nsufficiency 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 assistant 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 scraps 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
passed 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
passed over the separated parts for comparison; some slight expression
of amazement passes 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