The Repairing & Restoration of Violins Part 6

We will now suppose that the instructions have been duly carried out, the different parts have now resumed their original condition of cleanliness and have a wholesome aspect. One or two of the ribs left standing and even undisturbed since being placed in position by the maker about three centuries back, serve as a guide respecting the projection of the edging over the ribs. After carefully noting this, and damping round the inner edge, these are removed and placed aside.

The chief and his a.s.sistant are now enabled to thoroughly examine the work of this product of a by-gone age. It is none the worse for being clean. The comments upon the tool-marks now visible after the dispersion of the grime are of a rather opposite character, the connoisseur noticing the manner of working over the surface by the old Italians as being different to that pursued now; the a.s.sistant sees nought but rough gougings and scratchings as with a notched or blunted tool, and concludes that the old makers were not as good workmen as the moderns. "Now, James," says the other, "you have been doing little else than repairing since you took up with this business, and have never had the opportunity of working a violin from the beginning, straight off the stocks, without being drawn away to some other work. Consequent upon this your work has not so much distinctive character, much effort at mere smoothness being apparent and in excess of good style. These old Italians were designing and making new violins day after day for their livelihood. Repairing, when they could make equally good, fresh instruments, was to them of secondary importance, and so we find restorations in the olden times were of a kind we should now call very indifferent, if not altogether bad."

The lower table or back of good sycamore is now turned about and well scrutinised by James, who now remarks, "this back is warped, I think that is why the last two owners could not make the other parts fit well, what is to be done with it, we are not likely to make a better job of it than they were with a back twisted like that?" The reply is, "that old Brescian maker was not likely to turn out a new violin with such a twisted spine! that condition has arisen since and is not a const.i.tutional defect, it has been caused by damp and straining, and being repaired while in the strained condition, it retained the twist; we must alter that. Fortunately, the back is in one piece, so we shall not have the trouble about the joint, although with the necessary extra care the treatment would have to be much the same. Now, first of all, get a cotton cloth sufficiently large when folded once or twice to cover a surface such as the violin back presents. It must now be well soaked with water till it holds as much as possible without dripping. The violin table will now be placed with the varnished side downwards, the wetted cloth placed over it. Be sure that the surfaces of cloth and wood are in contact by gently dabbing it down all over. It can now be placed aside for about three or four hours in order that the moisture may soak into the wood for some depth. Meanwhile we may determine upon and get ready the means whereby the warping, as far as possible, if not wholly, may be got rid of. It must be borne in mind that the wood which was cut in its natural state from the tree and mostly with the grain, will be disposed, under the influence of damp, to return to the original form or condition in a more or less degree. Under good management, that is to say, with a sufficient amount of damp and no more, it almost seems to try to resume its old condition. This will be borne out by watching the effect of much wet upon any wood that has been previously bent into shape, or upon the separated ribs of a violin.

The efforts of the wood to return to its original conformation will be apparent in the instance of the ribs, perhaps provoking, as the re-bending without injuring the varnish, which may happen to be of the most l.u.s.trous and delicate description, is often a matter of great difficulty, and at times an impossibility."

It was for the purpose of avoiding the risk of such defacement that the brushing away of the glue and grime by parts at a time was recommended, although the time consumed by taking the parts in detail may often be a drawback. If the ribs are quite saturated, as when left to float in water, they will be sure to come out nearly straight, and the varnish, if not of the kind that has been worked well into the wood, irrecoverably spoilt. Even when quite so, the trouble does not end here, for the wood having taken nearly its own form again, will have to be bent, with all its attendant troubles, into shape. Complete saturation of any part of the violin should therefore be avoided.

The "making" or arrangement of whatever may be needful for getting rid of the warp or twist of the back plate will now have to be decided upon.

There is generally more than one way of getting over a mechanical difficulty, and in the present instance there may be many, but the one promising to be most successful and offering the least number of obstacles to success will have attention. The repairer takes in hand some of the softest wood obtainable, say American pine, or if any is easily obtainable, poplar; that kind known as "black poplar" is perhaps as free from hard thread as any, a couple or more of slabs about three or four inches wide and two or three longer than the upper and lower widths of the back, with about a quarter of an inch of thickness. An opening is bored in each, one in which the upper or smaller part will pa.s.s through, the other sufficiently large to admit the lower or larger half. The opening must of course be enough for admission of the rise or modelling and a little more. The object of this will soon be apparent.

When the inner surface of the back plate has absorbed sufficient moisture from the wet cloth, this being so in the judgment of the operator, the wood will have lost very much of its resisting power to twisting by the hands. Advantage is taken of this condition, and each piece or collar of wood pa.s.sed over the proper portion of the back like a loop. If fitting tolerably close, all the better; but it may require a soft wedge or two in parts to keep it from shifting after being placed in position. In some instances more than two or even three or four pieces may be of advantage where the tendency to twist is irregular.

The operator now gets a short plank of ordinary wood, of even surface, straight, and true as possible in each direction; lifting the violin table with the loops of wood attached and placing it on the plank, some of the loops will be raised up on one side while others are depressed at the same. In the case of the simple warp, one of the two will vary in rise or a different angle to the plane. The process now is simple, and the loop rising at one side will be pressed down and held in position by either a weight or any contrivance handy. It should be done a little more than seems necessary for restoring the even line of the edging, which can be fairly well seen by looking along from end to end; this is to allow of a slight recoil when the loops or wooden cramps are removed.

For a more determined twist the extra depression of one part can be accomplished by inserting layers of wood under the opposing parts so as to get more distance for the remaining one.

Nothing is now required but the drying thoroughly. This will be according to temperature and moisture present in the atmosphere; no artificial means should be resorted to.

Not the slightest injury will accrue from the process described, provided due care is taken that there is no overstraining, and the damping is neither excessive nor insufficient. The result of the former is likely to be an inequality in the bending, the line or level of the edging when looked at along its course, will look uneven, as if some upheaval had taken place here and there. Courage and caution are faculties brought to bear strongly and continuously on the subject by every repairer with a reputation for success. Without the former, many attempts which might have ended successfully have proved to be failures and to require doing over again; and insufficiency of the latter is what is so strongly evident in a very large majority of so-called "restored" violins. The cases may have been considered by the repairers as requiring heroic treatment, overstraining, excision of an unnecessary amount of the old wood, making too much of a clean sweep of parts that may have afforded food and lodging for bore worms being too evident, besides the saving of time and trouble.

CHAPTER XII.

REMOVAL OF OLD SUPERFLUOUS GLUE BY DAMPING--REPLACING OLD END BLOCKS BY NEW ONES--TEMPORARY BEAMS AND JOISTS INSIDE FOR KEEPING RIBS, ETC., IN POSITION WHILE FRESHLY GLUED.

To the workroom we will again return. The back has had ample time to dry while the a.s.sistant James has been doing other work of an ordinary or trifling character. The loops or collars are gently released, put aside for future use, and the now much less warped back is brought for the chief's inspection. "That will do, James, nicely, I think, now you will be able to go ahead with the other parts, and perhaps we shall be successful enough when the whole is finished to make those people, when they see it, rather regretful at their hasty disposal of the paper full of sc.r.a.ps of old Brescia. While we are in the bending mood, however, we will get that Lorenzo Guadagnini into a little better trim, you left it on that shelf over there last week." James fetches it, a rather woe-begone affair to an ordinary observer; it had been cut open, the head sawn off, placed inside, the upper table laid on and a string pa.s.sed round the waist and tied with a loose knot. "Look at it, James, and tell me what is wrong and the remedy." The string is untied, and the parts laid on the bench and examined one by one. "In excellent preservation, sir, in most respects, although it has been opened many times and a heap of glue left about it." An inch rule is taken up and pa.s.sed over the separated parts for comparison; some slight expression of amazement pa.s.ses over James's features, re-measurement ensues, and turning to his chief he remarks, "I didn't see that at first, sir, it's worse than that old Brescian; just look here, sir, the ribs are not upright, but bending inwardly; across the upper part they are so much out of the perpendicular that when the upper table is laid carefully on, instead of there being the eighth of an inch of overlapping border it is nearly a quarter of an inch each side; and what is more curious, the ribs do not seem to have been unglued since they were first put there, excepting a small part at the upper and lower ends, and see, sir, when I put the upper table on it is like an arch, and to press that part down on to the ribs will send a crack along from the sound hole on either side, which will simply be breaking up the whole affair by degrees." "Well, what method would you propose for correcting all this and making a good restoration of it, James? Give it a look over carefully and tell me." The a.s.sistant well knows the attendant circ.u.mstances connected with a good restoration or a bad one; if left as it is, it may be sold "in the trade" for so much, if badly restored it will fetch less, if well done it will be worth to the outside world a considerable sum, and if it should go well as regards the emission of its doubtless fine tone, the value as a whole would be greatly enhanced. Much thinking and careful calculation is therefore concentrated on the subject, and after awhile James says, "Well, sir, this lot of glue all round may as well come off first as last, there's no doing anything with it as it is." With this his chief agrees; so he sets to work, not with a chisel or any cutting instrument, he is so far advanced in his methodical working to know from experience that it is next to impossible to avoid injuring the sharply defined and level edge of the rib as left by the maker originally if such rough treatment as filing, chipping or cutting is resorted to; he therefore adopts a milder course of treatment. Taking a few pieces of cotton cloth or white sheeting--old calico is equally efficient--he folds them into several layers, and when so about four inches long by about three-quarters of an inch in width. Nearly a dozen of these are got ready. After being soaked in water, they are taken out and slightly squeezed so that they no longer drip. One by one they are placed all round on the edge of the ribs close to each other so that no vacant s.p.a.ce is perceptible between each, and after a gentle patting down with the fingers along the course they are left to do their work quietly, more effectively, too, by far, than any steel tool with the brute force necessary for ploughing through that most obstinate of materials, hard, dry glue.

These folds of cotton material James calls his poultices for drawing the impurities away from the system; they, in the present instance, afford him time to think over the sort of engineering that will task his energies to some extent.

Leaving the poultices to their work, the old Brescian is again taken in hand under the direction of the chief. "Now, James, let us look over the parts again. The next step must be getting the end blocks attached to the back. We have got that into a tolerably straight line again, so that we can work on the affair almost like a new fiddle. Those old blocks, well I should like to retain them if possible, but on looking over them very little discernment is sufficient to conclude that fresh ones will be not only better but necessary. In the first place, they are very small, were roughly cut in the first instance, and since have been meddled with by would-be restorers; good new ones properly fitted will be far better than old ones added to, necessarily for strength.

Some of that old pine, or as good, that French willow will suit our purpose. We will choose the latter. See that the grain runs perpendicularly or at right angles with the cut surface that is to be glued down. Chop or split it, don't saw it into shape, and then you can finish it off when glued into position, when you will not find you have to cut against the grain." This, as a matter of course, is conformed to, the blocks split off the bulk or plank, sawn to a little over the proper length or height to allow of finishing, and then the surface to be glued is made even and squared with the part against which the ribs will be hereafter glued. The lower end one will of course require a trifle of curving to allow of the ribs following the course of the curve of the border; this the a.s.sistant duly sees to by trying it in position until it appears to be satisfactory. The parts of the blocks to be left facing the interior of the violin he leaves roughly done to shape and size of those in modern violins, that being found the best from experience since the demise of the old masters of Italy.

The upper one is left more protuberant, or nearly semi-circular; the reason for this is that the strain upon both upper and lower table at this end is greater than at any other part, therefore if the block is too narrow there is not enough grip or extent of glued surface, a frequent result of which is the lowering of the fingerboard, and a buckling of the surface underneath of the upper table, a condition much to the detriment of the proper emission of the tone. Great attention should always be paid this particular part. Many repairers seem fearful that the air-s.p.a.ce of the interior of the violin will be lessened by a projecting block. A little consideration will enable them to see that for effectiveness of purpose the form of the interior of almost any violin will not--from its curved surface--allow of an over large block with a flat glueing surface above and below.

These conditions having been seen to, the a.s.sistant with some freshly made glue paints over the surfaces of the ends that will be fastened to the lower table. As this is to be for a permanency, the glueing must be of the best. When dry, the surface is sc.r.a.ped even and the usual glueing and cramping done.

To Lorenzo Guadagnini again; sufficient time being allowed for the moisture in the folds of cotton to affect and be absorbed by the glue, the a.s.sistant fetches it from its enforced retirement, brings it to the light carefully, lifts up one of the poultices, touches the glue with the tip of a small knife and is satisfied. The glue has been softened and is now little more than a jelly attached to the prominent parts of the ribs. The first thing will be to get some rag or paper, place it handy and remove one of the wet pads or poultices, then with the small knife, kept for such purposes, being blunt and worn smooth, the glue or jelly is carefully sc.r.a.ped away. The advantage of using the blunt knife will be evident, as it does not cut the surface as it pa.s.ses over it. The point is occasionally used for any corner that may require it. After this a small sponge or rag dipped in warm water is pa.s.sed over the edges and removes what is left untouched by the knife.

This is repeated with each separate pad in succession all round and when completed the work is put aside and allowed to dry. A previous examination of the inside surface of the upper table had shown the necessity of similar treatment, but not to such an extent.

Not much time expires before the a.s.sistant brings the parts before his chief. "As clean almost as when new," is the exclamation of the latter; "it really wants little more than a new or proper bar and then glueing together." "Yes, but about that difference of measurement, sir, across the upper and lower parts." Here the a.s.sistant takes the upper table and places it like a lid on a box; turning it back downwards for better inspection, he says, "it's nearly a quarter of an inch out, the border overlaps frightfully, you would not glue it up like that, would you, sir?" "Certainly not," says the other, without the least sign of annoyance on his features. Turning to his man he says, "Now, James, here is a nice little instance where you can study with much interest and profit the subject of cause and effect. You drew my attention to the excellent preservation, and you have removed what appeared to you at first sight the only impediment to perfect restoration, that of the coa.r.s.e glueing. You have rightly observed that the back has never been removed, and yet the ribs bend inwardly when tested and seem to require a smaller upper table. The reason is plain after you have given the matter some right consideration. The maker, as you know, was an excellent artificer and was a pupil of the great Stradivari. Now here is the cause; the violin has been, as you know, opened several times by persons more or less unfitted for the proper performance of such an operation, fiddle tinkers I call them, and with a pot of thick dirty brown and repulsive looking glue, have with a coa.r.s.e brush dabbed it all round and then screwed the lid down. The successors in this ghastly process have not had the decency to treat the instrument as worthy of much care, and so with dirty cloths and glue have again repeated the work, if it may be dignified by such a term, spoliation is perhaps a better one. Now we know that the violin has been separated and left so, being merely tied up, and been in that dirty little den of ravening wolves or tinker dealers for n.o.body knows how long, with the rays of the sun falling on it for many days; the result is as we see, the back has contracted and drawn the ribs in to some extent, it is glue-bound, we will set it free, the wood itself will help us, as if glad to resume its former occupation; give me that soft brush with clean water." This being handed to him, the chief with repeated and careful strokes and dippings of the brush pa.s.ses over the surface, going round but leaving untouched the label, which seems to have remained undisturbed: the joint down the centre is avoided in a similar way. After some time, as the moisture has penetrated the wood, he turns to the a.s.sistant, saying, "now, James, try the front on"; this is done, and the latter, thinking he will just catch his master, says, "fits exactly now, sir!

but won't it come back again beautifully as it dries." "Well, that is just what we are going to prevent, James; while this is wet, cut some soft sticks of wood and place them across from one side to the other, don't wedge them in tightly, as many as will keep up an even pressure all along." This does not take long, the sticks are inserted like so many little joists across, and the curious looking structure is once more placed aside to dry.

While James was cutting and then placing the sticks of various lengths across, his chief was close by suggesting now and then some trifling variation in the adjustment. "Don't put them all with the same strain, give a look now and then as you proceed, in order to ensure against an over amount of pressure--there, that will be enough! if too much against the large curves, it will bulge out too far, and the shape will go." While proceeding he was now and then cautioned as to this kind of insertion of pieces or joists. Very frequently old Italian instruments of free design are most unequal in their curves, one side having a different curving to the other; they are, indeed, seldom exactly the same on both sides, as modern makers try to make them. It will be evident, then, that care must be taken that a flat or large curve should be treated with more or less pressure than other parts.

(Diag. 36.) When this inequality is very apparent, a double system of joists must be adopted thuswise, get two pieces of strong wood, say plain light mahogany, some three-quarters or an inch in thickness, and square along its course. The ends are to be cut so that they will rest within the body of the instrument easily, barely touching each end between the upper and lower linings, if at all. The two ends will touch or rest against the upper and lower end blocks and the pressure, when the sticks are placed across, will be against these, the pushing outward of parts of the ribs or linings being regulated to a nicety.

Should one or more of the sticks or joists be accidentally cut too short, a small wedge of soft wood inserted at either end as may be deemed best will correct matters. As the violin at present under consideration is suffering from simple contraction and the linings are fairly stout, the joists will be arranged so as to keep up a gentle pressure on the upper ones. A very considerable amount of effective restoration can be done by means of this system of joists carried out with judgment.

The two large supports,--sometimes one only may be necessary,--will be found of great use for a variety of purposes other than the one being referred to; they can be used not only for pressing against, but for the opposite, as when a rib or portion of it has from some cause--perhaps fracture or thinness--bulged outwardly. It will be perceptible at once that for direct pressure against a part of the ribs, situated near the upper block, that the little joist will slip unless a nick is made for its reception in the large support or beam. This is so evident that a reminder seems scarcely necessary.

[Ill.u.s.tration: DIAGRAM 36.]

When it so happens that contraction must be resorted to on a rib or part, it has to be brought back; then one, two or more holes may be bored in the mahogany beam and recourse made to some bent iron wire, which, perhaps, has the preference in use over other material, as it can be shaped or pressed to a curve, one end being inserted in a hole, the other placed outside the offending part and with a soft pad or wood wedge against the old material to be brought back.

The special advantage of iron wire is that it can be gently hammered into such form as will enable just enough pressure to be exerted at any particular place as may be thought proper. This is, of course, a.s.suming that some iron substance is at hand that will answer the purpose of an anvil. The thickness of the iron wire must depend upon the requirements and size of the work in repair, a viola of course taking stouter wire than a violin, a 'cello still more so. A useful average for violin work would be an eighth of an inch diameter. Strong wire however is not always to hand, time also is occasionally short; when so, wood must be resorted to, cutting it with a sharp knife to a form that will clasp or allow of the requisite purchase at any point; more room, however, is taken up with this method, and possibly not so much at a time will be accomplished.

A stock of soft wood in the plank should always be at hand on a repairer's premises, soft American pine of about a quarter of an inch thick being very useful for all sorts of purposes in connection with the "making," as it is termed in the business.

Supposing now that a reasonable time has elapsed for the thorough drying out of all damp, the a.s.sistant is now requested to bring both the old Italian violins for inspection by his chief. The latter gives a look over both in turn, and says, "I think you may take those sticks out of the Guadagnini, it must be dry enough by this time." This being done, the upper tables of both are fetched and tried on, "there," says the chief, "they fit as near as we want them to, and we might almost say they cured themselves." As the Guadagnini had nothing further to be done to it, James is told to proceed with the glueing and closing up.

CHAPTER XIII.

RE-OPENING THE BACK TO CORRECT THE BADLY REPAIRED JOINT--A FEW WORDS ON STUDS--FILLING UP s.p.a.cES LEFT BY LOST SPLINTERS--MATCHING WOOD FOR LARGE CRACKS, ETC.

Regarding the glueing and closing up process, we will defer the matter for the present. While the a.s.sistant is going through the necessary routine in connection with that most important part of the repairing of a violin, the master has been looking over a few of the things that are to be operated upon some time or other. Going to a sort of store cupboard, he fetches from thence a violin in fair condition generally, but with one sad defect, the back has at one time been open, that is, the joint down the middle, either through damp affecting the glue or from violence, had parted and had been badly repaired; the two surfaces being brought together and glued, but not evenly, one side being a trifle higher than the other. "James," he calls out, "this old Pesaro fiddle is worth putting right; when you have finished what you are about, put the wet rags on this as far along the joint as may be necessary, set them better and closer, it is the fine varnish all over that will make it worth while."

James having finished the closing up of the Guadagnini and taken the instrument with its array of screw cramps into a place where it could repose uninterfered with until quite dry, returns and looks over the violin just brought forth from its retirement. "It seems to me, sir, this back will have to come off before we can properly bring those two halves together." The other scans the work again, turns it over, tries its strength between his fingers and thumbs, and concludes with "Well, I think you are right, it is quite worth the extra labour and had better be done so." The matter being settled, James takes a seat, and, with the violin resting on his lap and held by his left hand, the broad bladed knife in his right is inserted with a carefully calculated thrust underneath the border and edging. There is not much difficulty; sometimes the violin is turned in a contrary direction when there is a disposition for the grain to tear up here and there.

At last the back is free, the corners and blocks have caused a little trouble in the progress of the knife around, the wood being hard and tough on both sides of the knife. It would have been slower work with a violin of later and more careful construction. In the present instance there are no linings to struggle with. "Now," says the workman, "we can get to work at this joint much more easily."

After being examined again by both, the rags are again brought into requisition. The back is laid varnished side downwards and a "poultice"

applied as far along the joint as appears necessary. Meanwhile other work, such as fitting and finishing, is proceeded with.

A proper length of time has to elapse,--in the present instance it will be longer than that for the purpose of merely softening the glue. The damp has to work its way down at the junction of the two parts, a rather slow process at the best of times; the back now under treatment being of full average thickness causes some extra time to be taken up.

After repeated examinations, the joint, being gently tried each time, gives evidence of the glue having softened. "You must clear out that black stuff," interposes the chief, when the rag or poultice has been lifted off. James accordingly, having some warm water and a small hog-haired brush already to hand, proceeds to gently scrub the brush along the course where the ugly black line is seen. It is necessary to do this both sides, the varnished one receiving milder attention than the other. Frequent dippings of the brush in water, gently scrubbing away the glue and wiping the brush on a cloth, working the joint backward and forward between the fingers, are details of the process gone through in a leisurely yet business-like manner; much care is exercised that no strain is made on the good and unwetted part of the joint.

At last the old glue having by degrees been got rid of, the outer moisture is absorbed by a gentle wiping of the cloth along the course of the joint.

The next movement is simply putting the plate away to dry. To attempt any glueing together of the parts while they are swollen with moisture would be to make matters worse than before, as the edges are too soft to bear interference, besides which, the sharpness of them is difficult to perceive while wet and semi-transparent.

We will now, after the time allowed for drying, see the work proceeding under the hands of the workman. After trying the parts, that is, bringing the separated edges together for seeing whether a fresh and clean join can be effected, some soft wood at hand is cut for the combined purposes of mould and cramp. The piece used is about nine inches long by about one in width and a quarter of an inch thick. Marking off on this thickness, and a trifle over the greatest width of the back, the lower part of which is to be inserted, wood is cut away to the depth of about a quarter of an inch; within this again a further cutting is made to fit the modelling or rise of the curve of the back. This will admit the plate loosely. On placing it within, the two halves are squeezed together by soft wood wedges of necessary size inserted between the edges of the plate and the wood cramp; if necessary, another wedge on one side or the other of the joint is placed for bringing both to a proper level. After trying this without glue, the pieces are removed, glue of good strength is put on the surfaces to be joined and the whole put in position again. The lower end of the joint near the purfling will require a little additional cramping together.

This part of the process is one of the very few instances where more than a couple of hands are of advantage, if not of actual necessity, the reason being that the two parts or halves of the back which have to be brought to an exact level must be held in position by two hands very firmly, while a cramp (with paper padding and cork between the teeth) is screwed rather tightly by another person. It is then as usual laid by to dry.

After a satisfactory time has elapsed, the wooden tie, mould or cramp, as we may call it, with its small wedges is removed, the metal screw cramp at the end is unfastened, the paper removed, and the joint is found to be much improved, if not quite up to the original state as when new. There is of course some superfluous glue to be cleared away, this having oozed out when the glue was first applied, there is also a portion of paper adhering where the screw cramp was attached over the border. This is done by wiping with a damp rag until it is clear, finishing with a dry one.

There is yet a little more attention necessary at times when the repairing of a back of the kind just described has been gone through.

Backs of violins of a standard of excellence both high and low are not always as robust in their substance as might be desirable, so when a trifle weak there is more strain on the middle line or joint than when the wood is stout. In this case a few studs are advisable. On this detail of repairing nearly always resorted to by repairers, a few words will not be out of place. For the present we will only treat of the back.

The size, disposition and shape of these is by no means an unimportant matter. At various times and places different sizes and shapes have been the fashion. Often apparently merely a matter of caprice, these strengthening discs have been used to such an extent, both in size and number, as to defeat the very object the restorer has had in view. No repairer would think it worth while to cramp or keep pressed down by any means the studs that he may think proper to place in position. To obviate this he uses very strong glue; if a good workman he will see that the course along which the studs are to lie is quite clean, a slight washing with a brush or sponge will set this right.

Now it follows as a matter of course that the surface of the part, owing to the modelling, is somewhat concave, and so as the studs are invariably cut from a flat strip of veneer, if they are very large, the glue in hardening and of course shrinking during the process will leave a hollow s.p.a.ce in the middle, or maybe on one side, where the drying happens to commence. There will be thus a lessening of the strengthening by the stud, and sometimes a jarring of the loose parts, giving an immense amount of trouble in finding out the obscure seat of the nuisance when the instrument may be otherwise in good order.

There should be then a distinct limit to the size of any studs that experience and judgment may dictate as indispensable. Three-eighths of an inch square may be taken as the limit to which it is safe to go.

The studs should be cut from fairly stout veneer, and for the present purpose, that of the back, usually of sycamore, the same kind of wood is preferable to any other.

They should be trimmed so as not to require much if any finishing when attached and dried, as all tr.i.m.m.i.n.g with edged tools afterwards is likely to be attended by occasional slips of the chisel.