Is it safe to carry paint in luggage?
 

I would appreciate if someone could answer this question for me please. We need to get a tin of paint out to Turkey, which we can't buy out there. Is it safe to carry a tin of paint in your checked in luggage? I know that the tin is not pressurised from the inside and I believe that cargo compartments are also under pressure. At what level of pressure is a cargo compartment and would it allow a tin of paint to be carried safely in a case. We are flying Easy Bfs - Lgw then Ba Lgw -Adb.

Help would be appreciated.

Thanks

True blue

Well this is BA's restricted items list

I think you may be on a hiding to nothing trying to get a tin of paint on. Never mind the interest it will likely arouse when your baggage is found to contyain a sealed metal container with an unidentified liquid inside it.

Can it be FedExed or similar - and if not, ask yourself why you would want to fly with it if THEY won't ship it!

Don't try and carry it.

Ask UPS, FedEx, DHL - you should find someone that knows how to do it safely / legally. I think - but I am not certain that there are more tests carried out these days on the packages including X-Ray, sniffer dogs & some form of pressure testing & for good reason.

I have heard stories of people couriering in 'paint type materials' by hiding them within (the inside of) tins of other materials such as fruit syrups - quite horrific stories actually and I wonder if these things are ever found out - I hope they are.

Not all paints are flammable these days, of course. But the rules are there - they almost certainly date from the days when most paints were flammable. Same as pacemakers in bulk are still considered hazardous cargo, because for a while in the late 1970's some were made with radio active batteries to give a long life. They didn't prove very popular ( surgeons prefer pacemakers that have to be replced every few years when the battery gets low, because that way, they get more money) and pacemakers haven't been made with those batteries for at least 25 years. But IATA still has them as hazardous....

Paint Carry-on
 

As well as Mad (flt) scientist correctly pointing out that paint is prohibited on the BA list, if it wasn't prohibited, paint would also be a classified as a liquid. Therefore, even if you were allowed to carry it, it would need to be in a container no larger than 100mls and then no more containers than would fit in the standard 1litre sealable clear plastic bag. If you have 5 or 10 litres of this stuff it would be easier to walk it there!

easyJet don't allow you to carry paint in hold or hand luggage either so I'm afraid you'll either have to courier your tin of paint to Turkey or send it as cargo.

Thanks for the replies. We will not carry it, just have to think of something else.

True Blue

My wife Jan (painter/sculptress) just called from the other end of the living room "Tell them to try Interpostbox - www.interpostbox.com - phone 020 7278 4846."

Jan makes up a box of artists materials, plus tea, books etc, every now and then and has it sent here to Catalunia.

Most airlines will not accept pain in hold luggage (even if it's not classified as dangerous goods) simply because of the damage it can cause to other passenger's property if it leaks.

Exactly. Even if it were safe and legal it is not the best idea to put big tins of paint in your baggage.

Once I was waiting for my bag when I noticed that many of the bags on the carousel were covered in some sort of sticky glue. Distraught passengers were saying "oh no, my bag, my bag, all ruined..." (Mine was ok luckily) as they emerged and then finally a large tin with no lid appeared on the belt and two men started saying out loud "oh no, our glue, our glue, all gone!". If I were them I would have vanished discretely without saying anything.

Knowing the fun we have sending paints both flammable AND water based from the UK to just outside the EU and they are for one of our aircraft on check. I strongly suggest you give it to the courier firms and let them sweat it out! We end up having to create Commercial Invoices, Customs Paperwork, Airway Bills and if it's flammable the dreaded dangerous goods paperwork:ugh: Nevermind we're transporting it on our own aircraft (a freighter). Made even more frustrating when the same tin is returned a week later not needed and no paperwork done on their side except the airway bill.
Stay clear of the hasle you will heap upon yourself and pay the extra of find the local equivalent of B&Q/Homebase/Focus etc

Plasticaf

BA prohibited list
 

Do you mean that cabin crew cant carry their highlighting or bleach kits then. Bet they do. And of course there is the question of toothpaste - that has bleaching agents in it.

If the paint is a special type of paint why not give the manufacturers a call and ask them 1.) whether they have an equivalent in Turkey
2.) if not will they ship it for you

Customers service departments get lots of unusual requests and often prefer the unusual as it gives some variety.