Dave's Antique Radio & TV Restorations

P.O. Box 285
Liverpool, NY 13088-0285
dave2@tubesandtransistorsandmore.com

Please Package Well

I cannot over emphasize enough the impotence of good packaging. Many of the radios and tvs sent to me for restoration are quite valuable, It;s worth the extra money and effort to make sure that your radio or tv arrives in good condition. If an item is damaged in shipping, it may be impossible to put it back into good condition. It could also substantially reduce its value. So please package well. If you follow my directions, your radio or tv should be very well protected.

Please do not send cabinets or knobs* especially if they are made of Bakelite or Catalin. I don't need them. These materials are very brittle. Why risk breaking valuable catalin radio cabinets?

*Please leave knobs on car radios to help protect control shafts.

For best protection. Please package each item this way:

Materials required:
the item to be shipped

         two cardboard shipping boxes
         packaging peanuts, and bubble wrap
         packaging tape

Part 1 (packing the inner box):

Wrap the item in bubble wrap. Then choose a box about the size of the item wrapped in bubble wrap and put the bubble wrapped item in the box. Do not put tape on the bubble wrap. The box, when sealed, should hold the bubble wrap on the item.

If there is a cord (like an AC cord), let it hang outside the box when it is sealed. If it is inside the plug could swing and smash tubes or other parts of the bubble wrapped item.

Seal the box closed with the packaging tape.

If this was done correctly, nothing inside the box will be able to move.

Part 2 (packing the outer box):

Choose a second cardboard box that is large enough to hold the smaller box and enough packaging peanuts to surround the inner box by at least two inches in every direction. From the surface of the inner box to the inside of the outer box there should be AT LEAST two inches of packing peanuts. For example if your inner box has the dimensions12" x 12" x 12", then your outer box should have 16" x 16" x 16"or larger as dimensions. Larger is better.

Pour about two inches (more if you decided on more space) of packaging peanuts into the larger box.

Put the smaller box on top of the peanuts in the larger box. Make sure that it's centered.

Fill up the box up with peanuts covering up the smaller box with two inches of packaging peanuts.

You'll know when the box is full by closing it and see if you can apply a small amount of pressure and the top does not give. It should be on the firm side. If the top sags from light pressure, more packaging peanuts are necessary.

Please make sure, before sealing, to enclose some information about yourself, like your name address and phone number so there is some way to contact you.

Seal the box closed with the packaging tape.

If the item is a speaker. Please make sure to put cardboard over it to make sure it doesn't get punctured. Do not put packaging peanuts in with the speaker or in any inner box. I have seen packaging peanuts puncture speaker cones in shipping.

If the speaker is separate from the chassis, package it separately to avoid the items colliding during shipping.

It sounds really crazy, but this is how things have to be packaged or they could arrive smashed. This has been my experience.

I have received car radios and chassis with snapped off and bent shafts because too small a box is used for the inner box. In a box that's too small, the shafts make holes in the box, the shafts stick out of the holes and shipping bends or snaps them off. So Please build up bubble wrap in the spaces between the shafts so that the bubble wrap protrudes further than the shafts, then wrap the chassis with enough bubble wrap so that the shafts are covered. So even if pressure is put on that part of the chassis it is spread out by the bubble wrap. There should be no spaces, not filled in with bubble wrap, between the shafts and the shafts should not be right up against the inside of the inner box.

I decided to create this page because this issue is very important and deserves a page of its own.

Page created May 11, 2003

Page updated Dec. 22, 2009

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