Books › The Repairing & Restoration of Violins, 1903 › scan 200
Scan 200
The Repairing & Restoration of Violins, 1903
12 lines. Read by computer on 3 September 2026. Printed page 182. See the scan on archive.org.
1no natural bent, and unlike the numerous tribe of would-be repairers who think that any person who can use glue and cut a piece of wood can engage in the restoration of such a small instrument as a violin.
3Our amateur, when arrived home, naturally enough shows his restored violin to his friends, one of whom has been looking at it for some time, and at last says: "That's the repairer for me, where does he live? My violin is sadly in want of proper attention, and I think it requires stronger measures for its cure than yours."
5The address is readily given, and the instrument duly taken round to our chief and his assistant. The statement having been made as to recommendation, after an inspection of the very nice restoration of his friend's violin, the new-comer takes out his violin from its case and places it before the chief, who turns it over and over, looking at each fraction of an inch without seeing much the matter with it.
7The owner at last breaks in with the remark that a violin maker residing where he lately came from had told him that the instrument would never go properly unless the back was re-lined—that was perhaps the term used.
9The chief then rejoins: "I think the repairer was very likely hitting the mark when he said that; this is one of those old violins of the Brescian school, which are often too thin in the back for modern usage, and there is no other resource but that of lining—or veneering, some would call it—the back. If you like I will open it, and ascertain whether it is so with this instrument."
11Consent is given, and the chief goes to the back of his premises, and returns with a much-worn table knife. Sitting calmly down before the new arrival, and resting the instrument face downwards on his lap, he proceeds with sundry slow but strong thrusts of the knife round the junction of the ribs with the upper table; the cracking sounds emitted as the knife gradually works its way along are rather trying to the owner, who, however, has confidence in the reputation of the master-hand at the kind of work. After a little extra pushing here and
The computer misreads some letters and numbers. Where a name matters to you, read the scan.