My Observations (Large and Small) About Violin Making and Restoration
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Power Graft
A friend of mine whipped up some jigs to permit him to make quick neck grafts in blocks of rough, uncarved wood that he could then carve so that his new “antique” instruments would have authentic neck grafts in them. When he came to visit me, he brought this dummy graft test made of a couple of pieces of construction…
Crude
Maybe you’ve heard violin makers talk about violins with “integral” bassbars (cut from the top, not separate) and carving straight from the gouge.
For No Other Reason…
… than that it’s so pretty. This is a Brothers Amati violin from around 1615 seen from the top end.
Glued Strips, or Not?
Some makers theorize that the early Cremonese makers inlaid purfling in 3 separate, unglued strips. But that doesn’t appear to me to be the case.
Gemunder Shipping Case
Violin shop guys all like cool old cases. This one has a little name plate, just below the middle hinge, from the George Gemunder shop, so it’s at least 100+ years old.
Old Linseed Oil
Linseed oil doesn’t dry very hard no matter how long you wait. That’s why it’s a bad idea to put too much on the wood before varnishing. One day in 1995 I decided to experiment.
No Varnish Under the Board
Many people have heard that the early makers glued their fingerboards on before varnishing the instruments, and that there’s no varnish under the boards, but it’s not something you get to see very often.
Whaaaaat?!
Setting a post in a viola that had come into the shop, I couldn’t believe what I saw through the endpin hole.