Removing the top of a violin 1

[@inkey2]

Secret trick to getting the top of an old violin safely: Take the "blunt" side of and Exacto knife and scrape all around the glued seam of the violin. The blunt edge of the Exacto knife nicely breaks the glue so you can easier find a place to go in with your palette knife. On really old violins using this method there were times all I have to do was get the palette knife in the seam and slowly twist it and the top will almost completely pop off. NOTE: Modern cheap violins like rented to schools are a nightmare to get the top off because they use glue that is too strong.