[WWI] Shipping OT models

[Aidrian Bridgeman-Sutton]

I think you're fighting battle between two irreconcilable foes -
sturdy packing and the lowest possible shipping cost.

I have sent some ship models and the usual process is to build a
plywood shipping crate for them, which has supports built in and lined
with lots of foam rubber. The model is screwed down to the floor of
the case and the  case gets screwed together around the model  -  a
set of intructions for unpacking is attached to the outside.

Now this works for a model worth anything from a few hundred dollars
up, but may not be cost effective for you.

What you want to do is prevent the model from moving inside the box.
If Thudrock Bogsmasher at the shipping company crushes the box with a
forklift there's not a lot you can do about that, but you can assume
it will get tossed around in transit and can build a box to protect
against that.

Build a styrofoam box and pack the model in it with foam rubber pieces
so that no part of the model directly touches the styrofoam box and so
that the foam rubber is **lightly** compressed when the box is shut -
the rubber needs to be tight enough so that it doesn't move but not so
tight that it stresses the model. Don't make the foam pieces so
complex that your client risks damage from unpacking the model - avoid
funky iterlocking pieces unless you also include instructions for
unpacking.

Now seal the styrofoam box and place that inside a larger cardboard
box well packed with styrofoam peanuts and/or bubble wrap so that the
inner box can't move around inside the outer box - that should protect
it against normal shipping hazards

Aidrian






On Thu, Aug 27, 2009 at 8:04 AM, tim mixon<mixontda at att.net> wrote:
> I am having trouble with shipping OT models.  I build kits for a buyer in
> Hawaii and several kits I have mailed have been destroyed in transit.