Luthiers use hide/pearl glue during construction. This is made from crystals/pearls of the glue, dissolved in water…..hydrated …and then heated to about 60 degrees C. The maker can vary the strength of the glue by varying the proportions. The glue is not “gap filling” like many modern glues, and attention to joint accuracy is required to achieve the necessary strength. The top or belly of the violin is made from spruce , which although strong in itself, is weakened by the “f” holes and vulnerable to the formation of cracks which are not uncommon. To repair properly, the top needs to be removed. It is standard practice to use a “thinner” glue to secure the top to the ribs, to make removal easier. It is not uncommon to find this joint “open” in places through age and the impact of humidity changes. Do NOT be tempted to use a modern glue to effect a DIY repair because you cannot reverse the process , unlike hide glue.
Last week I found that my violin had an opening and brought it to my luthier. But she then found out that the endpin was lose and crooked which caused a tension and there was a crack right under the tailpiece too. And it was lose bcs the Block on the inside of the violin which is holding it ( I don't know its name) was cracked three times. The former owner glued the violin himself a few times, it was a Desaster but he must have loved it, just as I Do. Unfortunately it is not worth a repair she said, as there is so much he did wrong. It still sounded beautiful and I miss its warm sound. Can't stand the nasal sound of my Student violin now.
@@dianalarsen8605 Keep it in a safe place. Not in the loft. It’s not a difficult repair . Wrap paper around the endpin and see if that holds it as a temporary repair. If you still get a nice sound from it, and it’s not falling apart, and you won’t make it worse, then the opening is academic to a certain extent. ( you could always tune it a little low to reduce the tension in the wood ). Time is money to someone making a living , but if you widen your search , you might find someone who knows what he/she is doing. See if you can get a second hand copy of The Art of Violin Making by Johnson and Courtnall (£53 new) , and see if you can find a course for violin repair……every violin player is a luthier in the making !! Your student violin may just need improved strings…..Tonica or Ascente , will do for a student instrument. Every, repeat every, instrument has a different tone. Be patient . There are masses of TH-cam videos on fitting strings ( one at a time, to avoid the risk of the sound post dropping ), fitting bridges, minor repairs and making from scratch. If you can afford the book , new or second hand, you won’t regret it.
Hello Diana! I'm so sorry your violin was found to be unrepairable and that you are without the beautiful warm sound of your beloved violin. It's awful having to play a violin now that by contrast has a nasal sound. If you put a rubber mute or a paper clip on the bridge of your present violin to soften the sound, it may help a bit temporarily. But really there's nothing that can make up for a loss like that, except hopefully in the future being able to acquire a nice violin that you can love. Keep that hope alive! Mary❤
Thank you for your kind words. I had my violin for ten years and am really devastated. It was love on the First Tone. XD I'll probably keep it on my wall. And I have the hope to find another lovely instrument I can form a bond with. I hope your violin will be with you Sohn as I really now how it feels.
Hello dear Mary, you have my full sympathy. I own a mid 19th century factory Monzino, a couple of years ago we had a very, very dry spring with strong winds. In the scroll corresponding to the peg holes I had small cracks around the G one. My violin maker then inserted two thin layers of maple wood inside the scroll to further strengthen the holes. This year, we are still having a cold and very rainy spring, but I bring the studio violin to lessons and not the old boy.
Hello dear Mary! Yet another part of the violin that can develop a problem! I've never come across a crack next to the peg hole, but it sounds like you had a very good violin maker there. The old boys and girls are just like us, really, stiff and sore when the weather turns, but what on earth would we do without our wonderful old violins? What a pity you have to leave your older violin at home for your lessons, but I bet he's glad when you come home and pick him up again...Take care. Mary❤
@@violinstudiowithmaryv Your holy words Mary, yes the old boys are adorable and they are just like us. I take the utmost care of mine old boy even if it has no value, for me it has sentimental value because it belonged to my grandfather. My violin maker said that many violins had problems a couple of years ago due to the weather. Now I have a case that insulates him and a hygrometer in the room where I keep him and if it rains or is windy he waits for me at home ;) 💚
Good luck Mary. My violins also had small openings that Nico repaired. She took it apart and re-glued it. In fact, the parts were poorly glued and this repair significantly improved its sound.
Hola Mary! Tu violín es una autentica joya y espero que muy pronto lo puedas tener en tus manos y completamente recuperado de sus "lesiones"🤞🤞🤞 Y muchas gracias por tu consejo, tienes toda la razón...no merece la pena enfadarse 😊 Un abrazo enorme Mary! 💜🎶💜🎻
Hello Lola! I've just had news that my violin is ready, so I'm going to Edinburgh on Friday to get her back!! (You know, the violin they lent me keeps giving me cramp in my thumb because the neck is so wide!!😙) I hope you have a lovely violin to help you to be happy and excited every time you play Lola! A big hug! Mary❤️
@@violinstudiowithmaryv Qué alegría que recuperes pronto tu violín 👏👏👏👏👏👏 Mi violín es el que compré hace siete años cuando comencé esta aventura maravillosa...me gustaría tener un violín mejor y espero que algún día mi profesora me diga que necesito un violín mejor...de momento estoy ahorrando todo lo que puedo😊 Feliz viaje a Edimburgo y feliz reencuentro con tu amado violín!💜
@@lolamas3042 I hope that when you look for a violin you will find the right one! A hidden gem may be waiting for you with the wrong strings, badly set up, maybe needing a repair or two, not very expensive, and yet even though it doesn't sound good, there's something about it that speaks directly to you...That is what happened to me; perhaps fate? Going for any violin is a journey in itself, isn't it? All violins change and either become more in tune with you, or don't and stay distant and foreign, so it's important to have time at home to try the violin out properly....when we play our normal violin again it's like coming back to a comfortable old pair of shoes!!😅😄😀☺Mary❤
@@violinstudiowithmaryv Gracias Mary! Me emociona pensar en ese momento en que me encontraré con "mi violín"...de momento seguiré con el que me acompaña desde hace siete años y confío en que cada día que pasa mejore nuestra relación 😊 Ya falta poco para el viernes, Mary! Cuídate mucho!💜🎶💚🎻
Luthiers use hide/pearl glue during construction. This is made from crystals/pearls of the glue, dissolved in water…..hydrated …and then heated to about 60 degrees C. The maker can vary the strength of the glue by varying the proportions. The glue is not “gap filling” like many modern glues, and attention to joint accuracy is required to achieve the necessary strength. The top or belly of the violin is made from spruce , which although strong in itself, is weakened by the “f” holes and vulnerable to the formation of cracks which are not uncommon. To repair properly, the top needs to be removed. It is standard practice to use a “thinner” glue to secure the top to the ribs, to make removal easier. It is not uncommon to find this joint “open” in places through age and the impact of humidity changes.
Do NOT be tempted to use a modern glue to effect a DIY repair because you cannot reverse the process , unlike hide glue.
Hello, thanks very much for all those fascinating observations...there's nothing more wonderful than a luthier's workshop! Mary❤
Last week I found that my violin had an opening and brought it to my luthier. But she then found out that the endpin was lose and crooked which caused a tension and there was a crack right under the tailpiece too. And it was lose bcs the Block on the inside of the violin which is holding it ( I don't know its name) was cracked three times. The former owner glued the violin himself a few times, it was a Desaster but he must have loved it, just as I Do. Unfortunately it is not worth a repair she said, as there is so much he did wrong. It still sounded beautiful and I miss its warm sound. Can't stand the nasal sound of my Student violin now.
@@dianalarsen8605 Keep it in a safe place. Not in the loft. It’s not a difficult repair . Wrap paper around the endpin and see if that holds it as a temporary repair. If you still get a nice sound from it, and it’s not falling apart, and you won’t make it worse, then the opening is academic to a certain extent. ( you could always tune it a little low to reduce the tension in the wood ). Time is money to someone making a living , but if you widen your search , you might find someone who knows what he/she is doing. See if you can get a second hand copy of The Art of Violin Making by Johnson and Courtnall (£53 new) , and see if you can find a course for violin repair……every violin player is a luthier in the making !!
Your student violin may just need improved strings…..Tonica or Ascente , will do for a student instrument. Every, repeat every, instrument has a different tone. Be patient . There are masses of TH-cam videos on fitting strings ( one at a time, to avoid the risk of the sound post dropping ), fitting bridges, minor repairs and making from scratch. If you can afford the book , new or second hand, you won’t regret it.
Hello Diana! I'm so sorry your violin was found to be unrepairable and that you are without the beautiful warm sound of your beloved violin. It's awful having to play a violin now that by contrast has a nasal sound. If you put a rubber mute or a paper clip on the bridge of your present violin to soften the sound, it may help a bit temporarily. But really there's nothing that can make up for a loss like that, except hopefully in the future being able to acquire a nice violin that you can love. Keep that hope alive! Mary❤
Thank you for your kind words. I had my violin for ten years and am really devastated. It was love on the First Tone. XD I'll probably keep it on my wall. And I have the hope to find another lovely instrument I can form a bond with.
I hope your violin will be with you Sohn as I really now how it feels.
You are such a blessing to the amateur violinist ❤ thank you!!
Hello Jennifer!
How lovely of you, thank you very much! Mary❤
Hello dear Mary, you have my full sympathy.
I own a mid 19th century factory Monzino, a couple of years ago we had a very, very dry spring with strong winds.
In the scroll corresponding to the peg holes I had small cracks around the G one.
My violin maker then inserted two thin layers of maple wood inside the scroll to further strengthen the holes.
This year, we are still having a cold and very rainy spring, but I bring the studio violin to lessons and not the old boy.
Hello dear Mary! Yet another part of the violin that can develop a problem! I've never come across a crack next to the peg hole, but it sounds like you had a very good violin maker there.
The old boys and girls are just like us, really, stiff and sore when the weather turns, but what on earth would we do without our wonderful old violins? What a pity you have to leave your older violin at home for your lessons, but I bet he's glad when you come home and pick him up again...Take care. Mary❤
@@violinstudiowithmaryv Your holy words Mary, yes the old boys are adorable and they are just like us.
I take the utmost care of mine old boy even if it has no value, for me it has sentimental value because it belonged to my grandfather.
My violin maker said that many violins had problems a couple of years ago due to the weather.
Now I have a case that insulates him and a hygrometer in the room where I keep him and if it rains or is windy he waits for me at home ;) 💚
Thanks ❤
Thank you. Mary❤
Nice video Mary , I’m going to go and look at my violin ! Congratulations on 3k subscribers 😀
Hello Katie! Thank you very much! Mary❤
Good luck Mary. My violins also had small openings that Nico repaired. She took it apart and re-glued it. In fact, the parts were poorly glued and this repair significantly improved its sound.
Ahh - these wonderful luthiers hold our happiness in their hands! Thank you Marta. Mary❤
@@violinstudiowithmaryv Our victims ! 😅
@@martatessi Haha! M😂
❤🙏
Thank you! Mary❤
Hola Mary! Tu violín es una autentica joya y espero que muy pronto lo puedas tener en tus manos y completamente recuperado de sus "lesiones"🤞🤞🤞 Y muchas gracias por tu consejo, tienes toda la razón...no merece la pena enfadarse 😊 Un abrazo enorme Mary! 💜🎶💜🎻
Hello Lola! I've just had news that my violin is ready, so I'm going to Edinburgh on Friday to get her back!! (You know, the violin they lent me keeps giving me cramp in my thumb because the neck is so wide!!😙)
I hope you have a lovely violin to help you to be happy and excited every time you play Lola! A big hug! Mary❤️
@@violinstudiowithmaryv Qué alegría que recuperes pronto tu violín 👏👏👏👏👏👏 Mi violín es el que compré hace siete años cuando comencé esta aventura maravillosa...me gustaría tener un violín mejor y espero que algún día mi profesora me diga que necesito un violín mejor...de momento estoy ahorrando todo lo que puedo😊 Feliz viaje a Edimburgo y feliz reencuentro con tu amado violín!💜
@@lolamas3042 I hope that when you look for a violin you will find the right one! A hidden gem may be waiting for you with the wrong strings, badly set up, maybe needing a repair or two, not very expensive, and yet even though it doesn't sound good, there's something about it that speaks directly to you...That is what happened to me; perhaps fate? Going for any violin is a journey in itself, isn't it? All violins change and either become more in tune with you, or don't and stay distant and foreign, so it's important to have time at home to try the violin out properly....when we play our normal violin again it's like coming back to a comfortable old pair of shoes!!😅😄😀☺Mary❤
@@violinstudiowithmaryv Gracias Mary! Me emociona pensar en ese momento en que me encontraré con "mi violín"...de momento seguiré con el que me acompaña desde hace siete años y confío en que cada día que pasa mejore nuestra relación 😊 Ya falta poco para el viernes, Mary! Cuídate mucho!💜🎶💚🎻