Repair to C18th English Cello with broken neck

This old English cello, although unlabelled, contains contains a number of repairers marks, the earliest dating from 1822. Most notably it contains a repairers label by Dearlove, handwritten, stating that it was exhibited at the Great Exhibition in London in 1851.
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The wood on the heel of the neck was checking significantly and after a very slight knock to the back of the scroll the heel of the neck broke off about two thirds of the way up. Whilst the classic repair, and the most robust repair, would be to carve a new neck and graft the original peg box into it, the owner wanted to retain as much original wood as possible. We therefore devised an approach which involved recovering the original neck route by removing the top block, regluing it to the neck and then internally hollowing out the heel and inserting a new piece of wood to provide strength. The strengthened neck was then refitted to the cello body and conventionally glued into position. 

Completed repair

Beginning the process of soaking out the broken heel

The broken heel removed. Soaking it out has enabled us to remove it without damaging the button

Cello body without top block

Cello body without top block

Splitting the new top block out of a piece of spruce

Gluing in the new top block

We were working so fast the camera couldn't keep up...!

Shaping the new top block

Shaping the new top block

Front of the cello glued back on

Marking out the mortice in the neck ready for carving

Marking out the mortice in the neck ready for carving

Carving the mortice in the neck

Carving the mortice in the neck

Marking out and carving the heel insert

Marking out and carving the heel insert

Marking out and carving the heel insert

Chalk fitting the heel insert

Chalk fitting the heel insert

Chalk fitting the heel insert

Chalk fitting the heel insert

Gluing the heel insert in place before trimming

Gluing the heel insert in place before trimming

Gluing the heel insert in place before trimming

The heel insert glued in place, waiting to be trimmed

Trimming the heel insert

Trimming the heel insert

Trimming the heel insert

Trimming the heel insert

The body of the cello, with new top block, waiting for the neck to be glued in place

Gluing the neck back in place

Gluing the neck back in place