Having procured a piece of sycamore, very old if possible, and with the closest resemblance in curl, texture and colour to the scroll to which it is to be attached; it must be squared up and made equal so that the tracings of the two sides of the throat may be placed in position and transferred. This must be done so accurately that the new throat shall not be out of the square or twisted. More, of course, will be traced down than will be actually left, the reason will soon be perceptible. If the tracing is clear and well defined it will not require touching; but if any part is not well brought up, it may be made sufficiently so by carefully running a pencilled line over the fainter one. The next step will be to get rid of the superfluous wood. This will be most readily done by a bow-saw after securing the block of wood in a vice, if these are not within reach, it can be done at a sawing mill where steam saws of different sizes and degrees of tooth are ready at a moment's notice and the removal of any sized masses of wood hard or soft is effected with remarkable precision and rapidity.

When the sawing is complete, the fining down, or smoothing of the sawn surfaces may be proceeded with. This may be done with a file, having one side curved, the other flat, and of rather fine tooth; a glass papering will then complete the process so far as the profile view is concerned. Further progress will be made when the tracing of the back is transferred, the paper pattern being laid, or wrapped round, after being accurately adjusted.

The outside wood can be removed in the same manner as last described, with the finishing, or semi-polishing to the required degree. There will be thus cut out a replica in the solid or uncarved state of the whole of the part adjoining the scroll and downwards, which will be ready for the further process of joining on to the scroll itself. To this end, the surfaces that are to be glued together at the junction will have to be got into proper shape and condition, that is, both pieces must have flat faces, that when put together, will allow the line at the top of the scroll to run continuously and truly as if forming an original carved homogeneous work. The faces must be cut by a very sharp chisel, until fitting as nearly air-tight as possible. For highly finishing off these parts a small steel scraper should be used and turned round, working it in several directions. If the scraper is quite straight and sharp, it will with gentle handling bring the surfaces very flat, no movement or wriggling being perceptible when placed together, or there may be in very good work a slight kind of suction by the air being driven out from between them. The work will be then ready for glueing. The wood should be quite warm, the glue fresh and strong. A few seconds or so may be well spent in brushing or working the glue into the pores of the two surfaces to be opposed. If they are as perfect, or true as possible, a little rubbing together will be sufficient for an effectual and lasting junction without the use of cramps; but if there is any doubt on the subject, then the process described previously for joining the parts together after fracture had better be gone through.

When the whole is thoroughly dried and the glue which has exuded from between the opposing surfaces has been cut or chipped away, the gouging of the grooves down the back may be commenced, care being taken to follow the lines from the scroll downwards and gradually finishing backwards and forwards according to the grain. Different sized gouges will, of course, be required for this work, according to the fashion or type of the violin. A glass papering of the parts will complete the matter so far as the exterior is concerned. Some restorers might recommend the glueing on of the scroll to be proceeded with earlier, or before the block has been finally reduced and cut to shape. There is not very much preference one way or the other; in the one above detailed we avoid the risk of fresh damage to the scroll while sawing and cutting, the rough or more violent tooling being done before the junction is effected. It would be as well to let the new wood be of full measurement to allow of fining down the new surface to meet that of the old, which may possibly have some lustrous varnish upon it, and which every good restorer would do his utmost to preserve. After this is all satisfactorily done, the lines may be traced which are to act as guides for the hollowing of the peg-box.

For this purpose a rather small chisel of the kind known among cabinet makers as a mortising chisel will be required. Gently and by degrees the mass of superfluous maple will have to be removed. It must be borne in mind that maple or other tough wood will not bear the forcing that a piece of pine will. A hard-wood workman is essentially a man of degrees, the tougher the wood the less must be shaved off at a stroke. The strong, massive form of the mortising chisel is used in order that there may be as little spring as possible in it while cutting and so prevent a hacking of the parts instead of a clean cut surface; indeed, no other proportioned tool can be used with any degree of facility. It must not be ground to a very acute angle, or the objections that are sought to be avoided will reappear in another form. Great care must be taken that the mortising does not extend to a depth that will cause the back to be thin and weak. This mistake is often seen to have been committed in very valuable instruments, especially such as have the two grooves deeply modelled, or the contour downwards from the volutes is much indented. At times, on the other hand, sound judgment has been perceptibly directed to this part and instead of cutting away wood to allow of freedom in the winding of the strings over the pegs, the holes for these have been filled up and re-bored nearer to the front edges. Many most excellent old Italian makers seem to have been rather careless with regard to the exact position of the peg-holes, making them to be equi-distant from each other. There might have been little or no objection to this in the days when the strain on the pegs was not near what it is in the present times of very high pitch. The shaft of the old pegs used in Italy at the time of the great masters, was not half as thick as is thought expedient now. Towards the latter end of last century and the beginning of this, more attention was paid to the matter, and we accordingly find the two upper peg-holes much closer together and the two lower ones ditto.

Concerning the refilling or "bushing" as it is termed of the peg-holes, a few words may not be out of place. For the purpose the holes must be enlarged more or less or there may not be sufficient of the new wood to hold together when the re-boring takes place. The cutting must be truly circular and very sharply done, no tearing of the wood must be perceptible, but a clean, almost polished surface inside. A solid cylinder must be cut with great exactitude, of maple or the same kind of wood if obtainable as the scroll. The old makers did not invariably use maple, perhaps being unable to obtain it in sufficient quantities for their business purposes. It is useless to think of cutting the cylinder or rod any other way than with the grain, it is seldom if ever done, and moreover involves an expenditure of time and labour that brings no adequate return. The enlargement of the hole must be effected by a good form of tool and this in good condition; peg-hole cutters and fluted rimers are sold for the purpose. When the cylindrical rod is cut and rounded to make an exact fit, a portion can be cut off a trifle longer than will be apparently necessary so as to allow of finishing off. If satisfactory in all respects, recourse may now be had as to the solution of glue, which should be quite fresh and strong, as this is to be for a permanency. The rod or portion should be warmed if the season is cold, the glue allowed to settle round for a moment while some should be placed on the inner surfaces of the hole in which the cylinder is to form a solid fixture. When inserting the cylinder it should be worked round a little, but not jammed in with violence. Your reliance in repairing must not be in force but accurate fitting. The opposite hole to be used for the same peg must be made and treated in the same manner. Some repairers, for economy of time, would make a fresh enlargement right through the two opposite holes and push the rod through both and glueing same at one process, cutting it away from the interior of the peg-box when the glue has hardened, but this is risky work. One hole is sure to be larger than the other and the fitting scarcely likely to be accurate both sides.

When a sufficient time has elapsed for the glue to dry, a piece of hard, but not too thick, cardboard should have a hole made so as to allow of placing on the projecting part of the rod, which can be now sawn off close to the card. When this is completed and the card removed, a sharp flat chisel will then reduce it to the absolute level of the surrounding plain.

The next stage will be that of re-boring a fresh hole in a proper position. This must be carefully calculated, so that when complete the whole of the four strings will be independent of each other, the A string not being in friction with that of the G or the D not touching the E. If this is not attended to, much trouble will be given to the performer, the jerking or catching of the string during the winding up, not being caused by any difficulties with the fitting of the peg itself but by the string pressing on and being checked by the peg of another. The boring of the fresh hole and fitting of the peg is of course a similar operation to that just described, with the difference that the peg must be more conical, whereas the plugging must be as near equal in diameter as possible along the whole of its length. The preparation of the fresh peg to fit the new hole will be already evident as to its requirements. There is one detail to be noticed, however, that of boring the hole for the reception of the string. Of course the E will not require so large an aperture as the D. The latter will require the largest aperture of the four. If this operation is not conducted in a methodical manner, with a proper knowledge of the best treatment according to the material used for the peg, splitting will ensue, which is trying to the temper. When a peg is once split it had better be thrown aside as useless, the strain on it being unsupported by the solidity of the material. No wooden peg that has been split in the operation of boring for the string should be retained. It being necessary to use wood of the hardest or toughest consistency, the splitting tendency is increased as the grain is closer. There is discussion as to the best material for pegs, and here in my opinion the old Italian makers were wise in choosing the cherry wood seemingly abundant enough at their command. It is not so hard and brittle as ebony. Another wood was used by them, a kind of dark walnut, straight in the grain, but a little firmer than the rose wood so fashionable at the present day, which has a waxy consistency but accommodates itself to the jamming by the impetuous amateur who will have his way.



CHAPTER VI.

LOOSENING OF JUNCTION OF GRAFT WITH PEG-BOX, AND REFIXING SAME—GRAFTING, DIFFERENT METHODS OF PERFORMING THIS—LENGTHENING THE NECK—OLD AND MODERN METHOD—RENEWAL OF SAME—INCLINATION OF NECK AND FINGERBOARD WITH REGARD TO THE BRIDGE—HEIGHT OF LATTER, AND REASON FOR IT.

In our progress downwards from the scroll and its adjoining parts, before quite leaving it we may refer to a disorder sometimes occurring when the neck is modern and grafted on to the old scroll. There are several ways, or fashions it may be termed, in which this is effected. The most usual method pursued in England and Germany is that of sawing the head off at a part below the end of the shell and then chiselling a level passage so far as a straight surface makes it necessary along the floor of the peg-box. The sides are treated in the same way but the width across diminishes as they proceed upward. The solid graft is shaped, inserted, and afterward hollowed, but of this more presently. Like all other parts of the instrument, the junction or insertion of the neck or graft sometimes gets loose, from bad fitting chiefly, bad glue or prolonged exposure to damp. When the sides or back part give warning that they are likely to part, they should be loosened still more or separated and a little clean water on a brush inserted in the cleft where discoverable, the parts being pressed and worked together until clean, for all cracked or loosened joints will be found more or less dirty and greasy. Some strong glue can be then worked in, both sides pressed together by cramps and left to dry. The backing of a flat piece of soft wood with an interleaving of stout paper or, better still, millboard, must not be forgotten. If, as sometimes happens, the flooring of the peg-box threatens to part from the graft in contact, the same course of working out dirt and inserting good glue must be pursued. In pressing the back or shell of the scroll, this being of short and sometimes abrupt hollowing, the pressure on the substance of the wood direct would be dangerous to its form. The fibres of the wood at the edge are necessarily very short and brittle. A thick piece of cork should, therefore, be placed between the cramp and the hollow grooving or shell, a small block of moderately hard wood being placed inside the peg-box as an opposing pad or buffer, the cramp may then be screwed down fairly tight. The two operations, glueing and pressing the side parts and that in connection with the shell, must not be attempted simultaneously.

We may now, being on the part as it were, take up the subject of grafting and the different and best means of performing this somewhat exacting operation. Accurate calculation and sharp straight cutting are absolutely necessary for even moderate success in this undertaking. As before mentioned, there is more than one method of securing a neck to an old head. Each one carried out with the necessary skill and neatness can be made a lasting and highly finished piece of joinery. The mode adopted in England (see diagram 25) is the most ready and gives the least difficulty in a difficult undertaking. The solid end of the graft is chiselled or planed off to a slightly wedged form with a straight or square upper end which is measured to reach when inserted, nearly or just up to the lowest of the upper two peg-holes. Great care has to be taken in the cutting that the sides are equal, otherwise the scroll, when fitted, will look awry.



Another method has been known as the French, and when neatly done is one of the most sparing of the old wood (see diagram 24), but it is beaten in this respect by another foreign method (diagram 26), which is less evident to the eye, although requiring more skill in accurate cutting and adjustment. Another yet more secret I have only seen in an Italian grafting, and it may be native; no join whatever is seen in a front view nor in the peg-box if this part is at all soiled or dusty, as is usually the case. This is owing to the join—there must be one of course—being each side at the angles formed by the walls of the peg-box. This is counterbalanced however by the necessary cutting away of the central line or ridge at the back for a considerable distance. If done accurately and artistically, all very well, but this is not likely to be always the case, although a comparatively easy bit of work with the original lines each side as a guide. This method of grafting is puzzling when successful, as little or nothing is perceptible from the front and not much, unless searched for, at the back.

On measuring the different parts of an old violin in its original condition, we shall find the neck, taking from the edge of the upper shoulder of the instrument to a point where the nut is placed, to be not much more than four and a half inches, whereas our modern necks measured at the same parts would give five inches and an eighth. The old length taken at this part alone would give too short a fingerboard, causing the fingers to hamper each other, especially in the upper part of the register, where so many modern composers seek for effective passages. The neck must, therefore, to meet the requirements of the day, be lengthened. In the earlier part of the present century there was a method much in vogue for effecting this without interfering with the head and while keeping the greater part of the original neck (diagram 23). This was done by firstly removing the fingerboard, probably worn into ruts; the middle of the thickest or lowest part of the neck attached to the body had then to be loosened and removed, often no doubt a troublesome task owing to one, two and sometimes three nails being in the way, this in consequence of the habit of the old makers of attaching the neck with its scroll before closing up the body of the violin. Having accomplished this, the repairer chiselled off two square pieces, one on each side at the same end, and then fitted longer blocks with the grain running the same way. These were afterwards cut down to the proper form, so that the terminating part under the fingerboard increased the length of the neck to the modern standard. Of course, when fitted into the original space or socket from whence the neck was taken, the rounded part going to or above the button was now too large, this part was therefore cut, filed and finished down to the required size and shape.

This method of lengthening the neck, however, went out of fashion as connoisseurs and performers, finding the old necks so frequently devoid of figure—the reason being probably that plain wood answered best for the cutting of the volutes—made the repairers remove the whole of the neck and substitute one of the best figure they could obtain.

This forced fresh attention to the splicing as it is termed of the scroll to the neck or graft, and the method has continued to the present time of clearing away the whole of the neck and using handsome wood. Further impulse was given to the practice by the fact of the fingerboards put by the old makers rising so little above the body of the instrument. The bridge was made very low to accommodate this state of things. The increased rapidity of the movements of the bow from one string to another over the middle ones in the performance of modern music made a higher one absolutely imperative, as the heel of the bow would too frequently chip pieces from the waist curves. There were thus three good reasons at least for placing an entirely new neck on an old violin; firstly the plain wood of the original maker, shortness and the low angle with regard to the plane of the body.

In order, therefore, that everything may be accomplished with sufficient exactitude, we will begin with the roughly sawn block ready for measuring and shaping up for its destined purpose. The scroll, which is to be replaced on a neck according with modern ideas, we will suppose to be on an Italian violin that has come down to us from the early part of the last century. The violin tuned up to the present concert pitch and music of our period having many of the modern style of difficulties, would prove utterly inadequate to the task of giving out its tones in a manner expected of it.

In proceeding to work then, the workman executing this modification having selected his block of curled maple, planes it to an oblong of equal breadth. He calculates as to the best position for showing off the curl on each side of the neck when finished. Having decided which is to be the upper part or that covered by the fingerboard, this is planed to a good level and smoothed. A line drawn with a good pointed pencil or pointed knife, and sharply defined, is then drawn down the whole length exactly in the centre. At the end which is intended for the thickest to be inserted in the body of the instrument an equal width each side must be marked. Near the other end, at a distance that shall correspond with the opening of the peg-box, an equal width each side of the line must be marked off as at the other end. These two measurements will represent as nearly as possible the width of the neck along its course at the junction of the fingerboard. From the point representing the opening of the peg-box one of two lengths upwards must be decided upon; if the splicing is to be effected in the manner common in this country, a greater length will be required than for that of the French style. This latter is more to my fancy than the other, as there is less of the original wood lost. If for the former, a length of wood beyond the opening will be required of two inches, if for the latter or French a little over one inch and a half will be enough. The central line has of course been continued for the whole length of the wood. The waste wood at the end can now be sawn off down to the line. The next measurement will be, supposing the French style is adopted—that of the extreme width of the end, which will be given by taking a point at half the thickness of the peg-box wall at the part and similarly placed on the other or opposite and taking the width between the two. This divided equally and marked on the wood of the new graft each side of the central line will give the narrowest width of the part to be inserted in the peg-box. The outside may be then removed by the saw vertically. There will now be necessary the marking off a part on the graft that shall represent the thickness of the nut or the distance between the end of the fingerboard and the peg-box opening; the breadth across, or we may call it the length of the upper part of the nut, will be exactly that of and at the part where the opening will be made in the peg-box for the reception of the graft.

The wood to be cleared away outside the lines which mark the width along the course of the fingerboard will be the next proceeding; it may be done neatly with a rather fine toothed saw and then carefully planed up closer to the lines, barely touching them. It is preferable to leave the sides for the present at right angles with the top surface, although they will not be kept so for long, but by thus working the measurements are facilitated. Going to the lower or wider end a line must be accurately marked quite square with the long central line, if not accurate the whole work will be thrown out of truth. On the sides there may now be marked and roughly sawn away (diagram 28) so much of the wood that shall leave enough for the cylindrical part that is to be finally rounded and finished off for handling. Care must be taken that the rounding commences underneath, a little away from the part that will be fitted into the peg-box. This of course must be according to measurement or template kept for the purpose if graftings are likely to be wanted in the future. There will now be required the marking of the exact form of the part that is to be inserted in the body of the violin, or more strictly speaking, into the upper block. This is done easily from a pattern cut to shape and size for instruments of average proportions. Sometimes, owing to the height of the ribs, the pattern cannot be applied so as to fit; in that case fresh lines must be drawn to measurement as with the central one on the fingerboard plane.



The line dividing the part exactly in the middle must be accurately done, the distance at the narrowest or lowest part that is to be glued on to the button carefully marked, allowing the top part when placed in position to be a quarter of an inch above the border (diagram 29). The width of the lowest portion must be mainly guided by the size of the button, which, although there is an average of a rough kind, is sometimes small, at others very wide. The width must be taken of the button, carefully divided into two equal parts to be marked on each side of the central vertical line (diagram 30). All below what is necessary to keep may now be cut away, the surface being kept parallel with the fingerboard plane. The parts outside the slanting lines may be hewn away, the surface running evenly with the outer lines of the fingerboard width so far as it extends, which will not be more than about an inch.



The next process will be that of excavating the part that is to receive the root or end of the neck. If the instrument has been accurately constructed with the join running down precisely in the centre, the line already marked on the root of the neck will be a safe guide for marking each side of the join the width of the portion to be cut away. The depth inward of the cutting should be an average of a quarter of an inch. In case the already excavated part in an old and much repaired instrument is roughly torn about and made unequal in its measurements, attention must be fairly directed to this part separately; that is, if too much wood has been cut away on one side it must be replaced by fresh, after clearing away irregularities in order that a good fit may be accomplished. The fresh wood must be neatly inserted or placed in position and may be held in position during the hardening of the glue by supports or wedges placed across from side to side. When quite fit by reason of its dryness, the distance from the centre must be marked and the fresh wood cut away to the required depth and width with a keen edged chisel and small shavings cut at a stroke, as there will be some cutting against the grain to be done besides working in a confined position.

Great regard must be paid during the process of cutting this part that the corners or angles are quite cleared out, or the neck when inserted as a trial or rehearsal will not give a truthful report of the accuracy of the incisions owing to some insignificant portions sticking up and causing the neck to look awry. So far we may take the fitting as having been accurately done to the central line down the middle of the instrument; but now comes a further process in connection with the adjustment of the neck, and that is, the rise and inclination of the level of the fingerboard in relation to the bridge which is to be fitted eventually.

The average—it may almost be called the standard—height of the violin bridge is one three-eighth inches. There are occasions when this measurement may be departed from, as in the instance of a high model, when an eighth, or even more, may be taken off with advantage. This must not be taken as necessary for the proper emission of the tone from a highly built instrument. The raising of the bridge in modern times is due to other causes, the most important being that of allowing better play or room for bowing rapidly over from side to side without rasping the border at the waist. It is an alteration which accompanied the lengthening of the neck and stop in the early part of the last century.

To obtain a proper setting or inclination of the neck, several ways are adopted by repairers. They vary according to the kind of guide or pattern used. This is usually cut from a piece of hard wood, sycamore or pear. It is sometimes made as a double guide in the adjustment of both the inclination and the elevation of the under part of the fingerboard above the body of the instrument at the junction of the neck. This we will call No. 1. The other, No. 2, is similar, but has the height of the bridge only as a fixture, the rise of the end of the neck above the border being higher and lower at discretion. Another way, No. 3, is somewhat like No. 1, but would be used when the fingerboard is glued on before the setting. This should only be done by a fitter of some experience, as a little error in calculation is likely to lead to disaster. With each the application of the guide, or pattern, is the same, namely the testing of the exact coincidence of the inclination of the top surface of the bed under the fingerboard (diagram 31), or above the latter as shown in diagram 32. While getting the right inclination, in both instances it will be found necessary to ease the fitting of the neck into its socket, as the difference of the angle at which the neck is inserted causes an increase in the tightness of the contact of the parts. The lower part of the facing that is to be inserted in the socket, will have to be made to go into it at an angle conformable to that of the inclination or set of the neck. This will require executing with precision, and great care will have to be exercised that the squareness or rectangular disposition of the upper part already fitted and adjusted to the middle line down the instrument is not interfered with. It will be well to test this as the work proceeds. Some of the lower part, that coming into contact with the button, will have to come away in order that all parts may fit, and when fixed, form a homogeneous rigid part of the structure.



To ensure complete success in all the foregoing operations, every tool in use must be well sharpened, and all the guide lines accurately drawn. Part of the neck left rough and projecting beyond the button may be left for future manipulation, but the joints that are to receive glue—if done by a workman of skill and experience—will fit almost air tight. With regard to this, the parts likely to give the amateur most trouble will be the exact fitting of the flat opposing surfaces of the root or squared end of the neck or graft with the socket. It will be necessary to get a perfectly flat surface. In the first place, glass papering must be avoided, not from unsuitableness of material, for in that respect it is a temptation, but from the difficulty of regulating the pressure of the hand; with the exercise of the utmost care in handling the glass paper, even when it is backed by a piece of hard wood, there will be found, when the test comes, a rotundity of surface that was deemed impossible under the circumstances. Careful scraping of the surfaces must be chiefly relied on for exactness. As good a mode of proceeding as any is as follows—after the first roughing into shape and then flat chiselling has been done to as great a nicety as possible, all the irregularities—there are sure to be some—can be worked down with the edge of a straight square file, used very steadily and crossways repeatedly. This done sufficiently and tested with some hard and truly cut substance, metal preferably, will be an exactly flat surface for working upon the final or finished surface. The next thing used will be a carefully sharpened and keen edged steel scraper. To put this tool into proper order for the purpose, it must be sharpened on a hone, not exactly at right angles, as the first impulse would suggest. The hone, or stone, must be quite flat and unworn. If done carefully, a nice level edge will be perceptible along its course, but it is not yet at its best. Placing it on a bed of hard wood, or evenly shaped mass of iron, projecting over and held firmly in position, a good stout brad-awl may be passed along from end to end, keeping the awl perfectly flat on the horizontal surface. The scraper may now be turned over and process repeated, but not in the same manner or angle, for the awl will be held vertically with the handle downwards and firmly pressed along the edge at right angles with the horizontal plane, this will cause a burr right along which will have a razor-like sharpness and cutting power. This scraper can now be applied (not too heavily) over the filed down surface, and thus work down finally all irregularities left by the file. The adaptation of this tool will at once be perceptible in the fine whitish soft shavings that will come off during its application. A little repetition across and across should give an almost perfect level. Different sized scrapers may be used for the other surfaces where it is desirable to obtain the most accurate fitting. If all the processes have been properly carried out, the parts when tried by inserting the neck or graft for trial, should fit together without the slightest looseness or wriggling. They will now be ready for permanently glueing together.

It will be seen after perusing the above that the fitting of the neck or graft to an old violin, well or badly preserved, is a task not to be overcome easily and satisfactorily without much care and no little practical experience.

The whole of the work must be well looked over and tested as to the accurate fitting in all respects; nothing must be left uncertain or loose; in fact the flat surfaces for a perfectly successful result at the junction of all the parts should be as nearly as possible air-tight.

Having seen that the glue of good quality is strong and clean, the surfaces that are to come in contact may be brushed over with it. For this purpose a small hog-hair brush of about three-eighths of an inch wide is handy. Where the grain or threads of the wood run parallel with the surface—this being less absorbent than the other parts,—there will be less painting over required, but where the grain comes end upwards to the surface the glue will be rapidly absorbed. The painting over these parts must be repeated, the glue as a matter of course being kept warm—all the work ditto, until absorption ceases. This is a matter of some importance, as in many instances joints have become loose or broken apart, not from the perishing of the glue or damp, but from the want of this precaution on the part of the repairer during this preliminary proceeding. It must be borne in mind that this is to be a permanent junction, not to come apart from any jarring or rough usage; it is also to be one of the most rigid, and only to be separated by a saw or chisel in the hands of some future repairer when it shall be absolutely necessary. Sufficient glue having been applied the work may be put aside.

It will now be apparent to those who have possibly done a little glueing that the whole of the wetted portions have to some degree swollen, and therefore if the junctions were brought together they would be found too tight and refuse to meet. Just so; and that is one of the reasons for placing the work aside until the glue has dried at all the parts painted with it. When after a sufficient time has elapsed the work is examined, it will be found to have contracted to its old size and form. There will not be the necessity for waiting till the glue is at its hardest; probably time will not allow of this, some days being absolutely required, but it must, for the next process, be very firm and seemingly dried through.

Examination will reveal the fact of the whole of the surfaces that have been wetted, being raised or roughened under the foregoing operations. Recourse must now be had to our small scrapers again. These will again be applied carefully across and across the surfaces, until, in the judgment of the operator, the surfaces are level and clean. Particular care must be taken with the edges, angles and corners, that the superabundant glue is removed. The right angle of the scraper will be used for this purpose, and should a small particle or two, at any angle or corner, refuse to budge at the request of such a light tool as a scraper, the powers of a sharp chisel must be brought to bear upon the subject, and the obstacle removed. Close attention should be paid to the above, as in the operation of first glueing, the wood, or woods, having unequal absorbing powers, will swell in accordance therewith, and upset the calculations that have been so carefully made for the close junction of the parts. For first rate work, the scraping must be so carefully and accurately done down to the surface of the different parts, as to leave little or no glue above the surface of the wood. The desired result will thus be secured, that of the pores of the wood being closed or filled up. For the next stage the glue will not be necessarily quite so strong, a degree weaker will do. Everything must be ready to hand, including a cramp of sufficient size and strength. Before proceeding further, however, the manner of the application of the cramp must be considered. And now, how are we to obtain a direct pressure of the cramp on the largest surface, and which would have to be in one direction, end to end of the violin, seemingly a perfectly impracticable matter? The answer is, it is not practicable, hence the above numerous injunctions as to preliminaries, and which have to do with counterbalancing the impossibility of direct and strong pressure. The only pressure that can be applied directly is that of a nearly perpendicular one, the cramp grasping the button from underneath, with a proper guard or padding of millboard, or cork, cut into shape.

A full brush of glue will now be passed over the whole of the surface of the socket, or receptacle for the root of the neck; which latter must an instant after be treated in the same manner. The two must be treated as one operation, and in a warm atmosphere. In the summer time no extra precautions will be necessary; but in cool weather the strong glue will soon set if the parts to be operated on are not kept in close proximity to a heating stove, or fireplace, or the apartment kept at summer heat. The neck and socket being thus kept at a warm temperature, the former will be firmly thrust into position, and with hand pressure put as close as possible. The superfluous glue will ooze out all around at the junction of the different parts; if it does not, that will be a sign that there is a looseness somewhere, or the surfaces have not been forced together close enough. This must be seen to at once, the parts separated and examined. It may be that the failure has happened through carelessness in allowing a chip to get in, or a piece of grit has prevented the opposing surfaces coming together. This being removed by a small knife, the brush, with a little more fresh glue, may be passed over the surfaces again, and the fitting this time should be perfect. The cramp and padding should be at once placed in position and screwed down tightly. All glue appearing above the joints should be carefully wiped away with a cloth kept ready to hand for the purpose; it is better to do that now than have to scrape or cut it away when hard; it will also save time.

Ample time must be allowed for the glueing to thoroughly dry. This must be estimated according to the conditions of the time and place. In very warm weather, or where the atmosphere is heated artificially, the time consumed in the drying and hardening is less than when the air is saturated with moisture.

When on examination the dryness is such as will warrant the removal of the cramp, this can be done. If all the measurements, fitting and precautions have been duly attended to, the neck or graft, with its line in the centre—supposing the present method is that adopted before the fingerboard is placed in position—will form an exact continuation of a line down the centre of the violin. A look down from end to end, or placing a long straight edged rule against the line, will be a way of testing this: if all is correct, the line will be perfectly straight and not bent. Should the latter be the case, the measurements, or fitting, in some respects, will have been inaccurate. It would be very provoking to find it so after all the trouble undertaken, and many instances are to be seen where the work has been left in this condition, and the stringing up and regulation has been, not only under great disadvantages, but absence of comfort in playing, and indeed the proper emission of the tone has been sacrificed. If the violin is one that is worthy of being performed upon with skill, there is only one alternative to putting it aside as useless, that of having the neck sawn off and the whole process of renewal gone through, with the aim of next time being more careful and true.

Supposing, however, the neck is truly set and all is satisfactory, the next stage will be the laying of the fingerboard. This should be of good, close and straight grained ebony, free from knots. Fingerboards are usually sold in the rough; that is, with the upper surface, or rounded part trimmed down to an approximate curve. They are cut to lengths of about ten inches and a half to three quarters. Should the violin require a fingerboard less in length than this, a small portion must be sawn off, preferably from the small end. Great care must be exercised that it is done in right angles with a central line drawn from end to end. As the drawing of this line would entail some trouble, the under, or flat surface can be placed face to face with one that is known to be quite true, and a line with a fine pointed pencil made, or better, a scratch with the point of a small knife, guided by the true end of the perfect one. A fine toothed and sharp saw will remove the unnecessary wood. In doing so, precautions must be taken against splintering and spoiling the wood. To prevent this, a piece of waste wood, cut slightly out of the square, should be placed against the stop of the bench, so that when the ebony is placed against it, the sawing can be done flush with the side of the bench. The saw should be fine, in good condition, and gently used, or the line made will be ragged, ebony being brittle and splintering stuff, requiring some humouring in this respect. If the sawing is accomplished neatly and vertically true—this last is very essential—there will be little to do in trimming the surface of the end that is to come against the nut when near completion. A piece of fine glasspaper wrapped round a squared piece of pine, will make a good surface. The reduction of the width of the fingerboard at each end will then be proceeded with. In the case of an old neck being retained, the width of it at each end can be taken by compasses and marked on the flat side of the ebony. A thin shaving should be allowed for in finishing off. But we are on the work of a new neck; therefore the marking off should be done to some general standard. A good one may be reckoned as follows, for a violin of fourteen inches long and average width—total length of fingerboard, exclusive of nut, ten and a half inches—greatest width, one inch and five-eighths, width at nut, one-sixteenth under an inch. The ebony will be planed neatly down, with vertical sides, to these measurements. The height, or rise of the sides of the fingerboard above the maple, three-sixteenths of an inch, which may be kept for the whole length. The reducing to the requisite width and depth should be done with the plane in good order, a metal one for this kind of work being the best. The surfaces that are to be glued together must now be considered. An untidy looking black line along the neck at the junction of the ebony and maple goes far to spoil the general effect; a glance at this part will at once be sufficient for declaring whether the neck and fingerboard has been fitted by a neat and competent repairer. A frequent cause of the dark line—it is really a want of proper fitting together of the parts—is the hastily planing the two surfaces—straight enough possibly—and delay while the glueing operation is in progress. The fact of ebony being almost equally affected by moisture as other woods—in fact, more so than some—must not be lost sight of. Coupled with this curling of the wood under the influence of damp is the want of proper regulation of the pressure after glueing and placing the parts in opposition. An old-fashioned method of uniting these parts is still pursued by some repairers—the surfaces are planed evenly, the glue is applied over them, they are clapped together and string tied tightly as possible. Diagram 7 will show a modern and improved method, that of a mould of soft wood for back and front of neck and fingerboard. In affixing the fingerboard many repairers have left a gouged channel reaching from the nut to the end or insertion of the neck. This may be seen sometimes on turning the part towards the light. The intention seems to be from an economical view, that of removing the ebony, if necessary, without injuring the glued surfaces by pouring a little water down the passage and waiting till the damp enables the fingerboard to be pulled off without fracture. This tedious operation is wholly unnecessary, for the time spent would be worth more than a new one with its trimming up. Some repairers have used a toothed plane on the level surfaces to enable the glue to grip well. This is another mistaken idea. The fingerboard should not be treated as a permanent part of the structure never to come undone, it should be so secured as to last as long as required under fair usage, but in case of violence it is best that it should snap clear from the neck than hold tight enough to distribute, or concentrate, the strain on other and more delicate parts of the structure. Experience has suggested the following as generally best for all practicable purposes. The surfaces having been made true under the plane—this should be tested before the parts are glued, when, if true, there will be no line or the very faintest one seen. Along the middle of the ebony a very shallow gouged channel may be made, about half-an-inch wide and just deep enough to prevent the glue from touching when the fingerboard is placed in position. The level across over this channel from side to side can be tested by a metal straight edge or truly trimmed scraper. Occasionally from damp or the action of the plane the surfaces of both maple and ebony become slightly arched; in reducing this the scraper may be used with good effect, and a smaller one to take the least shaving more off near the channel, the even pressure when applied will close the outer edges more effectually.

The glue to be used under present circumstances should not be strong, and if the atmospheric temperature is below sixty, or perhaps not down to that, the surfaces of fingerboard and neck should be warmed. When all is ready, see that the ebony is placed evenly in the centre and then proceed to apply the cramps in the manner before described (diagrams 33 and 34). The one placed over the button and the arch of the fingerboard in opposition to it must be sufficiently large, and the hollowed soft wood mould, or pad, should be more highly arched than the fingerboard, so that when pressed down, the outer edges, and not the centre of the latter, should receive the greatest pressure. The other cramps having been screwed down under the same conditions, the work can be placed aside to dry and harden. When a reasonable time has elapsed, according to atmospheric conditions, as in cold, damp weather, more time should be allowed, but under all circumstances the most dry and sufficiently warm locality should be chosen; the cramps may be removed, and of course the moulds too.



We must now see to the working down of the graft or neck, not only to the requisite dimensions, but for the finish with some effort at style. By this last is meant such attention to evenness of contour from the button along to the edging of the shell, as shall be strong enough without looking heavy or clumsy; much of the nice appearance of this portion of the work depends upon the neatness of the workman. Assuming the button to be of the normal standard, or we may say, well calculated with regard to size for good effect—a good average width of this at the base where the curved line springs from the border is thirteen-sixteenths, and the projection forward—as it is not a geometrical curve—a half an inch. Some of the old Italian makers left the button very large, others small. The latter never pleases the eye of the connoisseur, who, accustomed to the proportion given it by the best masters (also the modern makers), thinks it looks poor and incomplete. As the neck or graft has hitherto been left but roughly hewn out, it will be projecting for some little distance beyond that which would be occupied by any button of average dimensions. Supposing the button to be too small, or injured, and an addition necessary, for the next move we shall require a pair of compasses; with these, after finding a centre of the segment of a circle formed by the outer edge of the button, with the other point find the distance inward, or the proper segment that is to be retained, bearing in mind that every possible part of the original button should be preserved; putting the point of the compass on the central spot as lightly as circumstances will allow, a thin scratched line must be made with the other point. Here we may remark that screw compasses should be used, so that distance apart of the feet may be kept rigid, as the width and the same circular scratch marked on the button must now be marked on a piece of maple, or, as is sometimes done, on ebony. The grain of either should run in the same direction as that of the button, or if done aslant it will look ugly when worn a little. The materials being matched, the fresh piece should be reduced in thickness to very little over that required for the height of the edging for the button; it should be a small cake of wood large enough to cover and leave a margin where it is to be fitted.

The wood of the button outside of the scratched line will now be cut away down to the raw wood of the new graft; it must be done with small and sharp chisels, carefully paring it down, leaving the edge up to the scratched line quite perpendicular and smooth all round: the strictest attention to this is necessary, so that the fitting on of the fresh edging may be done with exactness. We now take up the little cake of ebony, or maple, as selected, with the scratched line, which should be made from a central point close to the edge as possible: if this is a difficulty, the centre may be taken further in, the circular line also and the superfluous wood cut away to the central point, but not in a way to interfere with the equipoise when the edging is placed on for fitting; if this is not seen to, the edging will, when finished, look awry. The middle within the scratched line may now be first gouged away and the wood cut with a sharp knife close up to and at exact right angles with the plane. A rounded file may with care be used to make a more even surface or run. If all this is done with precision, the parts may be tried together for testing—the glueing may be seen to and the cramping done, with care that the fresh portion does not slip during the process out of its place. Some repairers would be tempted to rely upon the exact fitting, and simply slide the parts together, squeezing them well, but this is always risky. The work may now be put aside to dry.

The next proceeding will be that of working down or levelling both the ebony fingerboard and the graft, or neck. The first, in the state usually sold, will have an apparently well-finished off arching that may sometimes be near enough for letting alone after a little polishing down, but as a general rule it is not so, and further, if having been long "in stock," it may have settled down a little out of the straight during the seasoning process. Recourse should be had to the plane, a rather small metal one in good order with a keen edged iron. This must be closely regulated, or the surface worked upon will not be even but torn; hard woods, as before observed, require humouring and working down gently. The exact arching—in good work—of the ebony should be governed by a cut mould, one for each end. These may be made of some hard wood or metal, such as zinc, and if truly made will last any length of time. They should be trimmed to fit some fingerboard that has been ascertained to be just the thing in its arching. It may be as well to observe that some violinists prefer using a rather flatter fingerboard than others, but the medium is without doubt the best, and is not difficult to arrive at. The plane must be gently worked along from end to end of the fingerboard with as little pressure as possible,—hence the careful regulation and sharpness,—or you will find after a short time that instead of a nice even line, which must be tested from time to time by a straight edged rule, there will be a curved one, and this will necessitate further working down to the danger of losing thickness and sufficient strength in the ebony. If attention is paid to this, and a satisfactory even run of surface is obtained, glass-paper on a piece of straight, soft wood, but not of the finest degree, will be suitable for the present.

We now return to the modelling of the neck from the lower part of the back of the scroll down to the button. This last, with its fresh edging or shield, will require another scratched line, making two semi-circular ones; it must be done from the same centre and calculated to allow of the wood being hewed away outside, leaving the full measurement when finished off.

A chisel will now be brought into requisition for removing the useless wood outside the line last marked. The cushion or sandbag must be brought into use, the violin put face downwards, the fingerboard resting in a hollow. The neck or most convenient part for holding the whole with firmness must be held tightly, the chisel then worked downwards from the button, but not too far so as to cut into the portion that is to gradually enlarge, or form the quarter of a circle or the thickest part of the neck.

We shall now use a strong coarse wood file and turn the instrument round and about, work away the neck until just outside of what will be left when the polishing down takes place.

The curves should all be balanced well even while in the rough and the contour viewed from all points should be regular. The other end of the graft will require the same kind of attention, care being taken that too much wood is not removed. The level from each end must be seen to, leaving just sufficient wood to allow for fining down; the proportions must be well calculated, thus the upper end under the nut will be hewn down thinner than the part approaching the button, the line from each end being made quite even and the curving of the semi-circular shaft gradually tapering upwards. The glass-paper file before referred to will now come into service; it should be made of a nicely-squared plate of wood about six inches in length by about two and a half inches in width, with about one third of an inch in depth. We may call one side the front, the other the back; the edges of the former should be rounded down to a semi-circular form. All we have to do in making this useful file complete is to lap a piece of glasspaper of the degree of grain required round it, nearly meeting at what may be called the back for the time being. The surface with the rounded edging, or, as we have called it, the front, covered with rather strong grained paper, will be worked to make an even course all along the shaft, guarding all the while against working too much at one spot. The paper file may, after a sufficient working along the surface, be exchanged for one or two degrees finer, rubbing it in the same manner. For good mathematically even work, the graft should be turned round frequently, so that the light may throw up any little inaccuracies that may occur and which require individual attention. Here it may be remarked that if possible all repairing would be best done in an apartment that has as little reflected light as possible. The reason for this will soon be apparent when the fining down or polishing stage is commenced. One window, and that not too large, will be found advantageous. Little irregularities, however trifling, are best seen under such a light. Much rough work may very possibly be the consequence of badly-arranged light rather than inability or indifference of the workman. Repairs executed under unfavourable circumstances as above will often look very well until turned about in fresh and different lights, as they are sure to be, and then the faultiness becomes a surprise to the executant.

The glasspaper filing must be continued for some time and with several finer degrees until the surface appears perfectly even and seemingly quite finished, but the stages are not yet complete.



CHAPTER VII.

FINISHING THE FINGERBOARD—FIXING THE NUT—SIZE AND POSITION OF GROOVES FOR THE STRINGS—FILING DOWN THE GRAFT—SMOOTHING, COLOURING, AND VARNISHING SAME.

We now turn our attention to the finish of the fingerboard, which must have its sides attended to for appearing in good trim. For making a nicely worked surface each side, some preparations will have to be made. Firstly, the nut having been cut to the width, or nearly so, of the narrowest end of the fingerboard and glued into position, it will have to be filed down to the height at which it is to remain above the end. The arching will have to be higher in the centre than at each side, in order that when the strings are drawn over tightly, the thickest, or D string, shall have more room to swing than the thinnest, or E. The arching will thus be unequal, the lowest part being at E, next a rise sufficiently for the A, then a further rise for the D, and afterwards a drop again to a little higher than the A; this will be enough for the swing of the G. The grooves for each of these strings must follow in the same order. They will not be equi-distant in one sense, as that would cause them to appear unequal when the strain is on them.

Probably the best way of securing a uniform appearance and the easiest, after one good result, is to cut a metal template with a spike at the central point or middle of where the string is to rest. These points will be found unequal when pricked on to the surface of the nut. A very small, round file should now be used carefully with the run of the fingerboard, or the strings when wound up will look as if pulled aside out of the straight line. The file must be placed exactly on the spot that has been pricked and worked backward and forward as indicated. The ruts must be examined frequently for ascertaining whether they are sufficiently deep. The height of each rut above the fingerboard cannot well be given in fractions of an inch, as they must be regulated to the convenience of the performer. A hard, rasping, orchestral player, with a heavy, unsympathetic bow arm, will require the ruts higher above the board than a soloist of refined taste. The relative heights, one with another, must be the same in both cases. When the ruts are finished, recourse must be had to the glasspaper file again to round the top surface of the nut with an inclination downwards toward the peg-box. This is an arrangement requiring care, as, when the nut is level with the fingerboard, there is danger of the strings jarring. When finished sufficiently even the ruts may require a little further attention, as it is difficult to at once complete them. The two parts are perhaps best worked one with another, neither being finished off in one working and left.

We may now proceed to the further progress of the sides of the fingerboard; this, of course, can only be done when all is settled about the nut, this part requiring to be a continuation, notwithstanding the rise upward of the line from end to end. Preparation must be made for guarding the upper table of the violin from injury, from slips of the glasspaper file during the backward and forward movement. A good way to prevent this is to make a millboard or thick brown paper shield with a part cut away to allow the neck to have a hold. By putting this over the upper table and underneath the fingerboard a part will project forward on each side of the neck; it must be held in position by one hand, while the other holds the paper file, which will be worked along the sides of the fingerboard, at the same time being held nearly vertical. After some little time the part where the ebony joins the graft will appear worked down quite smooth, some finer degrees of the paper will reduce the surface to almost a polish. The nut receiving a part of the working will now present an appearance—as regards form only—of having been left from a reduction of the fingerboard stopping short at a straight line.

This part now, if the fitting of the fingerboard to the graft has been neatly done, will show no line of glue or joint, but simply the difference of material. The upper edges of the ebony may be rounded down along to the end, but less at the lowest.

The whole affair, however, is not yet complete, as the surface to be varnished must be made ready for it. If left in the present condition, players who are very fastidious would be complaining of the work not standing well or deteriorating under use. The cause of this deterioration will be that the moisture from the hand in using this part of the instrument in the raw state makes the grain swell as if wetted; this would occur to some extent even if fully varnished. This must therefore be anticipated by passing a soft, fully haired and wetted brush, or damp sponge, over the whole of the new work. When dry the whole surface will appear rough, or if of soft texture, somewhat corrugated; this must again be levelled down with some of the finest glasspaper, great care being taken that all the parts, and angles especially, are worked over. If the corners are not equally attended to with the rest—and to do this properly the angle of the steel scraper may be used with good effect—there will be a roughness at the part over which the varnish will settle, become rough when dry, and give the appearance of untidy corners. If the scraper with right angles is insufficient to clear the corner satisfactorily, one with a rather acute angle will be found to do the work; it must be sharp, and gently used (or ridges small, large, or both, will become evident), working across first one way then the other until the appearance is quite up to the exactions and desire of the eye.

Another wetting will be of some further benefit for a good and lasting surface. When dry the roughness will not be so obtrusive as in the first instance, and the application of the finest grain of glasspaper, or a piece that has been under use for some time and got a little stale will give the desired surface. The action of the glasspaper over the surface should be continued for some time, until there being less and less powder routed up the surface, it assumes a polished appearance, and if the whole work is well done it will suggest a kind of finish that looks too good to spoil by covering up with varnish. But the latter is a necessity; if not really varnish in the usual sense of the term, a substitute must be used, and here we touch a little upon the confines of fashion or individual fancy.

It may not be generally known that the old Italian makers—I mention these as they have always been looked up to as guides for almost everything in connection with violin facture—varnished the whole of the neck—which under present circumstances we call the graft—with the same varnish and thickness of it as the rest of the instrument. We never see such a thing now, and if a maker were to send forth his new violins in this manner or trim, he would be looked upon as eccentric. Nevertheless at one time it was universal. Probably the increased number of movements of the hand, and especially the thumb, to meet the requirements of more florid execution and in connection with the growth of the ability among players for performing much music on the higher positions or shifts, showed very soon how the coloured varnish looked patchy under wear. This fashion of covering over the most handled part of the instrument with the coloured varnish then became discarded.

"Appearances must be preserved" was found to be an axiom almost forced upon the makers and repairers, and, as time went on, the substitution of strongly curled wood for necks or grafts, in place of the plainer material hitherto used, gradually settled down into the present fashion. Now-a-days the skill of the repairer is exercised in the various treatment of this part. Players vary in their tastes or whims, some liking a perfectly smooth or polished surface as more suitable to their handling than what they understand as an unvarnished neck, others like it the other way as not so likely to slip, there being a little more hold or resistance. Anyhow, the raw wood cannot be left simply glass-papered, this would be speedily followed in use by an accumulation of dirt and grease unpleasant to the eye, and to the touch, clammy and unwholesome. It will therefore be as well to consider the two modes of treatment. In either case the parts of the graft near the insertion in the socket and at the other end where the peg-box is fitted will require varnishing down.

Before active operations commence a fair examination should be made of the colour or complexion of the body of the violin. Very often this has no attention paid to it, with the result of a hideous contrast between the neck and the ribs adjoining, a sign of bad workmanship and carelessness. The materials at hand for making a good match must then be thought over, the most appropriate selected and the number of coats, if possible, determined upon. This latter will be taken in a general sense, as an exact number will not be possible; appearances are in this process deceptive and must be regulated by the exigencies of the moment, but what can be calculated is the question of one or two applications only (which would result in a cheap and common appearance) or a number with the same materials carefully laid to the satisfaction of the repairer.

Without plunging into the whirlpool of the best or particular gums, resins and their individual mode of application, a matter that will take up hereafter our more undivided attention, it may be taken as a certainty that the varnishing materials used for the parts under consideration must be of an alcoholic solution, no other would "set," evaporate or dry with sufficient rapidity to allow of handling: or, as we may put it in another way, that would lose tackiness within a convenient time.

Most people are aware of the nature of an oil varnish during the drying process, there is firstly the "setting," that is, all the volatile particles dispersing; secondly, the real drying or hardening which ensues with sufficient time or age; both accompanied with some degree of contraction, and until the process is complete, handling or friction of any kind has to be carefully avoided. This will at once show its unsuitableness for repairs and restorations, especially of the kind now under consideration. The same process has to be gone through in the drying of a spiritous or alcoholic varnish, but it is so much the more rapid in consequence of there being only the alcohol to disperse, leaving the resin in a comparatively dry state.

Colouring will be the chief consideration after the resin has been selected, and on this the judgment of the operator will have to be centred. For obtaining the effect desired or that is fashionable at the present day, one or two coats or paintings will be commenced at the corners where the graft is inserted in the upper ribs and gradually being thinned off as the curved part rounding upwards from the button dies away. Sometimes in consequence of the fresh wood appearing very white—it is not always possible to obtain aged wood—some colouring material or stain mixed with the first two wettings will subdue the staring aspect, this may be continued along the graft and bring up the figure or curl more prominently. Often between the curves each end of the graft repairers force very strong stain, this being sometimes common writing ink; when varnished over the effect is violent and common even when nicely done. The best that can be recommended is some sufficiently dark wood stain—sold at most of the oil and colourmen's shops—and rub it in, allowing it to dry and then finishing off as before described.

If the neck is to be left unvarnished, as it is termed, the colouring and fining off can be followed with a rubbing of good oil, linseed, raw or boiled, it must be really rubbed in and vigorously frictioned up and down with a dry cloth—or after an application of the same kind with some old fine flannel. This will drive in the oil, consolidating the whole, and as it will dry inside after a time, keep a good smooth surface under usage.

Some repairers continue to varnish or polish along the sides of the fingerboard to the extremity. There is no objection to this, and if very neatly done, the general effect is enhanced. The varnishing of the whole of the fingerboard is perhaps not so good in general, too much glare seeming to obtrude itself, but the filling up the pores with the varnish and then working it down to a dull surface has a good effect and helps in the resistance to wear. The polishing of the neck, or fingerboard with it, may be effected by making a small ball or dabber of about half an inch in diameter of fine grained flannel; this should be covered with another surface of closer material such as calico, but large enough to enclose the little bunch and to be tied up with a piece of string. A portion of varnish being placed ready in a smaller saucer or any convenient porcelain article with a shallow even bottom, the ball or dabber will be moistened with some linseed oil and then its rounded face dipped in the varnish and rubbed briskly, but lightly, over the surfaces to be polished. These surfaces rapidly absorb the polish, while the oil in the dabber allows it to pass over without clinging. The rubbing should be continued until a smooth, glassy appearance comes and you feel sure that the wood has imbibed enough of the polish; this treatment may be continued over all the parts at which it may be desirable to have an even shining surface. The work may now be put aside for some hours, so that the evaporating and hardening may take place. When this has been ascertained to be satisfactory, the surfaces may be wiped gently with some soft, absorbent material which will take away any superfluous particles of oil that may have been accidentally left in the process of rubbing. If there should be some uneven, clotted, or rough parts observable, a small ball or dabber made in the same way as the preceding, but used with spirit and oil instead of varnish, will work these down to a proper condition. For the dead surfacing, care must be taken that all is quite hard enough. Taking a small piece of flannel of fine texture doubled up and with its face well oiled, having some rotten-stone powder at hand, dip in the latter and rub as before lightly round and round over the parts to be dead polished; this will give a nice refined, even appearance, with comparatively little glare. A final wipe off with a soft cloth as before, will bring matters to a conclusion.



CHAPTER VIII.

INJURIES THAT CAN BE REPAIRED FROM THE OUTSIDE—INSERTION OF FRESH WOOD IN FRACTURE OF THE RIBS—THE EFFECTS OF CLIMATE ON THE GLUE IN VIOLINS.

We may now take this portion of the work as finished and turn to the consideration of repairs of fractures or filling up of parts last. It is early yet to think of opening the instrument for the purpose of rectification of anything that appears to have gone wrong either with the general structure or with small details. A golden rule to be observed by all repairers is that of never opening an instrument—that is removing the upper or lower table—until all other means of correction have proved futile. Extensive repairs to the interior may be accomplished without opening after a very careful look over with proper calculation. There are several reasons for keeping the above rule well in mind, among them, that if the violin is old and has undergone much affliction while under the hands of many doctors, some of these possibly belonging to the "heroic school," it may be found that the last visitant of the interior had straightened, bent, or contracted and held some of the parts together while the glue was in process of drying and that sufficient time had not elapsed since the occurrence for the strained parts to settle down under their new condition. An opening of the violin, removal of upper or lower table or any large portion, must be undertaken after due consideration and every precaution has been taken that nothing shall be disturbed if the reparation can be accomplished without. An opening of the instrument for the purpose of one repair may lead to the necessity of half a dozen before closing up again. Our opening ceremony will therefore be postponed until a future occasion, and we will confine ourselves to the consideration of such external injuries of ancient or recent origin that may be with the least inconvenience restored to ordinary health or even strength. The numbers of such and their varieties are more than can be related, the curious manner of their occurrence, too, would be an addition that would indefinitely prolong the story.

Taking, therefore, small injuries or fractures that can be repaired from the outside, among the first coming to mind and not infrequently seen, is at the corners, a small piece of the projecting part of the rib—one of the upper or lower sets; this may have caught against something and got lifted away from the block, it may be on one side or the other, in size perhaps little more than an eighth of an inch, but all the same requiring immediate attention, or dirt will get in and make an adjourned repair more difficult if not wholly impossible to obscure.

According to the condition, age and date of the injury, so the treatment must be. If the injury is quite recent and the fractures are quite clean, some good thick glue placed on the exposed surface and the lifted piece placed back in position may remain there with no further attention than the wiping off when dry of any superfluous glue that may have exuded when pressing the part on. This has been a simple matter, but if the part knocked away is lost, a different course must be pursued. As it would be impossible to find a piece of fresh wood to fit a ragged or irregular-shaped hollow, there is but one method to proceed upon, that of clearing a regular space with a sharp pointed knife. The walls of the space or opening should be as clean in line as possible, also quite vertical. A small keen-edged chisel may be found advantageous, as, by its aid, using it with the angular or sharpened side downwards, the floor of the excavation can be reduced to a fair level. This hollowing-out should not be too deep, leaving as much as possible of the bare wood uncut, only enough being removed for a good holding surface. If this is done neatly, the opening will be like that of a box into which will be fitted the fresh wood. As to this last it should be selected to match both with regard to texture and age whenever possible, also in continuation of the run of the grain, so that when fitted it should look as much like the surrounding wood as possible, that is, when free of varnish. In cutting the wood to the required size it should not, as in the instance of the aperture, be made with perfectly upright sides, but the parts that are to go into the aperture should be a fraction less than the outer, so as to allow of its being pressed in and fitting very closely all round. As the parts under consideration lie in the curved parts on the structure, to fit a piece in with success, it should also be bent with a requisite curve; if this is not attended to, and the clear varnish comes over it when being finished off, there will be a glistening of the grain underneath when shifted about in the light. To avoid this, which is apt to draw attention to the repaired parts, a larger piece of veneer than necessary should be first bent into the proper curve and the part nearly small enough cut from it and then made to fit. The bending of the piece can be effected by steeping it in some hot water, pressing it into form; being but a small portion, it will probably retain its inclination; if large enough and obstinate it must be kept bent by some means until dry, when it will show no disposition to revert back to its old form. If these particulars are all attended to with care, the piece of wood or veneer will only require a little pressure—the opening being gone over with strong glue—to retain its form in proper position. In case of failure under these conditions and the parts not holding together as they should, another course must be adopted.

It will be most likely that some grease is the cause of the non-adherence of the parts. The remedy will be that of using a little benzine on a brush and wiping or mopping out with a small piece of linen on the end of a pointed stick of soft wood, after which, when quite dry, some fresh glue must be applied, and the parts pressed together and held in position.

Ingenuity and the perception of the adaptation of means to an end will constantly be called into exercise, and at a part of the instrument such as is at present under consideration, will be often severely taxed. Want of purchase or no direct pressure being possible, or at least perceptible, will be the complaint of the operator, but this can always be overcome with a little patience.

Now supposing that a piece has come off at the upper part of the waist curve, and if narrow or the curve is sudden it will at first sight be a little puzzling as to keeping pressure on the fresh part, even if cut sharply and ready to be deftly inserted. The difficulties will be considerably lessened, if not disposed of, if we take up a portion of soft pine or poplar, cut it in a moment or two to shape, so as to very loosely fit the upper curve or part we are about to glue, and not quite reaching the lower or usually larger curve of the waist; a small piece of cork placed between the wood to be inserted and that which is to press it while in position and another piece of cork of a wedge form can be squeezed in at the other end, so as to prevent the varnish being injured and to tighten the pressure, which will not be necessarily great if the fitting is good.

Another kind of repair not unfrequently necessary, and which should not be delayed, is caused by the parting of the two ribs at the angle, in consequence often of accidental knocks and over weak glue. This is a more difficult part at which to get direct pressure than almost any part of the instrument. Many repairers would lift up the loose part or parts, both being occasionally loose, brush a little glue in, squeeze the parts together and leave them. When dry the ends will under this treatment seldom be found to meet properly as in their original condition. The best mode of repairing will be found that of proceeding by degrees, overcoming the enemy in detail. Thus firstly, we must observe whether the junction or construction of this part has been effected in the old Brescian manner—that is, the two equal parts being brought together, or according to the later method, the end of the middle rib being placed in position first, trimmed to a feather edge and the upper left thick and slightly overlapping it and afterwards trimmed into shape. In both instances the under surfaces must be cleaned and all the hard old glue softened and cleared out, if unfractured the surfaces of both corner block and rib fitting will be as originally left by the maker. In either style of construction it will be best to proceed first with the middle rib and support or prop it against the block in the way before mentioned. When quite dry we can remove the pressure and get to work at the other. After being quite sure that no hard glue or foreign particles remain between the surfaces to prevent a perfect fit as in the original condition, a small mould cut from soft wood again and of a size and shape that will fit loosely the semi-circular part must be cut, and some soft paper got ready to go between as a protection for the varnished part. If the parts are not much worn away, or the front and back plates are in fair condition, the rib may be glued and the screw cramp, cork or paper of course being used as a protector, and the rib will be held in position. If this is not sufficient for getting a close and accurate fit, the soft wood mould mentioned above must be placed, and a slight pressure gained by a wedge of wood gently inserted and pressed home. This mode of repair, it will be borne in mind, is when the upper and lower plates are in fairly good condition. Different treatment would be adopted if both were separated or the upper one taken off.

Sometimes the cramping, although sufficient for getting a good mend where there is a good extent of surface, will not be quite the thing for a small part, perhaps a slight opening at the extreme edge; in this instance a wooden mould, cut in a few minutes from a flat board large enough to allow of an oval aperture being made that will admit of the body of the violin being passed through. This being done and a small wedge being here and there judiciously inserted, will enable the operator to get enough purchase, or advantage may be taken of the juxtaposition of the cramp, and using both to gain the requisite pressure against the bend of the rib in the manner before mentioned.

There are as a matter of course extremely numerous kinds of fractures or injuries arising from almost as many different causes. If time and space permitted, they might be classified and each credited to their different agencies. Sufficient for our purpose, however, will be the separation of them into three divisions: firstly, those which may be the outcome or result of ordinary wear and giving way of parts through atmospheric influence, such as damp or excessive dryness, or both at times, in combination with varying temperature. People are apt to debit the climate of Britain with many shortcomings and the cause of much undoing of good work in the fiddle world and the prevention of its being accomplished in the concluding stages of fiddle facture.

Much of the good quality attached to Italian instruments has been attributed to the beautiful and dry air of Italy. Now that Italy has beautiful air no one can deny, that is, while not standing in the streets of some of the most interesting cities therein, but that it is dry generally is perhaps going beyond the mark; remember it is a very mountainous place with some exceptional portions, this may be easily verified by a glance over a good map of the place, or better, a tour by railway from the northern provinces down as far as Naples. Knowledge is fairly general as to mountainous districts, much more than plains, being the localities where rain is most frequent, the more or less saturation of the atmosphere following as a matter of course.

But let Italian fiddles speak for themselves, otherwise than through the medium of gut strings. The first makers of violins in Brescia used no side linings, but trusted to the most excellent quality of their glue for holding back and front to the ribs. That their trust was not misplaced in many instances is proved by the work in its primitive condition remaining intact to the present day. With the rise of the Cremonese school, delicacy in treatment of detail became fashionable; makers found that in order to give expression to their ideas in as many particulars as possible over the work, especially in respect of refinement in the curving of the ribs, less thickness of wood in these parts would have to be used, especially when of very decided curl; but this would not hold well except in the driest districts. The system was then introduced of using the thin slips of wood running from block to block; the thickness of these, although slight, added to the thin substance of the rib, allowed a better holding power to back and front.

The fact is here evident that the glue, of exceeding good quality—and that it was so will be corroborated by all repairers who have had to do with the old Italian instruments—was too easily affected by the damp of the atmosphere.

Further evidence frequently turns up among the great numbers of old Italian instruments gathered from all sorts of places, of the efforts at combating the effects of damp. Some of the means adopted by various repairers, apparently in the smaller towns—judging by the bad, even extraordinary woods used—have been very curious, many interesting, others primitive, even stupid. At about the same time the Amatis were introducing the use of side-linings, Giov. Maggini was trying other means of preventing the parting of the upper and lower tables from the ribs by damp. A method he adopted, and which many later makers imitated—if it did not occur to them spontaneously—was by cutting a groove all round and inserting the ribs. It will be obvious from this that no linings were used in these instances. That his efforts were not followed by success may be concluded from the fact that he did not persevere with the system. The simple method of his master was fallen back upon and thicker ribs placed in position. When we come across one of those grooved tables it will probably be found—as might have been anticipated by Maggini had he known beforehand of the course to be taken by his art, which was at the time almost a local one—that a repairer has at one time thought it necessary to lift the ribs from one or the other plate, and almost, of course, bungled over it. This will be seen in the irregularity of the fitting of the ribs, which have been ruthlessly cut or torn out of the groove, some portions being left in. Taking them out was found to be unprofitable work, with a general result of a wretched wreck remaining, instead of the whole original being there but shifted a little, from the glue losing its hold while perishing from the action of moisture.



CHAPTER IX.

THE GLUE USED BY THE EARLY ITALIAN MAKERS—INSERTION OF PIECES OF WOOD FOR REPAIRING LOST PARTS—REPLACING LOST RIB AND REPAIRING INTERIOR WITHOUT OPENING WHEN POSSIBLE—SECURING LOOSE LOWER RIB TO END BLOCK—DIFFERENT METHODS—TREATMENT OF WORM-HOLES—FIXING ON GRAFT ON NECK.

Here, before proceeding further, it may be as well to call attention to the kind of damage done by the atmosphere. We speak of the glue perishing. Under most circumstances this will not occur, but under exceptional ones it will. If good in the first instance, it will be perfectly sound and strong as ever at the end of three hundred years. I have found this to be so in the work of Gasparo da Salo and his pupil, Giovanni Paolo Maggini, besides other makers nearly contemporary. What particular kind of glue they used I am unable to say, possibly they did not know very much more themselves beyond what they believed was the best obtainable in their day and city. When the perishing has occurred there must have been very much moisture in the atmosphere of the locality in which the violin rested for some time, as the best glue will absorb the most moisture before losing its firmness, or power of adherence. Prolonged exposure to damp allows chemical change to take place and then all adhesive quality is lost; when dry air afterwards attacks it, the parts of the instrument that should have been held firmly together are released, with results that may be serious in degree according to the position of the part affected.