Originally Posted by
tfar
Why the weight thing? I mean I once had a big copper saute pan as a gift in my checked luggage. I was pretty certain they might pull it and indeed they did. Still it was very easy to see that it was a frying pan. You probably mean big metal objects not because of their weight (which the x-ray can't see) but because of their density, right?
Density.
It will happen at the checkpoint too. Jogging weights get pulled because the iron is just so thick it's just impossible to see through.
Same thing will barbells, and barbells will be generally be "prohibited" in the checkpoint for the most part, just because it's a good way to crack a skull open no matter what.
(I would not enjoy having a bag with a barbell falling out of an overhead bin and cracking my skull open nor would any of you I think.)
I'm just commenting here on checkpoint because unlike the other guys, I'm a checkpoint-only TSO. Although, I do hang out in our oversize room alot because it's the closest thing we have to a break room...
Originally Posted by
TSORon
I have had a passenger bring a good sized package of powered gold through the checkpoint. As soon as my eyes widen upon seeing such a dense object (densest object I have ever seen on the x-ray) the passenger was already asking for a private screening. The bag could not have been any larger then my two hands but must have weighed 40 pounds. Ya gotta love experienced travelers. This guy said he travels every 6 months or so with packages like that, and loves to watch the face of the x-ray TSO. One finds entertainment where one can I guess.
Gotta love those soft dense metals... gold, silver, platinum and of course lead.
So advice to the ladies (including my mother
:P) don't pack your necklaces and bracelets into a tiny jewelry bag because it's gonna get pulled with all that dense gold and silver inside. Because to us on the x-ray it looks like a big, black clump.
Also, rocks may get pulled... being from New England with out fine, historic, pristine beaches and our long maritime traditions. We know you love 'em and we don't mind if you take small stones, but humongous rocks should go in your checked baggage because we're not going to allow them in carry-on usually.
Same thing with bricks, (we've had a few people bring old bricks they've found lying around). 1) They generally look like somewhat like explosives. 2) Why do you need a brick on airplane. Again, I don't wanna be the PAX who gets his skulled cracked open should your bag come flying out of the overhead during a nasty bought of turbulence or if you drop it while your pulling it out of the bin.
And one last thing, going back to the beach for a second. Buoys you find on the beach belong to the fisherman who set them to find their traps, by taking those
you're stealing. On top of that, we might take them because it depends on the TSO (generally STSO because it's just to strange to ask) who believes it could be used as a club.