Unknown Violin maybe German

[Rachell66]

Hi everybody, 

I have another violin here. Does anyone have any information on this one? I don't know anything about it

What decade? 

Where is it from? 

What kind wood, varnish? 

What do you think about the scroll? Does the kind of scroll identify the violin in some way? 

You can see on the photos, some wood worm, or just little holes? What can I do to fix that? I don't find that it effects the sound in any way. It's still very clean, and sweet, no hissing or anything. 

Thanks, as always, you are much appreciated, 

Rachel 

[jacobsaunders]

Markneukirchen (area) Dutzendarbeit ca, 1900

[Rachell66]

Thanks Jacob

Anyone want to add more information. Or maybe link me to similar violins from that place

Thanks

[Wood Butcher]

There isn't much more to add really.

These things were made in large numbers by anonymous workers. The quality of yours is pretty basic.

A shame about the woodworm, it looks to be fairly extensive, judging by holes in the neck and ribs.

[Rachell66]

1 hour ago, Wood Butcher said:

There isn't much more to add really.

These things were made in large numbers by anonymous workers. The quality of yours is pretty basic.

A shame about the woodworm, it looks to be fairly extensive, judging by holes in the neck and ribs.

OK, what is it worth? 300? 500?

What can I do about the woodworm? 

It sounds pretty, so at least that

[RyanJ]

Jacob has a fairly nice dustbin 
 

[Rachell66]

Hey!!! 

I said she sings nice, why would I throw her now?? Lol

[Rue]

If the woodworm isn't active (alive and eating the violin - look for bits of sawdust to see if that's the situation), then it's nothing to worry about.

[Blank face]

A nice singing violin and a dollar buys you a cup of coffee (not my copyright ).

[Rachell66]

I just started with violins.. You gotta start somewhere.. I like the warm wood of an old violin. I have yitamusic violins, really solid pieces. But they look new. There is just something in taking an old violin and blowing some life into it. 

[Blank face]

5 minutes ago, Rue said:

If the woodworm isn't active (alive and eating the violin - look for bits of sawdust to see if that's the situation), then it's nothing to worry about.

Worm damages are worser than icebergs. You can see about 1 percent of the damage, the rest is subterranean.

[Rue]

Sure...but if the insects are long dead, and the violin hasn't imploded in the interim, and the violin isn't worth the money spent  restoring it...

I still wouldn't worry about it...

[Rachell66]

So what, I need to open it up? How do you treat it. Can you put something there, like a solution/treatment ?

[Wood Butcher]

7 minutes ago, Rue said:

Sure...but if the insects are long dead

This is the hardest part to know, and one can never really be sure of this.

[Rachell66]

So is there a treatment to kill the insects, are they in the wood? How do they get there. How can you prevent wormwood occurring in any violin? 

[Rue]

6 minutes ago, Wood Butcher said:

This is the hardest part to know, and one can never really be sure of this.

Why?  If the larvae are feeding, you'll see sawdust.  If there are no adults around to lay more eggs = which would result in more larvae = which would result in more sawdust...

...then I think you can conclude that the larvae are either dead...or have hatched into adults...which have flown off to visit new violins, cellos and wardrobes...

Now, having said that, if you live in an area where woodworm is prevalent, you could always get a new infestation - but again,  you'd either see the adult beetles, or you'd see little piles of fresh sawdust...

[Rachell66]

What are Grey little patches on a violin, like these in the picture? How do they happen

[Rue]

3 minutes ago, Rachell66 said:

So is there a treatment to kill the insects, are they in the wood? How do they get there. How can you prevent wormwood occurring in any violin? 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woodworm

https://www.permagard.co.uk/advice/how-to-treat-woodworm

[Rue]

2 minutes ago, Rachell66 said:

What are Grey little patches on a violin, like these in the picture? How do they happen

Which patches?  Where the feet of bridge have rubbed the varnish?  Or do you mean the darker spots?

[baroquecello]

Woodworm Needs a certain % of reative moisture in the Wood. Old Wood, kept inside the house in a dry place, is to dry for woodworm to thrive in. Unless the violin was recently stored in a Damp cellar or something of the sort, it is very unlikely that there are active woodwoms present in the violin. Mosst likely the woodworm Damage is from Long ago, when the violin and the Wood were still relatively Fresh. The holes seem to have darkened quite a bit, so I would suspect them to be old, and I wouldn't worry About it. 

[Brad Dorsey]

By "grey patches" do you mean, for example, the slight dark spot just to the right of the bridge that runs vertically between the bridge and the F hole for about two inches?

If yes, it is an accumulation of dirt and rosin dust on top of the varnish.  These are commonly found on violins that are not regularly dusted off, and a good cleaning will remove them.

If no, show us exactly what you mean.

[Rachell66]

15 minutes ago, Rue said:

Which patches?  Where the feet of bridge have rubbed the varnish?  Or do you mean the darker spots?

The dark spot under the left f-hole

[Rachell66]

9 minutes ago, Brad Dorsey said:

By "grey patches" do you mean, for example, the slight dark spot just to the right of the bridge that runs vertically between the bridge and the F hole for about two inches?

If yes, it is an accumulation of dirt and rosin dust on top of the varnish.  These are commonly found on violins that are not regularly dusted off, and a good cleaning will remove them.

If no, show us exactly what you mean.

How do you clean a violin? That is a good question. Well for me it is if I get a good answer. What tools, products do you use? 

[Blank face]

35 minutes ago, Rachell66 said:

So what, I need to open it up? How do you treat it. Can you put something there, like a solution/treatment ?

It's right that worms only can exist when the violin is stored unplayed for a longer while at a relative warm, dark and damp place. The vibrations of a violin being used will cast them out. Unfortunately the breakthrough happens very slowly, after a longer period of playing, or when the instrument is cleaned, but than very suddenly. Such an unfilled and unrestored wormhole is always a red flag in my eyes. No offense intended, but I'm supposing that I've seen and repaired much more of this kind than Rue.

The matter of repair was several times discussed here, proposing all sorts of fillings, injections etc. These methods all have the flaw that the subterranean channels are mostly filled with wood dust (the excrements of the animals) so that they can't be flooded up easily from the outside with a liquid neither detected with bright light nor even X-rays. The only lasting way to repair them is IMO to cut the channels out from inside and insert new wood, either as stripes or a larger patch. In many cases one has to make a cast to prevent a breakthrough, if a patch is necessary one needs to do this anyway. So the costs of such a repair would be enough to buy some violins of this type in an undamaged condition.

[Rachell66]

Yes but it is cheap enough to potter about or to not..