Where to find the hard white plastic tubes with black on the inside?

[Chop-Top]

I think my all-time favorite tubes are the white plastic ones that have a corrugated outside and a black inside. I don't believe I've ever seen one of these arrive damaged. Where does one find these in bulk?

[Chop-Top]

I guess they are hard to find!

[CSM]

Are they literally made out of PVC piping by chance?

[Chop-Top]

No. I mean not directly. They are a hard plastic but it's more of a molded type plastic. I believe Cinemasterpieces uses them and maybe another vendor. The outside of the tube is a ribbed white hard plastic and the inside is a smooth black plastic. I've never seen one dented. Even hard brown tubes are subjected to water damage.

[Cj]

I think they are PVC Coex Drainage pipes that can be bought at home depot or Lowes.

Cj

[Chop-Top]

I think they are PVC Coex Drainage pipes that can be bought at home depot or Lowes.

Cj

I'll check there, but these seem really fancy for plumbing work.

[Cj]

it was taken right off of Cinemasterpieces site.


● Do not use a flimsy thin walled tube. You should be able to stand on the tube without it bending. Seriously! The U.S. post office, UPS, and FedEx have a nasty habit of crushing industrial strength tubes, so a flimsy one will definitely not survive. Sadly, most shipping tubes found at professional packing supply stores are NOT strong enough. They will tell you they are very strong (remember, they are trying to sell you something!) but 99% of the time they are low quality and will get crushed if you use them. If this is all you can find, then you should use 2 tubes, one with a smaller diameter than the other and put one inside the other. Or, you can place one of these tubes inside a FREE triangular Priority Mail tube for extra protection.
 
● PVC pipe makes a PERFECT shipping tube. If you are a little creative you can make your own from materials at Home Depot. Try and get light weight 3" or 4" diameter pvc COEX drainage pipe. It is cheap, light weight, and strong. Regular pvc pipe works great also but it is heavier and will cost more, and it will cost more to ship it. Cut it to length and buy end caps or you can make your own out of cardboard. IF YOU LIVE IN A COLD CLIMATE WHERE IT IS BELOW FREEZING-DO NOT USE PVC! We have heard that pvc plastic can become brittle and crack/shatter in extremely cold weather. We haven't personally had it happen, but others have told us it is possible. If you live in and are shipping to a climate where it is not cold, then PVC plastic will be fine.
 
● TRIANGULAR PRIORITY MAIL TUBES: DO NOT use just a Triangular Priority Mail Tube alone without putting the poster in another tube first. TRIANGULAR PRIORITY MAIL TUBES ARE NOT STRONG ENOUGH BY THEMSELVES. REPEAT! TRIANGULAR PRIORITY MAIL TUBES ARE NOT STRONG ENOUGH BY THEMSELVES. They are great for extra protection though. Double tubing (placing your regular cardboard shipping tube inside a free triangular priority mail tube) is considered a requirement if you want the poster to stand any chance of surviving undamaged.
 
● For one sheets and other paper posters (not cardboard stock), make sure to roll the poster into approximately a 1 1/2" diameter and then wrap with paper or plastic and fasten it with tape. THE POSTER MUST BE ROLLED INTO A SMALLER DIAMETER THAN THE TUBE SO THERE IS AIR SPACE BETWEEN THE SIDES OF THE POSTER AND THE TUBE. Just placing it in the tube without rolling it into a 1 1/2" diameter and resting up against the inner wall is a bad idea because if the tube gets dinged even a little, then the poster gets completely ruined.

[Chop-Top]

it was taken right off of Cinemasterpieces site.


● Do not use a flimsy thin walled tube. You should be able to stand on the tube without it bending. Seriously! The U.S. post office, UPS, and FedEx have a nasty habit of crushing industrial strength tubes, so a flimsy one will definitely not survive. Sadly, most shipping tubes found at professional packing supply stores are NOT strong enough. They will tell you they are very strong (remember, they are trying to sell you something!) but 99% of the time they are low quality and will get crushed if you use them. If this is all you can find, then you should use 2 tubes, one with a smaller diameter than the other and put one inside the other. Or, you can place one of these tubes inside a FREE triangular Priority Mail tube for extra protection.
 
● PVC pipe makes a PERFECT shipping tube. If you are a little creative you can make your own from materials at Home Depot. Try and get light weight 3" or 4" diameter pvc COEX drainage pipe. It is cheap, light weight, and strong. Regular pvc pipe works great also but it is heavier and will cost more, and it will cost more to ship it. Cut it to length and buy end caps or you can make your own out of cardboard. IF YOU LIVE IN A COLD CLIMATE WHERE IT IS BELOW FREEZING-DO NOT USE PVC! We have heard that pvc plastic can become brittle and crack/shatter in extremely cold weather. We haven't personally had it happen, but others have told us it is possible. If you live in and are shipping to a climate where it is not cold, then PVC plastic will be fine.
 
● TRIANGULAR PRIORITY MAIL TUBES: DO NOT use just a Triangular Priority Mail Tube alone without putting the poster in another tube first. TRIANGULAR PRIORITY MAIL TUBES ARE NOT STRONG ENOUGH BY THEMSELVES. REPEAT! TRIANGULAR PRIORITY MAIL TUBES ARE NOT STRONG ENOUGH BY THEMSELVES. They are great for extra protection though. Double tubing (placing your regular cardboard shipping tube inside a free triangular priority mail tube) is considered a requirement if you want the poster to stand any chance of surviving undamaged.
 
● For one sheets and other paper posters (not cardboard stock), make sure to roll the poster into approximately a 1 1/2" diameter and then wrap with paper or plastic and fasten it with tape. THE POSTER MUST BE ROLLED INTO A SMALLER DIAMETER THAN THE TUBE SO THERE IS AIR SPACE BETWEEN THE SIDES OF THE POSTER AND THE TUBE. Just placing it in the tube without rolling it into a 1 1/2" diameter and resting up against the inner wall is a bad idea because if the tube gets dinged even a little, then the poster gets completely ruined.

Interesting. Thanks.