The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

Hello all. I am looking for some shipping advice. I am having 500 cylinders shipped to me half way across the county. These cylinder records are in cylinder boxes. Any advice on how to ship, pack what packing materials to use and which parcel company is best and safest is appreciated. Thanks all in advance. Note: I am holding my breath on this one until the package arrives.
Rick

There's a huge difference between shipping wax cylinders and celluloid cylinders. Which type are you having shipped? Where are they being shipped from and where is the destination? I drive between Oregon and Union and they would arrive in the same condition as they were received. Jerry

Both black wax and celluloid types are being shipped. The cylinders are being shipped from Kentucky to Maryland.

Here's my opinion of it:

By the time you'd go through the painstaking
work of properly packing these in cartons
with every boxed cylinder put into its own
separate cardboard-divider compartment, and
then assuring that nothing shakes around in
any of the cartons,

my take on it is that it would be less work
and hassle for you to just drive over and
get them and bring them back yourself in your
own vehicle.

That is, of course, unless you can
tolerate having about half of these cylinders
broken into a million little tiny pieces.

Chuck

Thanks Chuck: Yes, I have thought about driving out to pick them up to, but I first wanted to get the opinions from this forum on shipping.

Thank you Jerry: I guess I live a little too east from Union.

The Indestructible would be easy to ship but 4-min wax are about the worst. There's a whole network of us phono-nerds out here. That's your best bet. If you packed all the wax cylinders tight in one carton and packed that in another carton with 4" of packing, you'll still have a high casualty rate. Jerry

It would be very interesting to draw lines showing the routes followed by collectors that drive to and from Union and other shows. The map of our country would look like it was covered by huge spiders. In my basement I already have four machines ready for the trip and all are going to different destinations. Driving is expensive and some gas money is always appreciated. Jerry

I agree with the others that I would probably prefer to take the trip myself than trusting someone to ship wax cylinders to me. Having received broken cylinders several times, I don't want to take the chance anymore. My son attends the University of Kentucky and I live in Delaware, so both he and I have taken that trip several times in the last couple of years. Not that bad of a ride, about 8-9 hours.
Andreas

The thought of shipping wax cylinders gives me the willies. Although I have done it sucessfully in the past, I can tell you that wax will crack unexpectedly with the slightest provocation. Last week, a friend of mine was going to play a Pathé Salon cylinder. He opened the box and discovered the record had cracked on its own with no human assistance. Wax 4M Amberols and late 2M cast from that same formula are the worst; the wax is harder and even more brittle than the early stuff.

I recently watched a UPS driver unload his truck for delivery. He simply shoved packages out the door and they tumbled to the ground to be gathered up later. I thought about reporting him, but the problem is probably widespread and unremarkable. It is a wonder that anything survives.

No problem shipping celluloid cylinders however.

I ship virtually every day of the week, not just phonograph stuff, but music boxes and expensive clocks. I would not have a moment's worry about shipping these, but it certainly would NOT be by UPS or FedEx. Damage is virtually non-existent on outgoing items using this method:

What needs to be done is to pack them nicely, with no room to rattle around inside their packing boxes, just as you would if you were asking somebody to hand-deliver (drive) them. Then place the packing boxes into heavy, double-walled commercial-grade cartons. I would estimate a 30" x 30" x 30" box would do the trick. Stack the cylinder boxes inside, leaving the open end flaps of the carton vertical, creating a larger carton. Fill any open spaces with chips, or anything to prevent the boxes from moving around. Then take another 30" x 30" box, partially assemble it, slit two sides, and drop it over the first box, so in effect you have doubled-up on the double wall boxes. Tape everything together and you will end up with a box 30" x 30" x (about)44" tall.

Then cut a 36" square piece of plywood, and attach two 36" runners (common 2 x 4's) to either end. Now you have a small pallet that any pallet jack or fork lift can get it's forks under.

Take the finished carton, and glue it to the pallet base (I use Titebond). Then take some Gorilla or filament tape and band it, under the pallet and around the top of the box, for extra protection that it will not fall off the base. I have a commercial strapping device that I use in lieu of the Gorilla tape, but for an occasional shipment tape will do the trick.

Any trucking company will accept this shipment; I use R&L Carriers, who will deliver virtually throughout the U.S., at a very fair rate.

The reason I use this method is because UPS and FedEx have vast hubs with conveyor belts; one must assume an express package will take a 5-6' drop at some point. Never mind the driver who kicks the boxes out of his truck, that is nothing compared to the impact of the conveyor drops. But by sending by truck freight, the handling methods are limited to pallet jacks and fork lifts, and the worst fear of damage would be a fork lift driver impaling the box, which has never happened to me.

Also, I use this method for overseas shipments, via FedEx Freight, with perfect results as well.

As for difficulty, it takes me about 90 minutes to prepare a shipment, including all packing and preparation.

Hope this helps, if not for your cylinders, than others that are considering shipping techniques.

Raphael