ason, finally stopping as before at each end. The principal reason
for stopping at the end is that with most of the old Italian violins
there is a short wooden pin, probably used for temporarily securing
the table in position before the final glueing down. These wooden pins
of hard or tough consistency being driven in firmly, offer considerable
resistance to the passage of the knife if the latter is forced through.
Most of the violins having these pins originally, give evidence of the
exertions of the repairer to press the knife through these obstacles
at the risk, ofttimes with certainty, of breaking up or smashing the
fibres of the surrounding portion of the pine. Of a dozen old Italians,
perhaps on an average ten will be found with this part broken, jagged,
or having a portion of fresh wood inserted where ruffianly treatment
has bruised the threads of the pine past remedy. Our professional
repairers, being men of experience, further, both having a natural
disposition and qualification for their calling, know better than to
use much violence in this part of their work, so taking the knife away,
the operator cleanses it from all glue or resinous particles, and when
perfectly dry, passes the slightly oiled rag again over both surfaces.
The knife being inserted again and again, is pressed round about the
pin and thrust forward so that the increasing thickness of the blade
may act as a long wedge, this gradually lifts the table away, leaving
the pin standing.

The lower end will require the same treatment for easing the upper table
round the pin. In original condition most of the old Italian violins
would not give further trouble, but some later or middle period ones,
instead of the small piece of ebony or other hard substance slightly
inserted or laid half way through the table, have an ebony nut going
quite through and down in a triangular form nearly to the tailpin. In
these instances a small knife held vertically and pressed along between
the parts of the ebony touching the pine will enable the table to come
away gradually in the manner indicated. We now may suppose ourselves
again in the presence of the repairers, operator and master; the upper
table has been successfully and cleanly released from the blocks and
along the upper edging of the ribs, very few splinters here and there
are left, giving double evidence of neat glueing on the part of the
maker and systematic care on that of the modern repairer.

Being now