Thoughts on Sending a Sextant by Courier/Post

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Slowboat35

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I've just sold a nice Freiberger sextant in its wooden box and the purchaser wants it posted. My instinct is 'no way' due to the risk of brutal treatment damaging it.
Am I overthinkiing this?
 
If you could fill the Sextant box itself with something like Bubble wrap, to prevent the instrument moving about, I would think the wooden box would withstand a bit of rough treatment, if you then wrapped that in the normal way.
Local Post Office sells bubble wrap (expensive there) and various approved cardboard boxes.
 
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A decent sextant case should have a bar that crosses the handle to lock it in place inside the box. Placing foam under that bar to press handle down - screw lock the bar so sextant is locked in position.
Soft sponge foam around sextant ... then box into Postal box with that airpouch protection round.
 
I had my Tamaya posted to me - the sender filled the case around the sextant with foam plastic and then provided a cardboard box with further packing to hold the case. The sextant arrived in good order.
 
I have had dozens of items sent by courier, from GB to NI and onwards to Cork, including but not limited to a fridge, radar, sextant, and a navtex with built in printer. Never had any damage.

Pack it in the box and then pack the box in a suitable sized cardboard box which is a tight fit, then put this into a larger box with some packing in between...tape it up well and send it off..
 
Note a most stuff sent by the post office is not covered for loss, you'll be lucky if they give you a few stamps for its loss or damage..
 
My sextant came from a reputable London retailer and was posted to Shetland in its wood case, (around 1975). When it arrived it looked as if it had received a heavy blow on the corner of the lid, sufficient to move the lid and damage one of the mirror frames. A replacement was sent direct from the manufacturer and arrived undamaged.
I would suggest both internal and strong external packaging. Once it is in a mail sack no one can see the "Fragile, with care" labels. From my student days experience as a seasonal Royal Mail worker mail sacks were thrown, dropped, and trampled on.
 
srm said:
My sextant came from a reputable London retailer and was posted to Shetland in its wood case, (around 1975). When it arrived it looked as if it had received a heavy blow on the corner of the lid, sufficient to move the lid and damage one of the mirror frames. A replacement was sent direct from the manufacturer and arrived undamaged.
I would suggest both internal and strong external packaging. Once it is in a mail sack no one can see the "Fragile, with care" labels. From my student days experience as a seasonal Royal Mail worker mail sacks were thrown, dropped, and trampled on.
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In my early days at sea - some of us had our own sextants we carried with us when travelling to / from ship. Quite often they would be in their case, in a suitcase and checked in. Some airlines actually had had an extra allowance added to the Marine Ticket allocation - Sextant Box as extra to cabin allowance,

Marine Ticket - a ticket that can only be issued to a Mariner with confirmed Ships Name / Joining / Leaving instructions. It is a g'teed seat. A Marine Ticket issue cannot be 'bumped off a flight' .... in fact it even goes further - in the event of overbooking - boarding pass can be taken from a non Marine Ticket passenger and given to the Marine Ticket holder ... this has happened for me and I was totally embarrassed .. and apologised to the guy.
I also told the Ground Girl that she was out of order taking the pass and handing it to me while guy was still there ...
 
Refueler said:
Insu

Insure it .....
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That doesn't stop it from being damaged, which is the objective.

I've seen musical instruments, computers etc. deliberately dropped off the back of trucks, 1.5m free fall to the road. I wouldn't trust any third-party service.
 
penberth3 said:
That doesn't stop it from being damaged, which is the objective.

I've seen musical instruments, computers etc. deliberately dropped off the back of trucks, 1.5m free fall to the road. I wouldn't trust any third-party service.
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Whats that old saying :

Better be Insured and Not Need It
than
Not Insured and Need IT
 
I think there are two things:

1. Secure the sextant in its clamp in the box (note that I have (for good reasons!) two C. Plath sextants and they secure in their boxes in different ways - one clips and locks rigidly in place and the other has a wooden turnbuckle which could shake loose.

2. Wrap something shock absorbing round the box, and protect the corners
 
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