开云体育

The problem I’ve seen with even very good packing is internal movement. All
the parts inside something being moved are going to have kinetic energy.
While you might keep the outer case of an instrument in good condition
because of the packing material, the bits inside will still experience
forces from bumps and they generally do not have the shock-absorbing
packing of the entire instrument. I have had shipments (fortunately not any
of the Tek scopes I had shipped) where the item arrived in great external
condition, but a heavy internal part (think transformers, though they are
usually pretty well anchored) came loose from it’s glued-on attachment and
crashed into a control shaft, bending it. Fortunately fixable.

When I pack stuff myself that has internal movable or heavy parts, if
feasible, I tape them down or use some readily-removable packing (not
styrofoam peanuts, please!) to keep them from moving. Or I put padding
around the parts so if something should come loose, the padding will limit
damage. This may sound crazy, but one thing I’ve done when sending stuff
home is to use some of my laundry (think t-shirts or sweatshirts) as
interior padding. That way, it provides protection for the internals of the
item and I get my laundry home (though with the shipping delay) without
packing it in my luggage! I’m going to launder that clothing anyway, so it
does not matter if it picks up some dust and dirt from an instrument
interior.

The foam-in-place stuff is expensive for small-volume shipping. However,
there are pre-packaged systems that have the material in bags. These are
designed for small-volume shippers. Here is an example:



I have no conflict of interest with Uline or Instapak. I have received
shipments that used these and the items arrived in excellent shape. I do
have some concerns about disposing of this stuff, though.

Another mistake I’ve experienced is using styrofoam peanuts. Shippers will
assume they stay in place but they act like a fluid. You can try this
yourself if you want to experiment. Fill a box with styrofoam peanuts, put
a heavy object (please - something that can take it or that you don’t need
- like a rock) on top. Close the box and shake it. You will likely find the
object at, or near, the bottom. If you pack the peanuts tightly enough or
combine them with barriers to restrict movement, then this won’t happen. If
I do use peanuts, I try to use the biodegradable ones made from starch. To
limit movement, I put them in bags and pack those around the item - it
prevents item movement and makes unpacking much easier. Plus, the packing
peanuts can easily be collected for re-use or put in your mulch (I’d be
cautious about that - edible stuff in mulch may attract rodents).

I admit, all of these packing methods are indicators of my tendency towards
being obsessive-compulsive. And no, I won’t use a formal shirt or cashmere
sweater (if I had one) as packing material! I have used disposable baby
diapers (no, not used ones!) for packing when I was away from home and did
not have rolls of bubble wrap or sheets of kraft paper to use - it’s a long
story, but they worked just fine.

Steve H.