Shipping paramounts

[dmannnnn]

I need to ship my paramounts across country.  I will be using fedex. Does anyone have advice for packing these?  I am a bit worried.  The toplates on mine are not fastened to the base in any way.  I was thinking of flipping the base upside down and strapping the amp in.  This would keep the top of the base from getting marred by the chassis if it moved around.

Does anyone know of a national chain that sells fairly dense foam?  If I can find some nearby I could surely make some custom box inserts to hold the amps.

[Paully]

Just some thoughts for when I have shipped built Bottlehead amps.  We have used painters tape to secure the chassis to the wood.  I usually try to double box and use a lot of packing material and make sure it is sits very snugly in the box.  Also, I have had a lot better luck with USPS than with Fed Ex or UPS.  And insured items always seem to arrive in better shape than uninsured with USPS, just my observation.  Others will hopefully chime in with further thoughts.  Good luck!

[Doc B.]

Tape the plates to the bases with blue painter's tape, all around the edges and across the plate and down the sides wherever it is feasible. Wrap that snugly with several layers of small bubble wrap. Pack the amps upside down each in their own box. We use 12 x 12 x 12 or 14 x 14 x 14. With that heavy layer of bubble for cushion you can probably get away with popcorn filling the rest of the box. Pack the tubes in a separate box. If you want to do foam instead Jo Ann fabrics has 2" thick green foam for cushions that works pretty well. Uline sells some 2" foam that is specifically for packing and a bit more dense, but it is very expensive at about $20 per 24" x 24" sheet.

[Jim R.]

dmannnnn,

Looks like Doc and others beat me to it as I was going to suggest the foam at JoAnne fabrics, the blue tape, and packing things upside-down.  Are you sending those to me?

I'd also go with fedex or USPS -- aroud here the UPS folks always do their best to turn boxes into balls.

When my Fis arrived here via UPS, the boxes were so terribly mangled that my heatrt sank when I saw them and I insisted that the delivery person come in and watch as I unpacked each one.  Fortunately the guy on the shipping end packed them very well, and aside from one stripped wood screw in a leg of each amp, they were fine.

-- Jim

[dmannnnn]

Sorry J, these are going a little further east.

Thanks for the suggestions.  I looked up the fabric store and they want $90 for 4in. x 10ft. cushion foam. What What What???

I will tape them down, bubble wrap then double box with peanuts.  My only real concern is that if they get flipped over the chassis plate might come out of the rabbet and scuff up the top of the base.

[JIPPER]

As requested by Grainger...this is from the old site, community page

http://www.bottlehead.com/loosep/packing_your_bottlehead_gear_for.htm

I thought someone already posted this in the new forum, but maybe not.

JP

[JIPPER]

From the Bottlehead Community pages.....I thought I would try to copy all of Doc's original post back at the community page so that if the link ever disappears then it will be on the new site in its full form.

Packing your Bottlehead gear for shipping

Because your kit comes in pieces, and because the chassis plate is uniquely "gravity mounted" to the base for easy access for modifications, some thought is required when packing a completed Bottlehead amp or preamp for shipping. I have taken photos of the packing of a Seduction phono preamp that came in for warrantee work and is being returned to the customer. You can use this general approach as a guide when shipping any Bottlehead amp or preamp

Doc B.

First remove the tubes and power cord. Then make sure all the screws and nuts are tight. Otherwise they can vibrate loose in transit, creating a real mess under the chassis if something big like a transformer comes loose:

Using a 3/4" or 1" wide "painters tape", tape over each seam where the chassis plate meets the wood base. Extend the tape down the side of the wood base to help keep the tape in place. Then add a couple more strips across the chassis plate for insurance. The painter's type masking tape will leave no residue and will not harm painted finishes.

Wrap the amp or preamp with 12" wide bubble wrap, around the 10" long sides. I use an 8 foot length of bubble wrap to create several (like 3 or 4) layers. Here you see the Seduction wrapped with our special high tech adhesive bubble wrap. Plain old non-sticky bubble wrap and some scotch tape will work just about as well.

Next I wrap perpendicular to the first wrap, around the exposed 6" or 8" ends and over the top and bottom with about 6 feet of bubble wrap. The idea is to build up a good cushion all over the amp while sealing the open bottom of the chassis.

This neat package just happens to fit into our standard 12" x 8" x 10" ForeplayIII/S.E.X. kit/Seduction shipping box quite snugly. Amps will usually fit back into their 12" x 12" x 12" boxes quite easily. In fact they will probably require some additional packing material in the form of packing peanuts, crumpled kraft paper, etc. A hot tip for amps is to put them in the box upside down. This keeps the transformers from stressing the chassis plate when the box falls off the dreaded 6 ft. drop at the end of the UPS conveyor.

If you're packing a preamp or amp to send to us for repairs, don't forget the tubes, the power cord, and a description of what is wrong with the kit, like "LEDs don't light", "no sound from right channel", etc. Some bubble wrap around the tubes, even if in boxes, is a good idea. And if you're packing an amp or preamp or sale, be sure to include the manual!