Best Practices for mailing rocks?
Mar 19, 2019 16:51:42 GMT -5
RWA3006, rockpickerforever, and 3 more like this
Post by aDave on Mar 19, 2019 16:51:42 GMT -5
Susan Bluesky78987 , here's what I use and do for double-boxing. I'm sure this isn't the only way to accomplish the end result, but this has worked well for me. It's a bit tedious, but I think it's worth it at the end of the day. I'm only going to focus on the boxes. Padding and other internal materials can be done in a manner most feasible to you.
Here's what is needed: 2 MFRB's, Heavy Duty (clear) packing tape, Heavy Duty (Mesh) strapping tape, and a utility knife. Brand of tape is probably not important, but 3M tape can be purchased with the plastic cutter on the roll.
Start by sealing up one portion of each box. For your outer box, make sure the portion that is taped up is the top of the box where the label will go. Make sure the flaps are nicely lined up and they are taped down tightly. This prevents bulging which might keep the Postal Service from accepting the parcel. For the internal box, it makes no difference which end is taped. In the photo below, the box on the left is going to be the external box.
To make inserting the internal box easier, pinch all four corners on it. This effectively makes the internal box a bit smaller which reduces the chances of the external box being torn or damaged while the internal box is being inserted.
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Then, flip over your external box and insert the internal box until it can go no farther. When you are finished with this step, the internal box will be sitting higher than the external box. The edges will not be flush.
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Because the internal box sits higher (which would make proper sealing of the outer box difficult), this is where the utility knife comes into play. With the knife, I score the outer surfaces of the inner box at a level lower than the flaps of the external box. Doing so allows me to create a new seam where the flaps of the internal box can be folded down at a level where the flaps of the external box can be "cleanly" sealed up.
Now you can load your box(es) with material as you see fit.
When the box is loaded up, simply fold the flaps of the internal box making sure you are folding along the scored line you created with the knife. When you're done with this step, it should look like this.
At this point, seal up the remainder of the box as you normally would for mailing. I tend to just use the packing tape on the flap seams to close up the boxes, but you can use it where you like. Done properly, your double-box should look like a good ole normal MFRB.
The last step is to use the strapping tape to reinforce across all planes of the external box. Here, I've used duct tape to demonstrate, as I have plenty of that - not so much of the strapping tape.
Having the tape pass close to the corners helps prevent blowout.
That's about it. Label on the top as you normally would and send your package on its way. Hope this helps some.
Here's what is needed: 2 MFRB's, Heavy Duty (clear) packing tape, Heavy Duty (Mesh) strapping tape, and a utility knife. Brand of tape is probably not important, but 3M tape can be purchased with the plastic cutter on the roll.
Start by sealing up one portion of each box. For your outer box, make sure the portion that is taped up is the top of the box where the label will go. Make sure the flaps are nicely lined up and they are taped down tightly. This prevents bulging which might keep the Postal Service from accepting the parcel. For the internal box, it makes no difference which end is taped. In the photo below, the box on the left is going to be the external box.
To make inserting the internal box easier, pinch all four corners on it. This effectively makes the internal box a bit smaller which reduces the chances of the external box being torn or damaged while the internal box is being inserted.
[/url]
Then, flip over your external box and insert the internal box until it can go no farther. When you are finished with this step, the internal box will be sitting higher than the external box. The edges will not be flush.
[/a]
Because the internal box sits higher (which would make proper sealing of the outer box difficult), this is where the utility knife comes into play. With the knife, I score the outer surfaces of the inner box at a level lower than the flaps of the external box. Doing so allows me to create a new seam where the flaps of the internal box can be folded down at a level where the flaps of the external box can be "cleanly" sealed up.
Now you can load your box(es) with material as you see fit.
When the box is loaded up, simply fold the flaps of the internal box making sure you are folding along the scored line you created with the knife. When you're done with this step, it should look like this.
At this point, seal up the remainder of the box as you normally would for mailing. I tend to just use the packing tape on the flap seams to close up the boxes, but you can use it where you like. Done properly, your double-box should look like a good ole normal MFRB.
The last step is to use the strapping tape to reinforce across all planes of the external box. Here, I've used duct tape to demonstrate, as I have plenty of that - not so much of the strapping tape.
Having the tape pass close to the corners helps prevent blowout.
That's about it. Label on the top as you normally would and send your package on its way. Hope this helps some.