Whether your instrument has suffered only a small scratch to the varnish or catastrophic damage to the body, it is essential that the repair be done in a manner that respects both the integrity and the value of the instrument. Wherever possible, repairs should be reversible and the original wood and varnish preserved. At V.A. Hill Fine Strings Ltd. we use only recognized violin restoration techniques and traditional materials. We realize that an improper repair can do more damage to a fine instrument than the original damage.
The following are just a few of the more common repairs done by the repair staff at Hill's.
Gluing Open Seams
The glue used in violin making is designed to be reversible. This enables an instrument to be taken apart for repair. Because of this, the seams are prone to opening. While this can result in a change of sound or response or even buzzing of the instrument, it is likely to save the plates from being cracked. Should you find an open seam, it is important that it is glued while the joint is still clean and that the gluing be done with tension removed from the strings. Never allow any repairer to use anything other than a reversible protein glue to repair a seam. "Uncle Charlie" may be able to repair it for free with the white glue from his workshop, but that could prove to be a very costly repair.
Fingerboard Shooting
With regular playing of the instrument, small dents are formed on the surface of the fingerboard by the action of the fingers on the strings. Over time the surface of the fingerboard can become very uneven and when held to the light, looks much like a washboard road. This can cause the strings to rattle against the board and also make it difficult to play double stops in tune. The fingerboard should be evened out by removing the nut and resurfacing the board with a hand plane. This will eliminate the bumps and also produce the correct curvature. A properly shaped fingerboard is essential for the ease of proper intonation and the playing of effortless double stops.
Peg Refitting
Pegs are affected by changes in humidity as well as by normal wear. In general, a regularly used peg with an adequate lubricant will fit and hold for a longer period of time than a seldom used dried out peg. When the adjustment and the lubricant are no longer sufficient to hold a peg in tune, the peg needs to be refitted. This correction can be anywhere from simple reshaping of the pegs or as involved as re-bushing and re-drilling the entire set of peg holes and installing new pegs. When a peg becomes very hard to turn and "creaks" when it is forced to move, this peg is in jeopardy of being cracked or of cracking the peg box. This peg requires lubrication with a peg paste.
Worn or Chipped Varnish
Hand wear or an impact such as a knock from the bow or hitting a music stand can remove varnish and expose bare wood. The resulting bare wood should be retouched as soon as possible to prevent dirt and moisture from penetrating the wood itself. Some players find that they wear through the varnish on the shoulder of their instrument very quickly. This is normally caused by higher than normal acid in the person's system. Players with red hair often fit into this group. Should your violin require repeated repair for worn varnish on the upper shoulder, a plastic shield to protect this area is advisable.
Cracks
Depending upon the position, length & condition, a crack can be anything from a minor problem which can be repaired in minutes to a major disaster that can result in weeks of restoration work. In general, cracks are easier to repair when they are fresh and the exposed wood has not become dirty or distorted out of shape. Where cracks have been badly glued in the past, either out of position or with inappropriate glue, most of the repair time (and costs) will be spent on undoing the old repair. A dirty crack, embedded with previously used old glue, cannot be re-glued without first being properly cleaned. If the instrument has opened, or the position of the crack will allow for it, all cracks should be reinforced on the inside of the instrument with wooden studs, or a piece of parchment or silk.
Sound post Cracks
Sound post cracks can occur on the front or the back of the instrument. On the top plate, the downward pressure of the bridge and the upward pressure of the nearby sound post make this area of the top plate very vulnerable to damage. A sharp blow to the sound post area of the back plate can crack either the back plate, the top plate, or both. To repair a sound post crack gluing alone will not suffice as the pressure from the post will continually re-open the crack. The reinforcing of this type of crack will require a patch made from matching wood embedded from the inside of the plate with sufficient depth to replace most of the cracked wood. This type of repair is commonly referred to as a sound post patch.
Bass bar cracks
As in the sound post area, the pressure of the bridge foot and the resistance of the bass bar cause tension that can result in a crack along the bar. When the area along the length of the bass bar meets with some force, the top plate can crack along side where the bar is glued to the inside. The most common repair to this type of damage involves removing the bass bar, gluing and studding the crack and re fitting a new bass bar to the repaired area. Often, the new bass bar will have to be fit over top of the studs reinforcing the crack. The time required for this precise work oft times results in additional repair costs.
Button grafting
The string tension puts a lot of strain on the neck. Much of this stress is stabilized by the button which is part of the back plate. A severe blow to the instrument can result in the neck being forced out of the top block and breaking off the button which remains glued to the base of the neck. Simply gluing the neck and button back into position is insufficient as the strength from the back plate is not restored as the button remains broken. New wood needs to be added from the inside to reinforce the area and give it extra strength from the plate to the underside of the neck. If the button is also damaged on the outside, or missing, it may also need to be replaced as a whole button graft. The outer edges of the button is sometimes fitted with an ebony cap to camouflage the damage in this area.