The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

I have been contacted by a friend who wishes to give me a nice-looking Victrola VV-VI.

It will have to be shipped from Washington DC to NE PA.


Any suggestions as to how it should be packed, what should be removed, wrapped, packed separately, and so-on.

My initial thoughts are to pull the platter, crank, sound-box, and maybe the taper-tube & back-bracket, have them line a sturdy box with either styrofoam board from the home center, or layers of corrugated cardboard, pack it tight around the machine, then add the wrapped components, then double-box.

Recommendations / avoids on shipper would also be helpful.


Replies by PM are also welcome.

Thanks !

I would also remove the motor and pack it securely wrapped inside the cabinet. Otherwise you risk that it breaks the motor board. Alternatively you could try and stuff the inside of the machine to make sure it is well supported. Maybe a thick piece of Styrofoam inside the machine could also work as support for the motor.

Good luck
Andreas

I would have a total of three packages: one for the cabinet, one for the motor, and one for all the other hardware (crank, platter, tone arm). Make sure each one is packed very well with several layers of bubble wrap around the contents and enough packing material inside each box so that nothing moves around.

Also, avoid UPS like the plague. Several people I know have had bad luck with them lately. We don't call them "Oops" for nothing!

I agree that UPS is best avoided. I was a regular UPS customer at one time but stopped using them some time ago as I found not only were they damaging things, but their handling of an insurance claim was appalling. But don't get me started on that one.

Frank, I like your plan with one exception. Wrap the cabinet in a couple of layers of bubble wrap. It will provide much better protection than the cardboard as it is much more shock absorbent. While you could remove the motor out of a super abundance of caution, I have had several machines shipped to me with the motor in place and that has never been a problem. If I were preparing it for shipment I would add more bubble wrap or Styrofoam to the inside of the case though to provide motor support should it be dropped.

Clay

The best shock-absorbing material to package heavy machines is sponge rubber foam used under house carpets for padding. It is very resilient stuff. Try contacting companies that install carpet, they throw away the old foam when installing new carpets. Used foam might be dirty, so wrap the machine in plastic before packing in the scrap foam. I cut precise sheets to fit the bottom of a box until I have built up several inches. Stuff scraps of foam around the machine and then top off with more cut sheets. When I moved cross-country, I built plywood crates and filled them with foam as described. A careless worker dropped a box from the moving van -- it fell four feet and landed upside down, but the machine survived just fine.