I'm sending a 150 year old violin to a violin maker for a little lov'in, and in a very meek and apologetic voice asked if he only uses hot hide glue. The answer was, the only kind he uses is hot hide glue (opposed to that garbage, Titebond liquid hide glue).
Another fascinating vid, Olaf. And how many people can say their job is fun, eh? My youngest son took himself off to Perugia in Italy when he was only 18 - no job, nowhere to live and could barely speak Italian but he had £1,000 equivalent in his back pocket and a dream to become a chef and live there the rest of his life. He's one brave lad. I remember him telling me about one summer job he had, working long days, solo for 12 weeks without any time off apart from a couple of hours each afternoon and I said that sounded like hard work... "Mum" he said "when you wake up each morning and spend the entire day doing what you love, that's not work"......
My Daughter plays the Violin and as a parent of a Violin musician and a Cello musician I try to learn as much as I can about the instruments and how to care for them. I always learn things form your videos. As a want to be woodworker I appreciate the detail you give... maybe one day I might try to make a violin... not that it would be worth playing but it would be fun to try. :) Thank you for sharing your knowledge and talent!
My first comment as I'm starting to watch. My hobby became my work & it is true, when work comes in & starts to pile up, it can start to feel like 'work' & less fun. It is important to keep the 'fun' in your work otherwise life becomes tedious & the work results can show it. Anyhow, you have my total sympathy following up a repair like that previously repaired with PVA glue & worse when it is obviously not well repaired. I'll keep watching for more of your 'fun'. 🙂 I reckon they have got their money's worth out of those pegs though. 😅
I do have a question? Since you deal with some very expensive violins, do you have insurance incase something goes wrong by maybe a rare personal error, a theft, etc for customer violins?
Great work! I appreciate that you didn't film repetitive operations, but just when you were trimming the timber insert with the chisel, you cut away in the middle. Several other times, I wish that the camera had lingered longer.
Olaf, this is really nice -- as always! Off topic: might you ever have time to build a violin from scratch on camera? I know you are very busy but it would be wonderful to see you use your whole range of skills and knowledge.
But I'm sure it takes a bit longer time than what you've expected. It's fun to see Olaf restoring an old, unused by it's last owner into a highly priced quality violin.
Very interesting insight, even for a non violin player. I have a question though. One factor for the sound of a violin is the vibration of its body. If I see those cracks glued and the additional wood layers glued on for support, I wonder whether this changes the sound of the instrument? (Please don’t get me wrong, I understand that there is no other way to do it, the alternative would be to loose the instrument long term to the damages. )
The variety of these old Hopfs are so fascinating to me. The early ones are very beautiful instruments but the some of the later ones look very bad with thick plates and badly carved scrolls made out of some odd wood (either Oak or Beech). Regardless I love Hopfs in general
My friend the great bassist John Heard had a gig with George gaffeny... George said " let's get this gig over! John told him that he would no longer play with him because John said he's a bassist because it's FUN!.
Wonderful video, I like all the details. I am learning violin restoration at my grandad who is a violin luthier, so videos like these are super helpful!
I'm in phillipines at moment in the south living in small village surrounded by rice farms,sadly I cannot find anyone that plays the violin so far I have seen a couple of kids with music instrument cases,so I'm going to ask how I can reach their music teacher
This video is fascinating! I'll be on the lookout for the final installment. It's so cool to see how fine and detailed of work goes into repairing stringed instruments.
Fun? Well- I'd say, for the love of people, of art, and of music- the more sophisticated end of music- the centuries old tradition of classical music, which is a living connection to our past. We can only truly marvel at the past through the live experience, not through thought, pictures or paintings or even recordings fully. Music in this form, is not a still life, it is a here and now re-creation- a wonderment and honor of what exquisite art and artists came before us. We kneel and bow our heads in awe... This man is a preservationist of the fruit of the beauty of human life itself, of society, and creation, in one of its best representations, the musical instrument. He would seem pretentious and pompous to say so perhaps, but I will. Hats off to you! I salute.
Agreed... I just don't really know anything about that... It happened in the 70s... What I do know is that an elderly gentleman busked for hours, days, weeks and months to help the family with their tragedy.
How do you open the Crack to get the glue inside..because I am busy restoring an old coffin ⚰️ type violin case ...I am curious how you do it ...Daniel 🇿🇦South Africa..
Thanks for this wonderful video. I started looking at your videos, to help me understand our family heirloom better, to see if it can be repaired, or not, and if it is real or possibly a fake label, etc. There is some history, and I am wondering if you know someone in California that can help some, as I have been given a price from $800 to $2500 to fix it. The label inside shows: "Johann Franz Placht Geigen und In-ftrumentmacher in Schonbach 1774", which I show about 80 miles north of Vienna. I would presume this was in Germany back in 1774, but it is Austria these days. Anyway, it will take us a while to put together the funds to get it repaired, and I am very interested in finding out what we can. Any help would be appreciated. Watching this was very helpful in seeing the processes you use and what I want to look for going forward. If you have any other suggestions it would be appreciated.
I admire you for being able to do something you love for your work without ruining the fun in the work. I hope there is not a lot of perspiration soaked into the wood around the hand patch where the varnish is completely worn off. Sometimes if you take something you love and turn it into a job that can spoil it, but you seem to have managed to keep the fun alive, and I admire that. I also really enjoy watching how you do what you do. It fascinates me. I also really anjoy watching a Tugboat Captain's channel for the same reasons (and I have always loved Tugboats).
I am wondering why use a glue on cracks that is reversible and prone to eventually fail or fail with high humidity or inadvertant water contact. Why not use a glue that will never fail since it's a crack and would never need to come apart for any reason ? Just curious. I guess what I'm asking is why not just some tightbond 3 and be done with it ?
slither - what snakes do. Sliver - thin slice of something. It must be tempting to pop the fingerboard off and put that back on last? It looks like the fingerboard needs a bit of a plane too?
Do the number of cleats ruin the sound? Can the thickness of them be reduced if you have alot of cleats weighing the top down or is this just the necessary lesser of two evils to keep the instrument alive?
Hello Olaf! I'm writing to you from Texas, USA. I recently subscribed to your show, and I really enjoy it. I am not a musician but I do have season tickets to the Symphony and I enjoy seeing People work their magic with their hands. I do have a technical question.. Why do you put Cleats Behind a crack? Is the glue repair not strong enough? Have they ever made comparisons with repairs with cleats and without to see strength and longevity? I look forward to your response.. Keep up the good work, and I really enjoy your channel.
As long as you have all, or at least a good percentage, of the pieces, it can be repaired. That's a whole lot easier than carving a new top and so cheaper and can still sound good.
Like the motto "Do what you love and love what you do". If you love the violin or any instrument and enjoy listening to it and playing it then it can become enjoyable and fun. Getting to play it for yourself and not just listening to it can be a wonderful experience and shouldn't be stifled by judgement of others who may or may not play, know about it, or create it.
Holy smokes, open cavity surgery! I’m in awe of your confidence…”that’s the best way to do it, so that’s what we’re going to do”. You, sir, are a true master of your craft. My hat is off to you.
Production Comment: You are amazingly quiet. I have to turn my speakers up quite a bit just to understand you. Beautiful violin, and a great looking restoration, regardless.
Might be me but that camera quality improved a bit
I agree!!
I noticed too.
Fascinating to see you do such beautiful work!
This video was posted 5 minutes ago and I'm still not seeing the link for the part 2? (this is a joke for the people who don't get jokes).
I'm sending a 150 year old violin to a violin maker for a little lov'in, and in a very meek and apologetic voice asked if he only uses hot hide glue. The answer was, the only kind he uses is hot hide glue (opposed to that garbage, Titebond liquid hide glue).
I also own a Hopf Violin! Sadly its only one of the later, factory-made ones but it still is 130 years old and I love it
Yes, even if lots of Saxony instruments were made, not everbody can say he owns and still plays an instrument that is more than 100 years old!
@@Fidi987 totally! I'm so glad I found that instrument, it was kind of a coincidence and it was almost sold to someone else
Another fascinating vid, Olaf. And how many people can say their job is fun, eh? My youngest son took himself off to Perugia in Italy when he was only 18 - no job, nowhere to live and could barely speak Italian but he had £1,000 equivalent in his back pocket and a dream to become a chef and live there the rest of his life. He's one brave lad. I remember him telling me about one summer job he had, working long days, solo for 12 weeks without any time off apart from a couple of hours each afternoon and I said that sounded like hard work... "Mum" he said "when you wake up each morning and spend the entire day doing what you love, that's not work"......
Hey Olaf, grand work! Your videos are a constant source of joy and knowledge. Thank you!
My Daughter plays the Violin and as a parent of a Violin musician and a Cello musician I try to learn as much as I can about the instruments and how to care for them. I always learn things form your videos. As a want to be woodworker I appreciate the detail you give... maybe one day I might try to make a violin... not that it would be worth playing but it would be fun to try. :) Thank you for sharing your knowledge and talent!
Hi Olaf, I was wondering what's your opinion on Francois breton violin from 1830. Is he a good violin maker and is his violin worth anything?
Did you say "sturgeon bladder glue"? Fish glue?
Great restauration!
My first comment as I'm starting to watch. My hobby became my work & it is true, when work comes in & starts to pile up, it can start to feel like 'work' & less fun. It is important to keep the 'fun' in your work otherwise life becomes tedious & the work results can show it.
Anyhow, you have my total sympathy following up a repair like that previously repaired with PVA glue & worse when it is obviously not well repaired. I'll keep watching for more of your 'fun'. 🙂
I reckon they have got their money's worth out of those pegs though. 😅
I do have a question? Since you deal with some very expensive violins, do you have insurance incase something goes wrong by maybe a rare personal error, a theft, etc for customer violins?
Definitely.
I love watching a professional doing his upmost to complete this repair and smiling while he does so...
Great work! I appreciate that you didn't film repetitive operations, but just when you were trimming the timber insert with the chisel, you cut away in the middle. Several other times, I wish that the camera had lingered longer.
Hi - this is fascinating, thank you!
What effect will the top repairs have on the tone and volume of the instrument?
Olaf, this is really nice -- as always! Off topic: might you ever have time to build a violin from scratch on camera? I know you are very busy but it would be wonderful to see you use your whole range of skills and knowledge.
But I'm sure it takes a bit longer time than what you've expected. It's fun to see Olaf restoring an old, unused by it's last owner into a highly priced quality violin.
Very interesting insight, even for a non violin player. I have a question though. One factor for the sound of a violin is the vibration of its body. If I see those cracks glued and the additional wood layers glued on for support, I wonder whether this changes the sound of the instrument? (Please don’t get me wrong, I understand that there is no other way to do it, the alternative would be to loose the instrument long term to the damages. )
I had use of a Hopf violin at school.n
Do the cleat you added to repair the cracks affect the sound?
Another Olaf video you love to see it
Beautiful work, thank you, Olaf. How much is a Hopf workshop violin worth in Australia, here in Europe they are not really highly regarded.
Wonderful work Sir Olaf!! I love watching you work and describe what you are doing to "help" the instrument!
The variety of these old Hopfs are so fascinating to me. The early ones are very beautiful instruments but the some of the later ones look very bad with thick plates and badly carved scrolls made out of some odd wood (either Oak or Beech). Regardless I love Hopfs in general
If you want something done, go to a professional. If you want something done the best it can be, then go to an enthusiast.
I would correct that to enthusiastic professional.
An enthusiast can also be an amateur. That may not be a good thing.
My friend the great bassist John Heard had a gig with George gaffeny... George said " let's get this gig over! John told him that he would no longer play with him because John said he's a bassist because it's FUN!.
Wonderful video, I like all the details. I am learning violin restoration at my grandad who is a violin luthier, so videos like these are super helpful!
I'm in phillipines at moment in the south living in small village surrounded by rice farms,sadly I cannot find anyone that plays the violin so far
I have seen a couple of kids with music instrument cases,so I'm going to ask how I can reach their music teacher
Sir Olaf,yes you gotta have heart in all we do,as always I enjoy the history lesson thank you
Its not just an f hole its a fun hole😅
Are we still talking about violins?
This video is fascinating! I'll be on the lookout for the final installment. It's so cool to see how fine and detailed of work goes into repairing stringed instruments.
Fun? Well- I'd say, for the love of people, of art, and of music- the more sophisticated end of music- the centuries old tradition of classical music, which is a living connection to our past. We can only truly marvel at the past through the live experience, not through thought, pictures or paintings or even recordings fully. Music in this form, is not a still life, it is a here and now re-creation- a wonderment and honor of what exquisite art and artists came before us. We kneel and bow our heads in awe... This man is a preservationist of the fruit of the beauty of human life itself, of society, and creation, in one of its best representations, the musical instrument. He would seem pretentious and pompous to say so perhaps, but I will. Hats off to you! I salute.
I think the story of the child being electrocuted needs more respect. Not just a passing smirk. A full-blown tragedy for the family, I'm sure.
Agreed... I just don't really know anything about that... It happened in the 70s...
What I do know is that an elderly gentleman busked for hours, days, weeks and months to help the family with their tragedy.
How do you open the Crack to get the glue inside..because I am busy restoring an old coffin ⚰️ type violin case ...I am curious how you do it ...Daniel 🇿🇦South Africa..
That violin had a beautiful colour
Thanks for this wonderful video. I started looking at your videos, to help me understand our family heirloom better, to see if it can be repaired, or not, and if it is real or possibly a fake label, etc. There is some history, and I am wondering if you know someone in California that can help some, as I have been given a price from $800 to $2500 to fix it. The label inside shows: "Johann Franz Placht Geigen und In-ftrumentmacher in Schonbach 1774", which I show about 80 miles north of Vienna. I would presume this was in Germany back in 1774, but it is Austria these days. Anyway, it will take us a while to put together the funds to get it repaired, and I am very interested in finding out what we can. Any help would be appreciated. Watching this was very helpful in seeing the processes you use and what I want to look for going forward. If you have any other suggestions it would be appreciated.
Olaf love your channel but the jump edits detract for the process your showing,
Are you volunteering, to do his editing for him?
The Hopf violins I've seen had a pin in the back to the neck. Those tuning pegs need replacing. Can't wait to see the finished repair.
Hi ❤❤❤
@13:47 i have to put a Slytherin..... I beg you sir, please consider a Gryffindor
I can't wait until the next episode! This is wonderful. Thank you, Olaf
have you got any Olaf the violin maker t shirts for sale?
I admire you for being able to do something you love for your work without ruining the fun in the work.
I hope there is not a lot of perspiration soaked into the wood around the hand patch where the varnish is completely worn off.
Sometimes if you take something you love and turn it into a job that can spoil it, but you seem to have managed to keep the fun alive, and I admire that.
I also really enjoy watching how you do what you do. It fascinates me.
I also really anjoy watching a Tugboat Captain's channel for the same reasons (and I have always loved Tugboats).
Another terrific video. I can't wait to see the rest. I love the little historical aside, too. Please keep up the good work!
Olaf, do you ever add your repair label in a instrument?
No
I am wondering why use a glue on cracks that is reversible and prone to eventually fail or fail with high humidity or inadvertant water contact.
Why not use a glue that will never fail since it's a crack and would never need to come apart for any reason ?
Just curious.
I guess what I'm asking is why not just some tightbond 3 and be done with it ?
slither - what snakes do. Sliver - thin slice of something. It must be tempting to pop the fingerboard off and put that back on last? It looks like the fingerboard needs a bit of a plane too?
Umm...., So, how much does it cost to restore a very raw Unrestored old violin at o.grawert violin studio?
Do the number of cleats ruin the sound? Can the thickness of them be reduced if you have alot of cleats weighing the top down or is this just the necessary lesser of two evils to keep the instrument alive?
6:24 This needs to be with a Spongebob screen and French accent: A few days later...
13:47 10 Points!
OMG, Olaf Im the first to view. YAYYY
Happy holidays! Thanks! 🌞🎅🏻🎉
do the cleats change the vibration pattern of the top plate because that local region is stiffer that other regions of the top plate
Hello Olaf! I'm writing to you from Texas, USA. I recently subscribed to your show, and I really enjoy it. I am not a musician but I do have season tickets to the Symphony and I enjoy seeing People work their magic with their hands. I do have a technical question.. Why do you put Cleats Behind a crack? Is the glue repair not strong enough? Have they ever made comparisons with repairs with cleats and without to see strength and longevity? I look forward to your response..
Keep up the good work, and I really enjoy your channel.
The glue is strong, but sometimes not as strong as the natural lignin bonds that holds wood together naturally.
The cleats give extra strength
Se puede retirar esos taquets el problema es que ya no zuena bien con esas maderitas
At what point would you just make a new top plate for the violin instead of repairing old one?
As long as you have all, or at least a good percentage, of the pieces, it can be repaired.
That's a whole lot easier than carving a new top and so cheaper and can still sound good.
Drink every time Olaf says “Crack” 😂
That letter from the earlier repair shop is a real jewel. They did an incredible amount of work on the instrument! Wow!
brilliant video! A friend of mine had a lovely Hopf violin.
🙉 😳 Whew! SO much.
💙
That’s the Tone Ball inside of it.😂
Work is work until it’s fun and inspiring. .
all my homies hate howard sleath
Oh god, the video is a hectic event...
Like the motto "Do what you love and love what you do". If you love the violin or any instrument and enjoy listening to it and playing it then it can become enjoyable and fun. Getting to play it for yourself and not just listening to it can be a wonderful experience and shouldn't be stifled by judgement of others who may or may not play, know about it, or create it.
13:08 Slither me timbers! :)
If it's not fun, don't do it .....
You learn something new every day. Apparently 'slither' is British English slang for 'sliver'.
👏 𝓹𝓻𝓸𝓶𝓸𝓼𝓶
Holy smokes, open cavity surgery! I’m in awe of your confidence…”that’s the best way to do it, so that’s what we’re going to do”. You, sir, are a true master of your craft. My hat is off to you.
Say No to crack
This is wonderful, careful work. Is the bottom block spruce?
For all the details in repairing the violin, makes me appreciate the luthier work, and how the violin is happy with the good surgery. ^_^
Please do continue on your video about violin repair. This is my first to watch this and I enjoy it very much.
How much do all these repairs effect the sound quality ?
Production Comment: You are amazingly quiet. I have to turn my speakers up quite a bit just to understand you. Beautiful violin, and a great looking restoration, regardless.
Yeah this is true, the speaking alone isn't quiet, but the video's master volume in general.
Sliver me timbers! Thanks for the video!
Olaf, I would love to do what you do for a living.
That top is gorgeous
Great work