Posted on August 11, 2021March 6, 2024 by Dale Phillips Violin Ribs/Latent Tension Violin Ribs/Latent Tension by John Meng Originally published in Guild of American Luthiers Data Sheet #287, 1984 and Big Red Book of American Lutherie Volume One, 2000 Bending Ribs When wood is bent, the length of the outer surface increases or the length of the inner surface decreases; or most likely some combination of the two occurs. In soft woods, the fibers stretch and compress more easily than they do in hard woods, so soft woods can successfully be bent to smaller radii than can hard woods before the wood fractures. Thin maple strips used to form violin ribs must be bent to small radii at the corners. Maple being a hard wood, there is a tendency for fibers along the inner surface to strongly resist compression. 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 August 11, 2021March 6, 2024 by Dale Phillips Fiddle Facts Fiddle Facts by Al Stancel Originally published in American Lutherie #8, 1986 and Big Red Book of American Lutherie Volume One, 2000 Steel Wool: A No-No. Steel wool is still used by some players to clean strings and momentarily increase bow hair grip. Warnings: 1) Steel wool destroys strings with repeated use; 2) Steel wool contains an oil to prevent its rusting. This oil transfers to the bow hair, the case, the blanket and everything, compounding the bow skip problem. The solution is to stop using steel wool and start with fresh hair and a cleaned case plus new strings. Spotlight on the Bow Bug. Bow bugs are in Indiana, New York, Miami, and all points! A bow used once per day will not be cut up by the bow bug; he (it) hates light, and will not park on a bow used or kept in light. The bow case closed for a few weeks is an open invitation for him to munch on the rosened hair. The bug can get in the case at any time, or never. It is not predictable. However, if you have chunks of hair cut in the case, be sure to vacuum the case thoroughly and add two plain moth balls to the closed case. 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 August 11, 2021March 6, 2024 by Dale Phillips Jack Batts Jack Batts An interview by Jeff Feltman Originally published in American Lutherie #10, 1987 and Big Red Book of American Lutherie Volume One, 2000 You can walk into a clockmaker’s shop and see fifty clocks. One reads 12:00, another says 11:55, another 12:05. Only one can be right, and it probably isn’t a bad guess that none of them is right. Searching for the right varnish is like being in that clock shop.” “A man could make 150 more violins in his life if he wasn’t so worried about concocting some witches brew. He would do well to spend his time learning to make a fine violin.” 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 August 11, 2021March 6, 2024 by Dale Phillips “1704” Varnish Recipe “1704” Varnish Recipe by George Manno Originally published in American Lutherie #12, 1987 and Big Red Book of American Lutherie Volume One, 2000 The subject of violin varnish and its making has been the topic of great debate and secrecy for the last hundred years. Many makers still spend a great deal of time chasing the elusive dream of coming up with the perfect varnish. Books and manuscripts are filled with endless recipes from the very basic to the most absurd. I have seen some formulas that call for ingredients such as goat urine, sheep bile, gold, and other even more exotic organic extracts that have to be boiled, dried, and then mixed with many different hazardous chemicals. I showed Dr. James Martin, head chemist for Bradshaw and Praeger Shellac Co., one of these more eccentric recipes. His reply to me was, “If you heat these chemicals, you will probably blow your shop to smithereens.” Needless to say, I took his advice. The varnish recipe described on the preceding page is known throughout the world as “1704”. The recipe came out of the old Wurlitzer shop in the early ’50s. As you can see, the varnish is a simple mixture of seedlac, gum, resin, and oil mixed with alcohol. 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 August 11, 2021March 6, 2024 by Dale Phillips Applications of the Silicone Heating Blanket in Violin Making Applications of the Silicone Heating Blanket in Violin Making by George Borun Originally published in American Lutherie #34, 1993 and Big Red Book of American Lutherie Volume Three, 2004 In American Lutherie #25, Mike Keller describes how he uses silicone heating blankets for bending guitar sides, and mentions an earlier article in Fine Woodworking. The potential of these devices for use in violin making became obvious to me, and with some experimentation and adaptation, I’ve developed specific applications for the violin maker. Silicone heater blankets, also called flexible heaters, are available from two sources, with a number of standard sizes in stock at each company: Watlow Electric of St. Louis, Missouri (www.watlow.com) and Benchmark Thermal of Grass Valley, California (www.benchmarkthermal.com). Watlow markets through distributors. They have a large selection of stock sizes up to 35" long. Benchmark has a smaller stock size selection, but their prices are considerably lower. They will make any size you wish, but that adds to the cost and delivery time. Stock maximum length is 20", but this is more than long enough for violins. In bending bass ribs, I use two 10" wide blankets for the longer pieces, and only one for the center bout. The best units are 4W/sq.", rather than the 2W models. This type will get up to 500°F in a couple of minutes. Product catalogs are available which list the various sizes. 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.
