Moving my Telescope

[Messenger]

I have a 10" Schmidt-Newtonian telescope. And I am moving, 1,500 miles. How do I get my scope from here to there in one piece?

Do I pack it myself (if so, how and in what?) and pray, or do I hire another company (with an insurance policy) to move it?

Anybody else ever had to do this?

[Maksutov]

I have a 10" Schmidt-Newtonian telescope. And I am moving, 1,500 miles. How do I get my scope from here to there in one piece?

Do I pack it myself (if so, how and in what?) and pray, or do I hire another company (with an insurance policy) to move it?

Anybody else ever had to do this?
How are you getting to your new location? If you're driving then pack it appropriately and give it a place of honor in the back seat. Make sure it's strapped in.

Never trust a moving company with anything really valuable (especially that can't be replaced) unless the item is too bulky for you to handle.

[Melusine]

I'ved moved fragile things over 6,000 miles of road time, and I learned from the local good movers to wrap TVs and other big fragile objects in those blue blankets that Ryder and UHaul have. When we packed the trucks ourselves, we did the same thing and situated the couch against the truck wall, and put all the fragile objects wrapped like mummies on the couch. If you're taking your car, I'd do as Mak said; swaddle it in blanket(s) and use the seatbelts, too. Surround your fragile stuff with all your pillows, so when you hit bumps or potholes there's some bounce. One time I didn't do this with a painting in my car, and it broke. In 6,000 miles, nothing broke.

I wouldn't trust long-range movers either--I've heard the horror stories. However, if you do it yourself with a truck, and plan to stop overnight somewhere at a motel, make sure to buy a good lock for the back door of said truck, and I also had a whaddayacallit steering wheel lock thingy. People have had their UHauls with all their worldly possessions stolen from motel parking lots, so just be reasonably paranoid. :)

[Andromeda321]

I know there are a few comanies that offer special containers to pack telescopes in where you basically get a foam lining for the scope and it goes in a suitcase-like box. They have ads in Sky&Telescope quite often, so take a look at a few issues in case no one here happens to remember the name of one.

[01101001]

I've heard of foam-in-place packaging and the do-it-yourself version -- with plastic bags/sheets and spray-can insulating foam, or binary liquid mixtures -- is something I've wanted to try the next time I move or send something fragile. I googled a little and found some how-tos and advice. Maybe styrofoam peanuts and double-boxing (especially with a wooden box) are safer and cheaper, but less fun. One good thing about foam-in-place is that it seems quick and clean to unpack and easy to reuse. It's still worth considering.

I guess with that nice equipment, I'd consult a professional packer. They know lots of tricks, and experience counts.

[Messenger]

Thanks for the responses; they are much appreciated. Here's why I'm a little freaked out: The company that was shipping the scope to me broke two of them before I actually got one intact. You'd think people who sell them could figure out how to ship them. Mind you, it was coming from California. There is pretty much no chance it will survive the trip in my car, because my car is built for speed, not comfort (when I hit a pothole, the buttons fly off the dashboard array). So the car's out. We will be renting a truck; possibly it will have better suspension, so the scope can ride up front, securely packed.

I'm definitely going to check out spray insulating foam. The scope is pretty big, though; I'm thinking I'd better be doing this in a well-ventilated area. :wink: And double-boxing, definitely. Maybe I can find a local company that can sell me a wooden box to use as an outer shell; so I would have the scope, bagged, and then the foam, an inner shell (cardboard), then more insulating material -- foam peanuts, probably -- then bubble wrap, then the wooden outer shell. (And then big springs!! Yeah!!)

Look, if they can ship ancient artefacts...hey, there's an idea...I could call a museum...

Yeah, I'm overthinking. And I'm okay with that. :D

[frogesque]

When I was in industry we shipped parts (specialised high alumia ceramic)world wide with few returns. The type of ceramic is extremely brittle and prone to chipping.

First protection was a poly bag (to keep parts clean). This was followed by a double layer of bubble wrap. A carboard box was then part filled with styrofoam S 'squiggles' The wrapped part then placed in the box and the spaces surrounding it filled with squiggles and the lid closed with tape. Depending on the part weight and destination the cardboard box would then be placed inside a wooden crate with more squiggles and the lid screwed down. We normally used standard carriers like TNT. One extremely valuable part (fully ground all over and platinum metalised) need to go from our factory in Ireland to the main plant in Scotland and I transported it fully crated strapped in on the back seat of my car with no problems (this included a ferry journey).

I know it would be a hassle to dismantle the scope and rebuild it on arrival but would it be possible to remove the mirror cell and other optics and pack separately from the tube and mounting? My own feeling is this would be safer.

Regarding wooden boxes, providing they are not going to be thrown around or get wet, chip board is a lot cheaper and does absorb vibration and limited impact better than pine or plywood, (it's like the crumple zone on your car). Most joiners should be able to knock up a box for you if you're not inclined to do it yourself.

[Maksutov]

[edit]I know it would be a hassle to dismantle the scope and rebuild it on arrival but would it be possible to remove the mirror cell and other optics and pack separately from the tube and mounting? My own feeling is this would be safer...
For one move that's what I did with the mirror for my 8" Newtonian. That I had ground, polished, and figured that mirror from some Edmund Scientific Pyrex back in 1962 was a factor in assuring that it wasn't damaged or lost.