I really thought I'd had my hat well and truly 'nailed on' with this one! I paid well over the odds for fiddle player Paul Newland's worn out Amati copy. Certainly no mates rates here.. Though definitely none expected! However all my hard work paid off, as this violin has just been valued at four times the price I paid for it..
Restoring Paul Newland's 'well hammered' Amati copy was no easy task though..
Note the imitation neck-graft scribe marks. Typical of a fiddle from this period. And the poorly cut nut partly removed.
The new nut cut from a piano key, starting to take shape.
Removing a millimeter or so from the fingerboard to remove the grooves and to add the correct amount of releif.
The finished fingerboard..
Unlike many restorers, I like to fit the bridge by turning a piece of emery paper upside down and sanding the bridge in place. Then maybe finish off with chalk etc. Photos of removing the top to repair the cracks to follow..
