Packing, Shipping and Insurance

[Antonio Cejunior]

Originally Posted by Spunjer

is the weight definite? i was talking to rick about the tube issue. my problem is i can't find anyone here in this bustling metropolis of chillicothe that carry anything similar to that. i will be going on midnite shift this coming week, not to mention, a big competition for me on march 4(next weekend), and getting ready for that big time. needless to say, it's gonna be a hectic week.
as for packaging, i found a box at work, 50"x10"x10", rated at 165lbs/sq in. i was gonna line it with masonite, then place all the swords in it (individually bubble wrapped and peanut packed).
my other option was gonna run me around $919.00 (pvc pipe, caps)...

if i order that on the link provided, will i have enuff time to get it? when is this gonna ship anyways?

Hi Spunjer and everybody else,

Let me share my experience.

1. I have tens of boxes, simple cardboxes for swords sent through the last ten years through FedEx to me. Never had I one single accident of any kind.

Here's a quick shot of some:



Presently this package below, another cardoboard box is coming my way like this:



on my instructions.

Now, because of the quantity involved, 125 parcels more or less, at an average maximum of 5 kilos per sword x US$135 one way, we obtain the sum of US$16.875 one way and that is why FedEx did not want to sponsor, because they would be sponsoring a total of US$33.750.

2. Any of us knows that a Katana cannot weight more than 1.3 kgs or it is not usable. This leaves 3.7 kgs for packing, meaning the the packing weight is almost triple the contents weight.

3. I am speaking about my experience. But that does not mean that FedEx will not inform all agencies and will not coordinate it for us. That is why I have double asked you your addresses.

as for packaging, i found a box at work, 50"x10"x10", rated at 165lbs/sq in. i was gonna line it with masonite, then place all the swords in it (individually bubble wrapped and peanut packed

4. I think I must explain something Spunger. FedEx is not a transporation company. It is a Courier, with limit sizes. You might face the No-no from FedEx or they will charge so much that no one will be comfortable.

I sent instructions and no one asked many questions although Rick was at hand to help.

5. Physics tells us that if you bind together 4 cardboard tubes or 3, the forces exerted are absorved by the tubes and if bound together like this



they are more than solid.

6. I will not take the responsibility of saying that you should use this or that. I sent you suggestions.
I'm saying that if you use a light PVC or cardboard tube it will not be harmed because International Air Courier uses platforms where they place everything in palettes.

Mark made an appeal because I was/am very busy, and I just hope you all gentleman understand that since the beggining we said that this was made by everyone, and this is part of the collective process.

My shipping experience, including Tang Dynasty statuettes and Large Tang horses and I was trained at the world's third largest foundation, the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation in Portugal. I am sharing what I know and I said that the moment you imobilize a sword inside a tube with a ring made of bubble wrap, the sword will be very secure. But ultimately I will not take any responsibility on how you choose to ship.

The instructions I sent are here, once more:
http://www.arscives.com/historysteel...structions.htm

We will pay the shipments as there is no other way. But we made our budget when the negotiations failes based on the ratio of one sword = almost 3 times packing weight, resulting in those 5 kilos I mentioned as a rule.

I can't share my own international experience or imposed it to anyone of you. Your contributions are the reason for this exhibition. If all of you wish to ponder and use ingenuity, that's fine. There are also many administrative processes that are inside red tape that is necessary, so I am just filling you all in, in this issue.

Thank you.

[Rick]

Antonio , you show in your illustration four tubes taped together ; presumably the parcel would be four swords (one per tube) ; now this parcel as shown would have one waybill , correct ?

The question I must ask is that with the 5 kilo weight limit wouldn't the four tubes taped together exceed five kilos by quite a bit ?

If this is the case should we then opt to ship more and lighter packages rather than fewer and heavier packages ?

If this has already been covered then please excuse me I can be somewhat dense at times ; sometimes I need things spelled out more clearly .

Rick

[Spunjer]

antonio

4. I think I must explain something Spunger. FedEx is not a transporation company. It is a Courier, with limit sizes. You might face the No-no from FedEx or they will charge so much that no one will be comfortable.

I sent instructions and no one asked many questions although Rick was at hand to help.

as per your instructions, i did forward my dilemma to rick. i will explain again what i'm facing here:

1)RZ6 (tenegre) and RZ7 (visayan bolo) are the only swords that will fit on a 4 inch diameter tube. these tubes (cardboard or PVC) can be purchased at our local hardware, so that's no problem.

2)RZ4 (barung) has a 5 inch wide scabbard appendage. since tubes are available in even numbers only, i have to place it in a 6 inch tube. now this is getting kinda hairy since i can't find a cardboard tube at this size, and i have to go with PVC tubes, which if should i purchase it, i have to buy a minimum of 10 feet. kinda overkill especially i only needed 26 inches.

3)RZ3 (kampilan) and RZ5 (panabas) posed the biggest problem. with the kampilan, i need an 8 inch diameter tube due to the staple and hair. as for the panabas, i also need an 8 inch diameter tube, due to the way it's shaped. understand, antonio, that i live in a small town. i don't have the same access if i was living in a city. so with that in mind, i found one place that carries an 8 inch diameter tube (PVC). here's the deal on that. the minimum footage that i can get from this store is twenty feet. fine. if i get twenty feet, i might as well place each sword on an 8 inch diameter pipe. now i'm gonna need 12 caps for it to cover the pipe. so here's the quote that i got from the store:

8 inch diameter pvc pipe = $7.15/ft @ 20 ft = $143.00
end caps =$43.18 @ 12 pcs = $518.16
( i told rick that i was going to use a screw cap but that would run me around $900.00)

so i'm looking at around $700.00 for packaging. i really don't think you want that.

as for the ADS pipe pictured above, i wasn't able to contact the stores in columbus since they are close on the weekends.

FedEx is not a transporation company. It is a Courier, with limit sizes

i understand that, antonio, that's why i called fedex and gave them the dimension of the box that i previously mentioned (50x10x10). the gentleman on the other side told me that there's no problem whatsoever. now, i don't know the intricacies of shipping internationally since this is the very first time that i'm doing this. it might seem like this a very simple problem top you, but what i'm trying to do here is understand what's going on, and utilizing what i have on hand. i have no clue whatsoever that fedex is sponsoring this and that, or it has a prerequisite weight per package.

the bottom line is, these are my option so far, and i am trying my best to come up with something. i really thought that the box was a good idea, since it will be packed together, therefore cheaper, but according to your explanation, i would guess not.

regards

ron

[Antonio Cejunior]

Originally Posted by Spunjer

antonio

as per your instructions, i did forward my dilemma to rick. i will explain again what i'm facing here:

1)RZ6 (tenegre) and RZ7 (visayan bolo) are the only swords that will fit on a 4 inch diameter tube. these tubes (cardboard or PVC) can be purchased at our local hardware, so that's no problem.

2)RZ4 (barung) has a 5 inch wide scabbard appendage. since tubes are available in even numbers only, i have to place it in a 6 inch tube. now this is getting kinda hairy since i can't find a cardboard tube at this size, and i have to go with PVC tubes, which if should i purchase it, i have to buy a minimum of 10 feet. kinda overkill especially i only needed 26 inches.

3)RZ3 (kampilan) and RZ5 (panabas) posed the biggest problem. with the kampilan, i need an 8 inch diameter tube due to the staple and hair. as for the panabas, i also need an 8 inch diameter tube, due to the way it's shaped. understand, antonio, that i live in a small town. i don't have the same access if i was living in a city. so with that in mind, i found one place that carries an 8 inch diameter tube (PVC). here's the deal on that. the minimum footage that i can get from this store is twenty feet. fine. if i get twenty feet, i might as well place each sword on an 8 inch diameter pipe. now i'm gonna need 12 caps for it to cover the pipe. so here's the quote that i got from the store:

8 inch diameter pvc pipe = $7.15/ft @ 20 ft = $143.00
end caps =$43.18 @ 12 pcs = $518.16
( i told rick that i was going to use a screw cap but that would run me around $900.00)

so i'm looking at around $700.00 for packaging. i really don't think you want that.

as for the ADS pipe pictured above, i wasn't able to contact the stores in columbus since they are close on the weekends.



i understand that, antonio, that's why i called fedex and gave them the dimension of the box that i previously mentioned (50x10x10). the gentleman on the other side told me that there's no problem whatsoever. now, i don't know the intricacies of shipping internationally since this is the very first time that i'm doing this. it might seem like this a very simple problem top you, but what i'm trying to do here is understand what's going on, and utilizing what i have on hand. i have no clue whatsoever that fedex is sponsoring this and that, or it has a prerequisite weight per package.

the bottom line is, these are my option so far, and i am trying my best to come up with something. i really thought that the box was a good idea, since it will be packed together, therefore cheaper, but according to your explanation, i would guess not.

regards

ron

Hi Ron

Read with interest and respect.
Sometimes tube is not the best solution, and we have to be creative.

During this period of work in another computer, I thought about your post and
mainly we have find solutions. Here's one that I submit to your consideration:

I'm sure you know this cardboard stuff. Should be quite affordable.



Now your problem is width. So here is how I would deal with it:



Choose a thicker cardboard and fold it like this, or you may want to fold a double width thickness (like a book) to accomodate thickness. Now slide the sword and close the three sides with tape. Is that strong enough? I would say it protects.

Now stack four or six swords with the same size, independently packed, one handle one side an the next one the handle on the other side and so forth.

Next tape the stack strongly. Its is simple, very affordable, matches the type of problem you have and stacked, it gains a very big solidity.

Same old story. Break one arrow is easy. Put a bundle and try to break it and you can't.

Hope this solution is to your satisfaction I am just reccomending, saying that this is what I myself would do.

Best regards

[Antonio Cejunior]

Originally Posted by Rick

Antonio , you show in your illustration four tubes taped together ; presumably the parcel would be four swords (one per tube) ; now this parcel as shown would have one waybill , correct ?

The question I must ask is that with the 5 kilo weight limit wouldn't the four tubes taped together exceed five kilos by quite a bit ?

Rick,

I did say to tape four tubes, but I didn't say that each WAYBILL had to have 5 kilos. The Waybill issue is to reduce the number of parcels (4 tubes taped together should weight 20 kilos maximum and be considered 1 parcel
constituted by four tubes

If this is the case should we then opt to ship more and lighter packages rather than fewer and heavier packages ?

If this has already been covered then please excuse me I can be somewhat dense at times ; sometimes I need things spelled out more clearly .

Rick

No problem. The first part of the answer replies to the second one and it is good for everyone.
Everything boils to the same old question put into the present context:
which is heavier? 5 kilos of raw cotton of 5 kilos of steel?
Furthermore to save weight, one can place 2 swords in one tube. It then means that one tube's weight is split into two swords.

There can be many variations.

Ron, I'll be with you in about 1 hour, sorry but its me alone on this side of planning and coordinating