Instrument Shipping Instructions
When shipping your instrument to the shop for work to be done it is very important that you follow these instructions as closely as possible.
Tie down the 1st & 3rd valve slides, or any other loose slides, with pipe cleaners, hair band, etc.. (Fig.1)
Using a roll of Large Cell bubble wrap, wrap the instrument firmly from crook to bell, (Fig.2,3) rolling the sheet end to end covering the instrument until you have about 2-3" thick coverage of bubbles at the crest of the bell crook and across the edges of the bell rim/bead.(Fig.6) *If available, place an air pillow at the bell flair & crook ends before completing the bubble wrap coverage so as to wrap the air pillows in with the bubble wrap.(Fig.4,5) Secure the ends with packaging tape.
Depress the valves & fold one layered lateral edge of the bubble wrap across the valve buttons (Fig.7) and the opposing bubble wrap edge over that & tape it down firmly in the center, (Fig.8) then the same at the bottom valve caps. Also tape the same way across the bell throat & leadpipe receiver.(Fig.9) Repeat these same steps across the bottom of the trumpet.
Select a box, double wall preferably, that is large enough to allow approximately 4" of void between every edge of the wrapped horn & every facet of the inside of the box (less at the ends if you used air pillows in the wrap). A 26"X 12" X 14" box is ideal.
Suspend the wrapped instrument in styrofoam peanuts in the center of the box, again trying to keep an even amount of space between every wrapped edge of the horn and every wall of the box.(Fig.10) Lastly, top off the rest of the box with peanuts making sure to fill in around the horn firmly.
NEVER ship your horn in a case of any kind, wooden or otherwise.
