[ Editor's Note:
 [ 
 [ In a private correspondence one of our subscribers recently pointed
 [ out a message which was posted to rec.antiques by a U.S. music box
 [ buyer.  The buyer purchased a music box from a reputable antique
 [ dealer from overseas, sight unseen.  The insured package arrived
 [ in very poor external condition and was left by the air carrier
 [ without a signature.  He's "working that issue" with the carrier
 [ right now.
 [ 
 [ I corresponded with the buyer on this subject privately and learned
 [ that the music box had been disassembled for shipping, which seemed
 [ strange to me.  However many things in the music box world are not
 [ intuitive so I wrote to Nancy Fratti about the problem.  I also wrote
 [ to the buyer suggesting that he ought to meet Nancy.  Well, its a small
 [ world.  He knows Nancy because he's a graduate of her class.  Here's
 [ what the buyer said about the shipment:
 [ 
 [ > Hi Jody,
 [ > 
 [ > No, It was a 15.5" polyphone.  Rather than leaving the inside alone,
 [ > he unscrewed the bed plate, left the dual combs on it with no protction
 [ > for the combs, took the motor off the bed plate and wrapped both in a
 [ > thin wrap of plastic bubble wrap.  He put both of these inside the case
 [ > and just tossed in styrofoam for fill.  The motor bounced around like a
 [ > cannon ball and destroyed the case, the combs, and broke the iron
 [ > casting of the motor!
 [ 
 [ Nancy has been "lurking" here for a while now, but found this problem
 [ irresistable to write about.    She wrote the messages to me using my
 [ "private address", so I asked her if I could share them with the
 [ group:
 [ 
 [ Jody Wrote:
 [ 
 [ >Subject: Re: packing and shipping music boxes
 [ >
 [ >Nancy,
 [ >   You've just sent me two very interesting messages about Music
 [ >Boxes, shipping, etc.  May I publish these to the group ?  <snip>
 [ 
 [ Nancy Replied:
 [ 
 [ > Jody....
 [ > 
 [ > SURE!  If we save one more music box from damage, it'd be worth it!
 [ >
 [ > Nancy
 [ 
 [ So, here's Nancy's first article to our group.  I hope you find
 [ it as interesting as I did.


Jody,

Your suggestion for an 'article' is a good one!  I will work on
expanding this idea for an article for the MBSI journal.  I have no
idea why ANYONE would take a box apart to ship it!  It is its own best
protection!!

In the cited case, the fault for damage lies (morally) with the
shipper.  It also should not have been left un-signed for at the
recipient's home.  As stated above, there is NO reason to disassemble
any box before shipping.  [snip]

Had the box been left together, it might have survived the journey
intact.

Most of packing and shipping is common sense!  The fewer parts moving
around in a package, the fewer can be damaged.

When I prepare a box for shipping ANYWHERE (overseas or in the States)
the first thing to be done is to prepare the mechanism.

DISC BOXES:  (table top)

    1) wind down the spring...either by hand (if possible) or by
       letting the box wind down by itself (without a disc on it).

    2) put a piece of Scotch tape on the comb(s) to prevent vibration
       in transport.  Teeth can be broken by the vibration brought on
       by a sharp drop.

    3) Do not ship with a disc in place on the movement.

    4) Do not put discs OR crank inside the box...wrap separately and
       pack outside the box.

    5) Do not disassemble ANY part of the mechanism.

    6) If there is glass in the door (as on some of the upright
       machines,  I will usually put an "X" of masking tape on the
       front side of the glass, remove the door and pack it separately
       OR cut a piece of corrugated cardboard to fit the shape of the
       glass, then cut a piece of insulation board (3/4" thickness,
       minimum) and 'sandwich' the glass in-between.  Wrap masking tape
       around the 'sandwich' being sure NOT to get any on the wood (it
       can take the finish off when removed, or might stick to the
       finish).

       Insulation board is available in 1/2" -2" thickness.  Insulation
       board, cut to fit various openings, is the best type of 'medium'
       for packing both inside and outside the case.  Some upright disc
       boxes have glass covers over the mechanisms.  If you want to
       leave it in place, then put an "X" of tape on the glass(es) and
       wedge the frame in place by carefully cutting appropriate pieces
       of board and fitting it tightly into the case.

CYLINDER BOXES:

    1) Follow steps 1 & 2 above.

    2) NEVER let the box stop in mid-tune!  If necessary, apply
       pressure to the spring barrel or the cylinder to 'help' the box
       to the end of the tune.   If you leave it in mid-tune, you leave
       tooth tips hanging in mid-pluck on some cylinder pins.   Should
       the box suffer a sharp drop,  those tooth tips would probably
       break.

    3) Wedge the cylinder into place with a cork or piece of rigid
       insulation board cut to the appropriate size.  The cylinder on
       fixed- cylinder boxes (non-interchangeable cylinder boxes) can
       usually be wedged on the left, or spring barrel side.

    4) The glass lid inside the case presents some interesting packing
       challenges.   Put an "X" of masking tape on it.  To try to
       protect both the mechanism and the glass, you can take a piece
       of cardboard and cut it to fit the length of the cylinder.  Take
       that cardboard and place it on top of the cylinder/comb.  Then
       'stuff' the space between the cardboard and the glass with
       crumpled newspaper.

       DO NOT USE STYROFOAM PEANUTS.

    5) for boxes with interchangeable cylinders follow all the steps
       above, then remove the cylinder from the mechanism and then wrap
       each cylinder separately in MANY layers of bubble wrap.  Do this
       even if there is a storage drawer to put them in under the box.
       DO NOT leave them in the drawer!  DO NOT leave a cylinder in the
       mechanism!  The cylinders, heavily wrapped, can be placed on top
       of the box inside the packing case (not underneath or on
       sides).

PACKING THE DISC OR CYLINDER BOX:

    If you are packing in cardboard boxes there are a number of methods
to use, depending upon the size and weight of the music box.

GATHER SUPPLIES FIRST:

    1) You can purchase packing boxes from a wide variety of sources.
       For our size items, sometimes U-Haul is the best source of
       assorted sized boxes.   Near larger cities there are usually
       places that sell boxes (see "BOXES" in the yellow pages of your
       phone book) bubble wrap, 'peanuts' and tapes.  Some sell
       tri-wall boxes (triple wall corregated cardboard boxes that are
       ideal for our use.  Determine the size of a box that will be
       about 1-2" (on each side)larger than the piece you are packing,
       and then another box about 2" on each side bigger than the first
       box.

    2) Wrap the music box in a soft cloth (especially if the box has
       been refinished), then make a 'girdle' around the body of the
       box with 2" rigid insulation board (available in any lumber
       yard).  Have the board extend out farther than any of the
       molding or lid of the box.  In the case of a cylinder box, you
       would be girdling the main box, not the lid or bottom molding;
       for a table top disc box, the same.  The objective is to keep
       the insulation board dimension larger than the largest dimension
       of the case....so that if it takes a hit, the insulation board
       will absorb it and take the pressure off the case.   Fit the
       wrapped case inside the first box.

    3) Take the second box and put a layer of 2" insulation board, or
       two layers off 1" styrofoam (white beaded) board all around the
       sides and bottom.  Insert the first box...then put another 2"
       layer of board on top of the first box.   Close and tape the
       box.

With disc boxes, or interchangeable boxes, you need to get a box big
enough to put the discs, crank, or extra cylinders on top of the first
box.    Discs should be wired together with tie-wraps or something
similar so they won't move against each other.   They should then be
wrapped in 2 layers of cardboard.   With extra cylinders, wrap as
described above and put in another box on top of the first box.

If weight or size of the final carton is a factor, then you might
consider shipping the unit in 2 separate cartons.

You can also construct a wooden crate for any particular box.  Crates
can be made from 2 x 3's and 3/8" plywood for heavier music boxes, and
from 3/4" shelving material and luan sheets for lighter boxes.   Follow
the steps above for getting the music box into the first packing box,
and then construct the crate.

Some smaller pieces can be brought to a good Ship-it or Mail store.
The better ones have a foam injection system that can't be beat!  They
put your music box into a box that contains a plastic bag and then
inject foam into the bag.  The foam expands and  molds itself to the
outside shape of whatever is on it.  They then put another plastic bag
above the piece and inject the foam into that.  The result is a custom
fit!  This method requires only ONE box...the foam is such a good shock
insulator that a second box is not required.

Styrofoam peanuts are not good first-box packing material as they tend
to compress and shift with the weight of the contents and the shock of
'drops'.  They are definitely not to be used inside any mechanism, as
they tend to shred on cylinder pins and get caught in gears!

Obviously, there are many variations on this packing procedure,
depending upon the individual box.   What I've outlined should be
followed as a basic packing method, with the individual needs of each
box taken into account.

Questions?   I'll be happy to answer any!

Nancy Fratti¶
MUSICBOXLADY@JUNO.COM