This violin came in with a corner completely sheared off, one of the more severe corner breaks I’ve encountered. After carefully cleaning and fitting the fractured surfaces, the goal was to achieve a tight, accurate glue joint using controlled clamping from the outside only. Even without internal access, the repair aligned well and produced a strong, clean result.
Clear Bench Space: Use a few extra clamps to raise the instrument off the bench and create working room.
Clean the Break: Carefully clean the cracked surface to prepare for gluing.
Remove Loose Shards: Remove any small fragments that prevent the corner from lining up properly.
Test Fit the Piece: Hand-fit the corner to ensure accurate alignment before gluing.
Apply Hot Hide Glue: Use very hot hide glue on both the top surface and the broken corner piece.
Clamp the Edges: Apply clamps to hold the outer edges securely in position.
Pull the Joint Tight: Add a clamp to draw the joint together as tightly as possible.
Final Result: Although the finished photo was misplaced, the outside-only glue repair aligned cleanly and produced a strong result.
