On Sun, 7 Feb 2010 15:07:26 -0500 alexander <[email protected]> wrote:
Absolutely correct. Take a large cardboard box of a proper size, take it apart first and glue some nylon (old rain coat, i actually used an old ambulance inflatable carrier - ballistic nylon, glued with hot glue gun) against a possible puncture hit - and do they puncture sometimes! Reassemble the box with nylon on the inside (a layer of aluminum foil would not hurt as well, against the temperature and humidity changes, and! if you just happen to have some kevlar... over the lute's table area... ). Fit a bag of reasonable sort around the lute, hold it together with the lute inside the box, and fill the space around with a better quality packing peanuts. Actually breaking some harder styrofoam into smaller pieces might be well worth the trouble. After the space is filled, staple the bag to the cardboard, so that the styrofoam stays between the box and the bag (fitting the lute head in first works better by the way). Make two styrofoam filled pillows for top and bottom protection. Design a good way to close and open (chord + buttons, or duct tape...). The whole structure will be bullet proof if built around even a flimsiest lute case. As the styrofoam inside is still loose enough, you will be able both put instrument in and pull it out. A nylon belt around and on the shoulder - a complete system in under a half-an-hour. Paint with the spray-paint as needed, with the lettering (keep away - lute inside) made of masking tape first. alexander r. On Sun, 07 Feb 2010 11:10:51 -0800 David Tayler > <[email protected]> wrote: > > > The problem is the acceleration/mass when dropped. Therefore you must > > weigh rigidity (resitance to being crushed) against inertia. > > Cardboard plus bubble wrap I believe has the best combination. Flight > > case is good of you think it will go in with heavy cargo, but that is > > unusual for luggage type travel > > Carbon case, or injected plastic are good options, but cardboard is > > tried and true for shiping. > > Larger boxes are vailable as "wardrobe" boxes from U-Haul. > > dt > > > > > > > > To get on or off this list see list information at > > http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
