> Have any of you relocated your harp crosscountry? I
> have an Apprentice harp from Musicmaker's Kits that
> I'm going to have to relocate from Atlanta to
> California in about 3 weeks. I definitely can't
> drive it cross-country (don't have a car ;), and am
> terrified at the idea of putting my dearly loved harp
> in the hands of UPS without serious packing.
>
> How does one ship a harp without risking it being
> smashed in two or otherwise damaged? Are there
> packing cases that one can buy to protect the harp,
> without paying as much as the harp cost ($350 for
> kit)?
I went from Seattle to Florida with my Musicmaker's Celtic '87, It's
about the same size as the apprentice. You're taking your chances if
you don't buy one of those incredible footlocker-style styrofoam
reinforced waterproof instrument cases, but you just said that's a bit
expensive.
I gambled and won with the following setup (please note the operative
word "gamble"): Tell the movers to be careful then watch them load it
and watch them unload it. Let them know any damage will result in $1500
bill to their company. If this sounds steep, please keep in mind that
you PIAD $350, but it's WORTH the cost of an assembled Apprentice, plus
a reasonable amount for seasoning, and any doo-dads you added, like the
metal bolts and clamps in the back of mine, or folk-painting, or
whatever. (Please don't scream, my father built it with loving care and
considers the clamps crucial to its sturdiness. You should see the
houses he builds.)
If I were to do it on a shoestring again, I would put the harp in a box
twice the size of the harp (ie, as tall as a wardrobe box and a bit
deeper, front to back, if possible. Perhaps two washer/dryer boxes
firmly attached to each other?) Pad it all the way around, equally,
with styrofoam peanuts. Seal it so that it's perfectly waterproof (ie,
cover it with plastic bags and seal all edges and holes in bags with
duct tape.) Plywood on the sides of the box will increas firmness and
reduce crushing damage, but it would take some pretty severe crushing to
hurt the harp at this point. That doesn't mean it's impossible, just
highly unlikely.
The water damage protection I highly recommend. I've slept in a moving
van on the trip from Daytona to Dallas, and water condenses on the roof
then drips on you all night. Movers avoid this by getting all the boxes
into huge wooden packing crates, but the system doesn't always work. I
have friends who lost ALL their brass (and their whole home motif was
brass) because the movers left the crates in the van for months while my
friends were renting a house, through several storms. The brass was
soaked and pitted from rain damage, and unrecoverable. Apparently, the
vans are not storm proof. Of course, Daytona DID have severe flooding
around this time, so it IS unusual, but it's not that hard to cover a
box with plastic and duct tape.
I THINK styrofoam peanuts will help the harp resist severe temperatures,
but I don't know how well or for how long. Make sure you let the movers
know how valuable it is to you and how sensitive it is.
Or, if you have a friend or relative making the trip at a later date,
send it with them, but make sure you tell them not to leave it in the
car in the sun while they take an hour or two out for lunch somewhere.
-Laura