AboutAl Dzina Expertise I can answer questions about violin and guitar making and restoration. I will not answer questions about playing these instruments, because I am a maker, not a player.
Experience I was trained in violin making in Germany and have been working at this craft for sixty years.
Expert: Al Dzina Date: 4/25/2008 Subject: Accident with violin
Question QUESTION: Hello Al, My daughter's student violin (approx $400) suffered an unfortunate accident that seperated the tuning box from the neck with a clean break with the grain of the maple. The rest of the violin appears unharmed. Is it acceptable to use a modern glue such as Weldbond for such a repair? There will certainly be tension on the repair when the strings are reinstalled, and I am wondering if modern glues will hold better than hide glue. Thank you very much for your expert opinion. Bill.
ANSWER: Hi Bill;
Yes Weldbond III is stronger then hide glue. If the peg box seperated
and happened to crack right through one of the peg holes you must remember that the tapered peg will put a great deal of pressure and will cause the wood to open. I always put very small dowel pins in that area to support the crack. This needs to be done with the greatest of care.
Al;
---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------
QUESTION: Thank you, Al. I appreciate your timely response. Yes, it did crack into the first peg hole, but not through it, so a wedge is removed from each side of the peg hole. It fits back together cleanly and holds fairly snugly. What size of dowel pins do you use? There is only about 3/16th of an inch of maple, maybe 7/32 of an inch maximum. Do you take the pins right through from both sides? Thanks again, Bill.
Answer Hi Bill;
Dowel size depends on the width of the wood thickness on the side wall of the peg box. I use either 1/8" or 1/16" hard maple or hard oak dowel pins. The dowel pin needs to go past the crack by at least three times the diameter of the dowel. The pins enter the top edge of the peg box side wall. I hope this helps.
Al;
