Violin Maintenance (once in a while)
Besides the everyday maintenance of the violin before and after playing, there are some parts of the violin that requires maintenance less frequently. This less frequent maintenance is as important as the everyday maintenance as it plays a part in keeping the violin in its best condition too, prolonging the lifespan of your violin string, bow hair and other parts of the violin.
Steps Taken For
Maintenance:
Cleaning the Inside of the Violin
It is important to clean the inside of the violin about once in a year to remove any dust or other small particles building up in the violin. This is vital as the sound of the violin can be affected greatly by the build up of dust in the violin.
How to clean the inside of the violin?
- First, one half cup of dry rice should be placed inside the F holes.
- The violin then needs to be shaken gently so that the rice will get attached to all the dusts in the different areas inside the violin.
- Finally, the violin is turned upside down to remove the rice along with any dust or particles attached to it.
Polishing of the Violin
Simple polishing of the violin helps to ensure that the violin does not appear dull or old. Polishing is done by rubbing the violin with a liquid polish to make it shine.
The surface of the violin can be cleaned occasionally to remove any dust or fingerprints on the violin.
Cleaning the Fine Tuners and Bow Screws
Sometimes, it is possible to have trouble in turning the fine tuners of the violin or tightening the bow. Normally, the lead of the pencil is used to aid in the turning of the screws to make the turning or tightening of the instrument much easier.
The screws of the violin and the bow should be un-winded first before rubbing the pencil lead up and down the threads of the screws.
Cleaning the Pegs
Pegs can be taken out once in a while and rubbed with chalk around the area where they come in contact with the scroll. This helps the turning of the pegs much easier.
Repairing Slipping Strings
The pegs of the violin will sometimes get out of place causing the violin to be out of tune. This occurs especially if the violin is not played for some time. This may occur sometimes as a result of the violin strings taking up more space on the peg as the strings have loosened on the peg.
In this case, the peg should be un-winded to slacken the strings as much as possible. The string should be then winded back around the peg tightly and closely as much as possible, then pushing back the peg into the scroll when the correct tension is almost there. Fine tuners are used finally to tune the strings to the correct note.
The process helps to tighten the coils of the string around the peg, allowing more space for the peg to turn into the scroll.
Storage
Proper storage of the violin is important to ensure your violin is always in top condition. Before putting back into the case, violin strings should always be loosened to minimize the pressure on the strings and the bridge. Constant humidity and temperature is also very important as the violin is make of wood, thus temperatures at its both extremes will affect the violin easily. A humidifier or dehumidifier can be used to control the humidity level to be constant.
Take note of Bow bugs
Last but not least, it is important to take note if there are bow bugs in your violin case. These bugs normally appear in dark places and are attracted to the hair of the bow. Unraveled hair on the bow may be the first sign that there are bow bugs around.
To avoid these bugs, violin case should always be open when your violin and bow is inside. This allows the case to be exposed to light, eliminating the bow bugs to the minimum.
In a scenario where bow bugs are already evident, the violin case should be vacuumed thoroughly and sprayed with a moth spray.
In worst case scenario, it is advisable to buy a new violin case and re-hair your bow.
Remember to care for your violin ! :)