If you own a violin, then you know perfectly well just how valuable that musical instrument is. So, when the time comes to move house, it’s only normal that you should get worried about the safety of your prized possession.
Violins are very delicate musical instruments and even the slightest misstep when packing a violin for moving may lead to moderate or serious damage to the stringed instrument. And this is exactly why you’re going to have to be extremely careful when protecting your own violin for the upcoming move.
Follow the steps below to learn the best way to pack a violin for moving.
One interesting detail is that while these packing steps show how to pack a violin for shipping, you can also use the same packing method to protect a viola and a cello for a move.
Step 1. Prepare the violin packing materials
In order to pack your violin for moving, you’re going to need to have the following packing supplies:
- Packing paper. You should only use blank, soft, and acid-free wrapping paper that is meant to protect delicate items during a move.
- Bubble wrap. Bubble wrap will help you protect the most fragile areas of your stringed musical instrument.
- Packing box. Prepare a strong cardboard box that’s at least 4 inches wider and longer than the violin case.
- PVC tube. In case you need to pack your violin bow or bows separately.
- Packing peanuts. You’ll need packing peanuts to cushion and immobilize the violin case inside the cardboard box.
- Packing tape. You’ll need packing tape to seal the cardboard box.
- Black marker. Get a black marker to label appropriately the cardboard container.
See also: How to move a piano by yourself
Step 2. Pack the violin in its protective case
Below you’ll learn how to pack a violin into a hard violin case.
If you don’t have such a case, we strongly urge you to purchase one prior to moving out since it’s the best way to keep your beloved musical instrument safe on the road.
Do NOT attempt to pack and move your stringed instrument without a violin case simply because the risk of damage to your valuable possession will be too great to be justified in any way.
- LOOSEN the violin’s strings slightly (about a quarter tone). The reason for this step is that your musical instrument is likely to have some exposure to hot or cold temperatures, meaning that its different materials will expand and contract at different speeds. Ultimately, the strings may put too much strain on the neck or the bridge because they will expand at a slower rate than the wood in the instrument.
- CHECK again the tension on the strings – it should be enough to hold the bridge in place but not too tight to lead to damage due to fluctuations in the ambient temperature.
- PLACE some soft packing paper under the tailpiece and the fingerboard. Wedge the paper carefully but firmly so that those fragile violin components remain fully supported during the move.
- POSITION soft wrapping paper under the strings on both sides of the bridge. This way, the fragile bridge will be kept upright during transport and won’t be able to collapse, thus potentially scratching the delicate top finish of the instrument.
- PLACE the violin carefully in its hard case and fasten the neck strap until it is well secured.
- ADD pieces of wrapping paper around the musical instrument until it cannot move inside the case, not even slightly. The violin should be snug in its case without any wobble. This is an important step, so don’t skip it.
- POSITION a piece of soft cloth over the instrument for added protection. This is especially relevant when the violin bows will be transported inside the case too. Bows might get unhooked from their safety spinners and fall onto the top of the violin and potentially damaging its delicate surface.
- LOOSEN the strings of the bows. A sudden change in the ambient temperature can cause the bow hairs to tighten and potentially snap the bow.
- SECURE the bows on their designated places inside the violin case, then turn the spinners to keep the bows in place.
- CLOSE the violin case securely. Take the case in your hands and shake it gently – nothing should be moving inside it. If it does, open up the case and add more padding material.
- WRAP the entire case with large sheets of bubble wrap. Use pieces of tape to secure the bubble wrap and keep it from unfolding during transport.
Read also: How to pack a guitar for moving
Step 3. Pack the violin case in the moving box
Now it’s time to pack the violin case inside a cardboard box. To do this safely,
- COVER the bottom of the box with Styrofoam packing peanuts.
- CENTER the violin case inside the moving box. Remember that the cardboard container should be at least 4 inches wider and longer than the violin case itself.
- FILL the box to the top with packing peanuts so that there’s no extra space for the case to shift around inside the box. Ideally, you should have 2-3 inches of a buffer zone around the violin case in all directions.
- CLOSE the box and seal the lids securely using quality packing tape.
- LABEL the box appropriately. Don’t forget to write FRAGILE and HANDLE WITH CARE in big red letters.
NOTE: If you don’t have any Styrofoam peanuts in your home, then you can substitute them for alternative padding materials such as plenty of wadded-up wrapping paper and multiple sheets of bubble wrap.
Good to know: How to pack drums for moving
Step 4. Pack violin bows outside the violin case
You may happen to have extra bows other than the ones you’ve already packed in the violin case. In this case, you’re going to have to pack them separately and the best way to do it is to store them in a bow case (of course!) or insert them into a PVC tube (sold at most hardware stores).
- PURCHASE a PVC tube that’s approximately 37 inches long and 2 inches wide.
- LOOSEN the strings of the bows as described above. This is a safety step to ensure the bow strings won’t create too much tension if the weather conditions change.
- Bow case: PAD both ends and sides of the bow frog with soft packing paper.
- Bow case: ADD wrapping paper around the length of each violin bow to make sure it won’t shift inside the bow case.
- Bow case: CLOSE the bow case securely, wrap it up in sheets of bubble wrap, and place it next to the violin case in the large cardboard box for safe transport.
- PVC tube: WRAP each bow in bubble wrap with the hair away from you. Roll each bow in protective material once, then add another one by alternating its direction.
- PVC tube: USE tape to secure the bundle when you’ve rolled all violin bows in bubble wrap. Remember to tape the ends of the bundle as well.
- PVC tube: ADD about two inches of bubble wrap to the bottom of the PVC tube for extra protection.
- PVC tube: SLIDE carefully the bubble wrap roll containing the violin bows into the PVC tube. The bundle should fit snugly inside the tube.
- PVC tube: ADD two inches of bubble wrap at the top, then close the end cap of the tube.
- PVC tube: TAPE the PVC tube cap or screw it on depending on the type of tube you’ve purchased.
- PVC tube: PACK the tube next to the violin case in the big cardboard box for safe transport.
Packing a violin for moving is not that hard if you know what you’re doing. Follow the violin packing steps above and your beloved musical instrument should arrive perfectly safe in the new home.
However, if you still feel nervous about packing your violin by yourself, trust professional packers with years of experience in packing super-delicate items such as musical instruments.
Must-read: Should you hire professional packers?
