BARRY'S 8 TRACK REPAIR
| Packing your 8 track machine for maximum protection |
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| Your original car 8 track player is a rare and quite valuable item; in some cases it can add THOUSANDS to the value of your mint condition classic car when properly working. When I receive an item that is not packed well, I repack it better at my own expense to make sure it arrives back to its owner safe and sound. But if it wasn't packed well in the first place, there could be permanent damage to the unit, especially the control shafts which are no longer available. Let's make sure your prized unit stays intact, shall we? |
| Exhibit A - The WRONG way! |
| This is simply asking for trouble. First, there is not nearly enough space around the unit for any type of packing material to offer any padding or protect the control shafts and knobs. This box did have crumpled newspaper around all the sides and top, but if the package was dropped, this heavy monster would plow right through that paper. Even thick foam rubber would do little to save this gem, as there is just not enough room to pack enough stuff in there! As you can see, the rear connector is also right up against the side of the box, and would be crushed if dropped on that side. There is not enough room in the box for the unit to "give" in any direction, and if the box was dropped on its corner, the control shaft and knob on the end would likely be bent and damaged beyond repair. |
| It would have been a little better if the box was a bit larger and more packing material jammed up against the sides, front and controls. BUT - remember that any packing material can transfer the shock directly from the sides of the box to the unit, and still bend the control shafts. What we're really striving for is nothing but OPEN SPACE where the controls are, and a way to keep anything from intruding into that open space. It would be nice to have that same open space in back where the connector is too. Enter the BARRY'S 8 TRACK REPAIR way! |
| Exhibit B - the RIGHT way! |
| Take a thick cardboard box completely apart and lay it out flat as shown. Make sure there is at least 3 inches of extra cardboard beyond anything that extends from the unit such as controls and connectors. |
| Arranging the cardboard so that the corrugations run left to right will make it much easier to make tight turns around the corners. Note: You don't need quite this much extra width, but too much is better than too little. You want to wrap it TIGHT so the unit cannot twist inside its protective cardboard sleeve. |
| Make your first partial "roll", and be sure to TAPE the inner layer securely to the unit. This will prevent the unit from sliding in the sleeve. |
| Keep rolling until you have a good 3 or 4 layers of cardboard around the unit. Notice that there's no way the unit can twist and endanger the controls. When you've finished rolling the unit, tape up the roll tightly and place the whole works into a slightly larger box, with padding or peanuts between the roll and the box ON ALL SIDES! It is best to have NOTHING BUT AIR where the controls are hiding, and if you've taped it tightly when you started the roll, the unit will not be able to slide inside the sleeve. Now if the package is dropped on its corner from waist level (or falls from the UPS plane), the thick cardboard sleeve around the front will protect the controls, shafts and knobs. NOW YOU'RE PROTECTED! |
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