Air travel with inks?
Hi all,
I am hoping the community can help me out with a problem I am having. I have a press in Cambodia, but it has been impossible to find inks in country. So I am thinking of sourcing them from a neighboring country or bringing some back from the US later this year.
I called the airlines to see about traveling with, mostly rubber based, inks but most couldn’t give me an answer if they are allowed or not. Most just asked if they were flammable.
Does anyone have any experience checking inks on an airplane? Any issues you’ve had, or successes?
Thanks for any help!
I think you should be good to go for air travel, but your ink must be tightly sealed. This is going to go up in the air and be in a pressurized environment. If the inks are tipped over, for example, this would be problematic if not properly sealed. I would recommend you box them separate from your other belongings, and check them for flight, wrapped in a loose plastic bag within this box (packing peanuts around), as this would mitigate the chances of a spill escaping the box.
Of course, I’m talking about a few cans of ink, not 50-100 lbs of ink. How much are you importing? Might be worth looking into DHL if you are concerned about this.
Whatever you do, don’t carry them on.
I have flown internationally from the US many times with cans/tubes of ink in my checked luggage. The TSA requires that the so-called flashpoint be below a certain number. The flashpoint can be obtained from the product’s material safety data sheet (MSDS). I always print it out before I fly. See also https://www.faa.gov/about/initiatives/hazmat_safety/more_info/?hazmat=63.
Amazing! Thank you!