of quality
similar in form and size, in fact, for us modern makers there are too
many about. Catching the peculiarities of pattern with my eye at a
glance, the difficulties to be overcome were not very numerous or great.
I saw there was no reunion of parts of the ribs to be thought of, as
they had gone, and your violin being a modern copy of ordinary
pretensions, it would not serve our purpose to join four-fifths of new
rib to the remainder, and so to make a clean and satisfactory renovation
a fresh rib would best answer. Taking down from a shelf a number of
loose parts of violins put aside for such occasions as the present,
I soon found a middle rib that matched in most particulars those of
your violin. It had the additional advantage of being better for the
keeping, as regards colour or looking less new.

The first proceeding was to clear out all the useless fragments of the
spoiled rib, search every corner and see that there were no splinters
left, and remove projecting particles of glue. All edges that were to
come in contact with the fresh rib were washed, and where permissible,
the surfaces made even by a slight levelling, finely shaving them with
a sharp tool. The fresh rib was then tried, and being of full size and
requiring more than the least pressure to get it placed, some little
shaving down here and there was found necessary, and when done it was
tried again carefully and repeated perhaps three or four times, when
all parts seemed to fit sufficiently well. Each time the rib was
inserted there was, of course, nothing projecting whereby it might be
withdrawn; to accomplish this, a bent wire of sufficient strength
passed through the most distant of the two sound holes gave it a push
out again. When the piece was found to fit with accuracy, little
remained to do beyond glueing the edges that were to come together,
and after seeing that every part was in right position, the screw cramps
were applied with sufficient force and no more, the superfluous glue
wiped away and the whole left to itself. When sufficient time had been
allowed for drying, the cramps were removed, a little cleaning of parts
effected and the fresh work varnished in a manner so as to match nearly
as possible with the rest of the instrument, and there you have your
violin with a fresh rib inserted without removing anything but the
damaged part. It was really, as you may have perceived, the easiest
way of working the thing, there being no second