I paid $25.00 for it, and I'm betting that it's worth at least four times as much Won't know for sure until it's repaired and strung up, but I figure it's well worth the price for the experience of gluing up that crack.

pky said

Cat, Great gain! I actually don't think the crack is that scary, i thought it might be easier to fix than your utah violin, just my opinion, you know more than i do.

BTW, I like the way you stood it up on a jar to picture it:P

Thanks, pky! I got the jar idea from a post over on Maestronet. Works a treat! If only we had more light this time of year.

The crack will be easier (I hope) than the Utah fiddle - the wood is much more sound and the crack is very clean. I'll post about it tomorrow as the glue pot will be hot and fresh to glue up MGN's fiddle neck - might as well be all efficient and stuff and do two things at once.

Can you tell the OH is out of town and I've let all housework fall by the wayside?

Kevin M. said

You couldn't find a better crack than that one. Now to decide do you remove the top to repair the crack or work through the f holes with clamps. The violin can't be any newer than before WWII or it would say West Germany and it isn't new enough for when Germany reuinfied. So you got yourself a good one.

I hope it is a good one, Kevin. I'm going to try to glue up the crack without removing the top as there seem to be no other repairs necessary. If it doesn't hold the top will have to come off, which I kinda want to do to see the inner construction (does it have corner blocks? Linings? Through neck? The bass bar looks to be glued, not carved in...etc.) but the least invasive repair is probably the best, right?

Well, the top had to come off - just couldn't get the crack to close no matter how I set up the clamps. Sigh. Here are a few more details.

A better look at the crack and saddle. "Germany" is stamped just out of the frame at the bottom, under the end pin.

While I waited for the glue pot to heat up, I figured why not get started. Four hours later she's in pieces. The fingerboard had to come off to get at the seam at the base of the neck. It came off in two splintered pieces. It was a pale wood, dyed black, which came off all over my hands when water was applied to the seam. That sucker was glued ON!

The top is very roughly carved with a rather heavy, glued-in bass bar. It is quite wet in this pic as a lot of water was needed to soften up the hide glue. It needs to dry at least over night before I do anything else. I have work to do tomorrow, so it might be a few days before I can get back to it.

It has a full neck block, which is a good thing.

And a full end block, also good. The lower corner blocks, however, are fake -

Only little wedges of wood to make it look like it has corner blocks when you peer through the FF holes. No upper blocks at all. The linings are a bit rough and it is filthy inside. The bottom plate is much more nicely carved than the top and appears to have no cracks.

Next up - fix the crack! There may be a couple of cracks that don't go through the plates on the upper bouts which will have to be dealt with, too. More to come.

Fiddlerman said

Sorry to hear about the fingerboard. Do you have one?

I don't have a replacement fingerboard. I'll have to order one soon. Do you stock them in the FM Shop? What about horse hair - will you be stocking that?