Musical instruments

Musical instruments come in all shapes and sizes and may be made out of many different materials such as wood, ivory, leather and metal. They can easily be damaged and are often very sensitive to humidity fluctuations and high humidity. Caring for instruments is complex and difficult since there may be many working parts. The following resources provide information and advice on caring for musical instruments.

Canadian Conservation Institute (CCI) Notes

• N20/3 Five Steps to Safe Shipment (2021)

Technical Bulletins

• TB 4 The Care of Musical Instruments in Canadian Collections (1982)

Other CCI resources on this topic

• Basic care – Keyboard instruments
• Basic care – Wind instruments

Related CCI resources

• Agents of deterioration
• Basic requirements of preventive conservation
• Handling heritage objects

External links

• Ethics in the Conservation and Restoration of Early Brass Instruments (PDF format) (Historic Brass Society Journal)
• Historic Brass Society
• Recommendations for the Conservation of Musical Instruments: An Annotated Bibliography (CIMCIM Publication Nº 1. International Council of Museums, 1993)
• Recommendations for Regulating the Access to Musical Instruments in Public Collections (format PDF) (International Council of Museums, 1985)