Shipping older radios & insurance claims

[Greg Gore; WA1KBQ]

A box resizer is used to make a smaller box of any size from a larger one.  
It is actually an inexpensive hand held guided tool that scores the side of  a 
box along a straight line in order to create a new fold line. You would score  
the sides you want reduced in length and slit the ends with a utility knife  
which actually lengthens flaps you started with and fold over on the new 
crease  line. The longer flaps will also add strength to the box and when glued 
with a  hot glue gun your new box gets even stronger. I use it with a utility  
knife, hot glue gun and gummed shipping tape machine to quickly change the size  
of a box to more closely fit the item being shipping. The hot glued flaps 
really  strengthen a box and I feel I can do a better job making custom fit boxes 
for  better protection and less filler that just swims around and migrates 
all over  the place anyway. I make the primary box an exact fit for the 
equipment with  styrofoam corner protectors and I make the secondary box 2" larger 
overall and  pad in between the two boxes. Hot glue on the primary box and gummed 
reinforced  shipping tape on the outer. This is without bubble wrap; bubble 
wrap  is so expensive most folks just give you a couple of layers anyway,  if 
that! I think bubble wrap does have a place however, particularly on  smaller 
items but I think with large radio equipment it is inviting trouble  because 
all drops are directly applied to the flat surfaces of the equipment  rather 
than the stronger corners. I have seen a lot of dial glasses broken and  bent 
tuning reduction geartrains because the those large MT and BS knobs stick  out 
and transfer a direct hit to the geartrain when the shippers drop the  box. 
Another thing to watch out for is make sure the chassis screws are in place  and 
not just the front panel screws. The front panel will be buckled when the  
shippers drop the box upside down without the screws in the rear. Screws are  
often put aside and eventually forgotten as it is more convenient to take the  
unit out of the case next time; they usually end up getting lost. I see lots of  
NC-300's, 303's, HQ-140's and 150'S, etc., with no rear screws on  that "E" 
place. Another thing to watch out for is when shipping old National  sliding 
catacomb receivers such as NC-100, 101 and NC-2-40D, etc. National  provided a 
drilled tapped hole in the side to secure the coil tray when  shipping. Install 
a #10-32 x 3/4" machine screw or the coil tray will run  back and forth for a 
few days in the back of the UPS truck.
 
Regards, Greg



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