Hello everyone! I've been snooping around NC while I'm here for a couple weeks for cast iron to bring back to AZ with me. I've acquired some very large pans, and am very nervous about packing them for the trip. I've got a bag big enough to hold them, but am unsure about what to do for packaging. Do any of you have any experience packing cast iron to fly?
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First post! Packing cast iron to fly?
- Thread starter EATuley
- Start date
Re: First post!
The best way I have found to ship delicate items is to use "great stuff" spray foam, it can be found at home depot. Bag the item up air tight in plastic bags, then spray the foam in to fill the gaps in the box, allow 2-3 days to dry. If its a really expensive item, or a delicate item "double box it", and if covering the costs of damage is not in your planned budget, definitely purchase insurance.
In my younger years I once worked for a predominate shipping company. The first orientation day they had us all watch videos, on how to properly handle packages. If I remember correctly, they told us that 1/2 of us would quit within something like three days, (they said most people just cant handle the job). On the second day my boss told me to forget everything I learned on the first day, and said the videos are impossible. I was told the only way to survive the truck loading job, was to build a wall about 5-6 feet out from back of truck, and once you got it so high, toss everything over till you get to the top, and continue to repeat the process until the truck is full.
I was a student at the time working a night shift, and would fill two complete semi trucks with packages each and every night by myself, you did not even have unplanned bathroom breaks. Once in the truck you were stuck, and the packages came so fast it was almost impossible to keep up. Every couple hours the whole site would shut down for 15 minutes, then a whistle blew and things would resume whether you were ready or not.
My experiences have taught me that when shipping, you got to expect at some point the package is either going to be thrown, or fall off a backed up conveyor belt. When you ship a package you got to plan for the worst case scenario. When I ship items, I try to imagine what would happen if I threw a package off the top of my garage down to my driveway. I try to pack in way that the item I'm shipping would survive this situation. The convener belts in these shipping facilities are about the same height, and if the guy loading the truck is not keeping pace, a fall like this could easily happen, and a 5-6 foot toss should be pretty much expected, especially during holiday seasons.
This is the most labor intensive job I ever had, I feel sorry for those working it today. I hope this post explains why so many poorly packed items don't have a chance. You have to pack it well if its going to survive the transfer.
_____________________________________________________________________________
Edit, I just noticed you said flying, Probably a more delicate process. Didn't mean to scare you.
The best way I have found to ship delicate items is to use "great stuff" spray foam, it can be found at home depot. Bag the item up air tight in plastic bags, then spray the foam in to fill the gaps in the box, allow 2-3 days to dry. If its a really expensive item, or a delicate item "double box it", and if covering the costs of damage is not in your planned budget, definitely purchase insurance.
In my younger years I once worked for a predominate shipping company. The first orientation day they had us all watch videos, on how to properly handle packages. If I remember correctly, they told us that 1/2 of us would quit within something like three days, (they said most people just cant handle the job). On the second day my boss told me to forget everything I learned on the first day, and said the videos are impossible. I was told the only way to survive the truck loading job, was to build a wall about 5-6 feet out from back of truck, and once you got it so high, toss everything over till you get to the top, and continue to repeat the process until the truck is full.
I was a student at the time working a night shift, and would fill two complete semi trucks with packages each and every night by myself, you did not even have unplanned bathroom breaks. Once in the truck you were stuck, and the packages came so fast it was almost impossible to keep up. Every couple hours the whole site would shut down for 15 minutes, then a whistle blew and things would resume whether you were ready or not.
My experiences have taught me that when shipping, you got to expect at some point the package is either going to be thrown, or fall off a backed up conveyor belt. When you ship a package you got to plan for the worst case scenario. When I ship items, I try to imagine what would happen if I threw a package off the top of my garage down to my driveway. I try to pack in way that the item I'm shipping would survive this situation. The convener belts in these shipping facilities are about the same height, and if the guy loading the truck is not keeping pace, a fall like this could easily happen, and a 5-6 foot toss should be pretty much expected, especially during holiday seasons.
This is the most labor intensive job I ever had, I feel sorry for those working it today. I hope this post explains why so many poorly packed items don't have a chance. You have to pack it well if its going to survive the transfer.
_____________________________________________________________________________
Edit, I just noticed you said flying, Probably a more delicate process. Didn't mean to scare you.
Sharon Shuman
Member
On general principles, I say thanks to MEKlama. Most people just don't have the imagination required to understand the necessities for packing items safely--this essay gives us all a better picture of them! My hubby IS a person of imagination, and when packing items he sold on eBay years ago, apparently it was sufficient, because I don't recall we got any complaints about damage in transit. He did always use the USPS, however, and it was 15 years ago.