The below information is from the Globe Book used as a reference guide:
It's a loss to the hobby to have even a single globe broken and yet we hear about this happening all too often. First of all, plan to double box the globe. This is a must! The outer box should be large, at least 20 cubic inches. We can't stress this enough. Most damaged globes are shipped in smaller FLAT boxes. Don't use these-- use larger square/cube boxes. Allow at least five to six inches around all sides, top and bottom of the globe for the first box. Styrofoam peanuts are great because they do the job and are light in weight. Once the globe is boxed, place the box in a second larger box. Allow at least four to six inches or more between the smaller box and the larger box. If your first box is 10 cubic inches then the second box should be at least 24 to 26 cubic inches. Again, use Styrofoam peanuts or other packing material. Newspaper works well when other packing material is not available, but it gets heavy. Make sure to line the bottom of each box with at least four inches of soft padding. Place a few loose sheets of cardboard across the top of the inner box for extra protection.When packing a glass body globe with glass inserts, remove the inserts! Otherwise, you run the risk of damaging the inserts due to vibrations in transport, which can cause them to break...Place thing bubble pack, or , if not available, several sheets of newspaper (six to ten) between separately in another area of the box. That way, during shipping it won't bump and break the inserts. By the way, never stack more than six to eight inserts on top of each other when shipping and even when simply storing. The weight alone could break or crack the bottom insert. When packing plastic body globes with glass inserts, either ship them assembled or take them apart before packing. We’ve done it both ways with no problem. But when shipping a fully assembled globe, make sure that the three screws on the plastic body are screwed tight. Stuff the inside of the globe with crumpled newspaper only, not packing peanuts. Metal frame globes with glass inserts should be taken apart. Again, loose inserts and a metal body make a bad combination. If the inserts are very tight or hard to remove, pack them well but make sure the inserts are snug. Place the metal frame globe inserts in a small box placed inside of a bigger box, with the metal body on top. This adds protection on the upper portion of the box in case it is hit from above or something heavy rests on it. Metal bodies are nearly indestructible.On rare or expensive globes it is best to use overnight delivery services such as Federal Express. It's not worth taking chances on breakage and although it's more costly you're rather not see your globe arrive in "kit" form. Avoid shipping a globe during the extremely cold weather. Globes are more brittle then and break more easily, even plastic globes.
We've heard pros and cons on marking your box as "Fragile" or "Glass". Ours go out unmarked and we rarely have a problem. Don't forget to insure your globe and hope that it arrives in one piece!
Last edited by 1937 GMC; Thu Mar 06 2014 06:48 PM.
