How to protect your violin in humid conditions?

Whether you are a violin beginner or a performer, we recommend that you read this article carefully. This will not only save you a lot of trouble, but also save you money. Incurring a lot of unnecessary repair costs. Since violin instruments are basically made of wood, although the outer shell is protected by a layer of paint, its inner wall is undefended. Moisture can enter the inside of the piano body through the f-hole, and its adverse effects on the piano are far beyond what most people imagine. The wood of the violin will expand when it absorbs moisture from the moisture, especially when it is humid and hot, the expansion will be even more severe. Affected by this adverse effect, the instrument may have the following changes:

The tuning pin on the head of the instrument is stuck

The tail rib behind the cable plate becomes longer.

Fingerboard drops.

The sound column becomes shorter.

The voice becomes darker, muffled, and smaller.

In severe cases, the paint may become sticky, the piano frame may be glued open, or the guitar neck may even fall off along with the fingerboard.

Let us briefly analyze the above situations.

Why does the violin's tuning shaft not rotate and get stuck in the shaft hole? Since the pegs and the peg box of the headstock are not made of the same wood, they have different coefficients of expansion when exposed to moisture. The peg box is made of dry maple and is protected by paint on both sides, making it difficult for moisture to penetrate in large quantities. The pegs are made of ebony, boxwood, jujube and other woods. They are prone to swelling and thickening when exposed to moisture. If the peg wood is newer, the expansion will be more severe.

When this happens, you must not forcefully twist the peg, otherwise the peg may be broken. The correct method is: first use appropriate force to try to loosen the string axis in the opposite direction, and then tune in the forward direction. If you can't even turn it like this, you may try a sound post or a similar small log, place it at the end of the peg, tap it gently with a small hammer, and knock the peg in the opposite direction to loosen it. If that doesn't work, alas! I had to go to the piano repairman to deal with it. In fact, if the piano shaft cannot rotate, it is a signal to you: the violin has been affected by moisture, and you need to take protective measures as soon as possible.

The second possible change after the violin gets wet is: the tail rib of the string board becomes longer. Generally, the effective string length of a normal violin is 328mm~330mm. 1/6 is 55 mm, which is the normal distance from the cable plate to the bridge. If this distance becomes shorter, that is, the tail rib becomes longer, which will reduce the pressure of the strings on the bridge and the panel, making the overall vibration weaker, thus losing its due luster, and the sound will become darker and smaller.

The third possible effect of moisture is: the fingerboard sinks. Many people (including many professionals) believe that the reason why the fingerboard drops in a humid environment is caused by the tension of the four strings on the headstock. Therefore, some people add a hard object between the fingerboard and the piano panel to support the fingerboard. In fact, this effect is very limited. Because the real reason why the fingerboard sinks is because moisture invades the violin body, which causes the violin's panel to expand and increase, making it appear as if the fingerboard has sunk. This change cannot be solved by resting on the fretboard. It is urgent to dehumidify and protect the violin from moisture as soon as possible.

Due to moisture, the arc of the panel swells and becomes higher, which also makes the internal space larger. This will also make the original sound column of appropriate length shorter. The sound column is the soul of the violin's pronunciation. At this time, the sound of the violin will weaken and the timbre will become thin and dull. What's more serious is that if the sound column falls (soul is out of body), the trouble will be even greater.

When a violin gets wet, the paint on the violin may become sticky. Some piano paints are relatively soft and difficult to dry. Especially for violins that have just been made, it is more likely that the paint will stick to the bottom of the case.

Since all parts of the violin are bonded with animal glue, in a hot and humid environment, the animal glue can easily melt and lose its stickiness, causing the piano board to open. In severe cases, even the neck and headstock may come off and fall off. A once sensational example: In 1998, when the famous cellist Yo-Yo Ma went to Taiwan to perform, the cellist's neck fell off because the instrument got damp. Fortunately, he found a very outstanding and outstanding piano repairer in Taiwan, Zhang Hanxin (who had studied in Cremona, Italy, under the tutelage of Moracci), who repaired the piano in time, and the performance was a success! Although a damp violin can be repaired, the expensive repair costs and inconvenience can be frustrating. Therefore, the moisture-proof work in advance must not be sloppy.

In order to protect your musical instruments from moisture in a timely manner, you must first have a certain understanding of the climate and environment where you live and where you are going. For example, in China, the south is wetter than the north, and coastal cities are wetter than inland cities. The wet season in the south is longer, from February to September. It is slightly shorter in the north, from March to May. The sauna weather that occurs in Beijing around August is another season that requires special attention.

Generally speaking, we hope that the relative humidity around the violin should not exceed 70%. Otherwise, it may cause adverse effects on the violin. A silk cover and a tightly sealed case are necessary to protect the violin from moisture. Because they can significantly slow down the intrusion of moisture. If the city you live in has a humid season, then don’t forget to buy a mid-to-high-end piano case with a hygrometer, which is very suitable for protecting your instrument.

In humid weather and environments, if you need to take the piano out for use, you must turn on the relative air conditioner or dehumidifier in the room in advance. If the two are used at the same time, the relative humidity in the room can be reduced to about 50% after 20 minutes.

In order to protect your cherished violin, especially the old violin that is prone to moisture and glue opening, the best way is to buy a moisture-proof box specially made to protect high-end photographic equipment. Its different sizes can accommodate up to five or six violins. This moisture-proof box has constant temperature and humidity control functions. Very good results can be achieved in a small area within an hour. According to reports from some violin collectors in Hong Kong and Guangzhou, under the protection of this moisture-proof box, the sound and body structure of their precious violins can be maintained in satisfactory condition.