Posted on May 21, 2020March 6, 2024 by Dale Phillips Copying Pearl Patterns Copying Pearl Patterns by Robert A. Steinegger Originally published as Guild of American Luthiers Data Sheet #125, 1979 and in Lutherie Woods and Steel String Guitars, 1997 Whenever I get my hands on a nice old instrument with distinctive pearl work, I like to get the pearl patterns for my collection. First of all, I photocopy all the parts of the pattern. (Note: the copy machine must be of the type that prints actual-size copies. The instrument must be held carefully and steadily on the machine.) This may have to be done from several angles because of the variations within the pearl itself. Abalone inlays are very difficult to copy in this manner, but a little patience should see the job done. Become A Member to Continue Reading This Article This article is part of our premium web content offered to Guild members. To view this and other web articles, join the Guild of American Luthiers. Members also receive 4 annual issues of American Lutherie and get discounts on products. For details, visit the membership page. If you are already a member, login for access or contact us to setup your account.
Posted on May 21, 2020March 6, 2024 by Dale Phillips Oil Varnish Techniques Oil Varnish Techniques by David Rolfe Originally published as Guild of American Luthiers Data Sheet #89, 1978 and in Big Red Book of American Lutherie Volume One, 2000 I decided to investigate the use of traditional oil varnishes as used by violin makers. At first sight, there seemed to be a lot of information around with enough detail to get on with the job. But as I delved deeper, I found enormous gaps in details of technique and lack of information on what is important and what is not. This is a detailed summary of what I have learned so far. My basic sources of information are the books and articles listed at the end. Materials Varnish. Traditional oil varnishes consist of a variety of resins, heated and dissolved in linseed oil, and turpentine. Coloring is added, and these agents can either be from the heartwood of certain trees (like dragon’s blood or gamboge) or organic mineral salts. Linseed oil is a slow-drying oil, and in conjunction with the resins, goes through the process of oxidation and polymerization (molecules of short length combine to become longer). Polymerization occurs mainly in the presence of ultraviolet light and continues for decades. Turpentine is used as a thinner or as a solvent to get the varnish on and then to evaporate in a relatively short time. The important characteristics of the varnish in liquid form are: Become A Member to Continue Reading This Article This article is part of our premium web content offered to Guild members. To view this and other web articles, join the Guild of American Luthiers. Members also receive 4 annual issues of American Lutherie and get discounts on products. For details, visit the membership page. If you are already a member, login for access or contact us to setup your account.
Posted on March 4, 2020March 7, 2024 by Dale Phillips Violin Top Removal Violin Top Removal by George Manno Originally published in American Lutherie #5, 1986 and Big Red Book of American Lutherie Volume One, 2000 One of the most difficult repairs to perform on a violin is removing its top after it has been glued with a yellow or a polyvinyl white glue, such as Titebond. These glues do exactly what the name implies: Their main objective is to close the separation between the rib and the top or back permanently. Violins are built in such a way that they can be taken apart if necessary. On many occasions, we have seen instruments come into our shop that were repaired by amateurs using whatever glue was available at the local hardware store. Apparently, thoughts of future adjustments to the neck or bass bar are not considered. Efforts to remove the top without damaging it after such glues have been used were, for a time, a cause of great distress to us. We have found a way to dissolve such a bond without harming the table, ribs, or back. Using a number of thin artist’s spatulas, a syringe, and some warm vinegar, along with a lot of patience, the removal of the top can be done successfully and the repair completed in a few days. Become A Member to Continue Reading This Article This article is part of our premium web content offered to Guild members. To view this and other web articles, join the Guild of American Luthiers. Members also receive 4 annual issues of American Lutherie and get discounts on products. For details, visit the membership page. If you are already a member, login for access or contact us to setup your account.
Posted on January 2, 2020March 7, 2024 by Dale Phillips Gimme Back My Minutes Gimme Back My Minutes by Rick Turner previously published in American Lutherie #26, 1991 and Big Red Book of American Lutherie, Volume Three, 2004 I’d like to share a couple of things with those in the repair business: how I handle the financial end of repair work, and what I’m trying to do to gain back some of the eight to ten hours a week I currently lose talking to customers. I do repair work for Westwood Music in Los Angeles, working as an independent contractor. I set my own hours, use my own tools, pay for my own worker’s compensation insurance, and establish the prices for the repair work. There is one other part-time repairman, David Neely, and he works the same way I do. Prices for repair work are set for each job either by direct quote from our price list or an estimate of time at $50 per hour. On big jobs or for building custom Strats from generic parts I drop the hourly to $45; I figure there’s less time wasted talking on bigger jobs. Our store sales people sometimes take in the work (the more of that the better), and they might make a ballpark estimate. We in the shop usually call the customer to give a closer price and/or suggest additional needed work. When the job is complete, I fill out a four-part sequentially-numbered store invoice which includes labor, retail-parts cost (at the net-to-musician price — we figure any applicable discounts), sales tax, and the invoice total. I keep a copy which I use to bill the store, and the second copy goes on a clipboard in sequential order. The instrument, along with the two remaining copies, is put in the front of the store in the “to be picked up” pile. When the customer picks up the instrument, he or she gets a copy, and the remaining copy is filed with the store’s daily receipts. Become A Member to Continue Reading This Article This article is part of our premium web content offered to Guild members. To view this and other web articles, join the Guild of American Luthiers. Members also receive 4 annual issues of American Lutherie and get discounts on products. For details, visit the membership page. If you are already a member, login for access or contact us to setup your account.
Posted on October 31, 2019February 5, 2024 by Dale Phillips Bow Rehairing Bow Rehairing by Paul Hill previously published in American Lutherie #91, 2007 Bows need rehairing on a regular basis. As bow hair ages it gets brittle and breaks more easily, and with use it wears itself smooth, won’t hold rosin as well, and produces a thin sound. Sometimes hairs break more on one side than the other, pulling the bow sideways. Bow bugs may chew the hair into a frizzy pile. Some fine violinists can hear the change in tone and have their bows rehaired every few months, and some fiddlers wait till there are only a few dozen hairs left. Beginning violinists may not notice the degradation in tone since it happens slowly, but most will notice immediately when they get new hair! I rehair about fifty bows a year, and have been doing it for thirty years. My one-man repair shop is in my basement and space is at a premium, and since this is not my favorite job, I’ve evolved a compact system that works for me, minimizing the time and tedium, and making it enjoyable in a Zen kind of way. Become A Member to Continue Reading This Article This article is part of our premium web content offered to Guild members. To view this and other web articles, join the Guild of American Luthiers. Members also receive 4 annual issues of American Lutherie and get discounts on products. For details, visit the membership page. If you are already a member, login for access or contact us to setup your account.
