[Hallicrafters] High Risk SX-28- at Auction

Sat Jul 10 13:45:05 EDT 2010

Chris is more qualified to reply on this one than I am and he also brought up some points I missed earlier (thanks Chris!). My goal originally was to produce a method that would be effective yet simple enough to avoid discouraging the average bear out there with too many complications. Removing all the knobs is probably better but this means additional instructions for the seller to follow and more effort for the person doing the packing so I decided not to recommend it. In my experience it is easier to convince someone who might not have any interest in the equipment anymore, whether it survives or not, to remove the two main knobs as opposed to all of them. The others have smaller surface area for transferring forces into the controls and the controls themselves are usually much sturdier than the reduction gear train assemblies of tuners. If you can get your packer to remove them though, so much the better I guess. In my experience the average seller-packer often begins to get lazy and sloppy after about step three and starts missing points entirely and the system breaks down if you leave steps out.

Taping something to the chassis would depend upon whether it was plated or painted. I would not tape anything to paint because the old paint might pull off when removing the tape. A plated or anodized finish on the otherhand is not affected by tape and any small amount of residue left behind would easily be removed with Windex or alcohol. For example, I am currently packing a 1932 National RHM (early AGS contract of 100 made exclusively for the US Department of Air Commerce) for shipping to a buyer in Houston, TX. The tube shields are the problem here because they do not fit tightly so I am taping them in place. Wadded green craft paper will then be packed in and around all the tubes and shields and on top before the dust cover is reattached. The reason for the craft paper is you buy it by the roll at Lowe's or their equivalent and it's available in several different lengths. I like the 1' rolls because it's inexpensive and a convenient size to use for all the detailed filling that you do on top of a chassis. The plastic that Chris mentioned is probably better because it's less abrasive it's just that I would run out of plastic bags here. The tape I use is the heavy duty clear shipping tape made by 3M. The thin stuff is cheaper but it does not stay on anything for long. I don't use the clear tape to seal the heavy boxes. For that I use hot glue and reinforced gummed shipping tape dispensed from a Better Packages tape machine.

The subject SX-28 looks pretty good and I recommend the high bidder should plan to go get it if someone here decides to pursue it. SX-28's are not at all scarce of course but good ones are getting harder to find now. An additional problem I had with Kremer's packing two years ago was the weight rating of the box he used was below the weight of the SX-28A and it was packed with styrofoam shipping peanuts. There was a trail of peanuts left in the driveway from the FedEx delivery that had leaked from the box where one of the corners of the receiver punched through and the box was as round as a beach ball. I literally rolled it into the garage

I just returned from Boston last weekend to retrieve a National NTE Exciter and the month before from another earlier trip to Boston to get a National NTX-30. I was not about to take a chance on shipping either of those because National made less than 100 of each and they are both pretty rare. There is a ham in TX who has been advertising for a National NTE for several years now and he finally found one and had it shipped. He told me it was not packed well, it arrived damaged and he is now doing paint and body work to something pretty rare and it about broke my heart to hear that. The shippers all use high speed conveyor belts in their sorting centers now with possible 6 foot drops but damage is avoidable through good defensive packing procedures if you can just get folks to follow them. The Mesquite, TX UPS sorting center is probably the worse of them all.

Greg

-----Original Message-----
From: Jim Hill <jimhill444 at gmail.com>
To: Chris Kepus <ckepus at comcast.net>
Cc: wa1kbq at aol.com; hallicrafters at mailman.qth.net
Sent: Sat, Jul 10, 2010 12:17 pm
Subject: Re: [Hallicrafters] High Risk SX-28- at Auction

Thanks for the useful info, Chris. Here's a question: You mention using a styrofoam panel to cover the front of the radio, and Greg says to cover the radio with Saran Wrap to prevent chafing in 

"Wrap the equipment in several layers of plastic shrink wrap or Saran wrap. This protects the paint from chaffing damage and prevents packing materials from getting inside". 

Do you use a thin layer of Saran Wrap, allowing all shafts to extend through the Saran Wrap? 

He also mentions using to prevent crystals, etc., from coming out. He doesn't mention the type of tape, but I wonder if the blue masking tape, available from hardware stores, might be the best choice. It's moderately sticky and leaves no residue. 
Jim 

Chris Kepus wrote: 
> Greg's packing guidance (http://forums.qrz.com/showthread.php?t=182700) is 
> just about as good as it gets. As a Packaging Engineer by education with 
> plenty of experience in the real world shipping boatanchors, I pack almost 
> exactly as Greg has specified. I offer a couple of minor additions to 
> Greg's list. > 
> In step 2, I prefer to use soft plastic wadding made from plastic grocery 
> bags and dry cleaning bags to stuff the interior of the cabinet. Do you 
> prefer paper or plastic? Doesn't matter as long as you follow Greg's 
> general guidelines to ensure that the tubes (and other possible parts that 
> could loosen up) stay put. This next one may sound like overkill, but I make 
> sure that the hardware holding the transformer, choke, and audio transformer 
> to the chassis is in place and tight. You sure don't want to have one of 
> these dudes shake loose during transit. Yes, it happened on a transmitter I 
> purchased! 
> 
> Make this step 5A) Cut a rigid Styrofoam panel, at least 1" thick, to the 
> dimensions of the front of the cabinet. Remove and pack all knobs in soft 
> plastic wrap (put the knobs in the cabinet). After all knobs are removed, 
> place the Styrofoam panel in front of the receiver (or xmtr or whatever) and 
> align it perfectly with edges of the unit being packed. Hold it firmly 
> against the ends of the shafts and with a free hand, pat the panel firmly 
> with it held against the shaft ends. You should have no difficulty seeing 
> the dimples in the Styrofoam. Using a Sharpie, draw small circles on the 
> Styrofoam where it was dimpled by the shaft ends. Using the weapon of your 
> choice, ream holes for each shaft. When you are able to place the 
> Styrofoam on the front panel face and it is flush with the panel face (save 
> for the depth of the bezels), set it aside momentarily. Place a piece of 
> plastic wrap over the front panel, cut slits so the shaft ends pass through 
> the wrap, and leave in place. Now place the Styrofoam panel on the front 
> panel. Proceed to step 6) Make sure that the first layer of the plastic 
> shrink wrap holds the Styrofoam panel in place. Continue to wrap several 
> more layers of plastic wrap as described. > 
> This may sound like a lot of extra work but you can do it in less time than 
> it took me to write the above description plus it adds a measure of 
> protection for the front panel and all the controls. 
> 
> I'm old, too. :-0 Don't let that stop you from shipping your BA's unless 
> you are unable to lift them. There's always someone who is willing to help 
> if you ask. The packing is actually pretty easy and very rewarding when you 
> succeed in getting it to destination in the same shape as when you kissed it 
> good-bye. :-) 
> 
> 73, 
> Chris 
> W7JPG 
> 
> 
> -----Original Message----- 
> From: hallicrafters-bounces at mailman.qth.net 
> [mailto:hallicrafters-bounces at mailman.qth.net] On Behalf Of Jim Hill 
> Sent: Friday, July 09, 2010 10:23 PM 
> To: wa1kbq at aol.com 
> Cc: hallicrafters at mailman.qth.net 
> Subject: Re: [Hallicrafters] High Risk SX-28- at Auction 
> 
> I don't intend to bid on the SX-28, but made a search, bringing up > http://forums.qrz.com/showthread.php?t=182700 The answer by WA1KBQ > regarding proper packing was very informative. I have some SX-28's I > need to sell in the future, but the thought of properly packing > something I have trouble picking up (I'm old!) discouraged me. Any > comments on his suggestions? 
> Jim 
> 
> wa1kbq at aol.com wrote: 
> >> Heads up for anyone who may be considering this one. There is a high 
>> > likelyhood it will not arrive successfully. The seller is Ward Kremer; 
> KI4JHA of South Bend, IN. The seller does not pack radio equipment properly 
> and further description can be found by doing a search on Ward's Radio Attic 
> SX-28 which is an account of a previous transaction. 
> >> > http://cgi.ebay.com/HALLICRAFTERS-SX-28-R46-TUBE-MILITARY-HAM-RADIO-FINE-/32 
> 0557844362?cmd=ViewItem&pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4aa2bc878a 
> >> Greg >> 
>> 
>> 
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