To-date, I have found VERY FEW (eBay) people who have the FOGGIEST
idea of how to properly pack a boatanchor. Especially the "trust me -
I'm an eBay professional" types.
So... I've been insisting on (and paying for) double boxing and heavy
cardboard boxes.
However. . . The "Joe Average" average double-box job can (usually)
lead to a crunched front panel - or worse.
A Knight transmitter I recently received was double-boxed with the
inner cushioned from the outer with a 1.5" layer of peanuts. However,
the front-panel of the transmitter had been stood off the side of the
inner box with a thick sheet of solid, hard styrofoam.
Right now I'm assuming that the "locked" shafts are simply due to the
knobs being scrunched just a little bit tighter against the front
panel than they should be.
I hope.

OTOH, a Johnson Viking Valiant (just add chain - no concrete required)
I received was so well packed that despite being dropped, the only
things amiss were a "floating" audio interstage under the chassis and
severely bent mountings on the mod transformer: absolutely NO front
panel damage or tube breakage!

My quest for knowledge:
Has anyone here tried DIY foam-in-place?
I'm talking about embalming the hunk-o-iron in double heavy duty
trashbags, shooting "some" (think of a kid with a can of whipped
cream) of the DIY spray-in foam insulation into the 4 corners of the
inner box and then setting the bagged anchor into the mess till it
sets. A follow-up would (hopefully) lock the bagged goodie
more-or-less into the middle of the box.
Or am I just gonna make a nasty mess?

TIA,
Bill - WB1GOT

Oh - getting the thing back out is someone elses problem. :-)

Bill, I have 2 (or what's left of them) Valiant I's shipped to me via
common carrier. Neither made the trip. The 2 V-1's that I do have and
that are on the air came from local buys. Of all the equipment I've
bought and sold, I have to say that Valiant's appear to be the most
vulnerable. I've had front panels folded back, VFO drives crunched, all
manner of iron torn loose, ad nausium. Of course, one of these
disasters was preciptiated by a "gentleman from the South" using old
boat cushions as packing (sic) material. EFJ crated factory wired
Valiants for shipment. Probably still a good idea....?
Regards de Jeep/K3HVG

Bill, I have 2 (or what's left of them) Valiant I's shipped to me via
common carrier. Neither made the trip. The 2 V-1's that I do have and
that are on the air came from local buys. Of all the equipment I've
bought and sold, I have to say that Valiant's appear to be the most
vulnerable. I've had front panels folded back, VFO drives crunched, all
manner of iron torn loose, ad nausium. Of course, one of these
disasters was preciptiated by a "gentleman from the South" using old
boat cushions as packing (sic) material. EFJ crated factory wired
Valiants for shipment. Probably still a good idea....?
Regards de Jeep/K3HVG

"Bill Powell" wrote in message
...
My quest for knowledge:
Has anyone here tried DIY foam-in-place?
I'm talking about embalming the hunk-o-iron in double heavy duty
trashbags, shooting "some" (think of a kid with a can of whipped
cream) of the DIY spray-in foam insulation into the 4 corners of the
inner box and then setting the bagged anchor into the mess till it
sets. A follow-up would (hopefully) lock the bagged goodie
more-or-less into the middle of the box.
Or am I just gonna make a nasty mess?

TIA,
Bill - WB1GOT

Oh - getting the thing back out is someone elses problem. :-)


TenTec used to, or maybe still does, use the foam method. But as I remember
it, they filled the box just halfway, then set the plastic wrapped rigs in
the foam, covered it and the lower foam layer and upper sides of the box
with plastic film, and poured in the top foam layer. Opened like a clam
shell, easy to get out.

I used the original box several times for moving the rig, and I know that
the fellow I finally sold it to used it the same way. I copied the
technique several times on a smaller scale for shipping fragile stuff.

Marty - K1FHR

"Bill Powell" wrote in message
...
My quest for knowledge:
Has anyone here tried DIY foam-in-place?
I'm talking about embalming the hunk-o-iron in double heavy duty
trashbags, shooting "some" (think of a kid with a can of whipped
cream) of the DIY spray-in foam insulation into the 4 corners of the
inner box and then setting the bagged anchor into the mess till it
sets. A follow-up would (hopefully) lock the bagged goodie
more-or-less into the middle of the box.
Or am I just gonna make a nasty mess?

TIA,
Bill - WB1GOT

Oh - getting the thing back out is someone elses problem. :-)


TenTec used to, or maybe still does, use the foam method. But as I remember
it, they filled the box just halfway, then set the plastic wrapped rigs in
the foam, covered it and the lower foam layer and upper sides of the box
with plastic film, and poured in the top foam layer. Opened like a clam
shell, easy to get out.

I used the original box several times for moving the rig, and I know that
the fellow I finally sold it to used it the same way. I copied the
technique several times on a smaller scale for shipping fragile stuff.

Marty - K1FHR

Bill Powell wrote:
To-date, I have found VERY FEW (eBay) people who have the FOGGIEST
idea of how to properly pack a boatanchor. Especially the "trust me -
I'm an eBay professional" types.
So... I've been insisting on (and paying for) double boxing and heavy
cardboard boxes.
However. . . The "Joe Average" average double-box job can (usually)
lead to a crunched front panel - or worse.
A Knight transmitter I recently received was double-boxed with the
inner cushioned from the outer with a 1.5" layer of peanuts. However,
the front-panel of the transmitter had been stood off the side of the
inner box with a thick sheet of solid, hard styrofoam.
Right now I'm assuming that the "locked" shafts are simply due to the
knobs being scrunched just a little bit tighter against the front
panel than they should be.
I hope.

So do I, but I fear worse.

OTOH, a Johnson Viking Valiant (just add chain - no concrete required)
I received was so well packed that despite being dropped, the only
things amiss were a "floating" audio interstage under the chassis and
severely bent mountings on the mod transformer: absolutely NO front
panel damage or tube breakage!

"[S]everely bent mountings on the mod transformer" would raise my ire
somewhat.

My quest for knowledge:
Has anyone here tried DIY foam-in-place?
I'm talking about embalming the hunk-o-iron in double heavy duty
trashbags, shooting "some" (think of a kid with a can of whipped
cream) of the DIY spray-in foam insulation into the 4 corners of the
inner box and then setting the bagged anchor into the mess till it
sets. A follow-up would (hopefully) lock the bagged goodie
more-or-less into the middle of the box.
Or am I just gonna make a nasty mess?

FIRST, and * I M P O R T A N T *

Cut sections of mailing tube (appropriate diameter) to
go over each knob, so that the front panel bears the
load, not the knob and the 'spensive stuff attached to
it.

SECOND, and JUST AS IMPORTANT

Cut sections of mailing tube (appropriate diameter) to
go over the connectors and other projections on the back
(and sides, and top, and bottom), so that the panels bear
the load, not the 'spensive stuff sticking out. Use mailing
tube sections to brace transformers and other heavy items
on the inside where possible. Consider taping tube shields
and other items which might come loose.

THIRD,

Put the rig in a tri-wall box and then foam that
sucker using the foam-in-bags stuff that I've seen
a few times now. Get another tri-wall box that'll
hold the first one with room for 1" or 1.5" sheets
of resilient foam between the inside and outside
boxes on all sides.

FOURTH,

Use solid sheets of resilient foam between the
inner and outer boxes. Don't use peanuts or other
small pieces of crushable material, as they'll
shift and leave some parts of the gap between
boxes unprotected. The inner box should fit
*exactly* inside the outer box and foam sheets.
Use additional sheets of foam to fill in any gaps.

FIFTH,

Securely tape all joints and flaps on the inner
and outer boxes. Consider making a wood frame
around the outer box.

Yes, it's overkill. I figure that overkill when shipping boatanchors
is just about right.

--
Mike Andrews

Tired old sysadmin

Bill Powell wrote:
To-date, I have found VERY FEW (eBay) people who have the FOGGIEST
idea of how to properly pack a boatanchor. Especially the "trust me -
I'm an eBay professional" types.
So... I've been insisting on (and paying for) double boxing and heavy
cardboard boxes.
However. . . The "Joe Average" average double-box job can (usually)
lead to a crunched front panel - or worse.
A Knight transmitter I recently received was double-boxed with the
inner cushioned from the outer with a 1.5" layer of peanuts. However,
the front-panel of the transmitter had been stood off the side of the
inner box with a thick sheet of solid, hard styrofoam.
Right now I'm assuming that the "locked" shafts are simply due to the
knobs being scrunched just a little bit tighter against the front
panel than they should be.
I hope.

So do I, but I fear worse.

OTOH, a Johnson Viking Valiant (just add chain - no concrete required)
I received was so well packed that despite being dropped, the only
things amiss were a "floating" audio interstage under the chassis and
severely bent mountings on the mod transformer: absolutely NO front
panel damage or tube breakage!

"[S]everely bent mountings on the mod transformer" would raise my ire
somewhat.

My quest for knowledge:
Has anyone here tried DIY foam-in-place?
I'm talking about embalming the hunk-o-iron in double heavy duty
trashbags, shooting "some" (think of a kid with a can of whipped
cream) of the DIY spray-in foam insulation into the 4 corners of the
inner box and then setting the bagged anchor into the mess till it
sets. A follow-up would (hopefully) lock the bagged goodie
more-or-less into the middle of the box.
Or am I just gonna make a nasty mess?

FIRST, and * I M P O R T A N T *

Cut sections of mailing tube (appropriate diameter) to
go over each knob, so that the front panel bears the
load, not the knob and the 'spensive stuff attached to
it.

SECOND, and JUST AS IMPORTANT

Cut sections of mailing tube (appropriate diameter) to
go over the connectors and other projections on the back
(and sides, and top, and bottom), so that the panels bear
the load, not the 'spensive stuff sticking out. Use mailing
tube sections to brace transformers and other heavy items
on the inside where possible. Consider taping tube shields
and other items which might come loose.

THIRD,

Put the rig in a tri-wall box and then foam that
sucker using the foam-in-bags stuff that I've seen
a few times now. Get another tri-wall box that'll
hold the first one with room for 1" or 1.5" sheets
of resilient foam between the inside and outside
boxes on all sides.

FOURTH,

Use solid sheets of resilient foam between the
inner and outer boxes. Don't use peanuts or other
small pieces of crushable material, as they'll
shift and leave some parts of the gap between
boxes unprotected. The inner box should fit
*exactly* inside the outer box and foam sheets.
Use additional sheets of foam to fill in any gaps.

FIFTH,

Securely tape all joints and flaps on the inner
and outer boxes. Consider making a wood frame
around the outer box.

Yes, it's overkill. I figure that overkill when shipping boatanchors
is just about right.

--
Mike Andrews

Tired old sysadmin

Bill Powell wrote:

To-date, I have found VERY FEW (eBay) people who have the FOGGIEST
idea of how to properly pack a boatanchor. Especially the "trust me -
I'm an eBay professional" types.
So... I've been insisting on (and paying for) double boxing and heavy
cardboard boxes.

Well, you're the exception.
You priced packing material lately?
And please, guys- don't start with "the stores give it away,"
cuz it ain't so around here. You can get arrested for
retrieving boxes from the dumpster. I've asked several stores
and they quote "liability concerns." Wal-Mart will still give
you boxes, but they don't usually have good sizes or
strong-walled boxes. If you want *good, sturdy* boxes,
you still have to buy them and they aren't cheap.

I get tired of whines about packing fees.
I don't have a problem with packing well;
I *DO* have a problem getting people to
accept the fact that packing an ART-13 transmitter
or a DX-100 can easily cost $12-$14 or more.
And if you try to double-box a biggie,
you can easily box yourself right out of
USPS or UPS. Truck or bus is risky, expensive
and a show-stopper for most buyers.

Nothing is free, and that includes packing.
I add a piddling $1-$2 to my auctions to help defer
the packing costs (that's about a third to a half of
what it actually costs me),
and people still whine and complain about it.

D.S.

Bill Powell wrote:

To-date, I have found VERY FEW (eBay) people who have the FOGGIEST
idea of how to properly pack a boatanchor. Especially the "trust me -
I'm an eBay professional" types.
So... I've been insisting on (and paying for) double boxing and heavy
cardboard boxes.

Well, you're the exception.
You priced packing material lately?
And please, guys- don't start with "the stores give it away,"
cuz it ain't so around here. You can get arrested for
retrieving boxes from the dumpster. I've asked several stores
and they quote "liability concerns." Wal-Mart will still give
you boxes, but they don't usually have good sizes or
strong-walled boxes. If you want *good, sturdy* boxes,
you still have to buy them and they aren't cheap.

I get tired of whines about packing fees.
I don't have a problem with packing well;
I *DO* have a problem getting people to
accept the fact that packing an ART-13 transmitter
or a DX-100 can easily cost $12-$14 or more.
And if you try to double-box a biggie,
you can easily box yourself right out of
USPS or UPS. Truck or bus is risky, expensive
and a show-stopper for most buyers.

Nothing is free, and that includes packing.
I add a piddling $1-$2 to my auctions to help defer
the packing costs (that's about a third to a half of
what it actually costs me),
and people still whine and complain about it.

D.S.

Mike Andrews wrote:
Yes, it's overkill. I figure that overkill when shipping boatanchors
is just about right.

Not many people will happily agree to the $35 worth of "overkill"
you just defined. Sounds stupid to balk at $35 to protect
a $300 radio, but you'd be surprised how many people
do just that.