Shipping lead

[semtav]

I've ordered quite a bit of lead lately and it was all shipped in the USPS flat rate boxes. Those boxes are a joke. People think they can dump 60 lbs of loose lead in them and they will arrive safely. ___They Wont.
At best they will arrived looking like a miniture stuffed pillow. At worst, they will come full of holes and leaking lead.

Please take the time to put the lead in a heavy plastic sack, in a heavy inner box in the Flat rate box. And then tape every corner.

then and only then will your package have a slim chance of arriving with all the lead in it , actually looking like a package.

(done ranting, thanks)

[Bullshop]

Thanks for the rant!!!
Someone needed to point out the obvious to those that as of yet have not experienced shipping lead.
BIC/BS

[cheese1566]

I've trading with lead and found water softener plastic bags to be heavy enough. Wrap them up tight and stay around 25-30 pounds max. Take up extra space with good paper packing to keep the insides from moving around.
Anything heavier should go into a plywood box made to fit inside a USPS flat rate box. Then I go up to 55-60 pounds max. USPS says a 70 pound limit, but it needs to be done securely. Just because it fits the box, doesn't mean the box will hold.

My two cents.

[sheepdog]

I've put 70 lbs of muffin ingots in the $10.95 box and it was fine. now I ran tape along the upper and lower borders of the box but it didnt leak one bit. I'm pretty sure when they started this shipping a box 95% filled with lead was not something that expected.

[sargenv]

But you have to wonder then if they said you could put anything into the box up to 70 pounds, well, lead is about the only thing (besides Gold, Silver, and a few other choice metals) that could weigh that much in a box of those sizes.. We didn't make the rules, they did..

I've received boxes in different configurations. WW's placed in the box after the sender had reinforced the inside of the box with duct tape, people making the wooden box within the cardboard box, people wrapping the heck out of ingots with plastic wrapping (I had 8 - 8 pound 92-6-2 ingots done this way) and then I've also had people use thick what appear to be 3-6 mil plastic bags contained within a very nicely taped medium flat rate box. I don't think I have ever had a box breached by the contents..

[southpaw]

Tape up 2 flat rate boxes real well (use clear tape atleast on the outside box) and put one inside the other. Fill with lead and the rest of the space with newspaper. Tape it shut real well and send it on its way. Haven't had any problems doing it this way, knock on wood.

Putting the lead in a plastic bag and taping them together wouldn't hurt either.

Jerry Jr.

[angus6]

people wrapping the heck out of ingots with plastic wrapping (I had 8 - 8 pound 92-6-2 ingots done this way)

Mike & I shipped almost 10,000# that why and never had a complaint , also helps to double box , heck the boxes are free

[grages]

The PO has a Tyvek envelope that is incredibly strong and free of course. If you put the lead in 2 or three of these and tape them well even if the box gets a whole the lead stays together.

This is not a paper or cardboard envelope, it is a DuPont material used as house sheathing. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tyvek


https://shop.usps.com/wcsstore/ExtendedSitesCatalogAssetStore/upload/images/ep14_f.jpg

https://shop.usps.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10001&storeId=10052&productId=10000273&langId=-1&parent_category_rn=10000002&top_category=10000002&categoryId=10000033&top=&currentPage=0&sort=&viewAll=Y&rn=CategoriesDisplay&WT.ac=10000273

[Rico1950]

Tyvek, it's tough stuff. We used it in our heavy steel shot loads under the shot, to protect the cup from deformation. Worked really well.

[mooman76]

I know it's strong. I work in a mail room and we have to cut with a rasor blade them to get them open.

[jar-wv]

I've always made a box out of plywood scraps to snug fit in flat rate box. Never had a problem.

jar

[evan price]

I ship a lot of brass shell cases in flat rate boxes and flat rate envelopes- those Tyvek mailers are a perfect liner and they are free, too. I even put my brass in a Tyvek envelope and then put that in the flat rate envelope.

Lately my local post office has been getting complainy about flat-rate envelopes that are pillowed or "pregnant" shaped. They want flat envelopes not thick ones, but the USPS manual calls it a "thick envelope". They also complain when I bring in flat rate boxes with 40# of brass and act like I'm ripping them off.

I always take a single strip of clear plastic tape and seal the flap down below the tear strip on the flat rate envelopes because the adhesive is not very good. They started cracking down on "extra" tape and stuff. So I started just using the APC terminals and bypassing the counter altogether.

Shoot, put 3# of .223 shells in one and send it.

[Adam10mm]

And PLEASE, if it's more than say 20-25lbs write "HEAVY" on the top. We don't want anyone getting hurt while lifting the box thinking it's lighter than what it is. Not all labels have weights listed.

[Shooter6br]

Bought lead from Lead, Bullets and Brass( Sponser) They packed 40 lbs beautifully. Put stryofoam sheets around the lead

[bigboredad]

semtav thanks for the rant I'm just getting ready to ship some of my boolits to a good friend in colorado and your comments reinforced how I thought I should tape up the box this site is amazing you can learn all you need to know with out going through the try and see process

[semtav]

Received another box yesterday from someone on this site who said it would be packaged good. Came in a thin garbage bag in a single box, and leaking like a seive, partial sticky WW to boot.:roll:

thankfully, I've found a cheap local source of WW lead and won't have to do that again.

[Pitmaster]

Duct tape the corners, don't leave stuff loose inside, and remember tape is light.