Shipping of an Enlarger- Packaging Supplies

shoot6x7 · Jul 7, 2015

I bought a used Durst M805 and am trying to arrange for it to be shipped from my cousin's place in California to me in Ontario, Canada.

I've found that FedEx ground will ship it for about $160, which is quite reasonable.

However, I'm having difficulty with boxing it. I know I could have my cousin go to home depot and build a 'coffin', but I'm worried about the additional weight.

Freighters & Craters don't even respond to emails and FedEx them selves don't have any boxes big enough.

U-Line have boxes, but you have to buy 15-20 as a minimum order.

Any other suggestions ? My cousin and the enlarger are in San Jose, CA.

Thanks,
Ron

gorbas · Jul 7, 2015

You do not need huge box. I have one spare M605 (smaller than your 805) under my bed in the box. Trick is to take head of column and place column diagonaly in the box. Also column needs to be taken of baseboard. Is it M805 with colour head? Transformers can be heavy and bulky (judging by my M800 colour power supply) and need to be well secured so it does not fly and smash other things in the box.
You couldn't find Durst in Ontario???? $160 just for shipping?

David A. Goldfarb · Jul 7, 2015

I don't know how long your column is, but you might go to a place that sells moving supplies and look for a "Wardrobe Box" which is what I've used to pack my Omega D-II, column separate from the baseboard, of course, and padding/reinforcement to prevent the column from piercing the side of the box during shipment.

shoot6x7 · Jul 7, 2015

I'm hoping to pack it in the same way the original would have been packed. I.e remove the light source unit, in this case B&W, the condenser box the carriage and the baseboard.

The column height is approx 40" high. So if I went with a single box solution, it would need to be 45x25x12".

I'm seriously thinking about a multi-box solution, but even then only some FedEx offices (Pack Plus) have the larger boxes (guitar, bicycle, etc).

I'm thinking about asking a moving company to come in and pack it.

gorbas: No M805's in Ontario, I used up my luck when I found a Vari-point L1200 in Burlington for a grand a few years ago. This 805 only cost me US$150. FedEx ground is US$160. The only reason I went ahead with the purchase was because my cousin lives in the same city as the seller.

David: I'm thinking along these lines.

Photo Engineer · Jul 7, 2015

Both UPS and U-Haul have heavy duty boxes. The wardrobe box is available from U-Haul, but the UPS boxes are a bit more rigid with thicker sides.

PE

gone · Jul 7, 2015

Two boxes would be easier, but generally you will pay considerably more to ship it that way. If a moving company packs it, I would expect the shipping costs to really increase.

That photo you show looks like the perfect way to do it. Just buy a wardrobe box or one from UPS, and cut it down to your needs. Keep in mind that if you do the packing, UPS will NOT pay a damage claim if something happens. I would ask FedEx about that as well before you ship it.

mgb74 · Jul 7, 2015

Fedex and (I think) UPS sell boxes designed for shipping golf clubs (in bag). Home supply stores can be a source of large, heavy duty boxes.

Every shipper that I know charges based on size, as well as weight. So sometimes shipping in 2 boxes is cheaper if using a single box ends up being very large.

shoot6x7 · Jul 7, 2015

Photo Engineer said:
Both UPS and U-Haul have heavy duty boxes. The wardrobe box is available from U-Haul, but the UPS boxes are a bit more rigid with thicker sides.

PE

Having done a little more research on the U-Haul website, they have moving boxes and shipping boxes. I suspect the latter to be thicker and stronger like the UPS ones.

Thanks,
Ron

ac12 · Jul 7, 2015

The problem your cousin will face is packing the box. He won't have the formed styrofoam pieces to stabilize the parts. And I have found out, the hard way, that heavy parts are really difficult to stabilize in a box with a bunch of other stuff. So if there are any HEAVY parts, they should be packed separately in their own box.

If I had seen that enlarger before you, I might have bought it.

bdial · Jul 7, 2015

My favorite for large boxes for awkward loads is bicycle boxes. They are generally available for free from about any bike shop. They are very sturdy, usually 3 layer cardboard and easily adapted.

Last time I shipped an enlarger I put the baseboard in a separate box so that it's mass was isolated from the column/head assembly.

shoot6x7 · Jul 7, 2015

ac12 said:
The problem your cousin will face is packing the box. He won't have the formed styrofoam pieces to stabilize the parts. And I have found out, the hard way, that heavy parts are really difficult to stabilize in a box with a bunch of other stuff. So if there are any HEAVY parts, they should be packed separately in their own box.

If I had seen that enlarger before you, I might have bought it.

LOL, that's why you need to keep potential purchases on the down low in case someone local sees it ;-)

I'm asking my cousin to wrap the head and other pieces in three layers of the big-bubble wrap and then put them in their own box. It's looking more and more like a three box shipment.

Photo Engineer · Jul 7, 2015

UPS has a packing service and they also have styrofoam sheets and "beads" for filler.

Having shipped a lot of stuff around while teaching workshops, I can say that UPS has a great service for packing and shipping. Of course, U-Haul is good for do it yourself.

PE

Stephen Prunier · Jul 7, 2015

I use a local mail, packing and ship franchise. I think the UPS Store is like it too. I make furniture and I just bring the finished piece, (usually small) to them. They take it, measure it, weigh it, pack it, and ship it. They give me the prices for the 3 major shippers, and I get to chose which one I want. I've had no issues, and my customers have never had an issue that I know of. You get the tracking info too.

gorbas · Jul 8, 2015

As usual, after your M805 arrives from CA, you will plenty of ads for them all at driving distance from you! )
That original packaging is brilliant. So efficiently done!

Shipping of an Enlarger- Packaging Supplies

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