Couple moving questions.

jake-owa · #1 10-11-2003

I finally setup in my studio, all the analog stuff is wired and sounding good. I am finally complete, now it's time to move.

Questions:
1. My rack stuff; should I box every peice of gear up and ship the container seperately or should I leave the stuff in the rack and try to secure the back of the units so they don't get bent around? I was thinking about styrofoam between the units.

2. Foam adhesive; I scraped all the foam off my walls and need to get the 3M adhesive residue (and some foam debris) off the walls and closet doors. Does anyone know which solvent works best for this stuff?

3. Shipping very heavy fragile stuff; have any of you ever shipped a large format console or tape machine before? What is the best way to secure the tape machine and what needs to be done to prepare it for travel? What is the best method of shipping with cost in mind?

Anyone move their studio recently? I need some pointers, thanks.

c7sus · #2 10-11-2003

Goof-off will take care of the adhesive. But it will take paint off too.

I cleaned double-sided tape off a polyurethane-coated door and the finish held up nicely.

On drywall it took paint off down to primer.

jake-owa · #3 10-11-2003

Tried that and denatured alcohol, no luck. It gets only slightly gooey. I might just have to scrape the wall (concrete) with a carbide scraper and re-texture it.

I'm worried about the tape machine, if I rig it up inside a container will it be totally out of whack by the time it gets to Portland from Honolulu?

knightfly · #4 10-12-2003

Not sure on the wall thing, you're probably right on the scraper though -

Rack gear - build a plywood crate (3/8", with 1x4 frames has worked well for me) that will allow the racks to lay down, with the faces of the gear UP. Use some of the foam you scraped off, enough so that it will still be at least 1" thick when compressed by the weight of the rack, lay the rack in the case on the foam (faces of gear UP) - then surround the rack with at least 2-4 inches of styrofoam (bubble wrap inside that wouldn't hurt)

Put a couple layers of bubble wrap (large bubble kind) over the faces of the rack gear, then at least 2" of styrofoam, fill any cracks so things can't shift side to side, ditto the top, then fasten the top (screws, not nails) - you should be good to go. Get some of the stickers (maybe UPS?) that say, "Delicate Electronic Equipment - Please handle with CARE" - If you can't FIND these, make your own, NEATLY, and don't forget the PLEASE - it's amazing the difference that can make in people's attitude toward your box.

Not sure which deck you have, but most will travel fine if done the same way. Most analog decks travel best laid flat on their backs, with the reels removed (duh) and the front face UP. This suspends the heavy reel and capstan motors evenly by their mounting screws. If you by any chance still have ALL the factory packing, put it back in its own box first and THEN build a plywood box like the one above. Leave room for 2-3" around the factory box, and fill with foam (all 6 sides) to prevent shifting, and to act as an additional pad.

I moved all my gear back to the mainland from Oahu umpteen years ago, it had to go by boat freight, and this method worked perfect. Not so much as a dis-lodged plug-in card... Steve

jake-owa · #5 10-12-2003

I don't know if laying it on it's back is a good idea.

formerlyfzfile · #6 10-12-2003

...would you want to move to Portland from Honolulu??

-mike

formerlyfzfile · #7 10-12-2003

...you might want to contract a professional moving or shipping company to assist you in this operation.

You have a lot of nice delicate equipment and though it would be expensive, no doubt, to hire somebody, it would probably be a worthwile investment.

And it would probably mean the stuff was insured in some way.

-mike

knightfly · #8 10-13-2003

You're right, that deck should NOT be laid on its back to move, it's already in the best position. Are the card racks supported in the rear? If so, a good crate, lots of padding, and it's ready to go. For that solid a deck, I'd go with 3/4" ply and 2x4 frames. You can always use the case as a work bench after... :=)

And Mike is right, if you can possibly afford it get a specialty mover that does electronic gear on a regular basis - they pack it, move it, etc, and it's insured in case of problems.

You'll only be about 90 minutes from me if you move to Portland - Maybe we can work a painting deal when I get that far on my studio... Steve

jake-owa · #9 10-13-2003

Sounds good Steve, looking forward to it!

What do you guys think about making a plywood cover for it? It has wheels and I could secure it in a shipping container. I will likely have to go the cheapest possible route so I will be packing my own crate. I can secure it to the crate and make a cover that fastens to the caster gaurds. Is it bad to have it on it's wheels?

How rough does a shipping crate get handled? Anyone do this for a living?

The Ghost of FM · #10 10-13-2003

Quote:

How rough does a shipping crate get handled? Anyone do this for a living?

I have a home theater store here in Toronto and we deliver big screen TV's all the time so I have a little bit of insight as to how large heavy boxes are handled. In a word; SHIT.

200 to 300 pound boxes get handled pretty roughly in the shipping industry. We often receive merchandise who's boxes look like then went through a war by the time they get to our store so, I would suggest that you prepare your gear for the worst case scenario and pack it well.

For the ATR60-16, a wooden crate would be a good idea. It would help if all the sides of the recorder were padded by 4 inches of styrofoam on all sides if you are going to ship it in one piece and don't worry about the wheels. Just cut out the foam to fit around the wheels.

Another method that is better would be to place a heavy duty bag over the entire machine, suck all the air out of the bag and then blow some injection foam into the crate with the deck wheeled into it standing up, leaving at least 4 inches on all sides and 8 inches on top. Put a 4 inch Styrofoam spacer at the top of the crate before the mold injection is done and after the foam hardens, pull out the top spacer and put that on the bottom of the crate to support the underside of the machine. You will have to lay the machine on its back in the crate to slide it up to the top to make room for the bottom piece of Styrofoam. I hope I described this clearly enough to get a picture in your mind about what I am talking about.

Probably the best and safest way though would be to disassemble the machine and pack each section separately as it came from the factory this way in components and designed to be put together on site.

The ATR60-16 is a top heavy beast in its assembled state and would be difficult to handle for a shipping company as they like the ability to put a crate in any position that suits the moment and rarely pay attention to signs that say FRAGILE or THIS WAY UP. Trust me on that one!

Good luck with the move!

Cheers!

knightfly · #11 10-14-2003

Ghost is obviously experienced in this and I wouldn't disagree with anything he said.

One thing that might help if you build a crate similar to Ghost's first suggestion: build onto a STURDY pallet that will offer OBVIOUS places for fork lift forks - that should make it more likely that it will stay right side up - then, pack it internally so that you DON'T CARE which side's up, and you're set... Steve

jake-owa · #12 10-26-2003

The thing that takes off 3M spray adhesive with Auralex residue is laquer thinner. You can find it at paint supply and hardware stores.

Cuts it like butter but remember to wear a vapor respirator or say bye bye to your brain.

Here's my two closet doors for a before and after, 20 min elapsed.

jake-owa · #13 10-26-2003

Or rather, after and before..whatever.

subtractor · #14 10-26-2003

Your fucked dude... People are gonna be kicking your precious gear around like a bunch of giant square hackeysacks...

jake-owa · #15 10-26-2003

Quote:

Originally posted by subtractor
Your fucked dude... People are gonna be kicking your precious gear around like a bunch of giant square hackeysacks...

Not true, I am loading a couple large crates inside a 20 foot container. And sealing them until they arrive by truck at my destination. I worry about the boatride the most.

subtractor · #16 10-26-2003

OK, a 20 ft. hackeysack...
I'd wory about the on and off loads more than the boatride.
Just pack it all tight and use comon sense.

teknomike · #17 10-26-2003

Are you packing the crates yourself ?

If so, line the inside with heavy poly to avoid at least some mositure.

Every 2 - 4 years most of my shit gets moved around the world, and I have yet to lose anything substantial (rack gear, amps, guitars, have all made it fine). When I see the crates get opened at my destination, the insides are lined with plastic, and the stuff is packed tighter than a nun's ... purse.

Now, I rely on professionals to do this for me. And it's insured.
I've lost more goods in long term storage than I have being shipped around the globe (a $40,000 claim due to water damage in storage - the f$%^ers never even told me until 3 years later when I returned home - they threw it all away).

Good luch with the move, though. And at least you're thinking about it - I know lots of people that just throw stuff in boxes, and wonder why it gets broken ...

jake-owa · #18 10-27-2003

I can't actually pack it myself, they can only provide insurance if they do the packing.

Thanks for the plastic tip though.

Son of Mixerman · #19 10-27-2003

I just paid about $440 to have an ATR60/16 crated and shipped from Chicago... I thought it best to have the shipping company crate it since they probably won't want to buy the recorder because of shoddy packing on their part. Thet break it they buy it. I also had the seller photo graph the recorders condition prior to it shipping so I won't get a "different" recorder if oyu know what I mean.

SoMm

Michael Jones · #20 10-27-2003

Damn Jake!
That's your tape machine!
Very cool.

You sure you don't want to move to Austin?
Nick and I are here. And I know of a nice studio that'll store that tape machine for you until you're moved in and settled.

jake-owa · #21 10-27-2003

No Michael, that is not my actual machine. Mine is the exact same though. I would have no problem moving to Texas but I am already set up in Portland. I need a place to store and use my stuff...good luck right? I will be looking for a rehersal space that will let me use a room to add services to their business. If not that then my dad knows a guy with a big basement and seperate entrance I can use.
My stuf ships out on Wendsday and I fly out the 10th.

Here goes everything.

Son of Mixerman · #22 10-28-2003

Quote:

Originally posted by jake-owa
Mine is the exact same though.

I hope not... there are some pieces up yonder that seems to be a missin?

SoMm

TexRoadkill · #23 10-28-2003

My Ghost was shipped cross country in a large cardboard box with no problems. The meter bridge and power supply were shipped in seperate boxes. The console was packaged with thick styro around the edges and some on top/bottom to protect from crushing. The gaps were filled with stryo peanuts.

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