~john~ Posted December 26, 2005 Report Share Posted December 26, 2005 (edited) I got this as a present today. http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Kits/Violin_Ki...iolin_Kits.html I started work on it already, so far i have the purflings in, and the bass bar kinda shaped http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a397/john-b/violin3.jpg http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a397/john-b/violin2.jpg http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a397/john-b/violin1.jpg Im going to go try and get the bass bar in tommorow. Edited December 26, 2005 by ~john~ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MidnightLamp Posted December 26, 2005 Report Share Posted December 26, 2005 hey man, I LOVE violins! Check out MATT's link..amazing stuff!!! (I read through the whole thing slowly for an hour, it's amazing!) Cheers, and good luck! Nish Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
M_A_T_T Posted December 26, 2005 Report Share Posted December 26, 2005 Dude that's DOPE! I had fun making my Stewmac kit a few years ago, hope you have fun too. Check my sig for the link to my violin making pictorial where I'm making one from scratch. Are you using the chalk fitting method to fit the bar? I don't recall that from the Stewmac instructions. It involves soft black-top chalk rubbed on the top, then you put the bar in place and rub it slightly to mark the high spots, then you shave those off and repeat, until the entire surface of the bar gets covered with chalk, then you will have a perfect fit op the top. You can see me do it in my pictorial somewhere. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rhoads56 Posted December 26, 2005 Report Share Posted December 26, 2005 One of the jobs i HAD to have done for xmas, was the restoration of a violin case (with new aged hinges and catches, wood replacement, etc) plus some ebony pins and a new bridge, plus a restring. The owners 'friend' had decided it would be cool to revarnish this particular violin, and get it all looking nice for a xmas present. Sounds all cool. Nice date inside the body states it was made in 1804, repaired again in 1920 something, and another signature with 1950 something REVARNISH!?!?!?!?!? Some people dont deserve instruments, OR friends. Anyway, cool kit dude, ive always wanted to build a violin. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thegarehanman Posted December 26, 2005 Report Share Posted December 26, 2005 (edited) Goodness, 1804?! Did he not realise it's production date? On a simular note: I was reading article recently about stratovarius. Some scientists have been researching his violins for quite a while and they're beginning to speculate that their unique sound quality stems from the fact that the wood they're made from grew during a mini-ice age in europe about half a milenium ago. Just a fun fact for you. Edited December 26, 2005 by thegarehanman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
M_A_T_T Posted December 26, 2005 Report Share Posted December 26, 2005 (edited) Some scientists have been researching his violins for quite a while and they're beginning to speculate that their unique sound quality stems from the fact that the wood they're made from grew during a mini-ice age in europe about half a milenium ago. Or that he soaked his wood before using it, or it was the varnish he used, or the fact that most surviving instruments have been re-graduated, had new bass-bars fitted and new necks for a modern playing conversion. Lots of people have tried coming up with ideas about what made his instruments sound the way they did. I think alot of it is simply the age of the instrument and good craftsmanship. One thing about that ice-age-wood idea is if a tree was to grow in a mini ice age, that part of the tree would still exit today, just deeper in the tree, so wood like Strad used could technically still be available today..... How are you clamping the top on, ~john~? Edited December 26, 2005 by M_A_T_T Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
~john~ Posted December 26, 2005 Author Report Share Posted December 26, 2005 I'll either buy some small G clamps or make some like the ones you made: http://files.photojerk.com/mmaatt/misc/clamp2.jpg I can't see the top going on for meany weeks yet anyway, work is taking up all my spare time just now Thanks for telling me about that way of getting bass bar shaped, i'll try that later tonight. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
~john~ Posted December 27, 2005 Author Report Share Posted December 27, 2005 Anyway, cool kit dude, ive always wanted to build a violin. ← Rhoads have you seen the guitars you make, you could make a violin, just do it.Hell make a heavy metal violin if you want, it would still be cool. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
M_A_T_T Posted December 27, 2005 Report Share Posted December 27, 2005 I'll either buy some small G clamps or make some like the ones you made: http://files.photojerk.com/mmaatt/misc/clamp2.jpg Do you mean C-clamps? Those can easily apply too much pressure and crack the ribs, as I discovered when I tried to use those, not to mention you'd have to buy a crap load. The ones I made were very easy to make, but only cost about $30. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
~john~ Posted December 29, 2005 Author Report Share Posted December 29, 2005 Yes i mean c clamps, C ans G look nearly the same. Would beach wood work for a violin top MATT? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord-of-the-strings Posted December 29, 2005 Report Share Posted December 29, 2005 Goodness, 1804?! Did he not realise it's production date? On a simular note: I was reading article recently about stratovarius. Some scientists have been researching his violins for quite a while and they're beginning to speculate that their unique sound quality stems from the fact that the wood they're made from grew during a mini-ice age in europe about half a milenium ago. Just a fun fact for you. ← A little off of topic, but what was so unique about the sound of his violins? what was it like? any sound clips or anything? You've peaked my curiosity Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
M_A_T_T Posted December 29, 2005 Report Share Posted December 29, 2005 Yes i mean c clamps, C ans G look nearly the same. Would beach wood work for a violin top MATT? ← Beach is way too hard, generally softwoods are used, cedar, pine, fir, spruce, the most common being spruce. Why? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
~john~ Posted December 29, 2005 Author Report Share Posted December 29, 2005 I just have rather a huge bit of it sitting around and nothing to do with it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
M_A_T_T Posted January 12, 2006 Report Share Posted January 12, 2006 How's it going? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
~john~ Posted January 12, 2006 Author Report Share Posted January 12, 2006 Im going to glue the top on when i get the time, tommorow maybe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
~john~ Posted January 26, 2006 Author Report Share Posted January 26, 2006 I tryed to glue the top on a few times, but the glue keeps setting befor i've spread it all the way around the edges. Would adding more water to the hide glue than it says to to make it thiner and easyer to apply effect the strength of the joint? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jammy Posted January 26, 2006 Report Share Posted January 26, 2006 (edited) Where are you doing the joint? The room needs be good and hot while working with hide glue - especially long joints like the centre of the wedges Edited January 26, 2006 by jammy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
~john~ Posted January 26, 2006 Author Report Share Posted January 26, 2006 im doing it in my bedroom, it should be worm in there cause the heatings on and theres a fire going Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mattia Posted January 26, 2006 Report Share Posted January 26, 2006 With hot hide: work faster. Do a few dry runs. And heat up the pieces you're going to glue with a hair dryer (for example) so that you've got longer working time. Also, if you're applying glue with a brush, consider switching to an applicator bottle of some sort. Should let you get the glue on faster. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jammy Posted January 26, 2006 Report Share Posted January 26, 2006 mattia speaks the truth. Heating the pieces is a great idea, I did mine with a big industrial heter that's used to keep our workshop warm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
~john~ Posted January 27, 2006 Author Report Share Posted January 27, 2006 Ok, i'll try that, if that doesn't work im going to take it to a shop i found that does repairs on violins and has a proper workshop. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
M_A_T_T Posted January 27, 2006 Report Share Posted January 27, 2006 A warm room definately helps. I carefully use a heat gun on it's low setting to warm up larger surfaces, I didn't find a hair dryer to be fast enough. What you will first want to do is size the surfaces on the ribs, particularly the blocks because the end grain soaks up alot of the water in the glue. If you've already tried a few times to glue the top on I guess you have inadvertantly done this, which is fine. There are other methods than the 'all at once' one, which is the only way I seem to like doing it. One way is to simply clamp the top on then remove a few clamps at a time and use a thin spatula or palette knife to insert glue into the joint, another is to apply glue to the areas and let it set, clamp the top lightly then go around with heat/steam re-activating the glue and tightening the clamps correspondingly. When I do the 'all at once' method I use more glue to re-activate any areas that set to quick, by brushing it into the joint. I tried hot water but that just diluted the glue and washed it away. Clean up excess glue with warm water. I used a 1:1.75 or 1:2 glue to water mix for gluing on the top, which is supposed to be easy to remove for future repairs. I also planned out the application of the glue to correspond with the important areas of the joint: Lining surfaces of the upper & lower bouts got glue first, then the c-bouts, then the corner blocks, then the neck block and finally the tailblock. My reasoning in doing this is to have the freshest glue on the important parts so they glue up fine with the initial clamping, and it's just the lining areas that may need extra attention. I shouldn't have to tell you to have all your clamps laid out a ready to go while you are doing this...mine are actually numbered for a particular order. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
~john~ Posted January 28, 2006 Author Report Share Posted January 28, 2006 This really isnt working, i heated the area and did it all as you said and it still won't hold Im taking it to the shop to get it done next week, i've had ENOUGH of it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flood Posted January 28, 2006 Report Share Posted January 28, 2006 Goodness, 1804?! Did he not realise it's production date? On a simular note: I was reading article recently about stratovarius. Some scientists have been researching his violins for quite a while and they're beginning to speculate that their unique sound quality stems from the fact that the wood they're made from grew during a mini-ice age in europe about half a milenium ago. Just a fun fact for you. you mean antonio stradivari, possibly? stratovarius is a power metal band from finland. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thegarehanman Posted January 28, 2006 Report Share Posted January 28, 2006 I stand corrected...obviously you know just how to establish yourself in a new place as well as how to make a conversation truly meaningful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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