Violinmaker reacts to "Ancient Violin Restoration" Video 

The stringed instrument repair world varies greatly. Many repairs are done by poorly trained techs and not people like Olaf who is classically trained and does repairs the correct way. Thanks, Olaf!

legit luthier, sassy sense of humor, reaction video, just perfect.

In the beginning when he showed the tools I giggled so much lol. And at the part when he started to scratch (?) the violin, I can feel the pain, let alone Olaf! I love reaction videos like this! Thanks for sharing the pain (?), I mean the knowledge of violin repair. Please do more when you got time!

The thing is, whenever I see the, "OMG, I restored a thing!" type video, I calmly select the "Don't Recommend Channel" option and continue to live a happy life!

I'm so glad you reviewed this! After watching your videos for a while, when this came up in my feed I was suspicious because even though I'm not a luthier, it seemed to not fit the standards you've always talked about in your videos. It's great to see that my intuition was spot on and I have learned things from your videos after all!

When I first saw that restoration video with quite a few questionable procedures (I'm just a violin-learner who has visited video workshops for a few times to take care of my violins), I immediately thought how Olaf may respond to it... Thank you!

I would love to see you do a restoration. I love to see you work 😍 It is always interesting ☺️

RU-vid: You like restoration videos *and* you like musical instrument videos. You’ll really like this video! Me: Oh, dear god, no. Make it stop.

Love your videos! I played violin for a few years in the mid 50's when I was about 12. Started with a "practice" instrument when an uncle who was 2nd chair with the Hollywood Bowl sent me a violin that he had made in Nancy France when he was there in WW1. It was like getting out of an old rattletrap and into a Jaguar! It went back to him a few years later...but I still miss it and long for the feel of it - it was a work of art and a delight to play. Ah the memories!

NoOooo Olaf beat me to this reaction idea! 😱 Oh well, he did an excellent job of it! Great video, Olaf! 👍👍❤ That Titebond glue he used is a type of hide glue, sure. The big problem with it is that unlike the normal hot hide glue that luthiers use, the Titebond reacts very easily with moisture, and can become soft. Some folks swear by it, but really, there's no substitute for real hide glue that you cook yourself!

Ernie Ball shirt, defiantly guitar guy. The Titebond was hide glue, not PVA (wrong but not horrible). From what I found, its the closest to real hide glue that doesn't require heating. I never used it (it expires quickly), but looked into it for convince. Its for people that want to use hide glue, but don't want to mix/heat it. Olaf is right, just use hot hide glue. Its not hard and has way more advantages over anything else.

What always sounds funny to me is the term of "hide glue" English speaking people use to speak about the hot glue used for violins. In fact there are no hides involved but bones and nerves. (hide glue only is too soft, the mixture of bone glue & nerve glue makes the best compromise between the hard (brittle) and soft (that could damp the vibrations)). You do not mention the other option often used by old German violin makers : fish glue. This is easier to use because you do not need heat and the time to set is longer... which is also a disadvantage in some cases. Thank you for your interesting and instructive comments particularly on this video. In general thank you for the topics you choose, the way you skilfully cover them (and also the pinch of humour you use to season them). I am a big fan : two thumbs up ! Sorry for my perfectible English (some may have guessed that I am French), this is a matter I try to improve day by day. I do think that there are many old violins that deserve some work to get back to life again. Unfortunately, the labour costs of a professional luthier is generally far higher than the commercial value of most of these violins and this is the reason why some are thrown away and lots of them are just not taken care of. I try to contribute (and I am certain to be one amongst many) to resurect (for free) some outcasts and try to do this better and better... Best regards, Thierry-Antoine

Dear Olaf, I work with microcontrollers and stuff like that but your dedication and detailed attention inspire me during handworking tasks. Those tasks are different but the attitude is common to both.

Thanks! I just watched the other video yesterday, and saw this one today! Loved the comparisons.

You are a very kind and forgiving of the video maker

Olaf! Thanks for sharing your reactions to this tragic violin "restoration." You were so kind in your critique, too. I'm really, really enjoying your channel. Thanks a million for sharing!

Thankyou. I really enjoyed this and would love to see more.

Loved this reaction vid, Olaf. So when we purchase a violin we are totally at the mercy of all the luthiers through which hands it's passed and the glue they used. Oh my!

I am a master carpenter and have been doing furniture repair and restoration for 30 years. I cringed when I saw him go after the neck with a scraper, and I noticed there was not a plane onsite. Over the years I have had several customers approach me to repair various stringed instruments.... I always refer them to reputable luthiers, with all my experience I know it takes a special craftsman to work on these instruments. Thanks for a great video.

I saw the video that you're reacting to several months ago and was cringing the whole time. I'm a musician and have played cello, bass, guitar, and violin for 50 years. So nice to see your reaction to this!

First time to comment. I really liked this reaction video. It was a great insight into why you use the methods and tools and glue, you do. I learned a lot. Thank you

Thanks!

You should ask him to send you the violin so you can restore an ancient destroyed violin

That must have been painful for you to watch. Sadly it is one of quite a few videos along similar lines. What is worse, a lot of people, even if they recognise that the ‘restorer’ is not a luthier, still believe that the procedures and advice are correct, and genuine. Enough to make you cry. PS Looks like a garage or basement ‘home workshop’. His t-shirt gives away his guitar repair background, but he’s just a happy hack, not a professional or an accomplished amateur, so many give-aways. PPS Just seen the guitars hanging up, but as I said, his way of working, doesn’t impress. I wouldn’t let him fix an instrument of mine. The worst kind of channel, and will attract huge subscriber numbers. People who have a short attention span. “Hey look, someone’s going to restore a priceless violin. It’s only a 15 minute vid”. “Gee, I gotta watch that”. Oh god! He sells violins? Don’t support his shop. PPPS That’s the other thing, these aren’t videos titled, “I fit new tuning pegs to a violin”. No, it’s always “Bringing a 200 year old violin back to life”. “Restoring violin found in trash can”. “You won’t believe what was under the dirt”. Sensationalism, pure and simple. Cynicism or self delusion on the part of the vlogger? You decide. Apologies for rambling. RU-vid has its faults, and it’s full of rubbish, so maybe that’s why I get so emotive. I want to see the good channels get recognition, and the fakes and frauds exposed.

Thank you Olaf!

I just took my violin down to my luthier today to have it looked at before I move halfway across the country, and coincidentally the "antique violin restoration" video popped up on my feed. I'm so glad I watched your reaction first, because that even hurt to witness second hand! Always take your instruments to reputable shops for repairs and service!

❤️ Yeaaaaaaaaa! Olaf's BACK!

The major concern, for me, is the use of non-reversible glue. Titebond is a nice glue for usual woodworking… not for violin restoration.

Amazing enough I just watched this yesterday, thanks for offering your opinion. Charles

Very insightful.

I saw that in my feed too haha! Was skeptical about it and didn’t watch it yet as a result, looks like my skepticism was grounded xD Thanks Olaf for the breakdown!

There was more wrong with the producer of the video than with the work done. I've seen scores of old Bohemian fiddles like that one. For a general instrument repair shop (glue aside) they delivered a decent, playable workaday violin. That hoke about the instrument being 'ancient' and in need of total restoration, is of course absurd. One of the arguments in the comment field was about whether the top should have been removed in order to complete any necessary work inside. This is a matter for the luthier to decide. If there is no damage as viewed from the endpin hole or the f holes, it's perfectly OK to flow in some hide glue and clamp up the top plate. Even Cremona-trained masters do this.

I know nothing about violins, but what I do know is that for each repair that someone does on RU-vid there are plenty of people who says that "he is doing it wrong" or "he has destroyed more than he has repaired". There are good and bad repairmen, and there are people who are not satisfied before it is 'better than new' and there are people who are happy as long as it works and looks reasonably. I am not taking side here, I just say that there are different goals and different levels of satisfaction.

Olaf! Hold the line for luthiers! Bravo!

Giving you a like just for that ancient violin restoration toolkit gag.

Your wig at time stamp 1:46 is your best wig yet!!!! 👍 awesome video as well!

Olaf both you and Maestro Kimon have inspired me to learn to be a luthier. I'm gathering equipment here and there to attempt making my own violins and guitars.

Olaf: "There's nothing too wrong with the way they fitted the pegs . . . I think my son can do better, though." That was the greatest roast I've heard in a long time, OMW-- ~ Ana

The only people who should do violin restorations is an experienced violin maker with years of knowledge and proper tools.

I'm not a violin maker, but I was thinking the same thing when I was watching that video before watching this reaction. Everything seemed out of order, and improper. Your reaction confirms what I was thinking. Thanks for this.

I saw that video a while ago, and imagined Olaf’s reaction. And i did a better job guessing his reaction than the dude did repairing the violin…

This looks like an episode of "The Repair Shop". Filmed more for infotainment than education.

They guy was a Jack of all trades and Master of none.

10:48 Perhaps you are right this guy is a guitar tech. "L. R. Baggs" is a manufacturer of pickups and preamps for (mostly steel string) guitars.

I watched the restoration video before, and all I could think was "I wonder what Olaf would have to say about that", cause even though I don't know much abou restoring violins, it seemed kinda sacrilegious to me

The dude felt like a handyman you call to do some odd jobs around the house

Hide for repair is a must it’s easier to dismantle. Repairing a violin with

I'm not a luthier, and I saw the 'Ancient Violin Restoration' video before I saw your reaction. My first reaction to the 'Ancient Violin Restoration' was - "What is he doing?" Thank you for your review of that restoration, I thought I was crazy when I thought that the restoration seemed to proceed out of order, and in some parts just wrong. Glad to know that I wasn't the only one to think so (viewing the comments), and along with your expert review, now I know I'm not crazy. (I really didn't like the final product in that restoration video. When he first started I said to myself: No, put it down.)

Hello Olaf! I watched that violin restoration video a few weeks ago and was reacting to it much in the same way! Though, I was surprised to hear that super glue is really frowned upon for gluing in the nut in violin making. I work on guitars as a hobby, and I've seen it become quite a common practice to use about two drops of some kind of liquid super glue on the fingerboard side (not the neck) to secure the nut. The nut comes off pretty easily when you need it to, you just put a little block of wood up to it and give it a soft strike with a fretting hammer. The glue usually breaks first since it's brittle. I'm curious what a violin maker has to say about this method.

The genuine horror on Olaf's face is priceless.

First, let me say that I have never even maintained a violin, but I have worked in conservation of sculpture and one of the most important rules in art conservation is "reversibility" as you clearly pointed out, keeping in mind the work that future conservators might have to do. Use of water soluble solutions for adhesives for example. Another thing that bugged me was the title itself. For anything "Ancient", one does not "Restore" so much, but rather "conserves" the current state of the object to prevent further deterioration or disrepair. I'd say, in the end, your assessment of this person's "restoration" was very kind.

Never ever choose a violinrepairer without recommendations. I know very little about violins, but when my daughters old violin needed some care, it was the guy who did the work for our symfoniorchester that did it. The best we could choose. Her violin isn´t a really expensiv. But the best we could afford. And all instruments are worth good care. So good you learn people this. Its very easy if you don´t know enough to go for the wrong guy.

I do some luthier work on guitars. One of the things that guitar luthiers do when attaching a fingerboard is to wrap surgical tubing around the neck and fingerboard when reattaching it. That provides very even pressure along the entire length. Conversely, it does make glue cleanup more difficult.

Saw a spanner too - om

I know nothing about violins, so I've no idea why I watched the video Olaf is reacting to, but I did...and was also a bit surprised by some of the methods, tools used, and workmanship. Which brought me here. Good to know that someone who actually knows what they're talking about agrees!

Okay, i just viewed the restoration video post and i heard the narrator say that the instrument was a Stradivarius (not a copy - he neglected to mention that little bit of info). Then i watched how the luthier haplessly bonked and banged the instrument about with rather wreckless abandon; so when i saw this reaction video, well, first of all - when the "restoration" was completed the narrator said, "Now as we leave you you'll hear the final sound of the restored Stradivarius Violin." And it sounded like tin. When i saw this review of the restoration i kind of knew what was in store. I'm a guitarist from the Pacific Northwest and that restoration video is how i handle my own instruments, haha. I already love the guy doing the review; "No! Nah! Oh ... Oh!@#$% Phffft! Agh!!!" I love this. Great job. I'm enjoying this greatly. Thank you very much.

When I saw the "restoration" I immediately thought, "What would Olaf say?".

@Olaf, if you have any of those cheap violins behind. Or broken and unable to be repaired. Why not buy a bunch of modern glues and hang them somewhere to experience weathers. See how they fare? Don't have anything against hide glue, but I think a long-term test under your eyes would be more valuable than mere saying the words. Then again, maybe you've already experienced cracking open other violins with these glues?

well - thats why there are professionals, and just others...

It said Hide Glue on the container. The company states; "Its sensitivity to moisture allows for easy disassembly of parts, a critical benefit in antique restoration or the repair of musical instruments." Seems like it should be okay to use, but are there any disadvantages to the ready to use stuff like this?

I've done quite well for myself making guitar's and occasionally mandolins. But I would seek help for a violin. Although I recently met a retired fiddle maker so soon I'll be making my first. Thanks for posting.

There’s a closeup of the glue he’s using and it says Titebond - hide glue.

Best bow rosin and best strings 4/4

Can you mention on a video what tension to adjust a bow to.

its more useful hearing the things you are doing wrong then right.

Olaf, I felt your pain! What bridge do you recommend? Also, I had an instrument repaired for cracks and they changed the fingerboard and the nut. It totally changed the sound for the worse. What would you adjust to get the old sound back? Thanks.

I recognize the tools and touch of a guitar restorer in that video. He probably fixes electric guitars and tone-wheel organs. Hence all the electric gear in the background. I'm just glad he didn't carve out a mounting hole for an electronic pickup.

The fish glue he uses will seperate with heat just like a hide glue does, turpentine is absolutely safe and a good cleaner especially for any shellac based polish, meths however would make shellac soluble again

I was in stitches when he grabbed the blue meths bottle "an alcohol mix" indeed...

I actually watched that "restoration" video you are reacting to. I watched it a few days ago before I ever saw any of your videos. I saw one of your restoration videos and realized right away that he hadn't restored it correctly, although I had already suspected that when I watched his video. I've seen restoration videos where they restore different musical instruments, but if you know anything about musical instruments, then you know that lots of things can affect the tone of the instrument. Restoring them wrong could ruin them. The guy in this video does restoration videos for a lot of old things, but not usually musical instruments. He has done a lot of restoration videos for things like wood stoves, and that seems to be what his work shop is actually set up for.

So I acquired a fairly new student instrument on eBay. The varnish ended up looking like someone dragged it across gravel and a luthier told me the neck had been snapped/reglued improperly. I ended up purchasing a violin to play and decided to play with the other one. I’m going to try to redo the varnish but nothing else. I figure it’s already been messed up by someone else, I can’t make it worse lol

The giveaway is the T shirt he's wearing, Ernie Ball Strings are a guitar string manufacturer.

I am glad I am not alone in cringing at some of the things he was doing.Must admit I probably would have opened it.

He probably works at a local music shop that has a contract with a school district to do repairs. Quick, cheap and barely playable. The repairs I've seen are absolutely horrible.

A high ‘uncle Roger’ vid, but I am glad I did not waste my time watching the original video. Keep on doing the good work, love you!

i actually came across that video and couldn't get past him glueing the finger board on. i know nothing about violins and their upkeep, but (probably because i watch baumgartner restoration so much) that video seemed wrong...there just didn't seem to be the right amount of care. so when i saw your reaction video, i just had to watch it...and your reaction is exactly how i felt but wasn't sure why! 😂🤣😅

Im glad to see your opinion on this video marstro Olaf, with the few things done right many done wrong but that isn't to say there aren't different methods. While I am not a professional I look to videos like this to learn what should and should not be done and I'm happy that we have such medium like this to share opinions and learn the dos and don'ts of the trade

Hi Olaf. What do You use to clean and polish an old instrument?

G'day, Mr. Grawert! Many thanks for an eye-opening and entertaining reaction video! Did you question the use of the word "ancient" in the title? When I think of ancient things, my mind goes back quite a lot further than mid-19th century. LOL

The left shoulder of my violin where as you go up with your hand your wrist touches that area and if you're sitting down with your violin on your lap a lot of times you hold it in that area was very dirty. The violin maker cleaned it off and polished up the violin but right in that area there is no varnish the rest of the violin has thin varnish because it's about a hundred year old violin. what would you suggest?

Hey olaf! Im getting a new violin around 3-5k usd tomorrow and im wondering what i should look for.

4:51 That is a motor mechanics gasket scraper.

I was going to use titebond on my Talharpa I'm in the process of designing. I'd love to use real hide glue, though, just so I could open it up if I ever needed to. I just don't know where to get any, or even where to start looking to even see if it's in my budget range. I've actually been taking a lot of inspiration from classical instrument construction for my Talharpa, from this accessibility after construction to the ability to adjust the bow hair tension to the use of a bass bar. Though everything I do will be more of an experiment than anything else since I really can't say if any of it'll actually be beneficial until i actually build it. But it's been fun, and at least design-wise I'm really happy about it, and really, that's all that matters

I also done seen this enlish workshop clip.

I saw that vid you are spoofing and reviewing only yesterday. I, and a lot more like me, cringed in horror. Thanks for YOUR response.

The photos of the tools reminds me of: "What is the fastest way to tune a banjo? With wire cutters!"

Hi, Tight bond is not kind of hide glue?

I saw the video yesterday and noticed how rough the repair person was with the instrument and I reacted like "oh wow, that's rough handling".

Please review Rosa string works repairing chocolate a crushed violin.

the thing is, not everyone has access to a violin maker that can do that kinda repair for them. like i wanna restore a violin in pieces and will do it on a regular wood workshop because i cant afford/dont want a brand violin right now and the only violin luthier in town is really not reliable. most of the tools a violin maker works with are probably meant to save time or provide precision for details while yes, you can restore a violin with a tooth brush and hair pins but it wont sound and look like a million bucks especially with ittle knowledge. what i find problematic is to make a video of it that encourages other people to do so with no proper disclaimer of this situation. thank you for the honest and very educational video. notable mentions: sniffing turpentine, sanding fingerboard, crazy glue, when auto subtitles said "dementia on this one" instead of dimension, vietnam 100//

Thanks Olaf. Yes, I cringed too, however those threaded fingerboard clamps can work OK, but obviously the fingerboard still has to be kept perfectly positioned when tightening them up. I looked up that Titebond glue "The Titebond Liquid Hide Glue is the first hide glue to be available in liquid form, it requires no mixing, stirring or heating." but I'm curious to know what keeps it liquid in its cold state & can it be cracked open later? It obviously dissolves with water still & probably fine & convenient for gluing the nut back on. I'll stick with my standard Russian hide glue. :) As I've said before, there's a certain Cremona trained 'luthier' that calls himself Maestro & he uses Titebond Original Wood Glue (red label) with this description (part of), "This glue is so strong, it has a stronger than timber bond, so the timber surrounding the joint is going to break before the joint releases. It is the glue of choice for instrument makers around the world." So he uses it for crack repairs, saying that it is a 'permanent' repair, including centre joins. I told him no repair should be considered 'permanent' & I'm sure a luthier in later years will not thank him if faced with a follow up repair. Thankfully he still uses hide glue for gluing the belly on etc.

Lieber, verehrter Meister Olaf Grawert! Ich musste Ihnen hier nun kurz antworten - ich entdeckte zufällig diese Ihre "Reaktion" auf dieses sonderbar anmutende Video Über Streichinstrumenten-Restaurierung. Es freut mich, daß Sie die "Ehre", somit das vielfältige Wissen um Streichinstrumenten-Restaurierung, verteidigen, und somit hoch halten! Danke! Ich las auch Ihre Biographie, und staunte nicht schlecht, als ich diese las. Die "Geschichte" fernab von Europa um Machold werden Sie wissen - Machold Bremen, Machold Wien - Aufstieg und Niedergang ... auch wieder zufälligerweise war mein Abitur-Klassen-Kollege, später Anwalt in Wien, der Pflicht-Verteidiger im Prozess um jenen Star-Geigen-Händler ... auch eine seltsame Geschichte, nicht wahr?!? Meine erste Begegnung mit der großen Geigenbau-Kunst war in Cremona mit Francesco Bissolotti, der mir damals um 2000 ein wenig die Augen öffnete, was Geigenbau betraf - darauf folgte Morassi, den ich öfters besuchen konnte. Davide Sora will ich hier dank seiner Meisterschaft auch nennen. Das sollte ein kleiner österlicher Gruß aus Old-Europe an Sie gewesen sein. Bleiben Sie gesund. Vielleicht kommen wir auch mal nach Autralien - dann nehme ich so eine "1850-iger" aus Mittenwald, Schönbach, Prag oder Wien für Sie mit! Alles Liebe und Gute, und danke nochmals! Herzlich, Helmut aus Wien ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-VbxxslKcUV8.html ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-LixG82u6fe4.html

6:03 🤣 a-ha-ha 😐 what?

Violin demolition. Like watching Gomer Pyle working on a Bentley.

Were can I get an Olaf Grawert Violin Studio T shirt?

I just picked up a 150 year old French violin that needs a new bridge and sound post setting. I could do it myself but a nice old violin deserves a luthier that knows what they're doing.

Don't forget the wire-cutters

Hi and its really fun ::)))) plainning means plainning how we say don't use sandpaper becase what ever you do the wood with sandpaper shapes trapezoid and wobbley shape. (if you use a different type of sanding machine) maybe you have sucseed but its not legal we say one knife one true cut (this is the way). ::)))

Having been in the Navy I learned early that the only tools needed for anything are, a can of WD-40, a large pair of ViseGrips (the bigger the better), a roll of EB Green (the Navy's version of duct tape) and a deck screwdriver (at least 36"). With those you can lubricate, hammer, pry etc. 😅🤣😂😛

listening and watching, there is a big difference between both your work. You Sir are a Craftsman, the person in the video you watch is a tradesman.