Violin Forum/Message Board

[ollieken]

I have an old fiddle with the finger board & neck off centre about 1/8 maybe it was left with the E string tight for a long time & it pulled the neck just guessing that . How do you go about removing the neck with out breaking it ?. It has a very small neck Any way that it could be pulled back & stay / It is not loose.
ken

Pic Link http://oldgoat.ca/amati.html

http://oldgoat.ca/Amati/Amati-7.jpg

[John Cadd]

If it`s "old" best ask a luthier first or send a photo.Steaming apart seems risky and messy.How does the back button fit against the neck?Has it been bodged ? Hope there is no nasty modern glue in there.Don`t rush any decisions at this stage.Sometimes luthiers spend a few days or weeks pondering the problem.
The guitar frets maker had some excellent advice last week--------Think what a smart guy would do ---then pretend you`re that smart guy.

[Dave Chandler]

I would avoid removing the neck entirely. Are the strings still over top of the fingerboard, or are they now off to the side at the wide end of the fingerboard? If its playable, I'd leave it alone.

Now if you're willing to take the chances of removing the neck entirely, here's what I have done...

This is a serious operation -- I'm not school trained, so I don't know the "school solution", so this is just what's worked for me. Ane you professional luthiers out there, jump in if there's a better way..

1. remove fingerboard - usally pops right off with a thin-bladed knife. I take the nut off, then work a painters pallet knife that I've sharpened a bit, work it down under the fingerboard starting at the nut end. Becareful when it finally pops off that the blade doesn't goe sailing into the ribs or your wrists. Better to hold onto the scroll than the bottom end of the neck for this with the supporting hand.

2. begin working down from the top where the neck joins the upper block, I try to establlish a small area where I can get a drop or two of hot water into the space, give it a few moments, work the end of the knife some more, add another drop of hot water. Meanwhile I take an exacto knife and scribe down the joints where the ribs join the neck, break that water-tight seal and try and work a little hot water into that area as well. I keep working mainly from the top till I'm getting somewhere near the bottom of the neck, but still above the button.

3. Then I cut using a really thin blade saw (I use an exacto sawblade about an inch wide and 4 inches long, many very fine little teeth) maybe a jeweler saw will work, and carefully cut through the seam where the button is attached to the heel of the neck, just to where the blade starts to touch the ribs, and stop. The rest is just teasing your way into the bottom corner with a knife and more hot water until it all seperates.

I've done this a couple times now, you just have to go slow, don't push, let the hot water work its way into the joints. Eventually the glue softens enough you can move your knife further in. It has taken me an hour or two to do this, so usually work on something else while waiting for the glue to soften.
_________________
Dave in the Blue Ridge
Southern Violin Association

"Success is the ability to go from one failure to the next with no loss of enthusiasm" Winston Churchill

"I took the road less travelled, and now I don't know where I am." Marco Polo

[Andres Sender]

For anyone that's interested, Michael Darnton has detailed the correct method in a couple of places. I think it's online somewhere, although I was not able to find it in this forum. It's also in one of his old articles for American Lutherie, which are now collected in books. You can find which issue/book with a search through the searchable abstracts at the GAL site.

Ah, Michael details the process in an old archived post at the MIMF, search for "One method of resetting violin necks". You have to register to see the archive but that's free.

...and here's a pictorial of one version of the process (each photo has it's own text describing part of the process):

http://www.andrewcarruthers.com/Workshop/New%20neck/index.htm

Additional discussion of the process will be found here:

http://www.maestronet.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=318478

[ollieken]

Thank you for the reply`s & the links . I have an old Stainer with a dovetail block someone broke off maybe by the kung fu way .Micheal Darton told me how to pin it & it turned out ok .Thank you micheal .
With this info i should be able to do it

This is the fiddle http://oldgoat.ca/Amati/Amati-7.jpg

or go to oldgoat.ca & it is the first one Ken