Mat Roop Posted July 30, 2022 Report Share Posted July 30, 2022 3 hours ago, Renegade said: ... because no one would be interested in it. I would clean it, fix any damage and glue any open joints, and do a full set up... then donate it to an elementary school string program. That would reward them for the repair work they send you, and If they don't then they might! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spongebob Posted July 30, 2022 Author Report Share Posted July 30, 2022 7 hours ago, Mat Roop said: I would clean it, fix any damage and glue any open joints, and do a full set up... then donate it to an elementary school string program. That would reward them for the repair work they send you, and If they don't then they might! Donating old (unfortunately not expensive) violins to schools, this is my idea that I suggested in another post What about varnish and those numerous deep scratches? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mat Roop Posted July 31, 2022 Report Share Posted July 31, 2022 re the scratches... Just clean the violin and then give it what I call a varnish rub.. ie section at a time, rub the violin ( using your finger), with fresh OIL BASED violin varnish of matching color and then IMMEDIATELY wipe it ALL off. That leaves a microfilm of varnish that seals the open wood, helps blend the scars, and leaves it with good character. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Al Cramer Posted July 31, 2022 Report Share Posted July 31, 2022 Don't worry about the varnish & deep scratches -- there are ways to fix that that still respect the historicity of the instrument. If you want to restore this instrument, first thing to worry about is the neck geometry. Has the neck sunk? There are many many postings on this forum about neck geometries. You should read them! If that's too much, here's what I do. Measure vertical distance from end-of-finger- board to center of G string. That should be <= 6 mm. Then measure vertical distance from end-of-fingerboard to E string. That should be < 4mm. Finally, measure distance from top-of-fiddle to top of bridge. That should be somewhere between 28 and 32mm. If these measurements are all correct, the neck geometry is ok and you can proceed to carving a new bridge & fitting a new soundpost. If they're not, you will have to correct the neck. The pros who post here know how to do proper neck resets. All I know to do is knock off the top nut, remove the fingerboard, and add a shim. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spongebob Posted July 31, 2022 Author Report Share Posted July 31, 2022 6 hours ago, Mat Roop said: re the scratches... Just clean the violin and then give it what I call a varnish rub.. ie section at a time, rub the violin ( using your finger), with fresh OIL BASED violin varnish of matching color and then IMMEDIATELY wipe it ALL off. That leaves a microfilm of varnish that seals the open wood, helps blend the scars, and leaves it with good character. Yes, I thought too, thank you for the hint. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spongebob Posted July 31, 2022 Author Report Share Posted July 31, 2022 5 hours ago, Al Cramer said: Don't worry about the varnish & deep scratches -- there are ways to fix that that still respect the historicity of the instrument. If you want to restore this instrument, first thing to worry about is the neck geometry. Has the neck sunk? There are many many postings on this forum about neck geometries. You should read them! If that's too much, here's what I do. Measure vertical distance from end-of-finger- board to center of G string. That should be <= 6 mm. Then measure vertical distance from end-of-fingerboard to E string. That should be < 4mm. Finally, measure distance from top-of-fiddle to top of bridge. That should be somewhere between 28 and 32mm. If these measurements are all correct, the neck geometry is ok and you can proceed to carving a new bridge & fitting a new soundpost. If they're not, you will have to correct the neck. The pros who post here know how to do proper neck resets. All I know to do is knock off the top nut, remove the fingerboard, and add a shim. Thank you very much for these hints. This information was very familiar to me early on. I am not writing about it because someone will think that I am pretending to be smart. I am a novice, but I already have a lot of knowledge, I have already exchanged saddles and fingerboards ... I keep hearing, don't do this yourself, don't do that ... I bought / got this violin almost for free, and the violins themselves are not very valuable either. ... but I treat them with respect. That is why I am asking for advice. These violins have terrible varnish. And I have already seen a more valuable violin, which was completely repainted, or, very much smoothed out, and a new layer was put on. Hence my question what to do? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spongebob Posted July 31, 2022 Author Report Share Posted July 31, 2022 6 hours ago, Al Cramer said: Don't worry about the varnish & deep scratches -- there are ways to fix that that still respect the historicity of the instrument. If you want to restore this instrument, first thing to worry about is the neck geometry. Has the neck sunk? There are many many postings on this forum about neck geometries. You should read them! If that's too much, here's what I do. Measure vertical distance from end-of-finger- board to center of G string. That should be <= 6 mm. Then measure vertical distance from end-of-fingerboard to E string. That should be < 4mm. Finally, measure distance from top-of-fiddle to top of bridge. That should be somewhere between 28 and 32mm. If these measurements are all correct, the neck geometry is ok and you can proceed to carving a new bridge & fitting a new soundpost. If they're not, you will have to correct the neck. The pros who post here know how to do proper neck resets. All I know to do is knock off the top nut, remove the fingerboard, and add a shim. Forgive me for posting what I am writing under your comment. He is logical, wise, and PEACEFUL. It's not that the "newbie" is completely ignorant and idiotic (as I feel sometimes). I have a lot of experience in intricate handwork - I'm talking about wood, paper, plaster and other materials. I am a theatrical modeler by profession. I have repaired dozens of guitars ... I consider myself (like many others) a "Renaissance" man. I was a computer graphic designer, I know copyright law, I worked in a large and small carpentry shop ... ect. For this reason, numerous comments from highly respected colleagues from MN sometimes sadden me. Building and repairing a violin is a very complex process and a lot of knowledge. Technical problems, woodworking, gluing etc. are not a problem for me. Problems arise at the interface between technology and historical knowledge. Even colleagues from MN look for a confirmed thesis in other people with MN. I know of huge gaps in historical knowledge regarding the creators and the techniques used. But I'm not looking for confirmation that I am dealing with a real Amati. Surnames are getting more and more exotic (for me, at least). It is possible that when working on this violin, I will cross a border. But I will always ask you for advice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
martin swan Posted July 31, 2022 Report Share Posted July 31, 2022 The thing about asking for advice is that first you need to know who to ask, and then you need to listen to and follow that advice. Asking advice on a public forum guarantees that you will get conflicting advice from people with very different levels of experience, and further guarantees that you will alienate those people whose advice you don’t follow. Perhaps this explains why your flood of tecent postings here on Maestronet gets a mixed reception? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blank face Posted July 31, 2022 Report Share Posted July 31, 2022 22 minutes ago, martin swan said: Asking advice on a public forum guarantees that you will get conflicting advice from people with very different levels of experience, and further guarantees that you will alienate those people whose advice you don’t follow. I’m having the feeling that this is exactly what he is enjoying. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
martin swan Posted July 31, 2022 Report Share Posted July 31, 2022 Double post I see we are both working to achieve a 7 post per day average Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blank face Posted July 31, 2022 Report Share Posted July 31, 2022 37 minutes ago, martin swan said: Double post I see we are both working to achieve a 7 post per day average That’s all I can afford in this time of inflating prices for electricity. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spongebob Posted July 31, 2022 Author Report Share Posted July 31, 2022 1 hour ago, martin swan said: The thing about asking for advice is that first you need to know who to ask, and then you need to listen to and follow that advice. Asking advice on a public forum guarantees that you will get conflicting advice from people with very different levels of experience, and further guarantees that you will alienate those people whose advice you don’t follow. Perhaps this explains why your flood of tecent postings here on Maestronet gets a mixed reception? This is a very wise message ... thank you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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