Summer 2024

Over the past few years I have been working on this violin. It needs a lot of restoration and I'm making progress bit by bit. There is still a way to go. This is how it came in:

There are quite a few cracks and it's quite dirty too. First I did some cleaning with cotton wool on a stick and various cleaning agents.

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It's also been overvarnished. After much deliberation I decided to clean off the over varnish.

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On the inside we can see lots of studs that have been glued on to support the cracks, and filler material and patches around the edges. The bassbar does not look to be original.

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After the front was removed from the ribs, I worked my way through the cracks. I'm using small clamps and blocks to pull them together, and after they have been glued I temporarily reinforce them with small studs while I work on the other cracks.

There are some cracks in the soundpost area. They need reinforcing by a patch, which is chalk fitted into place. I've made a plaster cast of the front first, to support it while I fit and glue the patch.

To be continued.