Welcome to our forum. A Message To Our New and Prospective Members . Check out our Forum Rules. Lets keep this forum an enjoyable place to visit.

Check out our 2023 Group Christmas Project HERE

AAA
Avatar
Please consider registering
guest
sp_LogInOut Log Insp_Registration Register
Register | Lost password?
Advanced Search
Forum Scope




Match



Forum Options



Minimum search word length is 3 characters - maximum search word length is 84 characters
sp_Feed Topic RSSsp_TopicIcon
Strings and crack!
Topic Rating: 5 Topic Rating: 5 Topic Rating: 5 Topic Rating: 5 Topic Rating: 5 Topic Rating: 5 (1 votes) 
Avatar
Almandin
Stockholm, Sweden

Honorary advisor
Members

Regulars
December 25, 2012 - 9:33 am
Member Since: August 22, 2012
Forum Posts: 302
sp_UserOfflineSmall Offline

I got new strings for Christmas! Thomastic Dominants. Put them on last night and they're great! (Okay, my old strings were the cheapo steel cores that came with the violin, so anything would likely sound great compared to that...) Changing the strings was not as easy as it looked, and it didn't even look all that easy, but I eventually got them on decently.

The E string has a little plastic sleeve, which made me happy. But – annoyingly, the sleeve refuses to sit in the notch; it rolls off so the string lies about 1 mm to the right of where it should. So I left the sleeve to sit on the afterlength instead. Should probably sand down the bridge a bit to remove the deep gouge that the old sleeveless E string made.

After I'd practised Auld Lang Syne with the new strings today, I was going to put the violin away. And horror of horrors, that's when I noticed a crack! surprised It's along the seam between the back and the ribs, to the right of the endpin, like so:

crack.jpgImage EnlargerIt's probably caused by low humidity, and maybe the fact that I've had my poor violin brave the cold a few times to take it to my sister's. The little humidifier I made wasn't so good; I've improved its design now. Also, perhaps the pressure changes while restringing made matters worse, unless it's been there unnoticed since before the string change.

What do you reckon? Can I use the violin looking like that and just hope it doesn't get worse? Would it be very expensive to get fixed? cry

sp_PlupAttachments Attachments

~ Once you've ruled out the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be true. ~

Avatar
hackeman

Member
Members
December 25, 2012 - 10:46 am
Member Since: October 31, 2012
Forum Posts: 40
sp_UserOfflineSmall Offline

I suggest that you take your violin to Stråkton on Odengatan 23 and let them have a look. I am sure that they can give you an estimation how much it will cost to fix it. I had a crack in my violin that they repaired for me. 

Avatar
fishnrodds
northwest minnesota
Members

Regulars
December 25, 2012 - 10:50 am
Member Since: August 3, 2012
Forum Posts: 117
sp_UserOfflineSmall Offline

Open seam, not a huge deal, here it would run about 25$ U.S. to fix...I would back some of the tension off the strings but not all because the soundpost needs to stay upright and take it in before continuing on playing...

 

 

Avatar
Fiddlerman
Fort Lauderdale
December 26, 2012 - 3:24 pm
Member Since: September 26, 2010
Forum Posts: 16429

Very common for the seam to open in that area. Comes from the heat and humidity of your body. The left side is less common because the chinrest actually holds the top and bottom glued together quite well.
As fishnrodds said, very inexpensive to fix.

Don't sand down the bridge as you may get it too low. Can't put wood back on the bridge. If the slot is too big order a bridge protector instead of worrying about the plastic sleeve.

http://fiddlershop.com/accesso.....es/bridges

"The richest person is not the one who has the most,
but the one who needs the least."

Avatar
Kevin M.
Nicholson, Pa
Members

Regulars
December 26, 2012 - 4:56 pm
Member Since: September 10, 2011
Forum Posts: 1973
sp_UserOfflineSmall Offline

I would suspect you have the humidity too high.  The glue is water soluable.  When a seem opens from the gue drying out a white powder will be seen at the seam.

Avatar
Almandin
Stockholm, Sweden

Honorary advisor
Members

Regulars
December 27, 2012 - 9:13 am
Member Since: August 22, 2012
Forum Posts: 302
sp_UserOfflineSmall Offline

Thanks for the help, everyone! I'll call Stråkton after the holidays are over. And I'll take the violin out of the case to see if it'll develop white powder. I suspect Kevin might be right, because i just checked and found that the rib extends out across the seem -- like it's swollen.

 

~ Once you've ruled out the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be true. ~

Avatar
Mad_Wed
Russia, Tatarstan rep. Kazan city
Members

Regulars
December 30, 2012 - 3:53 pm
Member Since: October 7, 2011
Forum Posts: 2849
sp_UserOfflineSmall Offline

Kevin M. said
I would suspect you have the humidity too high.  The glue is water soluable.  When a seem opens from the gue drying out a white powder will be seen at the seam.

SDC14417.JPGImage Enlarger

 

Have it also. The little one (for now) almost unphotoable on my new. Definitelly know that humidity is too low.

I have a crack on my "old" too, and exactly in the spot, You have it, Alma. And it has same effect- "the rib extends out across the seem -- like it's swollen." Though it was not so big as yours, so i've glued it with epoxy rofl- didn't help - in about 5 months it opened again =/ So, luthier - is the best option. And better soon. Those cracks have a habit to grow. On my violins at least confused

sp_PlupAttachments Attachments
Avatar
Kevin M.
Nicholson, Pa
Members

Regulars
December 30, 2012 - 6:28 pm
Member Since: September 10, 2011
Forum Posts: 1973
sp_UserOfflineSmall Offline

Naska, You have earned 50 lashes with a wet noodle for using epoxy on a violin.  All a luthier would have had to do is to heat up the joint with a thin knife and clamp it. Now the epoxy has to be removed.  An open seem is very common and very easy to repair. Please don't use any crazy glues on them.

Avatar
Almandin
Stockholm, Sweden

Honorary advisor
Members

Regulars
January 1, 2013 - 8:22 am
Member Since: August 22, 2012
Forum Posts: 302
sp_UserOfflineSmall Offline

Thanks, Naska. Yes, I'll get it fixed as soon as possible. Also,

Kevin M. said

Naska, You have earned 50 lashes with a wet noodle for using epoxy on a violin.

roflolexactly

~ Once you've ruled out the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be true. ~

Avatar
TerryT
Coleshill, Warwickshire
Members

Regulars
January 1, 2013 - 8:43 am
Member Since: December 15, 2011
Forum Posts: 1731
sp_UserOfflineSmall Offline
10sp_Permalink sp_Print
0

Kevin M. said

Naska, You have earned 50 lashes with a wet noodle for using epoxy on a violin.

Join the queue!

I am amazed at how old people of my age are.....

Avatar
Mad_Wed
Russia, Tatarstan rep. Kazan city
Members

Regulars
January 1, 2013 - 4:28 pm
Member Since: October 7, 2011
Forum Posts: 2849
sp_UserOfflineSmall Offline
11sp_Permalink sp_Print
0

Kevin M. said
Naska, You have earned 50 lashes with a wet noodle..

Umph! facepalm ...50 lashes with a wet noodle... duncecapdazedthat supposed to be something bad..rofl

I know that it was stupid, but i had nobody to ask about it at those times... And was very curious - what will happen?amuse Nothing good happened, ROTFFLMAO!roflrofl

So..., Hot knife, You say... Hmmmm...amuse

Avatar
ratvn
Kent, Washington USA

Honorary tenured advisor
Members

Regulars
January 1, 2013 - 5:13 pm
Member Since: October 14, 2012
Forum Posts: 550
sp_UserOfflineSmall Offline
12sp_Permalink sp_Print
0

Mad_Wed said

I know that it was stupid, but i had nobody to ask about it at those times... 

So..., Hot knife, You say... Hmmmm...

Naska, it's because you used epoxy (I used glue instead, lol). My luthiers wanted $35.00 per open seam spot and my violin had quite a few of them. I did not know about hot knife though. So after $3.00 worth of Krazy glue, it's all back together.

Sorry, Kevin. I will definitely try to buy another old violin with open seams to practice your hot knife method.

 

 

Avatar
coolpinkone
California, the place of my heart
January 1, 2013 - 8:59 pm
Member Since: January 11, 2012
Forum Posts: 4180
sp_UserOfflineSmall Offline
13sp_Permalink sp_Print
0

Lol @ Naska...... sometimes as women (violinist, humans) we do what we think is best at the time..

 

Lol   @ Kevin, that used to be a favorite saying of mine...but no one ever laughed... (fools...)

 

I hope I don't get this seam crack... I will obsess over it until fixed.

:)

 

Happy New Year,

Toni

Vibrato Desperato.... Desperately seeking vibrato

Avatar
hackeman

Member
Members
January 21, 2013 - 1:16 pm
Member Since: October 31, 2012
Forum Posts: 40
sp_UserOfflineSmall Offline
14sp_Permalink sp_Print
0

Alma, how did this story end? Is you violin back in working order again?

Avatar
Almandin
Stockholm, Sweden

Honorary advisor
Members

Regulars
January 31, 2013 - 3:05 pm
Member Since: August 22, 2012
Forum Posts: 302
sp_UserOfflineSmall Offline
15sp_Permalink sp_Print
0

Sorry I've been so absent from this topic lately! I've only just today managed to hand my poor violin in for repair. Haven't played it in nearly a month because it sounded all raspy, so I miss it tremendously. The man at Stråkton (the repair shop) said he'd get it fixed as soon as possible.

Also, I've gotten myself a hygrometer (at a reptile fair the other day) and the relative humidity in my flat is less than 20%! No wonder my violin doesn't approve. I also checked inside the the case, and it's the same there despite my home-made humidifier. Added lots more water to the marbles and put it in a plastic box with the hygrometer, and now it seems to work better.

I'll post again once I get my violin back in working order. With a reassuring picture. smile

~ Once you've ruled out the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be true. ~

Avatar
Mad_Wed
Russia, Tatarstan rep. Kazan city
Members

Regulars
February 4, 2013 - 1:41 pm
Member Since: October 7, 2011
Forum Posts: 2849
sp_UserOfflineSmall Offline
16sp_Permalink sp_Print
0

Almandin said
....

Also, I've gotten myself a hygrometer (at a reptile fair the other day) and the relative humidity in my flat is less than 20%! ....

Yep! Same thing. I have 17% here... thought that the hydrometer was lying, but it does not =) rofl

Be careful there, my friend!

Wish You get it back soon !!!crossedfingers

Avatar
Almandin
Stockholm, Sweden

Honorary advisor
Members

Regulars
February 22, 2013 - 7:50 am
Member Since: August 22, 2012
Forum Posts: 302
sp_UserOfflineSmall Offline
17sp_Permalink sp_Print
0

Finally got my violin back today! Good as new! party

The next step in making it better will be to buy a new chinrest, because the one I have on presses against the tailpiece when I play. I think that may be what causes the rasping on some notes, so I'll go to my local violin store and try out different types. Maybe an centre mounted one would be the way to go.

In the meantime, though – I can play again! I even remember the songs I learned all those days and weeks and months ago! But I'm thinking I'll go back to basics and maybe get those right this time around...

violin-1267

~ Once you've ruled out the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be true. ~

Avatar
Mad_Wed
Russia, Tatarstan rep. Kazan city
Members

Regulars
February 23, 2013 - 5:08 pm
Member Since: October 7, 2011
Forum Posts: 2849
sp_UserOfflineSmall Offline
18sp_Permalink sp_Print
0

Good news here! Happy fiddling! =)banana

Avatar
Fiddlerman
Fort Lauderdale
February 24, 2013 - 11:19 pm
Member Since: September 26, 2010
Forum Posts: 16429
19sp_Permalink sp_Print
0

That is really great news. Back in business :-)

"The richest person is not the one who has the most,
but the one who needs the least."

Forum Timezone: America/New_York
Most Users Ever Online: 696
Currently Online: Mouse
Guest(s) 119
Currently Browsing this Page:
1 Guest(s)
Members Birthdays
sp_BirthdayIcon
Today None
Upcoming Sofia Leo, TKDennis, FiddleDetroit, CookiesViolin, JPferrman, Designer 88, LyleA, Stephen, Dorque, Trisha, Elaisa, wonderputz, Gordon Shumway, dougga, Russionleo, JohnG
Top Posters:
ELCBK: 7761
ABitRusty: 3915
Mad_Wed: 2849
Barry: 2690
Fiddlestix: 2647
Oliver: 2439
Gordon Shumway: 2425
DanielB: 2379
Mark: 2149
damfino: 2113
Member Stats:
Guest Posters: 3
Members: 31663
Moderators: 0
Admins: 7
Forum Stats:
Groups: 16
Forums: 81
Topics: 10590
Posts: 134224
Newest Members:
Adityaail, SoCal335, Jan Howard, edwardcheng, Oscar Stern, bryanhanson, bittruster, fiddlecastro, jackdaniel, romanmills08
Administrators: Fiddlerman: 16429, KindaScratchy: 1760, coolpinkone: 4180, BillyG: 3744, MrsFiddlerman: 2, Jimmie Bjorling: 0, Mouse: 5309