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Funny stuff guys. SPIDERS!!! I guess there could be some spider eggs in there if you gut more than one. I would try dry rice inside the violin, shake it good in every direction. Do it outside so that the rice that falls out of the f-hole is no big deal. When you are done it is real easy to shake all the dirty rice out. This is also a great way to dust the inside of the violin.
Have any of you ever tried putting cinnamon in your violin? Seems to me that if you like that smell, as I do, it will take over almost any other smell. Though probably it would just amplify a mixture of many...
"The richest person is not the one who has the most,
but the one who needs the least."
uncooked rice !
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you guys are making me hungry...hmm, wild rice and veggies for lunch
There is no shame in playing twinkle, youre playing Mozart
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Crazy - very interesting story; fortunately no spiders here; I think they are afraid of the unholy!
Pierre, I will try the rice next; after day two of baking soda, microscopically small improvements,,, I think that stench will outlive me unless I try another approach; so rice & beans it is! Wait,,, rice & cinnamon (I love cinnamon too); I'll pour it in and shake the damn thing like a maraca while dancing in a small circle wearing only moccasins,,, oops, too much information.... yeah, rice and cinnamon next.
After that, I'm calling Father Merrin!
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Well, if you go with the rice, don't forget the words..
"The power of rice compels you! The power of rice compels you!"
"This young wine may have a lot of tannins now, but in 5 or 10 years it is going to be spectacular, despite the fact that right now it tastes like crude oil. You know this is how it is supposed to taste at this stage of development." ~ Itzhak Perlman
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Daniel!!!
You know something, Fred,,,, that smell didn't get there over night, I wouldn't expect it to be gone over night either.
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Sorry Fred, can't picture it!
"la cucara-CHA, la cucara-CHA.........."
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I am amazed at how old people of my age are.....
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Have you thought it might not be the inside but the outside of the Beast that stinks.
Maybe bad furniture polish or Eeeeuuuw, even worse, the endeavour of someone else's hard practice leaving its mark on the chinrest.
That's a point! Is there a thread on the merits of swapping the chin-rest on a second hand violin!!!!!
I am amazed at how old people of my age are.....
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Terry has a good point!!!
"The richest person is not the one who has the most,
but the one who needs the least."
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Wish it was that simple. The first thing I did was change the chinrest with a new one. And the benefit of possessing sizeable proboscis with such refined olfactories that blood hounds are envious, I was able to able to determine without a doubt that it is the inside that exudes putrescence. I've smelled every square cm of this thing; my wife accused me of molesting it!
Ken's comment is absolutely valid.
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I am hereby declaring, for the sake of all the villagers,,, THE BEAST IS DEAD!!!!!!
After three weeks of battling this demon from hell; my viola is now exorcised!
So, here's what I tried that didn't really work -
rice, cinnamon, baking soda in tea bags, carpet deodorizer, fresh air
Here's what did work -
an aquarium pump (60 gallon capacity) running 24 hrs/day for 4 consecutive days with strips of a flat charcoal filter (called "Nature's Miracle" used in litter boxes) inserted into the body through each "f" hole. I changed the filters 2x/day and when I removed each filter, they were rank so I knew they were absorbing the stench. I've now put muddled twigs of lavender in the body while the air continuously circs, just to give it that "fresh as a sacrificial virgin" smell.
It's been such a treat to play this lovely instrument these past two days!!!
What great new's, Fred. Seem's someone did mention charcoal, if I'm not mistaken.
Play on ....... 
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I know, I think YOU did Ken, lol. It just took me a while to find the right delivery method. These pads are GREAT though; it's like a woven charcoal pad.
Actually it was Kevin who suggested it. He once used charcoal in one of his.
Good call, Kevin. 
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The only thing I don't understand Fred is how the filter helped?
Logically to me, the air flowing through the violin is what took care of the smell.
"The richest person is not the one who has the most,
but the one who needs the least."
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omg...this was a VERY entertaining read....all! thanks. Ha. Toni
Vibrato Desperato.... Desperately seeking vibrato
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Pierre, the air pump just circulated the stench around the charcoal filter and accumulated in the filter so that it could be pulled out. Just blowing air into it seemed to work for half a day, but then somehow it was back. I guess the charcoal just absorbed everything that was inside the body. But I can tell you, those strips STUNK!
Honorary advisor
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Fiddlerman said
The only thing I don't understand Fred is how the filter helped?
Active charcoal is very active, you see. Absorbs all kinds of impurities.
BTW, I've been following this adventure with avid interest and am happy to hear the smell (spell) has been banished! Go forum!
~ Once you've ruled out the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be true. ~
If you have a hood vent or micro wave oven over your kitchen range and it vent's the air back into the kitchen through the front, it more than likely has a removable flat charcoal filter inside the unit to filter out the food odor's that are recirculated back into your kitchen.
WOW,, long sentence 
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