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I know this has been asked before but life and experience are always changing.
I am about to arrange shipping of a front action detachable recording bell tuba from the US to Ireland the trip will be overland and by sea.
It does not have a case and will be in cardboard box.
My questions are as follows
1 how much bigger than the tuba should the box be?
2 should the bell be left on or detached?
3 can anybody recommend a packing material and easy source.
4 given that it front action should I ask for the valves to be removed and wrapped separately?
5 any other tips in general
Thanks

sousaphone68 wrote:I know this has been asked before but life and experience are always changing.
I am about to arrange shipping of a front action detachable recording bell tuba from the US to Ireland the trip will be overland and by sea.
It does not have a case and will be in cardboard box.
My questions are as follows
1 how much bigger than the tuba should the box be?
2 should the bell be left on or detached?
3 can anybody recommend a packing material and easy source.
4 given that it front action should I ask for the valves to be removed and wrapped separately?
5 any other tips in general
Thanks

1) I use the "box inside a box" method. Pack the tuba in a box, and pack that box inside another box. The exterior box needs to be study and stable. The inside "box" can be homemade and heavily taped, the big idea there is for flat sides that won't let the packing material move around. I aim for at least 2 inches of clearance on all sides.

2) Detach and use two boxes. Not sure if that is prohibitive to ship internationally that way, but domestically in the US, it was VERY easy, and only slightly more expensive than shipping a standard upright bell tuba. Yes, it's two boxes, but each box is smaller and lighter. You can *really* wrap the body of the tuba well without the bell.

3) I usually go to home depot or The Container Store and buy my boxes (sometimes just the biggest ones they have, sometimes a wardrobe box... also extra boxes for the interior "box"). LOTS of tape, don't skimp. Just use the whole roll. I also buy a gigantic bag of styrofoam packing peanuts. They're a little messy, but I like them.

4) Yes, that's a good idea. Just make sure the person clearly labels which valve is which, to avoid that annoyance when you reassemble it.

5) Someone posted good photos of the "double box" method a while ago. Maybe someone else will remember where to find it.

This method has always worked for me when shipping domestically. It takes an hour or two and costs a few dollars, but it's not difficult and it's worth it. Get your wife or kids to help you and it'll go faster.

Thank you for the suggestions so far.
The remove the springs suggestion sounds like a winner and the double box as well.
I am not the one packing the tuba.
I am looking for some easily accsessible inexpensive suggestions for materials and techniques that have worked for others.
Two boxes wont be a runner due to cost and the shipping agent gave me some bad news about VAT and import duties I thought it was only charged on the cost of the instrument but I am wrong customs will levy vat and duty on the freight charges as well (CIF Value).
Shipping,tax and packing costs will cost in the end double the cost of the horn
On the plus side though I will have a tuba that will be very rare in Ireland and hopefully as much fun to play as my sousaphone.

Not sure if this is the post Bort is referring to, but Norm Pearson posted a great link on packing a tuba with LOTS of pictures. It's not a recording bell, but some of this may help.

viewtopic.php?p=277419#p277419

That's the one! I've used that method successfully many times.

Two boxes or nest the bell with the coil of the tuba with padding in between. I would not use packing peanuts as the tuba will tend to shift in those. I recently shipped a large Besson BBb and to pack it I used stiff stryofoam packing which the local recyclers gave me. I had sheets about an inch thick and "heels" that were used to pack TVs, etc. I was able to cut these to fit various parts of the tuba and I taped them to the tuba until it was surrounded by a brick of stryofoam two to four inches thick and then tuba and padding were wrapped with the plastic sheeting that you see wrapped around pallets at Walmart and grocery stores. After fitting the wrapped horn into an appropriately sized box, I stuffed any empty areas with more strofoam bricks until the tuba and packing didn't move. At this point, you can use peanuts or wadded paper to fill the spaces if you wish, but "that tuba ain't goin' nowhere" if you have packed it right, peanuts or no. Do use a beach ball inside the bell if you can find one to fit, otherwise pad it inside with styrofoam.

If you nest the bell and the coil of the souzie with the foam between them, they could go in one box. Your call. se a serrated knife to cut the styrofoam to size. You may want to wrap outside, as when you cut, little pieces of styrofoam will be everywhere.

My tuba went by Greyhound from Tennessee to New England without incident. I just packed a trumpet wrapped in bubble wrap to keep it still in the case and wrapped the case as described in a larger box. This was sent parcel post USPS from Tennessee to California. If there's any damage, I'll post again, but I doubt it.

If I get to Europe this summer I'll advertise here in case someone wants to send a horn in my luggage. I've toyed with the idea of trying to find an old Besson Eb in England to bring back with me, but, since I plan to visit Italy, the connections would be complicated.