Violin Forum/Message Board

[John Cadd]

The two broken violins plates are renovated now but attention falls on the original makers ,There is very little symmetry in the outline shapes ,Left to right comparisons are a waste of time . Each top placed on it`s partner shows the corners in different places .So the ribs will need an odd shaped mould to get them together . Two cardboard cutouts for each violin seems to be the best way .Reminders to keep them the right way round are important . The most damaged violin seems to always be the one I am most attracted to . Something similar to my interest in devastated French Chateaux. The worst are the best.

[John Cadd]

The first attempt to remake the garland was very unsatisfactory. I am treating this as a way to get back in practice . Normally the garland si all about right angles from a surface . But I was unprepared for such a diverse selection of shapes . The first garland attempt ended up between the two violins or rather the four plates . The only common thing between them is the length of the tops . The backs are both about 1/8th inch longer . Top and bottom bouts with each matching pair are different .I decided to recycle an old mould which was longer but very close to the width in the centre bouts . The bouts needed to be wider so I added strips of pine all round where they were too narrow . Once the general method was started it came out fairly well .
I had made a cutout shape for top and back .Adjusted the edge clearance and allowed for the block slots . Both these shapes were taped onto the old mould ,making sure to stick to the centre lines and squaring top to back . So I`m getting closer .I thought of using some car repair resin but that was like dried out putty and it went back in the tin and then in the bin .
All the strips are glued on vertically . The fit against the back is looking closer . After all this a brand new violin will be a doddle . Partly this like playing computer Chess . You know it`s trying to win and I`m trying to stop it winning .

[John Cadd]

With lopsided violins the reconstruction needs a lopsided mold the copy all the outragious inacuracies . Most important before fixing the plates to the garland is to get the plates to agree on a centre line that gets the bridge in the middle along the centre. Starting the final process I lined up the top and bottom edges and taped them together so review the outer edge differences . The middle bouts were worst. The right side back edge is 3 mm wider. Left side 1 mm wider. That means I needed to check the soundhole positions relative to the centre join. Fortunately the bassbar was measured from the centre line. But the bridge will need to be visually just one mm left if you tried to use the soundholes as a guide .
The actual correct position is hidden beneath dark varnish . But it could have been worse . I wil keep the green tape attached with the centre mark and the tilted F hole notches . The player needs it all to work in a straight line with a well placed bassbar .
The cut out notch is already there for the neck joint. but it is so shallow the original ,missing neck was not very securely attached.That`s my forensic guess . All these added light coloured edge repairs will fade into history whenn I touch up the varnish .

[John Cadd]

Looking back on the centre joins for two backs I would not use the interlocking pegs or the brass straps .That cluttered up the space to do final adjustments. I would use maybe stronger tape and allow for simple finger pressure to keep the edges aligned .
I repaired both backs with traditional Araldite. But thenshorter time version would give a better result .The time allowance would be ideal to get it straight. The tape tension would keep it tight together and it would be light enough to move around without any added weight .
For the top plates I think hot hide glue for such a complicated set of repairs would be impossible . So I used fish glue . It allows time for several minor adjustments . Eyeball corrections for the arching are all part of violin making .

[John Cadd]

One difficulty of buying two damaged violins is the similarity of each violin.But these two have measurements that are not even consistent within themselves . Left and right outlines are different . Corners are uneven between backs and fronts . I altered an old mold but the temptation to use it for both violins was hovering in the background .Minor additions to the sides was necessary to cope with slanting sides where the outline of a back disagreed with the top .
One violin had the saddle at the bottom cut partially into the top . It made a weak connection to the end block and it was too shallow .It was too close to the edge instead of reaching to the purfling line . Well there was no purfling to begin with .But that was a weakness that needed correcting . The top end where the neck had been lost was also cut too shallow .Probably why the neck was not there at all .The bump for the neck joint had been lost and left a straight break .
So the cpllectionn of breaks plus the construction faults added up .
Despite trying to contain the numerous problems I had to realise the danger of confusing top and back outlines as each part came together for comparison . Even cutting outlines needed clear marking to reduce confusion . As one part was glued and left to dry the other violin demanded it`s day in the sun and it`s own attention . It becomes a story in itself .
Articles about violin values and the cost of renovations of ,say , one long crack in a family heirloom of no particular value become a laughable nonsense when I am reconstructing what was firewood to most people .
The smaller job of adding wood to remake broken corners becomes another area of satisfaction .Adding broken off edges and a few inches of lost purfling can be very satisfying if the line looks appealing . These two violins still had more wood than they needed after the deep gouges had been levelled.The thickest back was over 6 mm thick at the centre .There was no need to add wood apart from a rough soundpost area .
I began this as a therapy experiment and practice with the tools . After my cochlear implant the hearing has returned but not so far that many violins can sound any good . Many recordings have a coarse tone that I used to enjoy .
I may stick to classical guitars after this exercise .

[John Cadd]

I came back to this because the mention of guitars might confuse readers . After an implant just the quiet sound of a kettle starting to boil will shut down the hearing very substantially. A similar effect happens when a violin bow plays a quiet note .Louder notes are much worse . It took a year for that effect to reduce . Now the E string is audible as well as the other three .But E strings sound much plainer and not refined . Classical guitars have all been good to hear from day one . It`s the bow rustle that does the damage .My ears are picking and choosing for me despite what I want .

[John Cadd]

The uncertainty caused by the uneven shapes of the tops and backs led me into a hybrid making system . The corner blocks were attached to the ribs and the top ends of the ribs and the bottom ends were left long . I wanted to make sure the ribs followed the edges properly with the original overhand . I was able to shape the ribs easily but the stubborn stifness of the linings kept fighting me . So I borrowed the guitar idea and made a series of cuts in the linings to make them fit the ribs without distortion . The gluing surface for top and back is the main purpose ot the linings .Once the ribs and linings were connected I glued them to the top . After that I added the end blocks .I would never recommend this as a method but it made the original lopsided violin possible again . Don`t ask me why I built the ribs on the top first instead of on the back .
The worst violin had no proper neck so that will get a ready made Chinese one . The Chinese seem to have some odd measurements . They look normal until you look at the nut position . The flat surface for the fingerboard drops down with a step and the normal straight line which blends into the pegbox curve is cruelly interupted . A steel ruler laid along the flat surface leaves a small gap at the scroll .But this step has almost dropped the scroll down to make it all fit . You can see this oddity in advertised necks .Magnify that detail before you decide to buy. Also make sure the wood grain along the neck is straight and not running off to one side .Every bit of straightness helps . There is no way to recut the neck shape as there is no spare wood available .Apart from that the measurements are acceptable and accurate . I wonder what they were thinking .