Seal up the crack with glue The first step to repairing a violin with a crack is to seal up the crack with glue. The goal here is to repair the surface and stabilize the area, which will then help you fix the problem at its core.
How do you glue a cracked violin?
Glueing cracks is one of the most common jobs in violin repair or restoration. Yet to glue a crack perfectly remains one of the most difficult tasks, with tension, sinking arching and unevenly swelling wood making things difficult and slightly unpredictable. A traditional method of glueing involves wide stretcher clamps.
How do you fix a broken violin front?
To counteract this, fit a wedge between the two studs, putting outward pressure on the top of the studs (figure4).By carefully balancing the pressure of wedge and clamp you can now control exactly the angle and pressure with which the two sides meet. Many cracks, especially on violin fronts, need only minimal pressure to hold them together.
What size studs do I need for a violin?
Many cracks, especially on violin fronts, need only minimal pressure to hold them together. For these, small wooden studs in the shape of a cube, around 7mm side length will be strong enough. Sometimes, though, it is necessary to exert more pressure.
How do you use clamps and wedges to repair cracks?
Using clamps B or C the crack is clamped dry and the clamp and wedge pressure is adjusted until the arching continues smoothly across the crack. The position of each wedge is marked before the clamps and wedges are removed.After the crack has been warmed the glue is applied and the clamps and wedges reassembled.
Can a crack in a violin be repaired?
Like a broken bone, a crack in the face of a violin can be an incomplete fracture or a complete break through the wood. Regardless, cracks can be repaired via a special glue or clamps that arch across the top or back of the violin.
What glue do I use to fix violin?
Hide glueHide glue is the standard glue that is used by violin makers, and is prized for its organic nature and ability to be dissolved to remove a plate or other part of a violin and perform necessary repairs.
Can you use wood glue on a violin?
0:353:28Repairing Finger Board on Violin with Titebond® Liquid Hide GlueYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipIt's very traditional to use hide glue on instruments.MoreIt's very traditional to use hide glue on instruments.
Does a crack in violin affect sound?
Otherwise, shrinkage cracks, f-hole cracks, and other cracks are common on old instruments that have dried out and seen a little bit of weather. They do not affect the sound if they are properly secured.
How do you hide a cracked violin?
2:153:25How to Fix a Violin Belly Crack : Violin Maintenance - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipNow generally what we do is we use a little clamp like this it goes right over top of that. And you'MoreNow generally what we do is we use a little clamp like this it goes right over top of that. And you'll remember that on the underside. There's a piece of plastic. That's holding the crack lined.
Can violin be glued?
Though synthetic glues were introduced to the market half a century ago, hide glues remain the preferred adhesive in the construction of fine cellos, violas and violins. Hide glues allow an elasticity that expands and retracts along with the wood of the instrument.
What is violin glue made of?
The adhesive used in most aspects of violin making is hide glue. It is made from the connective tissue (skin bones, tendons,etc) of animals. Hide glue has been in use for many thousands of years, although it is not as commonly used today.
Why do luthiers use hide glue?
Hide glue is the standard for violin-family instruments, says luthier Christopher Germain, director of the Violin Makers Workshop at Oberlin College. In part that's because hide glue is reversible—it's easy to undo a bond without harming wood. That's pretty handy when you need to open an instrument.
What temperature does violin glue melt?
Heat. Heat is extremely detrimental to stringed instruments. String instrument makers (Luthiers) purposefully use wood glues that soften when heated (145 F) so that an instrument can be disassembled for service when necessary.
What causes a violin to crack?
A 30% level of relative humidity for any appreciable length of time will most likely cause cracks in violins. The ideal atmosphere for a violin is of course precisely the one in which the instrument was made, but it is a practical impossibility to keep the instrument perfectly acclimatized.
What is a Soundpost crack?
Almost without exception, a soundpost crack is the result of a sharp jolt, when that sharp-edged, hard dowel turns from a piston into a spike, cracking the wood it rests against. As substantial as the cost of the repair will be, it's easily dwarfed by the loss of value.
How much does it cost to repair a violin sound post?
Soundpost adjustment: $10-35. New soundpost: $50 violin/viola, $75 cello. Violin/viola bridge: $60-125 (bridge with pickup: $150)
What glue is used for musical instruments?
Hot Hide Glue (granular – Milligan & Higgons 192g) Hot hide glue or simply “hide glue” has been famous for being the luthiers choice in both guitars and violin family instruments for centuries.
How do you glue a violin neck?
24:4126:37Inserting a neck into a violin or a viola body with Anton Somers - Part 2YouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipSo I prepared some glue in this case it's bone glue. I'm gonna put glue on all surfaces. And also aMoreSo I prepared some glue in this case it's bone glue. I'm gonna put glue on all surfaces. And also a little bit inside the insert there let's do it don't use too much glue.
What is violin glue made of?
The adhesive used in most aspects of violin making is hide glue. It is made from the connective tissue (skin bones, tendons,etc) of animals. Hide glue has been in use for many thousands of years, although it is not as commonly used today.
What temperature does violin glue melt?
Heat. Heat is extremely detrimental to stringed instruments. String instrument makers (Luthiers) purposefully use wood glues that soften when heated (145 F) so that an instrument can be disassembled for service when necessary.
How to fix a crack in a violin?
Glueing cracks is one of the most common jobs in violin repair or restoration. Yet to glue a crack perfectly remains one of the most difficult tasks, with tension, sinking arching and unevenly swelling wood making things difficult and slightly unpredictable. A traditional method of glueing involves wide stretcher clamps. However, many London workshops now use a system of studs and small clamps. This provides greater control over the pressure on the crack, in terms of both amount of force and direction, and thus more control over the final result.For the pressure to be controlled at a given point it must be exerted as close as possible to that point on the crack: the (impossible) ideal is ‘x’ in figure1. A stretcher clamp is problematic as the pressure points are far from the crack at the edge of the instrument (figure 2).The next best option is right next to the crack, on the inside of the plate. Using a wooden stud on either side of the crack, the sides can be pulled together with a little clamp. Although this will close the inside of the crack, the outside of it will open (figure 3). To counteract this, fit a wedge between the two studs, putting outward pressure on the top of the studs (figure4).By carefully balancing the pressure of wedge and clamp you can now control exactly the angle and pressure with which the two sides meet.
What to use to pull cracks out of register?
If a crack wants to slide out of register, a slightly angled clamp can help pull one side up (see left)
How to increase strength of studs?
Sometimes, though, it is necessary to exert more pressure. To increase the strength of the studs you can increase the size of the glueing area – but only up to a point. This point is determined by two factors: the span of your clamp and the distance you dare to have between the clamping point on the outside of the stud and the crack. The further away from the crack you go, the more difficult balancing wedge and clamp pressure will be.
What is the most common job for violins?
Glueing cracks is one of the most common jobs in violin repair or restoration. Yet to glue a crack perfectly remains one of the most difficult tasks, with tension, sinking arching and unevenly swelling wood making things difficult and slightly unpredictable. A traditional method of glueing involves wide stretcher clamps.
What type of clamp should I use for studs?
When you glue your studs, leave a small safety gap to avoid glue getting in the crack. Clamps. Three types of clamps are commonly used: Clamp A, a parallel clamp, is able to clamp down right next to the plate. The most suitable version I have come across, supplied by Dick GmbH in Germany, spans 28mm.
How long does it take to remove clamps from wood?
If the tension on the crack is not too big, all clamps can be removed between 1/2 hour and 1 hour after glueing. Next, a little hot water or thin glue is applied to the outside of the crack with a cotton bud, to help swell the previously compressed wood at the crack.
How to minimize swelling of studs?
Position the studs so that the endgrain surfaces of corresponding studs face each other. This will minimise the effect of a swelling stud on the adjustment while glueing.
Violinum
Hello I'd like to ask if it's professional to repair cracks without opening an instrument? If it's a crack located close to a border, would it be ok to not put cleats? I used a very fresh transparent strong fish glue, but I didn't install cleats.
Evan Smith
I loosen the top from endblock to corner to relieve stress, and re glue in a week or so.
Brad Dorsey
I often glue top cracks from the outside; i.e., without removing the top. When I do this, I always open the top/rib seam to allow the crack to close. Because your crack came out very nicely, I think you have very close wood-to-wood contact along the crack which gives a very strong glue joint. I don't think that cleats are necessary.
Violinum
I loosen the top from endblock to corner to relieve stress, and re glue in a week or so.
Michael.N
I once glued (HHG) a crack in a Guitar without putting in any cleats. It was a cheap repair and the customer was poorer than me. It popped open after a day or so. I reglued again. It popped open again. I reglued (it was the final attempt!). I saw the guy a couple of years later and he said that it was still holding fine!
Oded Kishony
you can place a cleat anywhere inside the instrument without using the usual clamps
Craig Tucker
Now it looks like there was no crack at all, and it's good, but will it hold for a long time?
