Persian shamshir destroyed by USPS!!!

Philip · 12th July 2017, 03:21 AM

Correct, it's hard to "armor" the type of slender corrugated carton (the sort of thing that golf clubs or rifles fit into) that a lot of us use to ship swords. The longer it is, the more vulnerable. It's the lateral stresses some distance in from the ends, whether from earthmovers, elephants, or guillotine-like overhead rollup doors that are especially bad. A postal clerk once told me that when skinny boxes get stuck crosswise on the conveyor belt, against an abutment of some kind, with a pile of heavy parcels coming up from behind, the contents are likely to get bent. He personally saw it happen with golf clubs, not a very encouraging admission!

With swords of typical length that are not as curvey as shamshirs, I've had good luck inserting them into those very thick fiberboard carpet tubes, to at least cover the entire blade section. (they are generally too small to accommodate wide crossguards or basket hilts). But then, the entire sword, so packed in the tube, can be enclosed in the conventional square long box. And as Mr Maisey says, lots of bubble-wrap, styro peanuts, and the like!

Nothing's absolutely foolproof but the presence of one of those heavy tubes over the blade will cut the risk significantly.

For a deeply curved saber, a length of fence planking on either side of the blade, suitably padded with bubble, is better than relying on just the cardboard walls of the box. Bubble-wrap and styro are great protectors against crushing or penetration, but don't provide significant lateral stiffening.

ArmsAndAntiques · 13th July 2017, 01:54 AM

A terrible shame but I'd have to agree that this is the fault of the shipping company and not the seller.

One trick I've used in the past for cardboard rectangular boxes is to acquire, and I can't remember where I found them, a long length of L shaped hard wood paneling, relatively thin but still strong. Once I'd pack the item I'd insert the L shaped paneling cut to the size of the box along the inner edge on all four corners. This would prevent this kind of damage.

Another option is to reinforce a cardboard rectangular box with 1/3 inch or 1/2 dowels, in the inside of the box also along the inside edge, which are quite inexpensive and readily available at Home Depot.

Shipping in a gun case, whether internationally or domestic, may attract the kind of uninvited attention from pilferers that a regular box would not.

12th July 2017, 03:21 AM	#1
Philip Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: California Posts: 1,036	carpet tubes Correct, it's hard to "armor" the type of slender corrugated carton (the sort of thing that golf clubs or rifles fit into) that a lot of us use to ship swords. The longer it is, the more vulnerable. It's the lateral stresses some distance in from the ends, whether from earthmovers, elephants, or guillotine-like overhead rollup doors that are especially bad. A postal clerk once told me that when skinny boxes get stuck crosswise on the conveyor belt, against an abutment of some kind, with a pile of heavy parcels coming up from behind, the contents are likely to get bent. He personally saw it happen with golf clubs, not a very encouraging admission! With swords of typical length that are not as curvey as shamshirs, I've had good luck inserting them into those very thick fiberboard carpet tubes, to at least cover the entire blade section. (they are generally too small to accommodate wide crossguards or basket hilts). But then, the entire sword, so packed in the tube, can be enclosed in the conventional square long box. And as Mr Maisey says, lots of bubble-wrap, styro peanuts, and the like! Nothing's absolutely foolproof but the presence of one of those heavy tubes over the blade will cut the risk significantly. For a deeply curved saber, a length of fence planking on either side of the blade, suitably padded with bubble, is better than relying on just the cardboard walls of the box. Bubble-wrap and styro are great protectors against crushing or penetration, but don't provide significant lateral stiffening.

13th July 2017, 01:54 AM	#2
ArmsAndAntiques Member Join Date: Dec 2013 Posts: 80	A terrible shame but I'd have to agree that this is the fault of the shipping company and not the seller. One trick I've used in the past for cardboard rectangular boxes is to acquire, and I can't remember where I found them, a long length of L shaped hard wood paneling, relatively thin but still strong. Once I'd pack the item I'd insert the L shaped paneling cut to the size of the box along the inner edge on all four corners. This would prevent this kind of damage. Another option is to reinforce a cardboard rectangular box with 1/3 inch or 1/2 dowels, in the inside of the box also along the inside edge, which are quite inexpensive and readily available at Home Depot. Shipping in a gun case, whether internationally or domestic, may attract the kind of uninvited attention from pilferers that a regular box would not.