Books › The Repairing & Restoration of Violins, 1903 › scan 34
Scan 34
The Repairing & Restoration of Violins, 1903
4 lines. Read by computer on 3 September 2026. Printed page 20. See the scan on archive.org.
1it, and when dry see that the under part to be stuck to the fingerboard and the neck is quite square and level; warm it and apply some strong glue to the two surfaces, and also to the parts with which it is to come into contact, you can then place it in position; press down and rub backwards and forwards once or twice, then leave in the exact position required; if clean, accurately fitted and warmed, it will not require any further pressing or clamping. If this part should have been knocked off and lost, then a new one must be made. For this purpose the hardest piece of ebony you can obtain is the best; sometimes a nut of ivory or bone is used, but it has a staring effect, although if properly done as above described, it holds well and wears slowly. Some of the hard dark woods, cocoa wood and lignum vitae, or dark horn are adapted for this purpose. Rosewood is not so well suited, as the ruts or grooves are soon made deep by the friction of the strings in being wound up, and renewal is found obligatory sooner than with the other.
3Having selected a suitable piece of wood it must be cut or planed square and equal in thickness. It should be as nearly the right length as possible before being placed permanently in position, the ends being very tough in cutting. If by miscalculation they are found to project over the width of the fingerboard, they should be—when the glue is quite dry—cut through with a small bow saw close up, a gentle, careful filing will reduce them down level with the side of the fingerboard; the surface should run easily with that of the peg box, which is not always of the same width as the other, the arching can then be proceeded with, a chisel being first used, then a rather close grained file for further levelling and the finishing off with the finest glass-paper or emery cloth, having a drop or two of oil in it; this will give a smooth, dull polish agreeable to the eye. The grooves in which the strings will have to rest must be marked out or pricked to measurement so that the spaces may appear regular when the violin is strung up. The distance apart being occasionally done to the caprice of the player, measure-
The computer misreads some letters and numbers. Where a name matters to you, read the scan.