Antiquing. Why it is attractive, and what's wrong with it. I normally antique my instruments and I do it for two main reasons: for visual richness, and for variety. Visual richness and variety are two features of objects that have aged naturally and Nature is supreme...
In the first part of this study I constructed a viola emphasizing a part of the construction process, the carving, which is visually very interesting but that most players never get to see. In this second part, I consider the surface finish and explore the decorative...
My father was a sculptor who worked in everything from marble and bronze to sintered sand and telegraph poles. in some of his wood carving he used similar techniques to some that I've ended up using in violin making. Whereas I would be obliged to lose all traces of...
When varnishing an instrument it is nice to seal off the f-holes. This stops accidental drips getting inside, and it stops wood dust and such coming from inside your instrument and sticking to the wet varnish. The most effective way to do this is to use blue masking...
Drilling the end pin hole before closing the box avoids some time consuming cleanup of wood chips later. When drying varnish outside it's nice to be able to hang your cello upside down as well as right side up but fitting a trustworthy hook into that large hole is a...
A letter from Stradivari to a patron blames the lack of sunshine for his inability to fill an order for instrument in a timely manner. Oil based varnishes require ultra violet (UV) light to cure and apart from being evidence that Strad’s varnish was probably oil based, Strad’s message is also a comment on the unreliability of the sun as a UV source.