LOOSENING OF JUNCTION OF GRAFT WITH PEG-BOX, AND REFIXING
SAME--GRAFTING, DIFFERENT METHODS OF PERFORMING THIS--LENGTHENING THE
NECK--OLD AND MODERN METHOD--RENEWAL OF SAME--INCLINATION OF NECK AND
FINGERBOARD WITH REGARD TO THE BRIDGE--HEIGHT OF LATTER, AND REASON
FOR IT.
In our progress downwards from the scroll and its adjoining parts,
before quite leaving it we may refer to a disorder sometimes occurring
when the neck is modern and grafted on to the old scroll. There are
several ways, or fashions it may be termed, in which this is effected.
The most usual method pursued in England and Germany is that of sawing
the head off at a part below the end of the shell and then chiselling
a level passage so far as a straight surface makes it necessary along
the floor of the peg-box. The sides are treated in the same way but
the width across diminishes as they proceed upward. The solid graft
is shaped, inserted, and afterward hollowed, but of this more presently.
Like all other parts of the instrument, the junction or insertion of
the neck or graft sometimes gets loose, from bad fitting chiefly, bad
glue or prolonged exposure to damp. When the sides or back part give
warning that they are likely to part, they should be loosened still
more or separated and a little clean water on a brush inserted in the
cleft where discoverable, the parts being pressed and worked together
until clean, for all cracked or loosened joints will be found more or
less dirty and greasy. Some strong glue can be then worked in, both
sides pressed together by cramps and left to dry. The backing of a flat
piece of soft wood with an interleaving of stout paper or, better still,
millboard, must not be forgotten. If, as sometimes happens, the
flooring of the peg-box threatens to part from the graft in contact,
the same course of working out dirt and inserting good glue must be
pursued. In pressing the back or shell of the scroll, this being of
short and sometimes abrupt hollowing, the pressure on the substance
of the wood direct would be dangerous to its form. The fibres of the
wood at the edge are necessarily very short and brittle. A thick piece
of cork should, therefore, be placed between the cramp and the hollow
grooving or shell, a small block of moderately hard wood being placed
inside the peg-box as an opposing pad or buffer, the cramp may then
be screwed down fairly tight. The two operations, glueing and pressing
the side parts and that in connection with the shell, must not be
attempted simultaneously.
We may now, being on the part as it were, take up the subject of grafting
and the different and best means of performing this somewhat exacting
operation. Accurate calculation and sharp straight cutting are
absolutely necessary for even moderate success in this undertaking.
As before mentioned, there is more than one method of securing a neck
to an old head. Each one carried out with the necessary skill and
neatness can be made a lasting and highly finished piece of joinery.
The mode adopted in England (see diagram 25) is the most ready and gives
the least difficulty in a difficult undertaking. The solid end of the
graft is chiselled or planed off to a slightly wedged form with a
straight or square upper end which is measured to reach when inserted,
nearly or just up to the lowest of the upper two peg-holes. Great care
has to be taken in the cutting that the sides are equal, otherwise the
scroll, when fitted, will look awry.
[Illustration: DIAGRAM 23. Old method of lengthening neck, the dotted
lines show it shifted forward and the part above the button cut away.]
[Illustration: DIAGRAM 24. Modern French method of grafting head.]
[Illustration: DIAGRAM 25. Modern English method of grafting head.]
[Illustration: DIAGRAM 26. Foreign secret method of grafting
occasionally met with.]
[Illustration: DIAGRAM 27. Method occasionally met with, Italian.]
Another method has been known as the French, and when neatly done is
one of the most sparing of the old wood (see diagram 24), but it is
beaten in this respect by another foreign method (diagram 26), which
is less evident to the eye, although requiring more skill in accurate
cutting and adjustment. Another yet more secret I have only seen in
an Italian grafting, and it may be native; no join whatever is seen
in a front view nor in the peg-box if this part is at all soiled or
dusty, as is usually the case. This is owing to the join--there must
be one of course--being each side at the angles formed by the walls
of the peg-box. This is counterbalanced however by the necessary
cutting away of the central line or ridge at the back for a considerable
distance. If done accurately and artistically, all very well, but this
is not likely to be always the case, although a comparatively easy bit
of work with the original lines each side as a guide. This method of
grafting is puzzling when successful, as little or nothing is
perceptible from the front and not much, unless searched for, at the
back.
On measuring the different parts of an old violin in its original
condition, we shall find the neck, taking from the edge of the upper
shoulder of the instrument to a point where the nut is placed, to be
not much more than four and a half inches, whereas our modern necks
measured at the same parts would give five inches and an eighth. The
old length taken at this part alone would give too short a fingerboard,
causing the fingers to hamper each other, especially in the upper part
of the register, where so many modern composers seek for effective
passages. The neck must, therefore, to meet the requirements of the
day, be lengthened. In the earlier part of the present century there
was a method much in vogue for effecting this without interfering with
the head and while keeping the greater part of the original neck
(diagram 23). This was done by firstly removing the fingerboard,
probably worn into ruts; the middle of the thickest or lowest part of
the neck attached to the body had then to be loosened and removed, often
no doubt a troublesome task owing to one, two and sometimes three nails
being in the way, this in consequence of the habit of the old makers
of attaching the neck with its scroll before closing up the body of
the violin. Having accomplished this, the repairer chiselled off two
square pieces, one on each side at the same end, and then fitted longer
blocks with the grain running the same way. These were afterwards cut
down to the proper form, so that the terminating part under the
fingerboard increased the length of the neck to the modern standard.
Of course, when fitted into the original space or socket from whence
the neck was taken, the rounded part going to or above the button was
now too large, this part was therefore cut, filed and finished down
to the required size and shape.
This method of lengthening the neck, however, went out of fashion as
connoisseurs and performers, finding the old necks so frequently
devoid of figure--the reason being probably that plain wood answered
best for the cutting of the volutes--made the repairers remove the
whole of the neck and substitute one of the best figure they could
obtain.
This forced fresh attention to the splicing as it is termed of the
scroll to the neck or graft, and the method has continued to the present
time of clearing away the whole of the neck and using handsome wood.
Further impulse was given to the practice by the fact of the
fingerboards put by the old makers rising so little above the body of
the instrument. The bridge was made very low to accommodate this state
of things. The increased rapidity of the movements of the bow from one
string to another over the middle ones in the performance of modern
music made a higher one absolutely imperative, as the heel of the bow
would too frequently chip pieces from the waist curves. There were thus
three good reasons at least for placing an entirely new neck on an old
violin; firstly the plain wood of the original maker, shortness and
the low angle with regard to the plane of the body.
In order, therefore, that everything may be accomplished with
sufficient exactitude, we will begin with the roughly sawn block ready
for measuring and shaping up for its destined purpose. The scroll,
which is to be replaced on a neck according with modern ideas, we will
suppose to be on an Italian violin that has come down to us from the
early part of the last century. The violin tuned up to the present
concert pitch and music of our period having many of the modern style
of difficulties, would prove utterly inadequate to the task of giving
out its tones in a manner expected of it.
In proceeding to work then, the workman executing this modification
having selected his block of curled maple, planes it to an oblong of
equal breadth. He calculates as to the best position for showing off
the curl on each side of the neck when finished. Having decided which
is to be the upper part or that covered by the fingerboard, this is
planed to a good level and smoothed. A line drawn with a good pointed
pencil or pointed knife, and sharply defined, is then drawn down the
whole length exactly in the centre. At the end which is intended for
the thickest to be inserted in the body of the instrument an equal width
each side must be marked. Near the other end, at a distance that shall
correspond with the opening of the peg-box, an equal width each side
of the line must be marked off as at the other end. These two
measurements will represent as nearly as possible the width of the neck
along its course at the junction of the fingerboard. From the point
representing the opening of the peg-box one of two lengths upwards must
be decided upon; if the splicing is to be effected in the manner common
in this country, a greater length will be required than for that of
the French style. This latter is more to my fancy than the other, as
there is less of the original wood lost. If for the former, a length
of wood beyond the opening will be required of two inches, if for the
latter or French a little over one inch and a half will be enough. The
central line has of course been continued for the whole length of the
wood. The waste wood at the end can now be sawn off down to the line.
The next measurement will be, supposing the French style is
adopted--that of the extreme width of the end, which will be given by
taking a point at half the thickness of the peg-box wall at the part
and similarly placed on the other or opposite and taking the width
between the two. This divided equally and marked on the wood of the
new graft each side of the central line will give the narrowest width
of the part to be inserted in the peg-box. The outside may be then
removed by the saw vertically. There will now be necessary the marking
off a part on the graft that shall represent the thickness of the nut
or the distance between the end of the fingerboard and the peg-box
opening; the breadth across, or we may call it the length of the upper
part of the nut, will be exactly that of and at the part where the
opening will be made in the peg-box for the reception of the graft.
The wood to be cleared away outside the lines which mark the width along
the course of the fingerboard will be the next proceeding; it may be
done neatly with a rather fine toothed saw and then carefully planed
up closer to the lines, barely touching them. It is preferable to leave
the sides for the present at right angles with the top surface, although
they will not be kept so for long, but by thus working the measurements
are facilitated. Going to the lower or wider end a line must be
accurately marked quite square with the long central line, if not
accurate the whole work will be thrown out of truth. On the sides there
may now be marked and roughly sawn away (diagram 28) so much of the
wood that shall leave enough for the cylindrical part that is to be
finally rounded and finished off for handling. Care must be taken that
the rounding commences underneath, a little away from the part that
will be fitted into the peg-box. This of course must be according to
measurement or template kept for the purpose if graftings are likely
to be wanted in the future. There will now be required the marking
of the exact form of the part that is to be inserted in the body of
the violin, or more strictly speaking, into the upper block. This is
done easily from a pattern cut to shape and size for instruments of
average proportions. Sometimes, owing to the height of the ribs, the
pattern cannot be applied so as to fit; in that case fresh lines must
be drawn to measurement as with the central one on the fingerboard
plane.
[Illustration: DIAGRAM 28.]
The line dividing the part exactly in the middle must be accurately
done, the distance at the narrowest or lowest part that is to be glued
on to the button carefully marked, allowing the top part when placed
in position to be a quarter of an inch above the border (diagram 29).
The width of the lowest portion must be mainly guided by the size of
the button, which, although there is an average of a rough kind, is
sometimes small, at others very wide. The width must be taken of the
button, carefully divided into two equal parts to be marked on each
side of the central vertical line (diagram 30). All below what is
necessary to keep may now be cut away, the surface being kept parallel
with the fingerboard plane. The parts outside the slanting lines may
be hewn away, the surface running evenly with the outer lines of the
fingerboard width so far as it extends, which will not be more than
about an inch.
[Illustration: DIAGRAM 29.]
[Illustration: DIAGRAM 30.]
The next process will be that of excavating the part that is to receive
the root or end of the neck. If the instrument has been accurately
constructed with the join running down precisely in the centre, the
line already marked on the root of the neck will be a safe guide for
marking each side of the join the width of the portion to be cut away.
The depth inward of the cutting should be an average of a quarter of
an inch. In case the already excavated part in an old and much repaired
instrument is roughly torn about and made unequal in its measurements,
attention must be fairly directed to this part separately; that is,
if too much wood has been cut away on one side it must be replaced by
fresh, after clearing away irregularities in order that a good fit may
be accomplished. The fresh wood must be neatly inserted or placed in
position and may be held in position during the hardening of the glue
by supports or wedges placed across from side to side. When quite fit
by reason of its dryness, the distance from the centre must be marked
and the fresh wood cut away to the required depth and width with a keen
edged chisel and small shavings cut at a stroke, as there will be some
cutting against the grain to be done besides working in a confined
position.
Great regard must be paid during the process of cutting this part that
the corners or angles are quite cleared out, or the neck when inserted
as a trial or rehearsal will not give a truthful report of the accuracy
of the incisions owing to some insignificant portions sticking up and
causing the neck to look awry. So far we may take the fitting as having
been accurately done to the central line down the middle of the
instrument; but now comes a further process in connection with the
adjustment of the neck, and that is, the rise and inclination of the
level of the fingerboard in relation to the bridge which is to be fitted
eventually.
The average--it may almost be called the standard--height of the violin
bridge is one three-eighth inches. There are occasions when this
measurement may be departed from, as in the instance of a high model,
when an eighth, or even more, may be taken off with advantage. This
must not be taken as necessary for the proper emission of the tone from
a highly built instrument. The raising of the bridge in modern times
is due to other causes, the most important being that of allowing better
play or room for bowing rapidly over from side to side without rasping
the border at the waist. It is an alteration which accompanied the
lengthening of the neck and stop in the early part of the last century.
To obtain a proper setting or inclination of the neck, several ways
are adopted by repairers. They vary according to the kind of guide or
pattern used. This is usually cut from a piece of hard wood, sycamore
or pear. It is sometimes made as a double guide in the adjustment of
both the inclination and the elevation of the under part of the
fingerboard above the body of the instrument at the junction of the
neck. This we will call No. 1. The other, No. 2, is similar, but has
the height of the bridge only as a fixture, the rise of the end of the
neck above the border being higher and lower at discretion. Another
way, No. 3, is somewhat like No. 1, but would be used when the
fingerboard is glued on before the setting. This should only be done
by a fitter of some experience, as a little error in calculation is
likely to lead to disaster. With each the application of the guide,
or pattern, is the same, namely the testing of the exact coincidence
of the inclination of the top surface of the bed under the fingerboard
(diagram 31), or above the latter as shown in diagram 32. While getting
the right inclination, in both instances it will be found necessary
to ease the fitting of the neck into its socket, as the difference of
the angle at which the neck is inserted causes an increase in the
tightness of the contact of the parts. The lower part of the facing
that is to be inserted in the socket, will have to be made to go into
it at an angle conformable to that of the inclination or set of the
neck. This will require executing with precision, and great care will
have to be exercised that the squareness or rectangular disposition
of the upper part already fitted and adjusted to the middle line down
the instrument is not interfered with. It will be well to test this
as the work proceeds. Some of the lower part, that coming into contact
with the button, will have to come away in order that all parts may
fit, and when fixed, form a homogeneous rigid part of the structure.
[Illustration: DIAGRAM 31.]
[Illustration: DIAGRAM 32.]
To ensure complete success in all the foregoing operations, every tool
in use must be well sharpened, and all the guide lines accurately drawn.
Part of the neck left rough and projecting beyond the button may be
left for future manipulation, but the joints that are to receive
glue--if done by a workman of skill and experience--will fit almost
air tight. With regard to this, the parts likely to give the amateur
most trouble will be the exact fitting of the flat opposing surfaces
of the root or squared end of the neck or graft with the socket. It
will be necessary to get a perfectly flat surface. In the first place,
glass papering must be avoided, not from unsuitableness of material,
for in that respect it is a temptation, but from the difficulty of
regulating the pressure of the hand; with the exercise of the utmost
care in handling the glass paper, even when it is backed by a piece
of hard wood, there will be found, when the test comes, a rotundity
of surface that was deemed impossible under the circumstances. Careful
scraping of the surfaces must be chiefly relied on for exactness. As
good a mode of proceeding as any is as follows--after the first roughing
into shape and then flat chiselling has been done to as great a nicety
as possible, all the irregularities--there are sure to be some--can
be worked down with the edge of a straight square file, used very
steadily and crossways repeatedly. This done sufficiently and tested
with some hard and truly cut substance, metal preferably, will be an
exactly flat surface for working upon the final or finished surface.
The next thing used will be a carefully sharpened and keen edged steel
scraper. To put this tool into proper order for the purpose, it must
be sharpened on a hone, not exactly at right angles, as the first
impulse would suggest. The hone, or stone, must be quite flat and unworn.
If done carefully, a nice level edge will be perceptible along its
course, but it is not yet at its best. Placing it on a bed of hard wood,
or evenly shaped mass of iron, projecting over and held firmly in
position, a good stout brad-awl may be passed along from end to end,
keeping the awl perfectly flat on the horizontal surface. The scraper
may now be turned over and process repeated, but not in the same manner
or angle, for the awl will be held vertically with the handle downwards
and firmly pressed along the edge at right angles with the horizontal
plane, this will cause a burr right along which will have a razor-like
sharpness and cutting power. This scraper can now be applied (not too
heavily) over the filed down surface, and thus work down finally all
irregularities left by the file. The adaptation of this tool will at
once be perceptible in the fine whitish soft shavings that will come
off during its application. A little repetition across and across
should give an almost perfect level. Different sized scrapers may be
used for the other surfaces where it is desirable to obtain the most
accurate fitting. If all the processes have been properly carried out,
the parts when tried by inserting the neck or graft for trial, should
fit together without the slightest looseness or wriggling. They will
now be ready for permanently glueing together.
It will be seen after perusing the above that the fitting of the neck
or graft to an old violin, well or badly preserved, is a task not to
be overcome easily and satisfactorily without much care and no little
practical experience.
The whole of the work must be well looked over and tested as to the
accurate fitting in all respects; nothing must be left uncertain or
loose; in fact the flat surfaces for a perfectly successful result at
the junction of all the parts should be as nearly as possible air-tight.
Having seen that the glue of good quality is strong and clean, the
surfaces that are to come in contact may be brushed over with it. For
this purpose a small hog-hair brush of about three-eighths of an inch
wide is handy. Where the grain or threads of the wood run parallel with
the surface--this being less absorbent than the other parts,--there
will be less painting over required, but where the grain comes end
upwards to the surface the glue will be rapidly absorbed. The painting
over these parts must be repeated, the glue as a matter of course being
kept warm--all the work ditto, until absorption ceases. This is a
matter of some importance, as in many instances joints have become
loose or broken apart, not from the perishing of the glue or damp, but
from the want of this precaution on the part of the repairer during
this preliminary proceeding. It must be borne in mind that this is to
be a permanent junction, not to come apart from any jarring or rough
usage; it is also to be one of the most rigid, and only to be separated
by a saw or chisel in the hands of some future repairer when it shall
be absolutely necessary. Sufficient glue having been applied the work
may be put aside.
It will now be apparent to those who have possibly done a little glueing
that the whole of the wetted portions have to some degree swollen, and
therefore if the junctions were brought together they would be found
too tight and refuse to meet. Just so; and that is one of the reasons
for placing the work aside until the glue has dried at all the parts
painted with it. When after a sufficient time has elapsed the work is
examined, it will be found to have contracted to its old size and form.
There will not be the necessity for waiting till the glue is at its
hardest; probably time will not allow of this, some days being
absolutely required, but it must, for the next process, be very firm
and seemingly dried through.
Examination will reveal the fact of the whole of the surfaces that have
been wetted, being raised or roughened under the foregoing operations.
Recourse must now be had to our small scrapers again. These will again
be applied carefully across and across the surfaces, until, in the
judgment of the operator, the surfaces are level and clean. Particular
care must be taken with the edges, angles and corners, that the
superabundant glue is removed. The right angle of the scraper will be
used for this purpose, and should a small particle or two, at any angle
or corner, refuse to budge at the request of such a light tool as a
scraper, the powers of a sharp chisel must be brought to bear upon the
subject, and the obstacle removed. Close attention should be paid to
the above, as in the operation of first glueing, the wood, or woods,
having unequal absorbing powers, will swell in accordance therewith,
and upset the calculations that have been so carefully made for the
close junction of the parts. For first rate work, the scraping must
be so carefully and accurately done down to the surface of the different
parts, as to leave little or no glue above the surface of the wood.
The desired result will thus be secured, that of the pores of the wood
being closed or filled up. For the next stage the glue will not be
necessarily quite so strong, a degree weaker will do. Everything must
be ready to hand, including a cramp of sufficient size and strength.
Before proceeding further, however, the manner of the application of
the cramp must be considered. And now, how are we to obtain a direct
pressure of the cramp on the largest surface, and which would have to
be in one direction, end to end of the violin, seemingly a perfectly
impracticable matter? The answer is, it is not practicable, hence the
above numerous injunctions as to preliminaries, and which have to do
with counterbalancing the impossibility of direct and strong pressure.
The only pressure that can be applied directly is that of a nearly
perpendicular one, the cramp grasping the button from underneath, with
a proper guard or padding of millboard, or cork, cut into shape.
A full brush of glue will now be passed over the whole of the surface
of the socket, or receptacle for the root of the neck; which latter
must an instant after be treated in the same manner. The two must be
treated as one operation, and in a warm atmosphere. In the summer time
no extra precautions will be necessary; but in cool weather the strong
glue will soon set if the parts to be operated on are not kept in close
proximity to a heating stove, or fireplace, or the apartment kept at
summer heat. The neck and socket being thus kept at a warm temperature,
the former will be firmly thrust into position, and with hand pressure
put as close as possible. The superfluous glue will ooze out all around
at the junction of the different parts; if it does not, that will be
a sign that there is a looseness somewhere, or the surfaces have not
been forced together close enough. This must be seen to at once, the
parts separated and examined. It may be that the failure has happened
through carelessness in allowing a chip to get in, or a piece of grit
has prevented the opposing surfaces coming together. This being
removed by a small knife, the brush, with a little more fresh glue,
may be passed over the surfaces again, and the fitting this time should
be perfect. The cramp and padding should be at once placed in position
and screwed down tightly. All glue appearing above the joints should
be carefully wiped away with a cloth kept ready to hand for the purpose;
it is better to do that now than have to scrape or cut it away when
hard; it will also save time.
Ample time must be allowed for the glueing to thoroughly dry. This must
be estimated according to the conditions of the time and place. In very
warm weather, or where the atmosphere is heated artificially, the time
consumed in the drying and hardening is less than when the air is
saturated with moisture.
When on examination the dryness is such as will warrant the removal
of the cramp, this can be done. If all the measurements, fitting and
precautions have been duly attended to, the neck or graft, with its
line in the centre--supposing the present method is that adopted before
the fingerboard is placed in position--will form an exact continuation
of a line down the centre of the violin. A look down from end to end,
or placing a long straight edged rule against the line, will be a way
of testing this: if all is correct, the line will be perfectly straight
and not bent. Should the latter be the case, the measurements, or
fitting, in some respects, will have been inaccurate. It would be very
provoking to find it so after all the trouble undertaken, and many
instances are to be seen where the work has been left in this condition,
and the stringing up and regulation has been, not only under great
disadvantages, but absence of comfort in playing, and indeed the proper
emission of the tone has been sacrificed. If the violin is one that
is worthy of being performed upon with skill, there is only one
alternative to putting it aside as useless, that of having the neck
sawn off and the whole process of renewal gone through, with the aim
of next time being more careful and true.
Supposing, however, the neck is truly set and all is satisfactory, the
next stage will be the laying of the fingerboard. This should be of
good, close and straight grained ebony, free from knots. Fingerboards
are usually sold in the rough; that is, with the upper surface, or
rounded part trimmed down to an approximate curve. They are cut to
lengths of about ten inches and a half to three quarters. Should the
violin require a fingerboard less in length than this, a small portion
must be sawn off, preferably from the small end. Great care must be
exercised that it is done in right angles with a central line drawn
from end to end. As the drawing of this line would entail some trouble,
the under, or flat surface can be placed face to face with one that
is known to be quite true, and a line with a fine pointed pencil made,
or better, a scratch with the point of a small knife, guided by the
true end of the perfect one. A fine toothed and sharp saw will remove
the unnecessary wood. In doing so, precautions must be taken against
splintering and spoiling the wood. To prevent this, a piece of waste
wood, cut slightly out of the square, should be placed against the stop
of the bench, so that when the ebony is placed against it, the sawing
can be done flush with the side of the bench. The saw should be fine,
in good condition, and gently used, or the line made will be ragged,
ebony being brittle and splintering stuff, requiring some humouring
in this respect. If the sawing is accomplished neatly and vertically
true--this last is very essential--there will be little to do in
trimming the surface of the end that is to come against the nut when
near completion. A piece of fine glasspaper wrapped round a squared
piece of pine, will make a good surface. The reduction of the width
of the fingerboard at each end will then be proceeded with. In the case
of an old neck being retained, the width of it at each end can be taken
by compasses and marked on the flat side of the ebony. A thin shaving
should be allowed for in finishing off. But we are on the work of a
new neck; therefore the marking off should be done to some general
standard. A good one may be reckoned as follows, for a violin of
fourteen inches long and average width--total length of fingerboard,
exclusive of nut, ten and a half inches--greatest width, one inch and
five-eighths, width at nut, one-sixteenth under an inch. The ebony will
be planed neatly down, with vertical sides, to these measurements. The
height, or rise of the sides of the fingerboard above the maple,
three-sixteenths of an inch, which may be kept for the whole length.
The reducing to the requisite width and depth should be done with the
plane in good order, a metal one for this kind of work being the best.
The surfaces that are to be glued together must now be considered. An
untidy looking black line along the neck at the junction of the ebony
and maple goes far to spoil the general effect; a glance at this part
will at once be sufficient for declaring whether the neck and
fingerboard has been fitted by a neat and competent repairer. A
frequent cause of the dark line--it is really a want of proper fitting
together of the parts--is the hastily planing the two
surfaces--straight enough possibly--and delay while the glueing
operation is in progress. The fact of ebony being almost equally
affected by moisture as other woods--in fact, more so than some--must
not be lost sight of. Coupled with this curling of the wood under the
influence of damp is the want of proper regulation of the pressure after
glueing and placing the parts in opposition. An old-fashioned method
of uniting these parts is still pursued by some repairers--the surfaces
are planed evenly, the glue is applied over them, they are clapped
together and string tied tightly as possible. Diagram 7 will show a
modern and improved method, that of a mould of soft wood for back and
front of neck and fingerboard. In affixing the fingerboard many
repairers have left a gouged channel reaching from the nut to the end
or insertion of the neck. This may be seen sometimes on turning the
part towards the light. The intention seems to be from an economical
view, that of removing the ebony, if necessary, without injuring the
glued surfaces by pouring a little water down the passage and waiting
till the damp enables the fingerboard to be pulled off without fracture.
This tedious operation is wholly unnecessary, for the time spent would
be worth more than a new one with its trimming up. Some repairers have
used a toothed plane on the level surfaces to enable the glue to grip
well. This is another mistaken idea. The fingerboard should not be
treated as a permanent part of the structure never to come undone, it
should be so secured as to last as long as required under fair usage,
but in case of violence it is best that it should snap clear from the
neck than hold tight enough to distribute, or concentrate, the strain
on other and more delicate parts of the structure. Experience has
suggested the following as generally best for all practicable purposes.
The surfaces having been made true under the plane--this should be
tested before the parts are glued, when, if true, there will be no line
or the very faintest one seen. Along the middle of the ebony a very
shallow gouged channel may be made, about half-an-inch wide and just
deep enough to prevent the glue from touching when the fingerboard is
placed in position. The level across over this channel from side to
side can be tested by a metal straight edge or truly trimmed scraper.
Occasionally from damp or the action of the plane the surfaces of both
maple and ebony become slightly arched; in reducing this the scraper
may be used with good effect, and a smaller one to take the least shaving
more off near the channel, the even pressure when applied will close
the outer edges more effectually.
The glue to be used under present circumstances should not be strong,
and if the atmospheric temperature is below sixty, or perhaps not down
to that, the surfaces of fingerboard and neck should be warmed. When
all is ready, see that the ebony is placed evenly in the centre and
then proceed to apply the cramps in the manner before described
(diagrams 33 and 34). The one placed over the button and the arch of
the fingerboard in opposition to it must be sufficiently large, and
the hollowed soft wood mould, or pad, should be more highly arched than
the fingerboard, so that when pressed down, the outer edges, and not
the centre of the latter, should receive the greatest pressure. The
other cramps having been screwed down under the same conditions, the
work can be placed aside to dry and harden. When a reasonable time has
elapsed, according to atmospheric conditions, as in cold, damp weather,
more time should be allowed, but under all circumstances the most dry
and sufficiently warm locality should be chosen; the cramps may be
removed, and of course the moulds too.
[Illustration: DIAGRAM 33.]
[Illustration: DIAGRAM 34.]
We must now see to the working down of the graft or neck, not only to
the requisite dimensions, but for the finish with some effort at style.
By this last is meant such attention to evenness of contour from the
button along to the edging of the shell, as shall be strong enough
without looking heavy or clumsy; much of the nice appearance of this
portion of the work depends upon the neatness of the workman. Assuming
the button to be of the normal standard, or we may say, well calculated
with regard to size for good effect--a good average width of this at
the base where the curved line springs from the border is
thirteen-sixteenths, and the projection forward--as it is not a
geometrical curve--a half an inch. Some of the old Italian makers left
the button very large, others small. The latter never pleases the eye
of the connoisseur, who, accustomed to the proportion given it by the
best masters (also the modern makers), thinks it looks poor and
incomplete. As the neck or graft has hitherto been left but roughly
hewn out, it will be projecting for some little distance beyond that
which would be occupied by any button of average dimensions. Supposing
the button to be too small, or injured, and an addition necessary, for
the next move we shall require a pair of compasses; with these, after
finding a centre of the segment of a circle formed by the outer edge
of the button, with the other point find the distance inward, or the
proper segment that is to be retained, bearing in mind that every
possible part of the original button should be preserved; putting the
point of the compass on the central spot as lightly as circumstances
will allow, a thin scratched line must be made with the other point.
Here we may remark that screw compasses should be used, so that distance
apart of the feet may be kept rigid, as the width and the same circular
scratch marked on the button must now be marked on a piece of maple,
or, as is sometimes done, on ebony. The grain of either should run in
the same direction as that of the button, or if done aslant it will
look ugly when worn a little. The materials being matched, the fresh
piece should be reduced in thickness to very little over that required
for the height of the edging for the button; it should be a small cake
of wood large enough to cover and leave a margin where it is to be
fitted.
The wood of the button outside of the scratched line will now be cut
away down to the raw wood of the new graft; it must be done with small
and sharp chisels, carefully paring it down, leaving the edge up to
the scratched line quite perpendicular and smooth all round: the
strictest attention to this is necessary, so that the fitting on of
the fresh edging may be done with exactness. We now take up the little
cake of ebony, or maple, as selected, with the scratched line, which
should be made from a central point close to the edge as possible: if
this is a difficulty, the centre may be taken further in, the circular
line also and the superfluous wood cut away to the central point, but
not in a way to interfere with the equipoise when the edging is placed
on for fitting; if this is not seen to, the edging will, when finished,
look awry. The middle within the scratched line may now be first gouged
away and the wood cut with a sharp knife close up to and at exact right
angles with the plane. A rounded file may with care be used to make
a more even surface or run. If all this is done with precision, the
parts may be tried together for testing--the glueing may be seen to
and the cramping done, with care that the fresh portion does not slip
during the process out of its place. Some repairers would be tempted
to rely upon the exact fitting, and simply slide the parts together,
squeezing them well, but this is always risky. The work may now be put
aside to dry.
The next proceeding will be that of working down or levelling both the
ebony fingerboard and the graft, or neck. The first, in the state
usually sold, will have an apparently well-finished off arching that
may sometimes be near enough for letting alone after a little polishing
down, but as a general rule it is not so, and further, if having been
long "in stock," it may have settled down a little out of the straight
during the seasoning process. Recourse should be had to the plane, a
rather small metal one in good order with a keen edged iron. This must
be closely regulated, or the surface worked upon will not be even but
torn; hard woods, as before observed, require humouring and working
down gently. The exact arching--in good work--of the ebony should be
governed by a cut mould, one for each end. These may be made of some
hard wood or metal, such as zinc, and if truly made will last any length
of time. They should be trimmed to fit some fingerboard that has been
ascertained to be just the thing in its arching. It may be as well to
observe that some violinists prefer using a rather flatter fingerboard
than others, but the medium is without doubt the best, and is not
difficult to arrive at. The plane must be gently worked along from end
to end of the fingerboard with as little pressure as possible,--hence
the careful regulation and sharpness,--or you will find after a short
time that instead of a nice even line, which must be tested from time
to time by a straight edged rule, there will be a curved one, and this
will necessitate further working down to the danger of losing thickness
and sufficient strength in the ebony. If attention is paid to this,
and a satisfactory even run of surface is obtained, glass-paper on a
piece of straight, soft wood, but not of the finest degree, will be
suitable for the present.
We now return to the modelling of the neck from the lower part of the
back of the scroll down to the button. This last, with its fresh edging
or shield, will require another scratched line, making two
semi-circular ones; it must be done from the same centre and calculated
to allow of the wood being hewed away outside, leaving the full
measurement when finished off.
A chisel will now be brought into requisition for removing the useless
wood outside the line last marked. The cushion or sandbag must be
brought into use, the violin put face downwards, the fingerboard
resting in a hollow. The neck or most convenient part for holding the
whole with firmness must be held tightly, the chisel then worked
downwards from the button, but not too far so as to cut into the portion
that is to gradually enlarge, or form the quarter of a circle or the
thickest part of the neck.
We shall now use a strong coarse wood file and turn the instrument round
and about, work away the neck until just outside of what will be left
when the polishing down takes place.
The curves should all be balanced well even while in the rough and the
contour viewed from all points should be regular. The other end of the
graft will require the same kind of attention, care being taken that
too much wood is not removed. The level from each end must be seen to,
leaving just sufficient wood to allow for fining down; the proportions
must be well calculated, thus the upper end under the nut will be hewn
down thinner than the part approaching the button, the line from each
end being made quite even and the curving of the semi-circular shaft
gradually tapering upwards. The glass-paper file before referred to
will now come into service; it should be made of a nicely-squared plate
of wood about six inches in length by about two and a half inches in
width, with about one third of an inch in depth. We may call one side
the front, the other the back; the edges of the former should be rounded
down to a semi-circular form. All we have to do in making this useful
file complete is to lap a piece of glasspaper of the degree of grain
required round it, nearly meeting at what may be called the back for
the time being. The surface with the rounded edging, or, as we have
called it, the front, covered with rather strong grained paper, will
be worked to make an even course all along the shaft, guarding all the
while against working too much at one spot. The paper file may, after
a sufficient working along the surface, be exchanged for one or two
degrees finer, rubbing it in the same manner. For good mathematically
even work, the graft should be turned round frequently, so that the
light may throw up any little inaccuracies that may occur and which
require individual attention. Here it may be remarked that if possible
all repairing would be best done in an apartment that has as little
reflected light as possible. The reason for this will soon be apparent
when the fining down or polishing stage is commenced. One window, and
that not too large, will be found advantageous. Little irregularities,
however trifling, are best seen under such a light. Much rough work
may very possibly be the consequence of badly-arranged light rather
than inability or indifference of the workman. Repairs executed under
unfavourable circumstances as above will often look very well until
turned about in fresh and different lights, as they are sure to be,
and then the faultiness becomes a surprise to the executant.
The glasspaper filing must be continued for some time and with several
finer degrees until the surface appears perfectly even and seemingly
quite finished, but the stages are not yet complete.