pizza should cause a problem.  Go for it!  Let us know how it works out.

   GeorgeYou don't stop laughing because you grow old.  You grow old because you stop laughing. - Michael Pritchard<!----><!----><!---->

   <!----><!---->

1. 
   ah6tyfour | May 11, 2009 11:16am | #11

   Hi George,Thanks for the insight! Do you think I could take it to the post office counter and they would actually accept it?I was planning on dropping it into a mailbox since it seems like things that are slightly against USPS rules will still be allowed to go through once it's in the system. But pizza is definitely going to go over the 13oz first class limit so I'll have to send it priority. I guess I could still go get some $2 stamps and drop it in a mailbox with $6 in postage.Sorry to get off topic...as if the whole thread wasn't off-topic already...but at least my previous posts were regarding shellac and lacquer!

1. 
   DustyGeorge | May 11, 2009 04:53pm | #13

   64,

   I would take it to the counter.  The post office handles all kinds of things you don't ordinarily think about as normal mail - live worms, live chickens, plants, etc.  Go for it!

   GeorgeYou don't stop laughing because you grow old.  You grow old because you stop laughing. - Michael Pritchard<!----><!----><!---->

   <!----><!---->

2. 
   Gretchen | May 13, 2009 02:21am | #15

   It needs to be taken to the counter in any case if it is over 14 oz. in weight. Since 9/11, you cannot put that in a post box.  But it would need to be weighed and measured in any case.Gretchen

2. 
   zolton | May 12, 2009 03:43pm | #14

   I just read an article on the craft of modern art restoration, and something in it actually pertains to what you're doing.

   Because some modern artists use mediums like food, fats and fiber, art restorers have had to come up with ways of dealing with and preserving artwork made with those materials.

   One of those methods is something call "plastination." That's a process where the fats in a material are removed (sometimes using a chemical like acetone) and replacing them with a plastic resin. Don't ask me how this is done (it probably involves something like a vacuum chamber). Interesting though, eh?

   ZoltonIf you see a possum running around in here, kill it. It's not a pet. - Jackie Moon

7. 
   WillGeorge | May 13, 2009 03:33am | #16

   And I get your idea ALO.. I loved it..

   But if a REALLY good friend.. Why not just send him a REAL Pizza  from them packed in dry-Ice! Now how to send the beer with it?