HEAT DAMAGE: Many years ago in Kuala Lumpur I left my beloved “Didion” violin in the boot of the car when I went from the Music School to a party. The problem was, I forgot all about it till I remembered around noon time the next day. Kuala Lumpur can be extremely hot and that day was. When I opened the case I was horrified to find that not only had all the strings come loose but the whole top of the violin had come off as the hyde glue had melted. Actually, if the glue had not come unstuck then the wood would certainly have cracked which thankfully it hadn’t. This is why repairs need to be done only with animal hyde glue and never with other glues. So I sent my violin off to London with a friend to have the top reglued.

At that time, I didn’t have my equipment to do the repairs myself. So what is the lesson that I learnt? NEVER, ever, put your violin in the BOOT of a car. Why? You might forget all about it like I did, and melt the glue. I recommend that you always take the violin with you when you leave the car in case someone breaks in and steals it. While we are on this subject, its also important not to put the violin near an airconditioner, a heat source, or an exterior wall. This will avoid extremes of temperature. 

ABOUT VIOLIN DAMAGE: LOW HUMIDITY causes CRACKS: In America this is a real problem as their humidity can be as low as 10-15%. So if you are traveling to a cold country you will need an HUMIDIFIER in your violin case. This contains moisture like a sponge and releases the moisture to humidify the air.

HIGH HUMIDITY causes WEAK SOUND: In Singapore, we don’t have the problem of low humidity and cracks, however, we do have the problem of high humidity causing weak tone. The solution is DEHUMIDIFIERS. Fortunately, if you leave your violin in a room that regularly has airconditioning, this problem is solved. An air conditioner dehumidifiers the air.

TYPES HUMIDIFIERS: There are two types of humidifiers: 1. those that go in the INSTRUMENT (e.g. “Dampit”  from $7.50 to $10 each) and 2. those that go in the CASE. Cases often come with both an hygrometer which measures the level of humidity and an humidifier which corrects dryness. An in-case humidifier often comes in the form of a small tube filled with water-saturated material that releases moisture at a controlled rate. For those with a D.I.Y. aptitude, you can insert several holes in a small plastic canister and insert a sponge inside which you will need to keep moist. This can be mounted inside the case with Velcro.

DEHUMIDIFIERS: For those who live in humid climates around the equator, you will need a DEHUMIDIFIER in the case. These usually consist of silicon gell or silicon pellet packets which absorb the moisture from the air in the case. They need to be placed in the microwave occasionally to remove the moisture that has been absorbed. 

(Reference: Strings magazine, October 2002, No. 105. “Drying Times – How to protect your instrument from climate changes” by Richard Ward)