Tuesday, December 10th, 2013
If you have a bent cello bridge and don’t want to build a new one, you can try to straighten it out. This will involve two steps. First heat the bridge with moisture to soften it. Next, try to straighten the bridge.
Softening the bridge involves heating up the wood and adding moisture to the wood. It would be advisable to do this slowly. Place a clean metal screen over a pot of boiling water and place the bent bridge on top of this screen. Let the wood heat up and absorb the steam. Turn over the bridge and treat the second side. Repeat this till the bridge has absorbed heat and steam on both sides and is slightly softer. (If you want to try doing this fast, use a heat gun on the bridge while lightly spraying water on it.)
Next step involves straightening the bridge. This can be done by clamping it between 2 straight blocks of wood or having it rest under the weight of a few heavy books. Let it dry this way for 18 to 36 hours.
After you remove the dry bridge, you may need to refinish the bridge to the desired spec (sanding/filing).
If this doesn’t work, then splurge and have a luthier build you a new bridge for that instrument.
Good Luck!
For specific repair questions, call us at (718)972-4611 or email: azg@azgmusical.com with your question.For great pricing on instruments and accessories visit AZG Musical Inc. You can get a short musical tour of AZG by clicking on the “AZG Tour” tab.
