violin repair Archives - Fiddler Dan Violins & Workshop, Brisbane

Why are my violin pegs slipping?

Actually most people don’t ask why are my pegs slipping, they just say my violin is out of tune and won’t hold a note. There is a myriad of reasons and the violin pegs slipping is usually the culprit. To understand why it happens it’s useful to understand how pegs work.

Pegs have a slightly conical taper to them, this neat design allows them to fit more snugly by pushing them in slightly as you tighten the string. Its not perfect , probably need to move to something like guitar tuners, but hey this is a traditional classical instrument so pegs it is!

The pegs them selves are made of a hardwood, usually ebony so they they don’t wear out and go into the peg box which is maple – also a hard wood but slightly softer. So inevitably though use they start to wear a bit. Wood on wood can get a bit sticky or creaky so they are lubricated with peg paste (or peg dope). Peg past is made from some lubricating and some sticky elements, so they can grip and slide appropriately. A mix of fine clay, rosin and perhaps graphite is in this material. The different makers of peg paste have different combinations and I find using the right one for the climate is important. Peg paste is something replaced yearly with an instruments service.

Home/ teacher solutions can involve some crushed rosin or chalk applied to the pegs – yes it works as a quick fix, but you may end up with stuck pegs.

Over time the wearing of the pegbox takes place , and its an out or round wear, because for the string tension in one direction , meaning the peg develops favourite positions to sit in and may slip to these. The remedy here is to ream the peg box hole slightly to return it to round and shave the peg also if appropriate.

Another thing that happens to pegs /peg box as they wear is the peg sits further in the hole. At some point this is limited by the string that is wound around the hole as it hits the opposite side of the peg box, and so push in as you may the peg will never fit tighter in the box and always slip. this is common on a violin thats been played for some time (years), so on secondhand instruments that have been handed down to the 2nd, 3rd, 4th player its an inevitability. The solution is to drill a new hole in the peg for the string to sit more in the middle of the peg box…no hassle!

One note of caution if your violins pegs are slipping, resist the temptation to push it too hard into the peg box to get it tight. The danger here is you crack the peg box and have a very expensive repair – or in the case of a student violin it will be cheaper to replace it.

Violin Appraisal

Appraising a violin for value is a tricky business, with more than a few places not doing it? Violin appraisal is looking at the quality of the build of a violin, its sound and then also its historical value. Un-picking these three components of a violin during appraisal I find helpful in determining the value of a violin. But it’s not without its challenges. (See How much is my violin worth).

For modern instruments from a reputation brand or maker, appraisal is more straight forward and google can really help here. Of course you also need to consider the providence, or how the current own (and owner before them) came by the instrument to ensure it is authentically what it purports to be.

Older violins are much harder to appraise, labels to the uninitiated can be misleading at best, age can be faked, many in the trade are unwilling to appraise such instruments. For example most if not every instrument label as a Stradivari is labelled so at best as a homage to the famed maker, or indicates a copy of one of his models and the same is true for the instruments copied of other famous makers like Guarneri, Maggini and Amati’s in the wild.

Less kindly there is an entire business around “antiquing” of both instruments and the labels inside them , with dust, staining and even “tone balls” added to give a sense of age. In the trade valuing of these instruments is acknowledged as difficult to do, even with a encyclopaedic knowledge and years of experience, where there is intent to deceive by a maker it can be tricky to detect. There is the business of fake repairs, fake neck grafts etc… to give an impression of age.

Through the quality of the timbers, construction on the insides and sound one can learn much about an instrument during appraisal.
How old is it, where was it made and ultimately how much is it worth are the common questions i am asked during appraisal.

Usually I can give a pretty good idea, though where I have some uncertainty I often refer on to someone else, in particular with higher quality older instruments. Usually my estimates come in the same ball park as my collegues..but not always.

Violin Bridge replacement

Violin bridges are essential for a violins function and over time need replacement. Just a few mm wide, a violin bridge holds up strings in tension with significant downward force on the body of the violin itself. In addition to the mechanical properties the bridge is responsible for the transmission of the strings vibration to the body and the violin bridge replacement needs to be carefully crafted and sculpted.

Bridges fail for all kinds of reasons including misadventure, but also succumb to the ravages of age and twist and warp under the constant tension. An improperly fitted bridge may have a shorter lifetime as well as it may not sit at the correct angle to connect and buttress the strings to the body in the correct alignment, or the feet matching to the body of the instrument may not be optimal.

When I fit a bridge I take into account the instrument it’s going on, the strings and the needs of the player. For beginners and student violins I cut the bridge a bit thicker than otherwise, this prioritises strength as the alignment is not likely to be checked and adjusted as often as it should be. On better instruments, the matching of the bridge to the instruments tonal qualities can help with the bass vs. treble response, bridge thinness and mass removal from the kidneys and bottom arching can really help. Selection of the grade of the bridge is also important especially if you are chasing projection and brilliance.

A new violin bridge blank looks something like its final fitted form and the replacement process involves matching the feet to the body of the violin to ensure full tonal transmission. The angle of the bridge must be set so that the pulling of the strings from the top and the tailpiece are optimally into the instrument. String height is then matched to the type of strings used to make sure the heights are both playable and also that the strings have enough room to swing without clipping on the fingerboard and leading to buzzing.

Violin restringing..easy as

Restringing a violin is relatively straight forward and easy task to undertake. Usually about once a year is about right for the average violin players restringing frequency. Its a good idea to keep a spare set of strings on hand in-case one breaks so you can do it straight away, and then once the first one is changed check out the others, to see if they might need changing as well. You see, before a violin string breaks, usually its has started to degrade.

Tell tale signs of needing a strings change are :

1. Discolouration such as oxidation as a white powered on aluminium strings and rust on steel strings (particularly the E string)

2. The winding on the outer string is starting to unravel. This may occur at points of higher preassure such as the bend at the nut and over the bridge. Also common is the A string when the first few fingers go down

3. The ‘sparkle’ has gone out of the sound. That is over time strings stretch and thus lose their elasticity. once this is gone their ability to support the over tone harmonics is also diminished. ‘Sparkle’ is the technical term 😉

4. Just before a string breaks it loses its ability to stay in tune, make sure this is not due to to peg slippage though. Its the internal fibres of the string starting to let go.

If your changing the strings yourself (and you should learn to do this) also :

1. Make sure to ‘lube’ the nut and bridge with a lead pencil so the string can move easily.

2. Clean up the fingerboard underneath, if its grooved then get that seen too as this will effect the strings ability to vibrate properly.

3. Make sure the pegs still grip, and don’t creak or jump – this is a sure sign that a peg break is likely in the future – and need some lube or peg paste.

4. Make sure the pegs turn smoothly, if not the peg holes may be slightly out of round and need some reaming. Ebony is harder than maple and wears it away over time.

5. When winding the string on, wind the string on away from the peg wall for a turn then cross it over itself to lock it onto the peg and wind the string up to the peg wall its closest to on the nut, this helps stop the tapered peg from escaping the peg box a little. (If this doesn’t make sense ask someone that knows a bit more that you)

See changing the strings at 2:40s

A violin restringing is a bit like a minor service, so in addition to all of the above give the violin a good look over and a clean (nothing but a gentle cloth and the tip of your tongue to moisten it though). If it has any issues that need attending to take it to someone for an opinion.

Also make sure to pickup your next set of strings at this time to (though the old ones can be emergency spares for a while). You might also like to try another brand/make of string as well…they all sound different so depending on what sound you are looking for get some advice there as well (see Violin String Selection Guide…for Brisbane-ites and beyond )

Violin Tailpiece and why it matters

The violin tailpiece in an integral part of the mechanical structure of a violin, a convenient place to tune your string or strings but also plays a big role in the sound production of a violin.

While you bow your violin on the other side of the bridge there are also vibrations happening on the strings and tailpiece on the lower half of ypour violin, in a sympathetic way.

Understanding this is a key to getting a little extra sparkle out of your instrument. I have seen many a fine instrument miss out on a little extra boost to its sound through poor tail piece setup, choice or a sole focus on aesthetic. All of these are easily rectified and can improve the sound and convenience of your instrument.

Choices in timber or modern materials, sound adjusters and the geometry of setup can all make a difference. So here is 10mins of your life you won’t get back to find out more

Broken Violin neck or neck reset

It’s common to have people contact me with a broken violin neck, on closer inspection its not always broken though. The neck joint with the violin body is probably the weakest link in the violin in terms of stress and strain. In essence its a combination of woodworking joints including a thin dovetail joint, butt joint and rabbet joint all in one held together with hide glue. If the joints weren’t well made to start with its a bit weaker again. When an instrument experiences shock, through misadventure or where the violin is in a humid climate like here in Australia the joint is prone to come apart.

The first sign of a slipped violin neck (not a broken violin neck though)

A neck break is where the timber itself breaks along the grain line (see Cello Repairs Brisbane for how a broken neck is repaired) for some detail on that as its very common on cellos and the same technique aplies to violins. Also at the peg box cracks can appear as this is a source of preasure from the pegs (and perhaps poorly fitted pegs that are pushed in to hard ) , I’ll write about this in due course.

So regluing the neck joint is called a neck reset rather than a broken neck repair. In the best of worlds the surfaces are cleaned and reglued. Often however additional repair might need to be made to the neck block and some times the top plate of the violin if there has been tear out/ splitting of the timbers. Oft times a timber wedge needs to be carved and inserted into the neck block.

So a neck reset and glue up in theory is quick and simple, however care must be taken that the angle of the fingerboard is going to be striaght down the instrument and the neck projection (height above the body is correct) . Sometimes the bridge must also be adjusted afterwards to get everything perfect.

In many cases the fingerboard also needs to be removed and reattached, reasonably straightforward…its just time.

You might think student instruments this is easier…however sometimes its not so, student instruments are often not put together with hide glue (or worse someone has attempted repair with hardware store glue) and so dissembly can be a bit tricky leading to some visible evidence of a repair.

Above is an example of a poorly fitted student violin neck, where glue has been used as a filler, resulting in a neck slip over time (this must be cleaned out and a wedge inserted)

Violin patch repair

It is not uncommon of the life of a violin for a chip to occur, often mild it might only need sealing up , or some light dressing (scrapping or sanding) to remove splinters than might catch and then seal. Sometimes its large enough that a piece of replacement timber needs to be provided , ranging from a small sliver through to a largish piece. If the original piece is available and in good condition it can often be refitted. Many times though, more timber may need to be removed first to ensure there is a clean surface to attach to, and then a new piece inserted attached. The challenges here are numerous,

– Good attachment is need for structural integrity in relation to the stress this part of the instrument is under.

– Matching of the timber type and grain (this is often particularly challenging with very fine grain lines on the top plate lining up for example) and ensuring strength around critical regions like the neck root

– Finishing to match the existing surface finish, colour matching and depth in particular are challenging on fine instruments; where pigmentation and dyes are as individual as the instruments.

– Budget. The time required even on a small chip can be significant and as a result these repairs can be expensive.

Approaching each repair with an understanding of the value of the instrument, its future needs, importance of preservation and budget available normally present with a range of options. For school instruments and approach of functionality over appearance, but on a budget is acceptable. For fine instruments though, taking into account its value, and doing nothing that can’t be reversed are an important aspect of a repairers obligation to not only the owner but also instrument.

Violin Varnish restoration

This is a violin that came my way relatively recently, it had been revarnished so heavily with hardware store varnish that the grains of the timbers were no longer visible. However on inspection of the inside of the instrument, it looked to both be a well made violin as well as with a tightly grained spruce top and lightly flamed sides and back, thus a good candidate for restoration and investment of time.

Some test removal using various solvents and finally sandpaper (under the chin rest where it would not be visible) I discovered that the varnish was all but impervious to the human touch and that sanding would need to be on an industrial scale to remove the varnish. However sanding would likely be tricky because of the hardness of the varnish compared to the softness of the spruce on the top.

It was at this stage I decided to look at using a chemical process (paint stripper – opting for the most gentle of them).

The stripping involved some testing (under the fingerboard) before the removal from the top bottom and sides. This was both a chemical and physical process, using a plastic scrappers or various shapes through several coats of stripper. unfortunately the stripper removes both the hardware varnish as well as the traditional varnish.

So once it was back to bare wood, on went the ground coat and then the layers of varnish (I used shellac with some traditional pigments for light colouring) and some french polishing and cutting back as I went. The results visually were lovely, but the most outstanding of all was the change in the sound. It was literally like a heavy blanket was removed and the violin could speak again, and speak she does. The sound is comparable to an advanced student instrument (in the $>2k range ) it both projects wonderfully as well as having that rich tone you get from older instruments. Heres a couple of notes from it , strung up with Violino strings from Pirastro, to take take the edge off its brightness and show off its meaty character