Breton Brevete - Re-glueing

After re-glueing the tail block, the open seams between the sides and the back were carefully re-glued.  All glue joints on this instrument were re-glued with traditional hide glue.  This glue not only performs well acoustically, it also assists greatly if future repairs are required, as the joints can easily be opened up without damaging the wood through the application of heat and moisture.

Once the sides and back were re-glued the top could be glued in place in the same way.  The picture below shows the instrument after glueing with the spool clamps holding the top to the sides while the glue sets.

Breton Brevete - Crack Repair

Prior to re-glueing the three top cracks they were carefully inspected and cleaned.  The spruce around the crack 1 was found to be very soft and had to be cut away, leaving a gap that needed to be filled.

While glueing this crack a very thin strip of new spruce was inserted into the gap and glued in place with hot hide glue.

Each crack repair was reinforced with small spruce cleats glued to the inside of the top.

The top of each cleat was trimmed to a pyramidal profile to reduce overall mass whilst still retaining maximum strength.

Breton Brevete - Top Removal

In order to fix the cracks and re-glue the tail block, the top had to be removed.  This was achieved with gentle heat and a seam separation knife.

Having removed the top I was expecting to see a JTL stamp somewhere inside as many of the instruments from the Jérôme Thibouville-Lamy workshops bore such a mark.  However there is no sign of one on this instrument - perhaps suggesting that this is either an early JTL model, or possibly from another Mirecourt maker that also used the Breton Brevete name.

Considering the history of this instrument, the top is actually in surprisingly good condition.  The centre seam remains sound with no sign of cracking and the bass bar is sound.  There are however 3 cracks through the top as shown below.

Breton Brevete - Introduction

This instrument is a fine example of a late 19th Century 3/4 size French violin.  The back is one piece maple exhibiting a nice curl.  The ribs and neck are also of well selected curly maple.  The two piece top plate is quarter sawn spruce.

The label inside reads BRETON BREVETE DE S.A.R.ME and the name Breton is stamped on the button.  The name Breton Brevete was created by Joseph-François Breton, who used it until his death in 1837.  However, after this time it appears to have passed into the public domain, and was used by a number of Mirecourt workshops.

It is likely that this violin was made by the Jerome Thibouville-Lamy workshops who at their peak reached annual production rates of over 150,000 instruments produced by more than 1,000 luthiers. They produced a 3/4 size Breton model which sold for 17 Fr in 1867.

Unfortunately this violin has suffered from neglect, and has sat, un-used in a garden shed for many years. The top is cracked in at least two places, and has suffered from a number of gauges and dents, most notably at the right hand f hole, where a small section of the top is missing.  The ribs and back are largely intact and are in fair condition, but are coming away from the top.  The sound post is still in place, but the end block has come away from the ribs and can be heard rattling around inside.  There is some cosmetic damage to the original finish, including a number of darkened areas on the back and ribs.  The original tuning pegs, nut, bridge, and tail piece are all present, but the instrument has probably not been strung up for many years.

I intend to restore this fine old violin, back into a condition where it can be played and enjoyed for many more years to come.