Kuang, >I'm shipping my Boesendorfer from Vienna to the states. Has any of you >shipped a grand from overseas? If so, I would appreciate some advise. > >So far I've contacted 2 shipping companies and they're gonna get back to me >on the cost (air and sea). One of them may "pack" the piano so I don't even >need to be there in Vienna. Even if you ship the piano by air, I would advise you to have the piano completely sealed, with a desiccant material included within the sealed package. It may also be advisable to have the sealed material vacuum pumped to reduce the volume at low altitude (this would allow the bag to contract around the back beams, reducing its volume at ground level). When the package is de-pressurised at altitude there may be a tendency for it to expand and push out against the walls of the crate if it is not volume reduced at ground level. When we air freighted a new grand piano to the US last July, the packing company did not place the piano in a fully sealed 'bag' inside the crate. Our piano suffered some moisture damage during transit. In particular, the key capstans, which had a nicely polished surface prior to leaving Australia, were nicely tarnished by the time the piano reached the US. This went un-noticed during the exhibit of the piano, causing the action to have extra friction (since we had completed the piano only a few days before it left Australia for the US, I hadn't expected the capstans to be corroded - we live an learn). The conditions in an aircraft hold are very cold and de-pressurised. Hence the need for careful packing to avoid un-necessary deterioration of the instrument. Furthermore, when the piano is placed into the crate, be sure that the packers use a wooden bass to support the piano within the crate. Our piano was damage because the piano was supported in the crate using hard foam. Hard foam would be fine provided that the piano is not dropped, but if it is dropped with a foam support to keep the lid from contacting the base of the crate, it will be unable to withstand the G force. Our piano sustained damage to the outer rim as it ripped the hinges away (it repaired very well but we were lucky). Mind you, the piano experienced a very large G force event, since it was sufficient to bend the centre-pins in the damper levers. I had to completely re-centre the damper lever flanges. As an added precaution against careless handlers, there is a device which you can purchase which allows for monitoring of handling during transit. Called 'Shockwatch', these small glass viols can be attached to the outside of the crate before the journey commences. The viols will break if a certain specified G force event is exceeded, spilling a colored dye into a visable inspection 'eye'. The Shockwatch device allows for each handler along the way to know that the piano is being passed from the previous carrier in good condition. You can arrange for each handler to sign off at each point of transfer, accepting that the goods have not experienced a significant G force event thus far. When the next handler takes over the piano, if the viol is broken, he/she will know that a G force event occurred with the previous carrier. This will allow you, the owner of the piano, to keep track of who had the responsibility of the piano when it was dropped. I suspect that these inexpensive little devices will ensure that many more pianos get to their destination undamaged. If they are damaged, you will know who to hold responsible for the repair or replacement. I have learnt this lesson since our piano returned from Reno, when it was dropped. I know that it was dropped on the leg from Reno to LA, since it was in good condition when it was re-packed in Reno but damaged after the leg from Reno to LA (the damage was discovered when we uncrated the piano in LA for a demonstration). But since I had not used a device like Shockwatch to prove it, a denial on the part of the carrier meant that we had to claim the damages through our own marine transit insurance policy. I have since discussed this matter with our insurance brokers. They were very interested in the Shockwatch system, and have suggested that we may be able to get more favourable premiums with the Shockwatch system installed. The manufacturers of Shockwatch have suggested that two monitors, one at each end of a grand piano crate, might be necessary to protect the piano from all possible events. The viols are under $10 each to purchase. Its very cheap protection against careless handlers. Check out; http://www.switchedon.com.au/shockwatch_label.html Sorry about only having a url for the Australian representatives. But for those who are interested, you can email the Australian agents for a referral to a local agent in your region. Happy travelling, Ron Overs -- ______________________________ Website: http://www.overspianos.com.au Email: mailto:ron@overspianos.com.au ______________________________
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