Bert's got the right idea about shapes but there's a few other comments I could make, even taking into account his "Image a small airport with just twenty gates." Sigh. My local airport has only one gate and no conveyors, but I do have to send fragile things both interstate and internationally. Australia Post sells a series of packaging shapes, one of which is a long cylinder best used for rolled maps. I use a length of PVC drain pipe (100 mm 'sewer' or 90mm 'grey water') for long & narrow fragiles (similar to bows), as these sizes have screw-on end caps with O-rings that properly seal the contents. On the only occasion I've had to send something fragile that was thin but wide in the other two dimensions (Aboriginal bark paintings) I got a couple of bakers' delivery breadcrates (lightweight but strong and with limited flexibility) and cut their sides down. Using some fencing wire as hinges (and fastening clips) for the two 'clamshells' the whole shebang worked a treat. Perhaps its daggyness protected it from the abuse usually directed at the unusual but it seemed to cope with conveyor belts rather well, as it was similar in size and shape to other baggage. And it only cost me some elbow grease. You could easily fir the 90mm PVC pipe into such a contraption. Cheers, Rowan
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