Tips and Advice Needed: How to Package Knives for Shipping

Can those of you who have shipped knives through the mail offer any tips/advice for how best to package them safely/securely?

I am planning on sending a knife or two out and there will be a return trip involved, so would like to make sure they get there in one piece and are easy (enough) to return the same way.

I tried to search for a thread like this here (I feel like I have seen one), but came up empty.

Thanks!

-Johnny

I often tape my blades (not the handle) to a piece of wood and then wrap it however you like. The tip is really the only thing that ever gets damaged, in my experience and this is the best simple and inexpensive way to protect it, as far as I know.

That sounds like a good idea, thanks TK.

Just to be clear, you select a piece of wood that is just longer and wider than the blade of the knife being shipped, not one that runs the full length of the knife, right?

And then you just put it in a sturdy box filled with newspaper?

Yup. If you don't want your handle to get grubby from the newspaper, you might want to wrap that with something else. Sometimes the ink, dust, etc from the newspaper transfers. It can be noticeable on lighter colored handles, esp.

Genius.

Thanks TK.

Johnny.B.Good said:

Genius.

Thanks TK.

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No problem. I can't take credit for the idea though. I know there are others that use the same method probably longer that I have. Cheers.

I just had the Catcheside passaround, and it was wrapped in newspaper in a shipping tube. It worked well and was nicely compact.

The best one that I had shipped had several layers of cardboard on each side of the blade with tape holding it together (not touching the knife) and then bubble wrapped around the whole knife and then had another layer of cardboard around the whole knife and then surrounded that in newspaper in a larger box.

I wrap the blade in newspaper and bubble wrap and put a good sized piece of styrofoam on the tip. Using a tube with newspaper stuffing is what I prefer for the final wrap but you could also do a box with newspaper filling.

I stick a wine cork on the tip and then wrap it as I would any fragile item.

I always try to get a blade guard when possible, then bubblewrap the hell out of it. Tape the bubble wrap, and put bubble wrap around the bubble wrap in the box until it doesn't move much, if at all. It would take a serious drop to even move the box. BTW, I always save boxes and bubble wrap when I order things, then just reuse when I can. I also bought a huge roll for $15 two years ago, and have hardly made a dent in it. Sold about 6 knives and other stuff in that time.

The TK method. It's the simplest, cheapest, easiest, most secure and works on any knife.



You can wrap the handle in bubble wrap or a paper towel if you like. Then I wrap the whole thing with a giant roll of plastic wrap. You could basically put a label on it just like that and it would get wherever just fine. Or you could put it in a box with some newspaper or your packaging material of choice.

Thanks for the pic. Painter's tape is another good call. I'll keep all this in mind when the time comes.

You can buy really good cinnamon sticks, then they are around 50cms and very fragile. They come packed in carton tube. The tube is perfect to fit knife without box but yanagiba with the box and wrapping.

Alternatively in home depot you could buy plastic hydraulics pipe, get diameter you need - maybe you send a cleaver and cut to lingth you need.

In the same store you can buy also the plastic lids, that you can stick on both ends.

I think of it "very secure". The pipe is around 3mm PVC and pretty solid

I just used that because I had it handy. Packaging tape also works well. But those are the only two types of tape I would really consider using. If you dont like the person that much I suppose you could wrap it in gorilla or duct tape the entire length of the blade with many different pieces. That would be fun to take apart and clean up after.

I use a combination of a lot of these methods...heavy mailing tube, cork the tip, bubble wrap, duct tape. Haven't had a failure yet.

I like the idea of the wood and a mailing tube stuffed with bubble wrap or newspaper. That would be about as secure and compact as you could get. The only problem with the plastic pipe is the added weight of the package, I think.

Johnny.B.Good said:

Can those of you who have shipped knives through the mail offer any tips/advice for how best to package them safely/securely?

I am planning on sending a knife or two out and there will be a return trip involved, so would like to make sure they get there in one piece and are easy (enough) to return the same way.

I tried to search for a thread like this here (I feel like I have seen one), but came up empty.

Thanks!

-Johnny

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I'm curious about your reaction to how the Shigefusa was packaged.

Rick

I'll let you know when I see the package, which should be waiting on my doorstep when I arrive home this evening.

Rick,

You did a good job with the Carter Funy you sent me. :doublethumbsup:

DeepCSweede said:

Rick,

You did a good job with the Carter Funy you sent me. :doublethumbsup:

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Thanks, and I hope you're enjoying it.

Rick

Pensacola Tiger said:

I'm curious about your reaction to how the Shigefusa was packaged.

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It arrived safe and sound this afternoon Rick. I am holding it in my hands right now for the first time. Packaging was great. I can't wrap Christmas presents as neatly as you wrapped the box with newsprint. Box is the perfect size too. Thank you!

-Johnny

Johnny.B.Good said:

It arrived safe and sound this afternoon Rick. I am holding it in my hands right now for the first time. Packaging was great. I can't wrap Christmas presents as neatly as you wrapped the box with newsprint. Box is the perfect size too. Thank you!

-Johnny

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Johnny,

I'm glad you're pleased. Enjoy it and use it well.

Rick

I used to get knives from Japan and some would come with broken tips, so I requested that they put knives in cardboard sleeves. Tip damage was reduced significantly.

It's very easy to make a sleeve. Cut a rectangular cardboard - slightly longer and wider (times 2) than a blade. Bend it in half, and put a blade in, edge toward the bend. Slide the blade all the way so a handle rests against a cardboard, fold the cardboard up tape it tight. For added protection, you can put a knife with a cardboard sleeve into a knife box, or reinforce a tip area of a sleeve with another piece of folded cardboard. Then put some bubble wrap over it and it is ready to be put into a box.

No in-box packaging (knife boxes) will give you 100% protection, unless you use one of those tubular tip protectors.

Another method is to tape a knife to a harder object, like a piece of wood. However, putting a tape on a carbon knife (even a blue masking tape), might discolor or even rust a blade. Have seen it on more than one occasion, so perhaps taping over a rust inhibiting paper sleeve is a better idea.


M



.

Just an observation...natural cork tip protection can promote rust. Synthetic corks are the way to go.

ecchef said:

Just an observation...natural cork tip protection can promote rust. Synthetic corks are the way to go.

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Last month I had a very expensive looking honyaki gyuto come in with a natural cork on it's tip and when I removed it the knife was rusted & pitted significantly in the exact area being protected. This damage happened in just the short trip from the owner's home to my shop.