Are there any telescopic carriers in the US of A?

[Eliezer]

BigWhistle UK has these great telescopic carriers for whistles. http://www.bigwhistle.co.uk/shop_results.asp?subcat=15&search=1 (Look at BOTH pages and be sure to tell them what country you are in.)

I have several of both sizes, and I like them a lot. But ordering a few from BigWhistle costs us Yankees about $36.

Does anyone know of a domestic source?

Does anyone know what to call them in order to do a search? (Hint - “telescopic carriers” won’t work.)

[Feadoggie]

@Eliezer

BigWhistle UK has these great telescopic carriers for whistles. http://www.bigwhistle.co.uk/shop_result … 5&search=1 (Look at BOTH pages and be sure to tell them what country you are in.) I have several of both sizes, and I like them a lot. But ordering a few from BigWhistle costs us Yankees about $36. Does anyone know of a domestic source?
Does anyone know what to call them in order to do a search? (Hint - “telescopic carriers” won’t work.)

Yes, these come up as a question regularly. They are made by Rose Plastics. If you have one the name is on the bottom of the tube. The square model is called Quadropak, I think. I’ve priced them in the past and the minimum order at that time was a case lot. We last talked about them here on this thread: https://forums.chiffandfipple.com/t/dixons-neat-little-square-tubes/67258/1 The maker’s URL and suggested item numbers are in one of the posts.

There are other commercial and some DIY alternatives but it sounds like you know what you want. They do once in a great while show up on eBay in the packaging materials section.

Feadoggie

[MTGuru]

The telescoping tubes are intended as carriers for drill bits, and have been “repurposed” for whistles.

See: https://forums.chiffandfipple.com/t/low-whistle-case/59332/31

@Feadoggie

@rance

Those look like the Tony Dixon carriers that his whistles come in. Are the smaller ones available anywhere else?

I believe that the ratcheting plastic whistle boxes MTGuru pointed to are manufactured by Rose Plastics and are part of their Quadro line of shipping containers. They are available through various plastics and shipping materials suppliers throughout the world. They come in a wide variety of sizes and colors. MagicSailor, “You are correct, Sir!”, these are frequently used to ship cutting tools. A couple of the gundrills that I use for whistle/flute making came in them as have many of the router bits I use. I have looked into buying these boxes in small quantities but could only get quotes for large quantities.

[ Crossed with Feadoggie. ]

[system]

I don’t know where to get these in small or individual quantities ( Grainger or McMaster - Carr, if you have the time to sift through their catalogs, would be my best suggestion). Try searching “twist drill plastic tube” - this is what these were originally developed for - packaging drill bits. Unfortunately, most suppliers are located in Asia, and typically these companies have minimum order requirements of 1,000 units - 5,000 units.

At a cost of $36.00, you would be further ahead to go to your local Home Depot and buy auger bits for @$15.00. Use the bit, toss it, sell it on eBay - you’re money ahead regardless…

[Feadoggie]

These guys have sold them in the past but I haven’t found the listings yet. I’ll correct this post when I do.

Here you go: http://www.plasticandfoampackaging.com/quadropack-22-200/ The minimum order is 210 units. You can share with your session mates.

Feadoggie

[Eliezer]

Damn! This is great. I love the folks on C&F!

To Feadoggie’s first post:

1. The ones I got from BigWhistle have no name on them.

2. I may have some Whoa, but I don’t need a case lot of them.

3. As the only name I had for them was “telescoping carriers” a search through C&F was fruitless.

4. “It sounds like you know what you want.” Two hours ago I didn’t even know there were other types. I am not committed to any one type. All I want is to keep some composite whistles and a delicate old wooden Sweetheart “C” from getting destroyed at the bar.

[Feadoggie]

@AvienMael

I don’t know where to get these in small or individual quantities ( Grainger or McMaster - Carr, if you have the time to sift through their catalogs, would be my best suggestion).

You’re right! They have a staggeringly large inventory of stuff. Well, that got me thinking and I went through the shipping supplies at both Grainger and McMaster. Both have the usual transparent plastic tubes with the soft vinyl end caps which are a good alternative to the Rose boxes. But low and behold, McMaster has the adjustable plastic tubes too.

http://www.mcmaster.com/#shipping-tubes/=fy8rov

@Eliezer

1. The ones I got from BigWhistle have no name on them.

Mine did and that’s how I tracked them down. There is an Asian company making a similar product so maybe some buyers have found and bought from them. After all most of the world cutting bits/mills/drills come from Asia these days.

@Eliezer

4. “It sounds like you know what you want.” Two hours ago I didn’t even know there were other types. I am not committed to any one type. All I want is to keep some composite whistles and a delicate old wooden Sweetheart “C” from getting destroyed at the bar.

The tried and true low-tech method for doing that is to buy some PVC pipe and a few end caps at Lowes Depot . You decide whether you want a pipe for each whistle or something for a few at a time. Cut the pipe to length a little longer than your whistle. Line the pipe with foam or soft cloth so the whistles are cradles nicely. Take one end cap, put a piece of foam in the cap and glue it on one end of the pipe. Use a second end cap to close the pipe (do not glue it) and there you have a hard whistle case.

Here’s a list of other options you may want to think about.

Hope that helps.

Feadoggie

[Eliezer]

A little research and I discovered that Rose Plastics of California will only sell in big box lots, but Rose Lite Packaging, which is in Pennsylvania, will sell you any size, with a $35 minimum.

Which beats paying $20 postage from England for $17 worth of tubes.

McMaster-Carr says they do not have a minimum order! But I don’t yet know what they charge for postage.

---

And by the way, I carry my whistles to session in a 14"-long yellow-and-black plastic tool box from Harbor Freight. It was $5 on sale, as I remember..

[Tommy]

Here is a nice one.

Hmmmmmmm… Why are the fellows with the fanciest toys always bald?

[killthemessenger]

@Tommy

Hmmmmmmm… Why are the fellows with the fanciest toys always bald?

It’s a choice you make early in life.

[Eliezer]

Rose Plastics have sent me this email:

Thank you for your recent inquiry to our web page regarding our RectangularPacks and QuadroPacks. We unfortunately only sell in full carton quantities which vary depending on the size of the item. If you only need a few items I would suggest contacting a company called Rose Lite. They are not affiliated with us, however they do purchase some of our stock items and sell in smaller quantities.

Which, I guess, is the answer to my question.

Though it leaves open the question - who gets to carry Tommy’s telescope and what do they carry it in?

Thanks, folks!