Featured Packing heavy bell

Maybe u saw my thread on the 1769 Dutch bell? I took the photos for a proposed trade that didn’t complete, but I got used to the idea of parting with it, so the trade partner made a reasonable cash offer I accepted. I’ve packed countless heavy items and thought you might benefit from photos of my process for this approx. 80-pound item.

Most important is the container, and nearly as important is that you pack it si IT CANNOT MOVE at all within the container. Most damaged shipments I’ve received result from the contents moving and striking or penetrating the container, rather than abuse of the container.

For heavy things I seldom use a cardboard box, preferring strong plastic, aluminum, etc. For objects that fit, the “Home Depot” 5 gallon pail with plastic lid made for it is a favorite, always of course, with dunnage inside sufficient to immobilize the object.

This valuable bell took a couple of hours to pack, and needs another 1/2 hour for taping, strapping, and labeling. I chose a military box used for shipping a top-secret cryptographic item. It has a valve to keep pressurized nitrogen inside, and when the valve starts to leak, the box is scrapped.

Photos soon.

 

Photos. Only used a little bubble wrap around bell’s clapper, changed my mind about using lots of bubble wrap and looked for some more durable dunnage. The stiff foam rubber from a damaged office chair worked nicely. Plywood used to back-up concentrated load of bell’s crown, otherwise “Triwall” cardboard (1/2” thick) from a Gaylord box was used for inside box liner. Grey cloth is repurposed U-Haul moving blanket. Black blocks are stiff foam rubber that was glued inside the military container when I got it. I wasn’t sure that the 14 latches already on the box were enough, but went with them anyway. We’ll wrap clear packing tape around all latches a few times, then apply a 3/4” tensioned steel strap perpendicular to that in the middle of the aluminum box. None of the hundreds of “heavy duty” packages I’ve made have failed.

 

Perfect, spring.

So glad we ship jewellery.

 

You should have been a teacher. You can make packing a bell interesting.

 

Great packing job!
How is it being shipped?
What is in all the boxes on the shelves behind it?
Patd

 

1. Thanks

2. Cheapest means we can find that will take 120 lbs., hopefully will not have to use common carrier freight. I thought it’d be more like 90 lbs and under-charged the buyer for shipping but the profit on the sale makes up for that. With high-dollar sales like this, going back to the customer with “Oh gee, I’m sorry but I didn’t charge enough for shipping, please send me another $17.14.” Unprofessional! Plus many high-roller customers wire their funds and each transfer costs them more than a typical shipping overrun, plus my bank charges me to receive each wire.

3. All kinds of stuff, mostly NOS items, incl tools and nautical. Long wood crates with rope handles just left of shackle are Army Artillery ammo crates, empty, we use for shipping or storing volumes of small heavy items. Pallet of white boxes is one of several pallets of empty steel electrical enclosures we’ll either resell in bulk or use to enhance collections of like items to sell online: “Neat steel box with collection of 18 RARE Beanie Babies,” yeah just made that up, I never owned a single BB.

 

My brother once bought 10 beanie babies at McDonald's for one of his granddaughters at $9.99 each. That's $100 worth of scrap material and beans. He tried to tell me they were 'collectible' and would increase in value. I then tried to explain to him the difference between limited edition for real and limited editions of 2,000,000 from China. He never did get it.

 

great packing job!

 

STUFF the wife doesn't know about???

 

I think one of Kim Jong Un's missiles have a better chance of failing than your packing!!!!!!

 

It's not so much packing as gorilla-proofing. It might be easier to ship something like that with a Uship carrier or someone similar. I've heard of people using Greyhound buses too for really bulky stuff, but you'd know that better than I would.

 

Great job!!!
I've packed a lot of stuff of all types, weights, and sizes including shipping a neon 'sculpture' of mine from San Diego to Germany without issue. I'm shocked and appalled at what I see brought into the post office expected to even get across the street.
Some of what I've gotten from eBidet purchases are as ridiculous.

 

Hi,
When I was still being schooled I always sent my clothes etc by Greyhound bus. They went everywhere and it was cheaper than anything else. The last piece I think I sent by Greyhound was a six seater toboggan sled. PO was going to be 48 dollars. Greyhound was 17 dollars. The best was I did not have to wrap it!!!
greg

 

Are they all that is left?
Trailways still around?

 

Great job!
I generally use styrofoam, I get from electro shop's.
If the item is light weight, I make sure it "floats" in his box, for heavy materials I cut my styrofoam with a hot knife into the form of the object. And try to box it twice if measurements allowed it.

 

Boxing twice is generally a good method, even with lightweight objects.

 

Finishing the job