To the workroom we will again return. The back has had ample time to dry while the assistant James has been doing other work of an ordinary or trifling character. The loops or collars are gently released, put aside for future use, and the now much less warped back is brought for the chief's inspection. "That will do, James, nicely, I think, now you will be able to go ahead with the other parts, and perhaps we shall be successful enough when the whole is finished to make those people, when they see it, rather regretful at their hasty disposal of the paper full of scraps of old Brescia. While we are in the bending mood, however, we will get that Lorenzo Guadagnini into a little better trim, you left it on that shelf over there last week." James fetches it, a rather woe-begone affair to an ordinary observer; it had been cut open, the head sawn off, placed inside, the upper table laid on and a string passed round the waist and tied with a loose knot. "Look at it, James, and tell me what is wrong and the remedy." The string is untied, and the parts laid on the bench and examined one by one. "In excellent preservation, sir, in most respects, although it has been opened many times and a heap of glue left about it." An inch rule is taken up and passed over the separated parts for comparison; some slight expression of amazement passes over James's features, re-measurement ensues, and turning to his chief he remarks, "I didn't see that at first, sir, it's worse than that old Brescian; just look here, sir, the ribs are not upright, but bending inwardly; across the upper part they are so much out of the perpendicular that when the upper table is laid carefully on, instead of there being the eighth of an inch of overlapping border it is nearly a quarter of an inch each side; and what is more curious, the ribs do not seem to have been unglued since they were first put there, excepting a small part at the upper and lower ends, and see, sir, when I put the upper table on it is like an arch, and to press that part down on to the ribs will send a crack along from the sound hole on either side, which will simply be breaking up the whole affair by degrees." "Well, what method would you propose for correcting all this and making a good restoration of it, James? Give it a look over carefully and tell me." The assistant well knows the attendant circumstances connected with a good restoration or a bad one; if left as it is, it may be sold "in the trade" for so much, if badly restored it will fetch less, if well done it will be worth to the outside world a considerable sum, and if it should go well as regards the emission of its doubtless fine tone, the value as a whole would be greatly enhanced. Much thinking and careful calculation is therefore concentrated on the subject, and after awhile James says, "Well, sir, this lot of glue all round may as well come off first as last, there's no doing anything with it as it is." With this his chief agrees; so he sets to work, not with a chisel or any cutting instrument, he is so far advanced in his methodical working to know from experience that it is next to impossible to avoid injuring the sharply defined and level edge of the rib as left by the maker originally if such rough treatment as filing, chipping or cutting is resorted to; he therefore adopts a milder course of treatment. Taking a few pieces of cotton cloth or white sheeting—old calico is equally efficient—he folds them into several layers, and when so about four inches long by about three-quarters of an inch in width. Nearly a dozen of these are got ready. After being soaked in water, they are taken out and slightly squeezed so that they no longer drip. One by one they are placed all round on the edge of the ribs close to each other so that no vacant space is perceptible between each, and after a gentle patting down with the fingers along the course they are left to do their work quietly, more effectively, too, by far, than any steel tool with the brute force necessary for ploughing through that most obstinate of materials, hard, dry glue. These folds of cotton material James calls his poultices for drawing the impurities away from the system; they, in the present instance, afford him time to think over the sort of engineering that will task his energies to some extent.
Leaving the poultices to their work, the old Brescian is again taken in hand under the direction of the chief. "Now, James, let us look over the parts again. The next step must be getting the end blocks attached to the back. We have got that into a tolerably straight line again, so that we can work on the affair almost like a new fiddle. Those old blocks, well I should like to retain them if possible, but on looking over them very little discernment is sufficient to conclude that fresh ones will be not only better but necessary. In the first place, they are very small, were roughly cut in the first instance, and since have been meddled with by would-be restorers; good new ones properly fitted will be far better than old ones added to, necessarily for strength. Some of that old pine, or as good, that French willow will suit our purpose. We will choose the latter. See that the grain runs perpendicularly or at right angles with the cut surface that is to be glued down. Chop or split it, don't saw it into shape, and then you can finish it off when glued into position, when you will not find you have to cut against the grain." This, as a matter of course, is conformed to, the blocks split off the bulk or plank, sawn to a little over the proper length or height to allow of finishing, and then the surface to be glued is made even and squared with the part against which the ribs will be hereafter glued. The lower end one will of course require a trifle of curving to allow of the ribs following the course of the curve of the border; this the assistant duly sees to by trying it in position until it appears to be satisfactory. The parts of the blocks to be left facing the interior of the violin he leaves roughly done to shape and size of those in modern violins, that being found the best from experience since the demise of the old masters of Italy. The upper one is left more protuberant, or nearly semi-circular; the reason for this is that the strain upon both upper and lower table at this end is greater than at any other part, therefore if the block is too narrow there is not enough grip or extent of glued surface, a frequent result of which is the lowering of the fingerboard, and a buckling of the surface underneath of the upper table, a condition much to the detriment of the proper emission of the tone. Great attention should always be paid this particular part. Many repairers seem fearful that the air-space of the interior of the violin will be lessened by a projecting block. A little consideration will enable them to see that for effectiveness of purpose the form of the interior of almost any violin will not—from its curved surface—allow of an over large block with a flat glueing surface above and below.
These conditions having been seen to, the assistant with some freshly made glue paints over the surfaces of the ends that will be fastened to the lower table. As this is to be for a permanency, the glueing must be of the best. When dry, the surface is scraped even and the usual glueing and cramping done.
To Lorenzo Guadagnini again; sufficient time being allowed for the moisture in the folds of cotton to affect and be absorbed by the glue, the assistant fetches it from its enforced retirement, brings it to the light carefully, lifts up one of the poultices, touches the glue with the tip of a small knife and is satisfied. The glue has been softened and is now little more than a jelly attached to the prominent parts of the ribs. The first thing will be to get some rag or paper, place it handy and remove one of the wet pads or poultices, then with the small knife, kept for such purposes, being blunt and worn smooth, the glue or jelly is carefully scraped away. The advantage of using the blunt knife will be evident, as it does not cut the surface as it passes over it. The point is occasionally used for any corner that may require it. After this a small sponge or rag dipped in warm water is passed over the edges and removes what is left untouched by the knife. This is repeated with each separate pad in succession all round and when completed the work is put aside and allowed to dry. A previous examination of the inside surface of the upper table had shown the necessity of similar treatment, but not to such an extent.
Not much time expires before the assistant brings the parts before his chief. "As clean almost as when new," is the exclamation of the latter; "it really wants little more than a new or proper bar and then glueing together." "Yes, but about that difference of measurement, sir, across the upper and lower parts." Here the assistant takes the upper table and places it like a lid on a box; turning it back downwards for better inspection, he says, "it's nearly a quarter of an inch out, the border overlaps frightfully, you would not glue it up like that, would you, sir?" "Certainly not," says the other, without the least sign of annoyance on his features. Turning to his man he says, "Now, James, here is a nice little instance where you can study with much interest and profit the subject of cause and effect. You drew my attention to the excellent preservation, and you have removed what appeared to you at first sight the only impediment to perfect restoration, that of the coarse glueing. You have rightly observed that the back has never been removed, and yet the ribs bend inwardly when tested and seem to require a smaller upper table. The reason is plain after you have given the matter some right consideration. The maker, as you know, was an excellent artificer and was a pupil of the great Stradivari. Now here is the cause; the violin has been, as you know, opened several times by persons more or less unfitted for the proper performance of such an operation, fiddle tinkers I call them, and with a pot of thick dirty brown and repulsive looking glue, have with a coarse brush dabbed it all round and then screwed the lid down. The successors in this ghastly process have not had the decency to treat the instrument as worthy of much care, and so with dirty cloths and glue have again repeated the work, if it may be dignified by such a term, spoliation is perhaps a better one. Now we know that the violin has been separated and left so, being merely tied up, and been in that dirty little den of ravening wolves or tinker dealers for nobody knows how long, with the rays of the sun falling on it for many days; the result is as we see, the back has contracted and drawn the ribs in to some extent, it is glue-bound, we will set it free, the wood itself will help us, as if glad to resume its former occupation; give me that soft brush with clean water." This being handed to him, the chief with repeated and careful strokes and dippings of the brush passes over the surface, going round but leaving untouched the label, which seems to have remained undisturbed: the joint down the centre is avoided in a similar way. After some time, as the moisture has penetrated the wood, he turns to the assistant, saying, "now, James, try the front on"; this is done, and the latter, thinking he will just catch his master, says, "fits exactly now, sir! but won't it come back again beautifully as it dries." "Well, that is just what we are going to prevent, James; while this is wet, cut some soft sticks of wood and place them across from one side to the other, don't wedge them in tightly, as many as will keep up an even pressure all along." This does not take long, the sticks are inserted like so many little joists across, and the curious looking structure is once more placed aside to dry.
While James was cutting and then placing the sticks of various lengths across, his chief was close by suggesting now and then some trifling variation in the adjustment. "Don't put them all with the same strain, give a look now and then as you proceed, in order to ensure against an over amount of pressure—there, that will be enough! if too much against the large curves, it will bulge out too far, and the shape will go." While proceeding he was now and then cautioned as to this kind of insertion of pieces or joists. Very frequently old Italian instruments of free design are most unequal in their curves, one side having a different curving to the other; they are, indeed, seldom exactly the same on both sides, as modern makers try to make them. It will be evident, then, that care must be taken that a flat or large curve should be treated with more or less pressure than other parts. (Diag. 36.) When this inequality is very apparent, a double system of joists must be adopted thuswise, get two pieces of strong wood, say plain light mahogany, some three-quarters or an inch in thickness, and square along its course. The ends are to be cut so that they will rest within the body of the instrument easily, barely touching each end between the upper and lower linings, if at all. The two ends will touch or rest against the upper and lower end blocks and the pressure, when the sticks are placed across, will be against these, the pushing outward of parts of the ribs or linings being regulated to a nicety. Should one or more of the sticks or joists be accidentally cut too short, a small wedge of soft wood inserted at either end as may be deemed best will correct matters. As the violin at present under consideration is suffering from simple contraction and the linings are fairly stout, the joists will be arranged so as to keep up a gentle pressure on the upper ones. A very considerable amount of effective restoration can be done by means of this system of joists carried out with judgment. The two large supports,—sometimes one only may be necessary,—will be found of great use for a variety of purposes other than the one being referred to; they can be used not only for pressing against, but for the opposite, as when a rib or portion of it has from some cause—perhaps fracture or thinness—bulged outwardly. It will be perceptible at once that for direct pressure against a part of the ribs, situated near the upper block, that the little joist will slip unless a nick is made for its reception in the large support or beam. This is so evident that a reminder seems scarcely necessary.
| DIAGRAM 36. |
When it so happens that contraction must be resorted to on a rib or part, it has to be brought back; then one, two or more holes may be bored in the mahogany beam and recourse made to some bent iron wire, which, perhaps, has the preference in use over other material, as it can be shaped or pressed to a curve, one end being inserted in a hole, the other placed outside the offending part and with a soft pad or wood wedge against the old material to be brought back.
The special advantage of iron wire is that it can be gently hammered into such form as will enable just enough pressure to be exerted at any particular place as may be thought proper. This is, of course, assuming that some iron substance is at hand that will answer the purpose of an anvil. The thickness of the iron wire must depend upon the requirements and size of the work in repair, a viola of course taking stouter wire than a violin, a 'cello still more so. A useful average for violin work would be an eighth of an inch diameter. Strong wire however is not always to hand, time also is occasionally short; when so, wood must be resorted to, cutting it with a sharp knife to a form that will clasp or allow of the requisite purchase at any point; more room, however, is taken up with this method, and possibly not so much at a time will be accomplished.
A stock of soft wood in the plank should always be at hand on a repairer's premises, soft American pine of about a quarter of an inch thick being very useful for all sorts of purposes in connection with the "making," as it is termed in the business.