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Horace Petherick
Table of Contents
The Repairing and Restoration of Violins........................................................................................................1
Horace Petherick......................................................................................................................................2
PREFACE................................................................................................................................................6
CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTORY...........................................................................................................7
CHAPTER II. SLIGHT ACCIDENTSMODERN RESTORERSCHATTERINGTHE
PROPER SORT OF GLUEITS PREPARATION AND USE............................................................8
CHAPTER III. MINOR REPAIRSCRAMPS AND JOINTSVIOLIN CASESRATTLES
AND JARSLOOSE FINGERBOARDSATMOSPHERIC
TEMPERATUREOLDFASHIONED METHODS OF REPAIRINGMODERN
WAYSA LOOSE NUT.....................................................................................................................12
CHAPTER IV. INJURIES TO THE HEAD OR SCROLLINSERTION OF FRESH
WOODCOLOURING OF WHITE WOODSEPARATION OF HEAD FROM PEGBOX
AND REJOININGSTOPPING MATERIAL FOR SMALL HOLES OR
FRACTURESTHE PEGBOX CRACKED BY PEG PRESSURE................................................17
CHAPTER V. FRACTURE OF PEGBOX AND SHELLCHIPS FROM THIS
PARTFILLING UP OF SAMERESTORATION TO ORIGINAL FORM, AFTER PARTS
HAVE BEEN LOSTWORN PEGHOLES, REFILLING OR BORING SAME.........................24
CHAPTER VI. LOOSENING OF JUNCTION OF GRAFT WITH PEGBOX, AND REFIXING
SAMEGRAFTING, DIFFERENT METHODS OF PERFORMING THISLENGTHENING
THE NECKOLD AND MODERN METHODRENEWAL OF SAMEINCLINATION OF
NECK AND FINGERBOARD WITH REGARD TO THE BRIDGEHEIGHT OF LATTER,
AND REASON FOR IT.......................................................................................................................29
CHAPTER VII. FINISHING THE FINGERBOARDFIXING THE NUTSIZE AND
POSITION OF GROOVES FOR THE STRINGSFILING DOWN THE
GRAFTSMOOTHING, COLOURING, AND VARNISHING SAME...........................................38
CHAPTER VIII. INJURIES THAT CAN BE REPAIRED FROM THE
OUTSIDEINSERTION OF FRESH WOOD IN FRACTURE OF THE RIBSTHE
EFFECTS OF CLIMATE ON THE GLUE IN VIOLINS....................................................................41
CHAPTER IX. THE GLUE USED BY THE EARLY ITALIAN MAKERSINSERTION OF
PIECES OF WOOD FOR REPAIRING LOST PARTSREPLACING LOST RIB AND
REPAIRING INTERIOR WITHOUT OPENING WHEN POSSIBLESECURING LOOSE
LOWER RIB TO END BLOCKDIFFERENT METHODSTREATMENT OF
WORMHOLESFIXING ON GRAFT ON NECK.........................................................................44
CHAPTER X. WAYS OF REMOVING THE UPPER TABLE AND THE
NECKCLEANSING THE INTERIORPRESERVATION OF THE ORIGINAL
LABELCLOSING OF CRACKS IN UPPER TABLE.....................................................................50
CHAPTER XI. GETTING PARTS TOGETHER THAT APPARENTLY DO NOT FITTHE
USE OF BENZINE OR TURPENTINETREATMENT OF WARPED OR TWISTED
LOWER TABLES................................................................................................................................55
CHAPTER XII. REMOVAL OF OLD SUPERFLUOUS GLUE BY DAMPINGREPLACING
OLD END BLOCKS BY NEW ONESTEMPORARY BEAMS AND JOISTS INSIDE FOR
KEEPING RIBS, ETC., IN POSITION WHILE FRESHLY GLUED................................................58
CHAPTER XIII. REOPENING THE BACK TO CORRECT THE BADLY REPAIRED
JOINTA FEW WORDS ON STUDSFILLING UP SPACES LEFT BY LOST
SPLINTERSMATCHING WOOD FOR LARGE CRACKS, ETC.................................................62
CHAPTER XIV. REPAIRING LOST PORTIONSMARGINS OF SOUND
HOLESMATCHING THE GRAINFIXING AND FINISHING OFFREPLACING WITH
FRESH WOOD LARGE PORTIONS OF UPPER TABLELOST PARTS OF
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Table of Contents
The Repairing and Restoration of Violins
PURFLINGRESTORING IT WITH OLD STUFF..........................................................................66
CHAPTER XV. REPAIRS TO PURFLING (CONTINUED)FILLING UP AN OPENING
EXTENDING TO THE WHOLE LENGTH OF THE VIOLINFITTING THE
COREFIXING IT IN POSITION AND RETAINING IT THEREFINISHING THE
SURFACE............................................................................................................................................70
CHAPTER XVI. REPAIRING UNDERTAKEN BY PEOPLE IN BUSINESS NOT
CONNECTED WITH THAT OF BOWED INSTRUMENTSREMOVAL OF A FIXED
SOUND POSTFITTING A FRESH PART OF WORMEATEN RIBBRINGING
TOGETHER THE LOOSENED JOINT OF THE BACK WITHOUT OPENING THE VIOLIN......73
CHAPTER XVII. INSERTION OF STUDS ALONG THE JOINT INSIDE WITHOUT
OPENING THE VIOLINLINING OR VENEERING A THIN BACK...........................................77
CHAPTER XVIII. THE BAR IN OLDEN TIMESTHE MODERN ONETHE OPERATION
OF FITTING AND FIXING THE BARCLOSING AND COMPLETION OF THE
REPAIRSVARNISHING OF THE REPAIRED PARTS HAVING FRESH WOOD.....................80
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Horace Petherick
CONTENTS.
PAGE
CHAPTER I.Introductory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
CHAPTER II.Slight AccidentsModern RestorersChattering
The Proper Sort of GlueIts Preparation and Use . . . . 3
CHAPTER III.Minor RepairsCramps and JointsViolin Cases
Rattles and JarsLoose FingerboardsAtmospheric
TemperatureOldFashioned Methods of RepairingModern
WaysA Loose Nut . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
CHAPTER IV.Injuries to the Head or ScrollInsertion of Fresh
WoodColouring of White WoodSeparation of Head from
Pegbox and RejoiningStopping Material for Small Holes
or FracturesThe Pegbox Cracked by Pressure . . . . . . 28
CHAPTER V.Fracture of Pegbox and ShellChips from this
PartFilling up of SameRestoration to Original Form,
after Parts have been LostWorn Pegholes, Refilling or
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PREFACE.
An ancient writer once asserted that of making many books there is no end; had the violin been invented
and used as far back as his day he might have added, and of repairs to violins, inasmuch as the number,
nature, and variety of the damages that constantly occur and find their way into the presence of the repairer,
are such as could not be counted and seemingly are endless. The readers of the following pages will therefore
not expect to find every possible ailment to which the violin is liable, mentioned and its appropriate remedy
marked out. If the more minute kinds of injuries are endless, they may yet be generalised under a limited
number of headings, or in groups. It is with the hope that a sufficient number has been treated of, and the way
of meeting difficulties pointed out plainly enough to enable the intending practitioner to follow on in the same
lines, that this work is placed before the public. All the repairings referred to, have, with the accompanying
annoyances and pleasures, been gone through by myself, and therefore the present little work may be taken as
the result of personal experience and it is hoped may be acceptable to the readers.
H. PETHERICK. July, 1903.
The Repairing and Restoration of Violins.
CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTORY.
The art of the old liutaro of Italy may be said to have become during the last two or three centuries,
identified with the art of constructing such musical instruments as are played with the bow.
As was the case with other and kindred arts, that of violin making had its rise in one of the old cities of
Italy, where from small beginnings it gradually spread to other places and over the borders, until there are
very few places of importance where it was not practised with some degree of success, commercially if not
artistically and acoustically considered.
During the early period of the art, repairing was of a rough and ready kind, chiefly in connection with
damages sustained under ordinary usage and accident; while extensive and costly renovating, such as is so
frequently undertaken at the present day, must have been of rare occurrence, for the reason that it was then
quite possible to get equal, sometimes better, quality in quite new instruments which were being sent forth
every day by the resident makers. With the onward march of time this has been changed; the art of the Italian
liutaro having reached its climax some century and a half back, the masterpieces executed during that time are
gradually diminishing in number and cannot be replaced by instruments having a sufficiently high degree of
excellence; naturally enough the skill of the repairer has been more and more in requisition, so much so, that
many who have shown exceptional ability for this kind of work have achieved a reputation for it alone, among
the large circle of dealers in the principal cities of Europe. The necessities of the time have thus brought into
prominence a modification of the art of the old Italian liutaro, in which there has to be displayed much more
mechanical ingenuity if with very little or no originality; the high class of artisan has become strongly in
evidence, while the artist has disappeared. It was in the consideration of these facts that the idea was first
suggested that a work treating of the general methods adopted by professional restorers for important work,
coupled with helpful hints in the management of minor injuries, would be interesting and acceptable to
amateur as well as professional repairers, besides the numerous readers of THE STRAD, in the pages of
which the following chapters were first issued.
In sending out the matter in book form, some alterations and additions have been, as usual, found
advisable for completeness. All readers readily admit the impossibility of touching upon one half of the
various accidents and ailments to which a violin is liable during its usually long life; the most likely ones have
therefore been taken, and it is hoped that the suggested treatment of these cases may enable the repairer to
become sufficiently adept for undertaking such others, serious, or slight, as may not have been here referred
to.
Further, the author is hopeful that those readers who may feel indisposed themselves to put into practice
the various hints, instruction, or advice, will be enabled by knowing how good repairing is carried out, to
select the proper kind of person into whose hands they can safely intrust their cherished instruments.
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