Violin Forum/Message Board

[caeman]

For $10, I picked up a fixer-upper tonight from a craigslist seller.

Internal Label Info:

Suzuki
Model 900
Size 1/8
Serial No. 12719

A second label inside:

Suzuki
No. 220
Size 1/8
Anno 1982

Condition:
No take care of very well
E string is missing
Sound post has fallen
top has a crack
Bridge is missing

I will post pictures once the good camera has returned home from being out with the wife.

I am going to see what I can do to revive this little monster so my boys can play around, as well.

[mr_violin]

Go for it!! My first violin repair job was a 3/4 old violin I got for my daughter. I made some mistakes!! But she learned on it. The sound post was made of maple. Oups! But it sounded good. I glued it in too.
Oh well, now I know better!! it was fun and I still have the violin.
That was in 1996.

Have fun!!

[caeman]

For the price, I couldn't really argue. If I totally screw it up, I am not out much money and I end up with a wall hanger.

The crack on the top does not appear be all the way through.

I certainly don't own a tool that can re-seat the sound post, so I will take it to the local music shop and ask them to re-seat it for me.

[caeman]

[caeman]

Okay, so my very local sources for fiddle parts don't have 1/8 bridges in stock. I guess such a tiny thing isn't too common in Butler County. My last resort is the Baroque Violin Shop down in Cincinnati. Not exactly local, but they seem to have a reputation outside this corner of Ohio.

[caeman]

Given what you might be able to discern from the pictures, any suggestions on how to address the missing chip of surface and the crack?

[mr_violin]

I have the 1/8 bridge. I have 19 new ones if you like I will send you one ,no cost to you . just send me an email.

mr_violin@hotmail.com

Also looks to me the thing to do is take the top off to fix that top crack.
it will be good to get the practess.

when you have the top off there is more you may find that you could do to improve this violin.

[caeman]

Remove the top?

Hee hee...well now...I suppose I could try. This little project looks to be quite educational, it seems.

[Mat Roop]

[mr_violin]

Try to push down on one side of the crack. if you can see it move without the otherside moving your crack goes all the way though.

I find that it is better to fix a cracked top after you remove it.

you don`t have to ,but as you said. what can it hurt!! It is not as hard as it looks to remove a top.

There is a post on this sight that will tell you how to do that.

You may as well learn all you can on this cheep violin.

You can add new wood were the wood is missing. make the hole as smooth as you can . then make the wood to fit into that hole .

After you are all don repairring the wood I would strip off all the old finish and completly revarnish it.
Like I said, learn as much as you can. Anyway it would be harder to try to match the old finish and make it look right.

[mr_violin]

That posting on "Top removal" is on page 9 about the midle of the page.

The one thing I do differnet is that I start the sepperation with a utillity knife. I have never cut into the wood doinig it this way.

I start it at the end block just to the right and work to the neck.

Then I do the same on the left side. After I have the sides don I do the end block from the inside out. Lastly I woke the neck block from the inside to the neck. I sometimes have to make a slight cut with the utillity knife on ether side of the nick from the top down.

That is the way that works for me.

[caeman]

The top is now removed.

The crack in the top did go all the way through, as I now have two halves of the top in my hands.

[Mat Roop]

[quote="mr_violin"]..... After you are all don repairring the wood I would strip off all the old finish and completly revarnish it.
.....quote]
I absolutely agree... My first restoration was a suzuki violin. It had been the subject of vandalism at a school and the right half was completely smashed into slivers and chunks. At the time my son wanted a violin so I took it to two different luthiers and both said it could not be fixed and to the last guy I said I maight piece it togethr myself... He said no problem, but "you will never make sound good enough to be worth playing" It was originally finished with something that resembles polyurethane and after the repairs, I stripped and refinished with proper violin varnish. When I was done I took it to the teacher who knew the violin and she said it now sounded better that ever!... I even took it to the two guys who said it could not be fixed and they were some impressed... one even said it was not the same violin!! That was the start of my violin restoration career!
Don't get the idea that refinishing is a good idea... 99% of the time it is not and if refinished, the value of the instrument can be lost by as much as 60 to 90% , but in this case with a poly finish and no value... refinish.
Good luck!...and BTW... glue the top back together using the zipper cleat method... its easy and gets perfect results.
Cheer, Mat

[caeman]

This may sound straight forward to others, but not me. Should I strip the finish off before putting the pieces back together? Or after the wood bits are stitched back together? In other words, would a stripping agent undo my adhesive efforts?

For all the bow and arrow making I've done, I've never had to use paint stripper, since I never had to go back and "remake" the product.

[Mat Roop]

Do all the repairs first including assembly of the top.... Then strip & Refinish... you dont want the dirty stripper contaminating clean wood ... you want clean wood for the glue to hold well...Cheers... Mat