This violin had previously undergone a neck repair using an unusual adhesive. After removing the neck and carefully cleaning the old glue from both the mortise and the neck, a small crack became visible in the rib beside the neck block. To repair the crack, I made a small outside mold shaped to match the curve of the rib and used a hand screw clamp to support and position a bar clamp. The crack was gently opened with steam, worked with hot hide glue, and then clamped tightly against the shaped mold until the repair had cured. - Remove the Neck: Remove the neck from the body to gain access to the damaged area.
- Clean the Joint: Carefully remove the old unusual adhesive from the neck and mortise.
- Set Up the Clamp: Use a hand screw clamp to support and position a bar clamp for the repair.
- Make the Outside Mold: Shape a small mold to match the curve of the rib and distribute the clamping pressure evenly.
- Open the Crack: Use steam to gently open the small rib crack enough to accept fresh glue.
- Apply the Glue: Work hot hide glue thoroughly into the opened crack.
- Clamp the Rib: Position the shaped mold over the repair and tighten the clamp to bring the crack back into alignment while the glue cures.
 IMG 20260822 123827 491 | IMG 20260822 123559 502 | |
This cello had a rib that had separated from more than half of the endpin block. After carefully steaming and cleaning the old glue from beneath the loose rib, the area was prepared for regluing. There was also a small crack near the center of the rib that was slightly out of alignment, so I used a separate clamping technique to bring the two sides of the crack flat and back into alignment. - Clean the Loose Rib: Use steam to soften and remove the old glue from beneath the separated rib.
- Protect the Clamp: Use cellophane between the repair and the clamping surface to prevent excess glue from sticking to the clamp.
- Align the Small Crack: A small crack near the center of the rib was slightly out of alignment and needed to be brought back flat.
- Clamp the Small Crack: Use a small clamping block and a separate clamping setup to pull the two sides of the crack into alignment while the glue cures.
IMG 20260820 125509 309 | IMG 20260822 171834 290 | IMG 20260822 171824 782 | | | | |
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