4. How to Make a Violin, J. Broadhouse, Rev. Ed.,
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HOW TO MAKE
A VIOLIN by
JOHN BROADHOUSE and
VIOLIN NOTES by OLE BULL
Revised Edition
LONDON WILLIAM REEVES la
Bookseller Ltd.
Norbury Crescent, S.W.I
Printed in Great Britain by (Printers) Limited, London,
Lowe and Brydone
N.W.io
Foreword,
THE demand
for this little
work on the
construction of the violin has con-
tinued steadily for years and for a short
time has been out of print.
This present
edition has been considerably improved
and
has had the advantage of being revised by
one
of
With
our
well-known
violin
makers.
a view of further improving this edi-
tion the outline illustrations of the
models
of Stradivarius, Guarnerius and Amati have
been re-drawn and that of a Maggini added to the
list.
Contents rAOK
1
Introduction
Chapter
The Parts
Chapter
On
1.
7
of the Violin
the Selection of
II.
Wood
Chapter The Tools Required
9 III.
13
Chapter IV. 22
The Models Chapter V, The Mould
28
Chapter VI. The Side-pieces and Side-linings
35
Chapter VII. The Back
41
...
Chapter VIII. 46
The Belly
The Thickness
of
Chapter IX. the Back and Belly
52
CONTENTS.
VI
PAOK
Chapter X. The Bass Bar
66
Chapter XI. 61
The Purfling Chapter XII.
67
The Neck Chapter XIII.
V6
The Fingerboard Chapter XIV.
The Nut
cand the Tail Piece
Nut
77
Chapter XV. Varnishing and Polishing
79
Chapter XVI. Varnishes and Colouring Matter
82
Chapter XVII. 91
The Varnish
A.
Chapter XVIII. Mathematical Method of Constructing the 102
Outline
Chapter XIX. The Remaining Accessories of the Violin cluding Violin Notes by Ole Bull)
(in...
113
List of Illustrations. ''Le Mercure " Strad
Frontispiece
ria.
1.
Saw
2.
Plane, side view
3.
Plane, bottom view
4.
Plane showing loose pieces detached Plane ready for use ... Side view of small rounded plane Bottom view of small rounded plane Knife Scraper ... ... ... ... ... Steel compasses ... ... ...
5. 6. 7.
8. 9.
10.
J3
14 ...
14
... ...
15 16 ...
Bending iron
...
...
13.
Hand-vice
...
14.
Wooden hand screw
15. Clip of 16. 17.
...
... ... ...
...
...
...
wood
Sound-post setter ... ... Sound-post setter used by Spohr
16 17
...
11. Steel trace 12.
14
...
...
...
...
17 17
18 18 19 19 20 20 20
18.
Large folding plate of outlines of an Amati, Stradivarius, Guarnerius and Maggini At end of volume
19.
Outline of a violin
20.
Model Model
21.
for the curve of the
23
back and belly width
for the curve at its greatest
24 24
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.
Vlll
PAOK
FIO.
22. 23.
The curve over the / holes Model for the curve at the widebt part the neck end
...
...
...
...
24 of ...
24
Model for drawing and placing the / holes The mould The counter mould The upper mould with pieces in position
25 28
32
30.
Mould with the blocks Maple piece The two maple pieces in
31.
Another view in one piece
32.
The back-plate
24.
25. 26. 27.
28. 29.
41
42 44
...
62 62 63 66 68
34. Cutters 35. Purfling tool
36. Chisel-sharpened awl
The neck
38.
A
view of the foot of the neck with measures marked
39. Outline 40.
44.
45.
46. 47.
...
72
...
...
104
...
108 109
...
110
showing the position of the bar showing varying thickness Bridge of a viol with seven strings, body of which is not cut out except at two sides ... ... ... ... Bridge of a viol with five strings through in every part ... Bridge of a small pattern violin of ancient school of Anthony Amati Bridge of a Nicholas Araati ... Bridge of a Stradivarius ...
42. Outline 43.
...
Arc
41. Outline
31
41
position
33. Purfling tool
37.
29
the the ...
126
cut 127
the
126 128 128
Introduction.
So
much has been
upon the
written
violin, its history, its
development,
beauties as a musical instrument,
musical literature,
etc.,
its its
that a collection of
works to which it ha^ given rise would form almost a library of themselves. all
the
Its history
has been ably treated in a Ger-
man work
called
chichte ever,
und
as
believe,
"Die Violine, Ihre Ges-
Ihr Bau."
yet
which
The
oiily
work, how-
given to English readers, treats fully
and
numerous details involved
I
concisely of
making a violin, is the very fine but expensive work of E. Heron-Allen a work complete in itself, but perhaps too costly for some who would like to try their hand at fabricating the
—
in
INTRODUCTION.
2
Hints are given
a fiddle.
and
in
is
furnished; the best "
contained in
is
Davidson.
By
interesting
work
and
books,
some of them a general outline of
the process
seen
many
in
The
have
I
by
Violin,"
P.
far the greater part of that
devoted to theoretical
is
historical matters, which, however, at-
tractive in themselves, are not strictly con-
nected with the making of the instrument
My
object in writing this book
the
amateur detailed information respect-
is
to afford
ing the various processes to be gone through in the
workshop, from the time when the
wood in the rough moment when the
lies
on the bench
finished article
is
to the
ready I
do
have allowed any detail to
es-
to be fitted with strings for playing.
not think
cape me, reader
I
if I
who
have will
I
shall be grateful to
communicate with me, so
that the defect or defects in
a later edition.
suppose that
make
it
possible,
and
to
as
may
do not
I
my work
tried to
any
is
be remedied
for a
moment
perfect, but I
full
explain
have
and complete as in
detail
every
operation necessary to construct a violin,
INTRODUCTION. It
presumed that the amateur
is
enthusiastic
ciently
and
3
that he
to
make
the
means not merely
common box
wood which
of
when played upon, but ments which will his best
work
Violins
are
suffi-
is
attempt,
make a
to
will
sound
to produce instru-
live after
him, and to put
into every violin he finishes.
turned
out by
thousand
the
every year, but cheap as they are, most of
them are dear
at the price paid
made without
because they are
for
them
artistic in-
without enthusiasm, without love
telligence,
for the beautiful,
to
attention
and without that minute
each
particular
instrument
which alone can secure a perfect work.
So
many backs, so many bellies, so many necks, so many finger-boards, so many bass-bars, so many sound-posts, are shaped to a given pattern, fitted together, varnished, into the
and sent
market as so many violins; but
way to produce one good inThe amateur who reads this
this is not the
strument.
book doubtless knows about
the
old
all that
can be learnt
masters whose
names are
household words in the violin world, and
if
INTRODUCTION.
4 SO,
he knows that they did not work on this
plan,
but bestowed
loving
care
on every
work
single instrument, regarding the one
hand as quite enough to tax all their energies and absorb all their artistic knowledge and experience for the time being. in
This spirit
is
the spirit in which to work,
which will regard every
equally
detail
the as
momentous, and bestow as much
time and trouble on the inside v/ork which
on the outside work which will be seen. I would call the reader's attention to the remark of the
will never be seen, as
eminent sculptor to the
effect that "Trifles
make
would at the same
perfection," but I
time caution him against misunderstanding the quotation. there
are
unseen,
no
great
In the "trifles,"
or
making of a
everything seen or
small,
beautiful, is of the
first
beautiful
or
importance.
mason who carved elaborate figures, in
violin
details
not
The on
a cathedral, placed so high that
work could not be seen and admired, made his work perfect because the gods would see it does the amateur who
the beauty of his
;
INTRODUCTION. is
5
know
about to begin to make a violin
what such enthusiasm means
Is
?
he pre-
pajed to produce a perfect work, not merely to
make a
for
it,
profit
not to
by
gam
it,
not to win admiration
celebrity
by
it,
but because
the doing of genuine work, for the reason
that
genuine work,
it is
is
the highest
known to the enthusiasm. The work
and
purest pleasure
enthusiast?
This
will not of
is
fame result from it, but it will certainly be bad if this particular kind of enthusiasm do not inspire be bad
necessity
if
profit or
every step taken in the process of doing
Few
have been told oftener than
stories
that which tells
informed
it.
how
Sir Joshua
Reynolds
an inquirer that he mixed his
colours with brains.
That
commodity with which
I
is
the one single
cannot undertake
amateur violin-maker.
No
to supply
the
amount of
instruction will enable a fool to
make a
fiddle.
No number of difficulties will man "with a head screwed on
prevent a
way about" from working through to
success.
These
instructions
right
the
failure
are
only
6
INTRODUCTION.
meant for people of the latter sort. For them the directions here given will be ample. Theories have been abundantly dealt with
by other practical.
writers
:
this
work
is
meant
to be
HOW TO MAKE A CHAPTER
VIOLIN.
I.
THE PARTS OF THE VIOLIN.
TAKEN
to
a violin would be
pieces,
found to consist of the following parts
Back Belly
.... .
(4 Corners
.
and
,
.
i
2 Pieces
2
top and
bottom blocks)
6
tSides Side Linings
Bar
.
JPurflings
12 I
36
It is is sometimes made in one piece. " then called a whole back." The same remark also *
The back
applies to the belly. t I
Bottom side is sometimes one piece only. The purflings are the narrow black ornamental
double lines running round the outer edge of the back and belly. They are sometimes omitted.
How
8
Neck
to
Make
a Violin.
Finger Board
Nut
I^iec
I
.
.
II
.
II
Bridge
II
Tail Piece
.
II
Button for ditto String for ditto Tail Piece Nut
II
.
II
.
II
Sound Post
11
Strings
Pegs
.
.
.
.
4
II
4
II
82
( Four kinds of wood are used pine, ebony and rosewood.
Maple
is
Pine
is
bridge.
used for the belly, the bar, the
blocks, the side linings
Ebony
maple,
used for the back, the neck, the
and the
side pieces
;
is
and the sound
used for the fingerboard, the
nut, the tail piece, the tail piece nut
button.
Rosewood
post.
>v
for the pegs
. )
and
the
CHAPTER
11.
ON THE SELECTION OF WOOD. maple and THEwoods
pine are the sounding
of the violin, and the tone of
the instrument depends chiefly upon the quality of
wood
chosen.
It is
a pity to
waste good work on bad wood, and the fol-
lowing points must be carefully observed
maple and pine should have been cut in Decem-
in selecting both the
Q The tree ber or January.
At
ceased to flow, and
that time the sap has
wood
cut
down
then
is
always richer in sonorous qualities than that
any other time^ must have been seasoned for
cut at It
seven years before use, more,
never
less.
Artificial
ployed to hasten the
six
if possible,
or
but
means have been emeffects
of seasoning,
and make the wood tough,
elastic
ant, but seasoning is the
only genuine, be-
and
reson-
How
10
cause natural
to
Make
mode
a Violin.
of attaining this end,
and I advise the amateur to avoid baked wood, or wood dosed with chemicals, as he would the plague. The longer the wood has been seasoned by being kept in a dry and airy place
and protected from extremes of
heat and cold, the better will
it
be for violin
making.
y he
wood must be
perfectly
worm
from
free
without flaw of any kind.
and The grain must
be perfectly straight and
run lengthwise.
knots,
quite
sound, not
The maple must not be
eaten,
too hard or too soft,
in the first case the tone will not
come
freely
at the touch of the bow, in the second,
will be dull, muffled
and
brilliancy.^ This, like
it
entirely without
many
other matters
in connection with our subject, is a question
of judgment and experience. Paris, travelled in Italy
Vuillaume, of
and Switzerland
for
the express purpose of procuring pine wood,
and bought
and other articles of furniture whenever he found the kind of wood he wanted. As it is not possible for every would-be maker to follow his example chairs, tables
On
the Selection of
recommend
I
Wood.
il
buy the wood
the amateur to
he requires from a violin-maJcer of repute.
London, Paris, Mirecourt, the French town
These are to be found
and even
at
where so many
common
in
violins are
made by
For good material a
machinery to order.
high price will be asked, and very valuable
back and belly wood are wortli
pieces of
A
almost their weight in gold.
London once showed me two
maker
in
pieces
of
maple sawed into shape for a back, which he said he would not sell, even in the rough, for twenty
Tt
pounds
apiece.
not of course necessary or desirable
is
that the amateur should
make
his earliest
experiments on costly wood, on the other
hand,
recommend him
I
to
make
his
first
fiddle of cheap material, so as to familiarise
himself with the tools ^nd the them.
When
quired,
it
valuable
this
to use
experience has been ac-
will be soon
wood
way
into
enough
an
to try to turn
artistic
and
really
excellent violin.
The wood must be cut from the south side 01 the tree. The old Italian makers took (
How
12
great
to
care
to
Make a
Violin.
wood
select
of
kind,
this
more sonorous and brilliant in tone. The maple should be free from red or brown patches, that which is of because they
found
it
an uniformly whitish
tint is the best.
The pine should be white and of
perfectly
straight grain throughout the length of the
instrument.^
The very
finest grain is
not so
good as that which has an open space between the hbres. The least knot, fault, flaw or curve in the grain will render the piece useless.
No
other
wood but
pine
is
ever
used for the belly, though the back has
made of other woods than Figured wood is advisable if its
occasionally been
maple. sonority ful
is
not interfered with, as the beauti-
and the useful may readily be combined.
Some
of the backs of Stradivarius combine
beauty of appearance and excellence of tone in the highest perfection.
CHAPTER
III.
THE TOOLS REQUIRED. the used SOME ofcommonly used
in violin
tools
by
are
making cabinet-
makers and carpenters, and others are peculiarly fitted for their special purposes.
They may be bought
at a
good
tool
shop.
The work-bench larger than 4
ft.
or table,
by
2
ft.
A
should be attached to one end.
need not be
wooden vice The surface
should be quite smooth and kept scrupulously clean.
The following
tools are required
:
FIC.J
Three saws one of the usual kind for
sawing the larger pieces (24 inches of blade will be plenty), a hand saw for the more
How
14
delicate work,
Make
to
a Violin.
and a bow saw
for outline
work.
Three
chisels,
^
inch, § inch,
and
i
inch
broad respectively.
Eight gouges, ranging from \ inch to I
inch broad, will be necessary.
riQ.%
A
flat-bottomed plane 8 inches long.
illustrations
quired.
Fig.
The
show the kind of plane re2 is the side view of the body
Fi(^^
The Tools Required. Fig. 3
15
the bottom view, aa being the
is
for the blade; Fig. 4
slit
shows the loose pieces
when fixed, keeps the blade and Fig. 5 shows the plane
detached, which, in its
place;
FIO.S
The blade must be kept very will tear the wood instead of
ready for
use.
sharp, or
it
taking
off
If the
a thin clean shaving.
maker buys
his
wood
in the tree,
and decides to season it himself, he must cut his maple for the necks into pieces 12 inches long, 2\ inches deep, and if inches broad, the grain running on the broadest side.
Stack
the pieces so that the air gets freely to them.
The
maple and pine for the back and belly must be 16 inches long, 6 inches broad, but conical in shape, the broader edge being i^ inches and the narrower \ inch. pieces of
Authorities are divided as to whether the heart
wood
or the outer
edge should be joined
How
i6 in the
to
Make a
Violin.
middle of the instrument.
French author, says
de mettre
la partie
*' :
du
II
Mauzin, a
faut avoir soin
coeur
de Teirbre
dire les veines les plus rapproch^s, centre de la table."
.
.
.
c*est-a-
dans
le
Mr. Davidson, in the
work referred to in the introduction, says the "two thickest edges" should be "the bark side of the tree," and yet he says later on, after giving directions for planing and joining the thicker edges to
and
belly
:
" It
make
the back
will thus be seen that the
centre of this joined plate contains the interior or heart
two
wood"
If,
as he says, the
thickest edges are the bark side^
it
is
impossible that the centre of the joined plate
can contain the interior or heartwood*
//^ 6 •
Aa » matter
of fact the bark side
is in the centre or jointed part of the iD6trument, this applies to both back and belly.
The Tools Reauired.
i;
Three small planes, with rounded bottoms. Figs. 6
The
and 7 show what
these tools are like.
smallest should be of the size shown;
the second half as large again; the largest
twice the size of the smallest.
Three or four knives of the shape shown in Fig. 8, with blades
ranging from
i
inch
to 3 inches in length.
Two
or three scrapers, like those used by
cabinet-makers,
The
but
with
rounded edges.
necessity for this difference will be seen
when the use of the scraper is explained. One scraper will be required with later,
the edge shaped as Fig.
r/^a
9.
How
i8
A
Make
to
a Violin.
pair of steel compasses for measuring
the thickness of the back as in Fig.
large
pieces to be
belly,
shaped
These must, of course, be
lo.
enough
and
to allow the
back and belly
measured with equal
facility
from any point of the edge.
® ^
A
steel
trace,
the other, Fig.
A
bending
with one leg shorter than
ii.
iron,
for giving shape to the
The Tools Required. side pieces
and side
linings, Fig.
19 12.
The
body (B) is of an oval shape (C), Fig. 12, and 6 inches long, the length of the oval being 2 inches and the width i inch. The handle (A) should of course be long enough to prevent burning the hand when the body (B)
A
is
heated.
hand-vice, Fig. 13; the opening from
B should be about breadth, C to D, about to
A
3^ inches, and the i
inch.
Sixteen or eighteen hand-screws,
wood, of the shape shown
in Fig.
made 14,
of
and
How
20
measuring be
3 inches
a Violin.
A
from
to B.
C
should
In using these hand-screws,
inch thick.
I
Make
to
a piece of cloth must be put on the violin to
prevent marks of any kind.
A
clip of
Fig.
1
5,
I
wood shaped
like
a clothes-peg,
inch wide at A, 2 inches from point
r-iA
to point at B,
its
thickness | mch,
length
and
is
9 inches and used for glueing is
its
in
the bass bar, five of these being required. It
should be
Another
made
of hard wood.
clip of a similar kind, but
2 inches long.
The
only
inner surfaces of these
The Tools Required. two
little
sible,
A
tools
must be as smooth as pos-
so as not to " chafe
sound-post
21
setter,
'*
the violin.
which
is
made
of
and shaped as in Fig. 16, where A shows the surface, and B the bend of the steel
tool.
It
should be 8 or 10 inches long.
Another form of sound-post used by Spohr. 17.
Its
shape
The bend B enables
is
setter
was
given in Fig.
the setter to be
applied to the head or foot of the post at will.
The
best tools should be procured whicii
buy the art of violin making is not an easy one, and its difficulties are indefinitely multiplied by bad tools.
it is
possible to
;
CHAPTER
IV.
THE MODELS.
BY
"
a model
meant a
" is
wood, Fig.
flat piece
of
about | inch thick, which affords a means of drawing 19,
the shape which any part of the violin
is
to
Great care will be required in shaping
take.
upon them the accuracy of the finished work depend?. While the amateur will naturally wish to these models, as
copy the outline of an instrument by one of the great masters,
it
is
not to be supposed
that he will possess a back or belly by Amati,
Stradivarius or Guarnerius.
I
therefore give
the outline of a violin by each of these
masters
A
:
see large folding plate.
model of either may be made as follows draw the outline on tracing paper, or, better still, cut out the model chosen from :
The Models. the woodcut,
and paste
it
23
on a thin piece of
mahogany, having first made the straight edge representing the centre joint quite smooth and even with the plane. Then cut
ri^.if out the
mahogany
the required shape, with
scrupulous care, filing out the corners and inlet
with a fine
file.
The shape
tained will answer very well
if it is
thus obcarefully
done, and can be kept for future violins.
The name of
maker of the strument taken as the model written on the mahogany in ink the
ori|jinal in-
should be for identifi-
How
24 cation.
If
made
be
it is
in
Make
to
a Violin.
preferred, the full
the
model can
same Nvay by cutting out
another piece of paper, the shape of that
taken from the wood-cut, the following will then be the form of the model
:
Fig. 20.
Fig. 20 shows the the back
and belly taken lengthwise.
C
Fig
instrument at
21.
model
Fig. 21 shows the
the
model for the curve of
its
^
for the curve of
greatest
width,
and
Fig. 22 the curve over the / holes.
^
'^-23.
Fig. 23 shows the
model for the curve
the widest part at the neck
end
at
The Models. Fig. 24 shows the
placing the / holes.
model It will
25
for
drawing and
be observed that
the position and shape of the / holes varies
and a model must
in different instruments, bf*
made
to suit each style adopted.
/g.2^.
The four models shown in Figs. 18, 19, 20 and 21 can only be properly made by adthem to the back of another instrument. If the amateur cannot obtain access to justing
a good violin for this purpose, he should purchase a copy of a Stradivarius, which can be
bought tolerably cheap. that
I
model must copies are
If
it
seems strange
should recommend a trashy copy as for the arching of a
be
—
remembered
those, at
made
any
that
rate,
good the
violin,
h it
Mirecourt
of the better kind,
accurately to a scale taken from
How
26
Make
to
a Violin.
the instruments of the best period of Stradivarius, is
and
are correctly
concerned.
make
If
made
so far as shape
amateur prefers to
the
these models of arching
alone, he
must bear
varius, following the
in
mind
by
his eye
that
Stradi-
example of the Amati
family, began with a high arching, especially
between the / holes, but as he gained experience he found that the lowering of the arch contributed to fullness and brilliance of tone,
and
the violins of his best period have
the lowest arching of
the mathematical line gives
a
The chapter on
all.
method of finding the
mode
out-
of determining the shape
of the arch lengthwise; this being once obtained and the model made, the transverse
arching will
of
course be
that, as the arches at the
determined by
upper and lower
widths and also at the / holes must necessarily fall from the given height of the lengthwise arch to the level near the edges.
The scroll must also be formed from a good pattern. A good neck and scroll can be bought at as
a
model.
all
instrument dealers and kept Directions
for
carving
the
The Models. scroll
will
be
found
later
27 Various
on.
methods have been devised for making a
model of a scroll without a pattern, but those methods are very cumbersome in operation
and uncertain
in
result,
and
I
recommend
buy a scroll from Hart, Hill, Chanot, or some other London maker of He can work from this pattern, repute.
the amateur to
always knowing that
his
model
an one as can be obtained.
is
as
good
CHAPTER
V.
THE MOULD.
THE is
mould, which, properly speaking, a
" tool
*'
as
much
as those men-
tioned in the chapter on tools, piece of
wood
is
a
cut in such a shape as to allow
the blocks, side-pieces
and
side-linings to
be
fixed in their proper places, so as to form the true foundations on which the violin built up. 25.
At
This mould
A A
is
is
to be
represented in Fig.
are the inlets for the two top
The Mould.
29
and bottom blocks, and the four pieces marked B are for the corner blocks which fill up on each side of the two circular inlets, for the solid Jaasis on which the back and belly are afterwards glued.
The mould
is
begun by making a model
exactly the shape
and
back and belly, Fig.
size of that for the
19.
the piece intended for
Lay on the bench the mould and put
upon it the model already made, Fig. 19; mark the outline with the point of the tracer, and with the saw and knife clean away the wood, and then with the file dress the edges until they correspond exactly with the pat-
tern (the four corners
may
be left sharp).
This piece will then be of the shape of Fig. 26,
and
is
called the counter mould.
How
30
Now
Make a
to
Violin.
take a piece of hard
wood (walnut
is
the best for the purpose) \ inch in thickness
and
a
little
This piece
Lay upon
is
meant for the mould
on the
it
and
it,
table,
trace
latter
with the
trace
the
B B B
model
larger than the
and
on
it
A A
itself.
the centre
.
.
.
mould
the outline of the
Then, with a
tracer.
inlets
in Fig. 19.
and four
inlets
The dark
B, as in Fig. 25.
rule,
at
line
shows the shape of the mould; the dotted lines
at'B represent the corner blocks.
move
the superfluous
wood with
the saw
and
and
file.
knife, finishing off with the scraper It is
Re-
absolutely necessary that the sides of
the mould, in perfectly
all
square
their extent,
with
the
should be
surface.
Any
deviation from this rule will throw the side-
when they come to edges of the mould being the
pieces out of the upright •be fixed,
the
only means of enabling the side-pieces to be
glued to the corner blocks in an upright position.
Next 25.
pierce the eight holes
The top and bottom
shown
in Fig.
holes are to be
TJie
respectively
Mould.
31
i\ inches (or 15 lignes French
measure) from the inner edge of the inlets
A
C
A, the four marked
lets
B B B B; and
the
i
inch from the in-
two
in the centre
inch from the inner edge of the
C
i
curves.
Eight other pieces must now be added to the mould.
ri^ 27,
This figure shows the upper mould sur-
rounded by the eight pieces
They must precise inches,
and
also be of walnut,
depth of
the
in
question.
and of
side-pieces,
viz.,
the \\
and must be dressed with the scraper
file till
they
fit
perfectly close to the
sides of the mould.
The next figure shows the mould, with the blocks (A A) (B B B B) fitted in their places.
How
32
^
to
Make
a Violin.
These blocks must be of even grain and a
pine, of perfectly
over i^ inches high to
trifle
The blocks should fit inlets, and their grain and
allow for trimming. perfectly in their
that
of the corner blocks
across the instrument
also
must run
This gives solidity
to the body.
The blocks being prepared, put a mere spot of glue on the edge of the mould in each of the six inlets, and fix the pieces of pine so that they all stand exactly at the
same
They should project beyond the of the mould underneath, but only
height.
surface
j^ of an
When
inch.
the glue
knife and
file
is
dry, trim off with the
the projecting -^ of
an
inch,
The Mould. and
file
33
the blocks perfectly level with the
underside of the mould, this being the side
on which the back will
must be used
ruler
to
The
be glued.
ascertain
the
that
surface corresponds perfectly with that of the mould.
Lay
the upper
mould on
mould
the
so
that the outlines of the two are quite square
with each other, and trace out the shape of the former
the extra
on the blocks.
wood with
trim with the knife
a suitable
and
away gouge and
Then
file
till
cut
the blocks
are the exact shape of the upper mould.
mould and blocks
The
will then be of the shape
of Fig. 26 (page 29).
Work
slowly and
measure constantly with the square to see that the outer edges of the blocks are perfectly square with the surface of the It
is
now time
mould.
to speak of glue,
which
must be of the best quality and made with the utmost care. This is the more important because no other material
is
used for hold-
ing the parts of the violin together. best glue It is
is
that
known
as
Cologne
The glue.
pale in colour and sold in pieces 6 or
4
How
34
to
and
8 inches long
Make
a Violin.
wide;
2
it
very brittle
is
and whitish at the broken edge. Common glue is of no use at all. Break a quantity in small pieces and put it in cold water for four hours, which will soften and swell it Then take a small glue pot of the orup. dinary
Add
enamelled. glue
is all
with
but
kind,
dissolved
boils.
used very
making,
should be of the con-
it
oil.
Take
hot,
care that
it
While
but never boiling.
gently with a stick of pine
in using it
apply
it
with a large camel hair pencil. glue will
vessel
The glue should always be
stir it
wood, and
inner
water slowly; when the
sistency of very thick
never
the
dry in four hours;
to the
wood
In summer, in winter
it
needs twelve, and, in the latter case, the
edges
of
the
warmed before two
wood should be the glue
is
carefully
When
put on.
pieces are glued together, scrape
away
with a chisel any drops which escape, while they are hot^ or with a pencil dipped in water.
It
warm
cannot be too often repeated that
only the very best glue obtainable use for violin making.
is
of any
CHAPTER
VI.
THE SIDE-PIECES AND SIDE-LININGS.
SAW
out a piece of maple 30 inches long,
The grain should run lengthwise. Lay it on the bench at one end and clamp it down 4 inches wide, and
with the hand-vice. over (going
^^j
inch thick.
Plane the surface
away from
all
the vice), then un-
clamp it, turn it round, clamp the clean end down, and plane the rest. This time a flat bit of wood must be put between the handvice and maple to prevent the planed surface from being marked. the
same way,
thickness of
On
^
till
Plane the other side in
the piece
reduced to a
inch.
account of
its
peculiar grain
very difficult stuff to plane, iron
is
must be dressed so as 35
and
maple
,the
is
plane
to project very
How
36
slightly, or
smooth
and
piece
same time the most
is still
are
smoothed
too thick, but
into
and
removed
to a
nice
polish
strips
must be
it
the
strip
by is
on the surface
violin.
mark your
take the tracer and
three
difficult
inequalities left
till all
which will be outside the
Now
not
best suited for the side pieces.
carefully scraped
planing
wood and
will tear the
it
pieces are at the
The
a Violin.
The most wavy and ornamental
it.
to plane,
Make
to
of equal
piece
Divide
width.
them carefully with a knife. Take the plane bottom upwards, between your knees, and, holding each strip in your hands, move the edges along the plane iron
till
each
is
exactly i^ inches wide.
To
them
divide
into
proper
lengths,
measure with a strip of paper round the upper curve of the mould from the point where the neck
is
to join the
corner of the block.
and
Allow for trimming
join at this comer.
measure the
inlet,
block to the
In the same
allowing
for
way
trimming
and joining at both ends. Then measure from the lower comer to the centre of the
The Side-pieces and Cut two
lower block.
yj^^
Side-linings.
strips to each length.
Cut the pieces long enough. The next operation
to
is
bend the
Heat
the bending iron.
hot enough
handle
which
strips,
char the
to
wood.
in the bench-vice, and,
the strips, dip
it
in cold
done with
a stove, but not
in
it
is
Fix
taking one of
water and bend
the required shape very gradually. are too hasty
you
Keep the
strip.
dipping.
A
it
If
to
you
will certainly break the strip
little
the
damp by
frequent
practice soon renders this
operation easy, but care must be taken to curve square with the width, in other words,
when
bent, the side-piece should touch the
bench at every point of
The
side-pieces can
four corners
meet
and
edge.
its
now be
filed
till
it
the
where the sides
at the point
at the lower block the joint
trimmed and
At
fixed.
is
must be
perfect.
The
eight pieces of walnut before mentioned, of the depth of \\ inches, will
now be wanted.
shows them
in their places,
Fig. 27 (p. 31)
and
their
use
is
to hold
the sides to the
blocks to which they are to be fixed by
means of
glue.
Rub
the
edges of
the
How
38
mould
to
Make
a Violin.
with soap, taking great care
well
does not touch the blocks.
that the soap
C
Glue the two blocks in the side-piece in
its
exact place,
inlet,
fix
put the
upon
the
it
walnut block, take a hand-vice, and, putting the beak in the hole nearest the the screw
and
C
inlet, fix
on the outside of the walnut block screw
the
side-piece
presses firmly against the soaped
mould and
the
tighten
glued
blocks.
until
So
for
other
the
C
inlet.
Glue the upper block and the corner block, lay on the side-piece,
add
the walnut blocks,
clamp up with hand-vices as before, using the holes nearest to the glued block.
The
side-pieces will, of course, be level with the
mould on
the
under
side,
At
on the upper surface. leave
a
space
of
\
and
project
the upper block
inch,
at
the
block the joint must be perfect.
lower
To do
end first, glue the block and clamp, and do the same with the other side-piece, leaving the two ends free. Then bring them together at the lower blpck and make your joint perfect this
properly,
run
the
corner
The Side-pieces and
Side-linings.
gluing the block
glue the block
before
clamp
up.
It is
holes were
made
When
dry and
now
why
clear
in the firm,
;
39
and
the eight
mould.
remove the vices and
trim the blocks to the level of the sidepieces.
this
It is
hardly necessary to say that
must be done slowly and with exceed-
ing care, lest the side-pieces should be disturbed.
usual to have the sides slightly nar-
It is
rower
at
the
This narrowing
neck end.
must now be done. take off the
With the knife and file neck block and side not more
than tV of an inch\ the height of the sides
must then be graduated
all
round, starting
with \\ inches at the lower end and finishing
This opera-
inch less at the upper end.
iV
tion requires great care.
The put 1*1
at
in.
side-linings
They
may now
are of pine,
be
^
made and inch broad,
and -^ inch They are bent
inch thick at the thicker
the
thinner
edge.
by the same means as the sides, glued in with the thicker edge level with the edge of the sides and held in their places
40
How
to
Make
with wooden chips. take a fine knife
a Violin.
When
these are dry,
and separate the blocks
from the mould, round off the blocks with a gouge, and the outline of your violin is complete.
CHAPTER
VII.
THE BACK.
THE
back and belly are made
same way, save that the
left
thinner
which hereafter.
than
the
in
latter
former,
the is
of
In form and arch they are
precisely the same.
Take two pieces of maple shaped thus, and of the size previously indicated, Fig. 29.
Fig, 29.
Plane the surface and the thicker edges,
and lay
the two pieces together
on the table
thus, Fig. 30.
These two when glued together will form the back of the violin, the ridge being the 41
How
42
to
Make
position of the arch.
a Violin.
you decide to have its size must be that
If
your back in one piece,
of the other two laid together, and
its
shape
thus, Fig. 31.
If
you use two
pieces,
plane the thicker
edges until they join perfectly. together. is
When
the glue
is
Glue them
dry, your back
ready for work.
Lay
the two pieces (now practically one)
on the bench, and having planed both sides perfectly, take the
on the
flat side,
model
(Fig. 19), place
it
taking -particular care that
the joint corresponds with the centre of the
model. line
With
the tracer point
of the model.
draw the out-
Rigid accuracy
in-
is
dispensable.
Saw round
the outline with the
not going too near the flle
line,
bow
saw,
as the knife
and
have to follow to give the exact outline
of the model.
See that the edges are at
points square with the
Open
all
flat side.
the tracer \ inch, take the back be-
tween your knees, and work a
line all
round
The Back. the edge at that distance
This
is
43
from the
the thickness the edge
to be.
is
Put the back on the bench,
flat side.
fix
it
with
hand-screws, and with a large gouge give to it
a rough resemblance of the shape which
Do
it
must ultimately
take.
this work.
hardly necessary to remind
It is
not hurry over
when all the gouging, knifing, scraping and filing have been done, a certain thickness of wood must be left, and that one cut too deep at the outthe
careful
workman
set will necessitate
that
a fresh
Begin by
start.
working along the ridge, so as to give to the joint a rough resemblance to the model of the arching lengthwise.
Take
short
and
shallow strokes with the gouge, cutting
off
only very small chips at a time, and be sure
and
leave
enough wood
which are to follow.
for the operations
When
this
is
done
there will, of course, be a cavity, like a miniature railway cutting, getting deeper as
get further
Now
away from
'begin
you
the centre.
again from the centre, and
work out in the rough the arching down the middle of the C inlets.
to
How
44
Next
clear
to
Make
away from
a Violin. the point where the
two archings meet, four sloping Imes diagonally, to the middle of the upper and lower curves.
The back-plate
will
now resemble
the following figure. Fig. 32.
Next clear away
all the
spare
wood from
and then with the smallest round-bottomed plane, make the the centre to the edges,
whole surface tolerably smooth,
two models
fit
with accuracy.
where the shorter model should
until
The fit
the
place
must be
The Back.
45
found by taking the model of the / holes and marking through it the two notches on
The
inner edges.
their
highest arch must
be across these notches.
Now
take the same plane and clear out
the groove or slight depression round the
edge, so that the arching of the instrument falls
away
little
valley,
all
round to the bottom of
from the
level of
this
which there
will be a slight rise to the level of the outer
edges.
Having thus got
the outside of the back
to the proper shape, as far as the small plane
will
do
finish
it,
it
off
with the scrapers and
fine glass-paper.
You must now side up.
turn the plate the other
Before doing
this,
however, put a
piece of cloth or green baize on the bench, to
prevent the outer surface of the back from
being scratched.
wood must
Under
this cloth pieces of
be fixed all round, of such a
height as to support the outer edges,
and
at
same time allow the middle of the back to rest upon the bench. The reason of this
the
is
obvious;
if this
precaution were not taken
How
46
Make a
to
Violin.
would not remain still while the outer side was being hollowed out. In hollowing out the inner surface, care must the back
be taken to leave
places where the
level
blocks will have to be attached, and to leave
more wood all over than when the back is finished. referred to
m
Chapter
will be the case
The compasses
III,
Fig.
10,
will
enable you to obtain the requisite thicknesses,
which are of such
that
have treated the matter fully
I
vital
importance in
a
separate chapter.
Now
turn to Chapter IX, and reduce the
back to
proper thickness all
its
there directed.
Having
over as
carried through this
operation with great care, the outer edge of the back should correspond exactly in outline
with
the
side-pieces,
which
are
already fixed on the mould, and the back
A
should project over the side-pieces all file,
round.
Now
take a good,
and bevel very
slightly
fine,
flat
it
one everywhere else;
biting
round the whole
inside of the edge, using a round
the short curves render
inch
file
necessary, finish
off
where
and a with
The Back.
medium
sand-paper.
the back
47
If the
fit
is
accurate,
ready to be glued on, which
is
done as follows
lay
:
Mark with a
pencil
upon the
the back
side-pieces, in the exact place
it is
is
to occupy.
on the edge of the back
the joint where the side-pieces meet at the
broad end of the instrument and also make
marks
where the side-
at the four corners
pieces are joined at the extremities of the
C
inlets.
These markings are to enable you
and without place where you want it
to lay the back in an instant, hesitation, in the
The glue has
to be.
possible
without
to be used as hot as
and unless you
boiling,
the
down the back in its moment the glue is put on
its
heat
can lay
and
its
tenacity
exact place it
will lose
while you
are
shuffling the back about to find its place.
Have everything
ready,
therefore,
for
a
rapid and precise operation, so as to be in readiness the
When you and
moment
are ready,
the glue
is
laid on.
take the camel-hair
upon the sidepieces, put the back in its place, and secure it with the wooden hand-screws, putting two brush,
lay the hot glue
How
48
to
Make
a Violin.
on the upper block, two on the lower, one at each corner, and as many more as you can place round
the
edges.
should have a piece of cloth
Each screw placed upon
from bruising the wood. The glue which has been forced out by the pressure must be at once removed with a surface, to keep
its
it
camel-hair brush dipped in the hot water of the
Let
glue-pot.
it
stand
till
it
is
per-
fectly dry.
The it is
as
belly
is
fixed in the
same way when
completed by the fixing of the bass bar
shown
later on.
belly are glued on, jection of either
When
both back and
any variation
beyond the
side-pieces
be adjusted with the knife and the projection
round.
is
in the pro-
file,
must
so that
perfectly symmetrical all
CHAPTER
VIII.
OF THE BELLY. the operator has succeeded in
IF a
good back,
either
making
whole or joined,
he will meet with no great difficulty in
making
of
the
ence,
/
and,
the
belly;
the
cutting
holes
being
the
only
moreover,
the
little
out
differ-
projection
end of the back is not required for the belly. It must be remembered, however, that pine is much more at the smaller
and
maple,
fragile
than
require
proportionately
working
;
it
grain, the tool
"
increased
therefore care
in
must be worked with very sharp
tools, and, as
getting out
will
it
is
liable to split
along the
must be used both ways
a curve,
lest
the
wood
in
split.
Measure twice before you cut once," cut
lightly
take
off
and
delicately,
and be content
to
a very small piece at each stroke 49
}low
jo lest
Make
to
a Violin.
one unlucky gash should at the same
time spoil your labour and your temper.
Take
care that the joint follows exactly
grain of
the
the wood, which
perfectly straight from
you get a the
to end,
and that
faultless joint before glueing the
pieces together.
that
end
should be
It is
heart-wood
of great importance
— in
other words,
the
part which grows nearest the centre of the
and consequently is of closer grain, should be on the side furthest from the joint.
tree,
In regulating the thickness of the different parts of the belly, follow the directions
given in Chapter IX.
THE / HOLES. Before these are cut out the belly should in
every
other
respect be
finished.
Place
the model of the / holes upon the belly,
having, of course,
first
laid the latter
upon
the bench, taking care that the position of
the
model
is
accurately
adjusted.
Then
with a pencil sharpened to a very fine point, carefully
trace
out the interior of
holes in the model.
the /
Of First of
all,
the Belly.
pierce the
51
round holes above
and below somewhat less than the tracing. Then introduce a very sharp penknife blade and cut away, little by little, all the wood within the tracing.
CHAPTER
IX.
THE THICKNESS. OF THE BACK AND BELLY.
WHEN all
the belly has been
but reducing
it
to
finished
its
proper
draw a line across the centre from the two in notches of the / holes, and draw by measurements. a similar mark on the back. The middle thickness,
of
this
line
in
will
each
case
be
the
starting-point of the operation for reducing
the
wood
to
its
proper
thickness.
This
operation requires the most scrupulous care, as
upon
vibrations
quently
successful
its
its
of
performance
instrument,
the
quality
the
and conse-
of tone, will entirely
depend.
The
lines
upon the
above mentioned must be drawn
inside of the belly
and back.
Now
open the compasses exactly J inch, and, putting one leg of the compasses on 6S
The Thickness of Back and the centre of the
line,
mark
off
Belly.
that distance
on either side from the centre point.
two points will therefore be
53
These
\\ inches, or
double the distance between the compass points
Now
apart.
with
the
ruler
draw
through these two points lines parallel with the joint 3 inches towards the top inches towards the bottom. their
at
space
5
All the
inches wide.
2
Join these lines
and you thus have a inches long and \\
extremities,
rectangular
and
wood of
the belly in
must be \ inch thick. This thickness must be diminished gradu-
this space
from
ally
i^
inch
(or
\\
lignes
French
measure) at the edges of the rectangular space
down
to nearly
^
inch at the points
where the belly joins the blocks,* and the
same
thickness must be left all round the
under surface of the belly where the groove or valley runs just within the outer edges of its
Take care that this dimgradualy and not by jumps and
upper surface.
inution
is
steps. •
Some makers
little
advise \\ lignes thicker by the soundpoet.
all
over, but a
How
54
The
to
Make a
Violin.
thickness of the back is obtained in
precisely the
same way, but the hack must
be throughout a
than the
over
trijie
A
inch thicker
In other words, the rec-
belly.
tangular space on the back will be -h inch thicker than that
round the edge
on the
belly, the
inch thicker,
*h
groove
and
the
gradual diminution from the one to the other
A
inch thicker at the corresponding
points.
To
ensure
these
rectly obtained,
thicknesses
make
a small
being cor-
wedge of some
hard wood \ inch thick at the broader edge, Tti inch at the centre, and -^ inch at the thin edge.
This will serve to adjust the com-
passes, the buttons of
the
thickness
which must be put at
required,
and fixed
at
that
by the screw. Work with the small plane and scraper. Note the following the strokes of the plane will take away your pencil lines, and fresh ones must be drawn at each measurement. Do not trust your eye, but work rigidly to the exact rectangular shown by
position
:
the pencil marks.
The Thickness of Back and
Belly.
55
The plane and scrapers must not reduce your wood to the given thickness; these must be finished and brought down to their proper gauge with glass-paper. The glass-paper is the last " tool " to be used on the wood, and when the rectangular is thus finished, the compass buttons should move quite easily over
it,
Make
but touch
it
at all points.
a second hard
back, of course 21
wood wedge
for the
inch thicker in all parts
than that for the belly.
CHAPTER
X.
THE BASS BAR.
THE making member
and
will finish the interior
tant
work of
fixing of this impor-
the violin.
It
pine, fixed parallel to the joint it
and the
give
left
/ hole.
Its
is
made
of
and between
purpose
is
to
depth and power to the third and
fourth strings.
The bar should be
lo^ inches to io| inches i inch thick, J inch deep at its centre, long, and tapering off to the thinnest strip at the ends.
The edge glued
of course, curved to
edge
is
on the / holes.
straight.
fit
The
to the belly
precisely, the other
centre of the bar falls
line joining the inner notches
The grain of
pond with that of the The measurements the thickness of belly
is,
of the
the bar must corres-
belly.
here
given
are
and back above
for in-
The Bass timated;
Bar.
57
but the proportions
of
the
bar
differ in different violins.
Take
care that the bar
at right angles
is
the surface of the belly
to
curved edge possible fix the
fits
the
the belly with the greatest
Glue that edge and
exactitude.
bar parallel to the joint, so that the
outer edge of the bar inner
and that
-^ inch from the
is
edge of the upper
hole on the bass
circle
Clip
side.
it
of
the
with
/ the
shown in the chapter on tools (Fig. and let it dry, first removing the super-
clips 15),
fluous glue with
a wet camel-hair brush
as
before.
Some
writers contend
would be of greater gonally
to
the
that the bass bar
service if glued dia-
grain.
The amateur who
wishes to do so can easily test this for him-
The following opinion of an American maker (Mr. W. H. Colton) is not without inself.
terest.
and
Mr. Colton was a friend of Ole Bull,
the "note"
is
from the
life
of the
latter,
published at Boston in 1883:
"The
oblique position of the bar has not
been generally adopted.
The bar
is
ordin-
How
58
to
Make a
Violin.
on a
arily placed with its outer side
line
parallel to the centre line or glue joint of the
and
top,
from
at a distance
it
about equal to
one-half the width of the bridge, measured
from the outer extremities of the slight spring
is
feet.
A
given to the ends of the bar,
so that when glued to the top
it
upward pressure
at the centre,
under the foot
of the bridge.
This pressure should equal
downward
thrust of the bridge, the force
the
produces an
of which will depend upon the angle of the strings over
its top.
Practice soon discovers
medium of
a certain
spring which agrees
fairly with a certain height of bridge.
An
entirely successful result
is
insured, but a positive failure
But
in the case
common
factor can be
its
own
is
avoided.
of the oblique bar, no such
even averagely well. sents
not always
found to
fit
all cases,
Each instrument problem.
particular
pre-
The
spring at each end must be accurately de-
termined by mechanical means, which will take into account both the resistance of the top,
due
and
the
to its comparative strength of fibre
resistance
due
to
the
form of
The Bass
59
The same degree
modelling.
and
Bar.
position
bridge which
it
the
to
relative
of obliquity
of
foot
the
supports, will not answer
equally well in all cases.
But when the
required conditions are fulfilled, the oblique
bar
does beyond the
crease
depth
doubt very
and
greatly
volume
of
many
tone,
Mr. Bull
particularly of the lower strings.
spent
in-
years in attempting to formu-
late the rules
which govern
this
most per-
plexing part of the organism of the violin.
His observations and experiments demon-
him the correctness of the oblique position; and though, as was his wont, he frankly owned to more failures than one, his instances of success illustrated by his Da Salo and many other instruments, bore most strated to
convincing
witness
to
the
of
truth
his
theory."
Ole Bull's own opinion on the matter thus expressed
"The
owing
Violin Notes
"
principal object of the bar
resist the
top.
in his "
pressure of the strings
is
:
is
upon
to
the
All old violins require to be rebarred, to the height of the present musical
How
6o
to
Make
a Violin.
hundred years ago. The old short bars are no longer adapted to the greater strain, and more powerful ones pitch over that of one
are needed.
From long-continued
pulling of
the
two extremes towards the
and the downward pressure of the
centre,
bridge at that point, the tops of violins have
down
strain, the
bulged up at the ends and sunk
at the centre.
new bar bar was Salo, so
many old
will tend to
originally
The adjustment of a remedy this. As the
placed by Caspar
should be placed now, that
Da
is,
not
in the direction of the fibres of the top,
but
it
obliquely,
the
end under the fingerboard
being nearest the centre.
In this position
it
appears to give ample support to the bridge
and
to allow a fuller
and
richer tone.
CHAPTER XL THE PURFLING.
THE
purfling
lines
the ornamental black
is
running round the outer edge
of the back and belly lines of
—made of two
black with a strip of white
wood
between.
The wood for the purfling can be bought ready made at any violin maker's, and it is better to buy it than try to make it, as good machinery
is
needed
to
do the work
well.
The grooves for the insertion of the purfling are made with a purfling tool. The distance of the purfling from the edge
matter of
taste.
When
tracer to the required
the
and
screw; put
the
trace the first
violin
fix it
with
on your knees,
running one limb
along the outer edge (which 61
a
decided, open the
width and
line,
is
is
still
square,
How
62
to
Make
Then trace manner. The purfling
the rounding off comes the second line in like tool
is
tance.
a Violin.
later).
then adjusted to the required dis-
The following
description
of
an
excellent purfling tool, directions for use are
from Mr. Davidson's book on "
By
this instrument,
we can vary to
imitate
it
"
The
Violin."
will be perceived
the distances from the edges,
The two
any model chosen.
cutters are thin pieces of steel, sharpened at
an angle, with a shoulder
left
of the neces-
sary thickness, so that the groove cut fit
the indenting strips.
The two
kept in position by the screw
represents
one
of
the
cutters,
a.
may
cutters are
Fig. 34a
seen edge-
ways; Fig. 34^ shows the form of blade
The and
There
point.
Purfiing. is
63
a small screw for ad-
justing the shoulder piece to any required
distance the purfiing placed, Fig.
33t5'.
may
be intended to be
This tool
may
—with the exception of the course— and fixed an ordinary
from iron of
be
cutters,
in
handle.
Another purfiing
simplified,
this tool
made
is
shown
may
tool,
in Fig. 35.
tool-
but much
The body of
be formed from a piece of
two cutters the same as the preceding, fixed by a binding-screw. This simple tool answers admirably, and may be beech, having
easily
made by any
amateur, or can be pur-
chased for about three shillings and six-
The angular parts of the blades must be made thin, and the edges kept very
pence.
keen.
Either of those two tools
is
to be held
How
64
quite steady,
to
and
Make
a Violin.
a double cut of the propef
depth run round the margin of the back and breast, the interior wood is afterwards to be cleanly cut out with a chisel-sharpened awl.*
The indenting groove must be and
At
allowing the tool to
carefully, never
wood, or
tear the
cut gradually
from the proper
slip
the parts of the back
place.
and belly opposite
to the extremities of the neck,
where the
in-
denting tool does not reach, two pencil lines
may
be drawn through the spaces, and the
groove cut to such lines with a thin pointed knife,
and the wood
When
cut out as previously.*'
the purfling tool has been run twice
along the intended groove, take a sharp
away enough wood from the allow the awl to enter. The next
knife and cut
groove to figure
shows the shape to which the awl
should be bent and the way the point should be ground.
A
shows the side view, and B
the front view of the point. *
By
When you
a " chisel-sharpened awl "
bler's awl,
is
meant
narrow enough to run easily
of the groove
made by the
to a fiat and sharp edge.
have a cob-
in the width
purfling tool but ground
The
Purfiing.
65
^1
cleared
away with a knife a
starting-point
for the awl, begin with the point of the awl
and turn up the strip of wood intended to be brought away just as a ploughshare cuts underneath the soil and turns it up so as to leave a furrow. This must, of course, be done
slowly and with great care, seeing that the
groove required
is
extremely shallow and
wood from which it has already been made very thin. the
Glue the
strip
or both strips if
to be cut has
of purfling to be inserted,
two are
desired,
and gently
squeeze both together into their grooves, care
being taken that the small ridge of
between the grooves
is
not broken.
wood Make
neat joints at the four corners, and remove
How
66
to
Make
a VioliH.
any superfluous glue with the camel-hair brush.
When
the glue
is
dry, take
away
the
projecting surface of the purfling with a very
sharp knife, and finish
and
glass-paper.
off
with the scraper
CHAPTER
XII.
THE NECK.
TAKE
a piece of maple lo inches long,
wide and i§ inches thick, and plane it smooth on all four The maple for the neck is usually 2 J inches
faces.
from
selected
wood
figured, so as to be as ble.
The
purfling of
scroll of the
instrument
marked
well
ornamental as possithe
body, and the
neck are the only parts of the
which
are
simply
without being useful, but there
why
and
ornamental is
no reason
the useful parts should not be as orna-
mental as possible.
Take
the finished neck which
you have
bought as a model, and draw the outline of
model on the piece of maple. Then with the T square, draw a line all round the wood 5j inches from the end where it is to be the
fastened to the body. 67
This
line
will
be
How
68
to
Make
a Violin.
which
at the point G, Fig. 37,
is
the place
where the peg-box begins.
Take
the compasses, open the points
inch which
mark
side;
is
f
half the width of the narrow
a point at each
end and draw on
each of the narrow sides a pencil line the
whole length of the
Open
piece.
the
com-
passes \\ inch, place one point at the angle
where the long
Ime
at G,
line
meets
W
transverse
and mark on that transverse
on both sides of the point
the
line
which cuts
inch from the long
which points there
will,
line,
of course, be
line it,
a
between iJ inch.
The Neck.
69
W inch shows the width of the neck
This
the beginning of the part held
and
at
by the hand,
also the width of the nut (the small
ebony__Qyer which the strings pass
piece of
out of the peg-box).
Open
the
compasses
one leg on the
and the
line
angle
f
inch,
made by
and the
put
long
cross line on the narrow side
opposite to that on
which you have been
working, and mark as before upon the cross line
two points on
line,
the distance between which will be i\
This i^ inch
inch.
the
either side of the long
is
to be the thickness of
neck at the point where
it
joins
the
belly.
Now
fasten the neck to the bench with the
hand-vice, the broad side upwards, so that
end projects over the edge of the table, and cut away with the bow-saw ail the superfluous wood. Begin at point G (Fig. 37) and proceed along the line F E up into the corner; then start from C and work
the scroll
past start
D
round the curve to the corner point; again from C, work round the top past
B down
to A.
This gives a rough outline.
How
70
G
from
to
Make
a Violin.
round to A, which must now, by
means of
knife and
chisel,
file,
be brought
to proper shape.
Then take your measurements from the model cut away the wood from the point A ;
to the part
where the neck joins the body,
and give
to that part,
which
to
and to the neck proper, be held by the hand, its proper
is
shape, finishing
with scrapers,
Now before, etc.,
it
files
off to
the greatest nicety
and glass-paper.
fasten the neck
down
to the bench as
and carve out with gouges,
knives,
the curves of the scroll, beginning at the
central
"
by the
line
"
button
which, in Fig. 37,
B C and
is
crossed
the dotted line aa^ bbt
the point where these lines meet being the centre
of
smallest gouge,
and take a
the spiral requires care
with
paper.
you lines
the
Begin
button.
the
it.
knife,
Finish
with
the
larger tool it
scrapers
as
with great
and glass
Before beginning to carve one side,
will,
of course, draw on both sides the
B C and
aa, bb.
If this precaution
make Be buttons correspond.
not taken, you will find the centres of the
is
it
difficult to
.
careful, in
The Neck.
71
B
widening down from
to A, to
maintain the gradual increase of thickness
which you will find
your model, taking
you proceed. the sides, work out the
measurements
constant
Having
in
finished off
as
A B C
two grooves round the edge heck
is
now
the peg-box,
finished, except
and preparing
D.
•
The
hollowing out
the foot to join
This foot will be glued on to the
the body.
and level with it at the top, while the bottom will be glued to the projecting semicircle on the back of the violin, and must, block,
therefore, be filed
until
corresponds with it
its
From
shape exactly this
point ths
foot will gradually increase in size until
it
marked out. Draw neck a line in continua-
attains the width already
down
the foot of the
tion of that already drawn, into
two
parts.
The
which divides
it
foot of the neck, or in
other words, the surface which
glued to
is
the block, will determine the height which
the finger-board the
violin,
finally in
is
to be above the
body of
and before you glue the neck its place you must finish your
finger-board
according
to
the
directions
How
72 given
later,
Make a
to
and, holding
the place in which
it is
it
Violin.
with one hand in
intended to be, adjust
the foot of
the neck so as to give
finger-board
its
on.
to
the
proper height when glued
Fig. 38 gives a view of the foot of the
A
neck (A
B C D)
the part above the line
AB
being the part which projects above the level of the block.
The mortising
of the peg-box and the
placing and drilling of the peg-holes ought to present
no
difficulty.
of the peg-holes
is
The
conical shape
obtained by means of a
small tapered gouge. In gluing on the neck, regard must be had to
two points
:
The
central line of the sur-
face to be attached to the finger-board must
make
a straight line with the belly-joint, and
that surface as well as the end or foot must
The Neck,
73
be so adjusted that while the proper height is
given to the finger-board the centre of the
scroll-buttons line
drawn
in continuation
which the back
is
of the level at
glued to the
The time has now come
When
by an imaginary
intersected
is
sides.
to fix the neck.
the side pieces were put on,
was left at this place than was must now be cut away, so as neck to
fit
in exactly.
must now be cut that
is
inlet
in the block
required, this to allow the
\ inch deep, \ inch deep,
from the outer surface of the enough wood having, of course,
to say,
side-pieces,
been
An
more wood
left at the
end of the neck to allow for
this inlet.
Before gluing the neck every precaution
must have been taken to ensure its correct shape and position, and the neck should fit into the inlet so accurately as to require some little
force to get
it
to its place.
You
will
now want
a piece of cork \ inch thick and 2 inches long by i mch broad* Glue thoroughly
* Felt is preferable as it is
an impression on the wood.
not so liable to leave
How
74
to
Make a
Violin.
the inside of the inlet, put the foot of the
neck
in its place,
back so as
but the piece of cork on the
to cover the button, and, placing
on the beak of the hand-vice, screw down the screw on to the end of the neck. In half an hour unscrew it and see if the
this cork
finger-board
at the right height.
is
the glue can be left to dry; if not,
readjusted,
and
until
In
it
is.
it
If so,
must be
the operation gone through
damp
weather the end of the
neck should be warmed before
it
is
put
in,
and the glue will have a more binding effect if a good number of holes are made with a knife in the end of the neck, and in the small surface which fits upon the button.
CHAPTER
XIII.
THE FINGERBOARD.
THE
finger-board
easily
made
is
so simple
that the best
and so
way
be to purchase one as a model.
amateur who has followed
have no
difficulty in
me
from a piece of eb^py sary to say that its width .
It is
The
thus far will
making one exactly
it
will
like
hardly neces-
at the
narrow end
must be adjusted to that of the neck, and
must fit the neck accurately at the sides, and should join it so closely that they both appear as one piece. Be careful in gluthat
ing
it
it
on, not to
board with the the
mark the neck or the fingerhand screws. The height of
finger-board
varies
model of the instrument; 75
according its
to
the
mean height
at
76
How
the middle of
to
its
Make
a Violin.
upper curve should be
^
inch from the belly joint, but this will all
depend upon the height of the bridge and the depth of touch required for the strings.
I
CHAPTER
XIV.
THE NUT AND THE TAIL PIECE NUT.
THE
ny^t
is
the_sgaalL^iece
out o f
over which the strings peiss
and the
the peg-box, is
wood
of
ta il piece nut
the piece which^esists th^ action of the
by which the
string
Take a
button.
tail piece is
held to the
piece of e bony of the size
for the nut, as to which the eye will be a sufficient guide.
Its
length will
be
deter-
mined by the width of the neck, with which it should exactly correspond. Its curve must correspond exactly with that of the fingerboard, and higher.
board neck,
upper surface
Its front, IS
be
^
inch
against which the finger-
glued, will be perpendicular to the
and the upper surface
slits for
ally
its
the strings are cut
down towards
the 71
in
which the
must slope gradu-
peg-box, so
as
to
How
78
to
Make
rounded surface on which the
present
a
strings
may
rest.
The string-guard of ebony about
which
a Violin.
is
usually a small piece
inch long
i
and \ inch
glued into an
inlet
block at the lower end.
Its
is
must be it
must
left
and the
level fit
upon it
it
made outer
square,
the
in
surface
with the side pieces, into which
accurately.
to stand
yg-
An
edge should be
inch above the belly,
should be trimmed to the surface of
latter.
The edge over which
the strings
pass must be rounded so that they are not cut.
cut,
The four
slits in the
nut should not be
but filed out with a rat-tail
The making difficulty.
a sort of drawer-handle on
made
ing limb about
i
diameter, which
of ebony, with a project-
inch long,
fits
and | inch
and
and we are now ready
begin to varnish.
in
accurately into a hole of
that size bored through the sidepieces into the block,
no
the button presents
of
It is
a small scale,
file.
to
CHAPTER
XV.
VARNISHING AND POLISHING.
HOWEVER been
carefully
done,
it
the
work has
almost
is
certain
on looking it over closely hnd some slight roughness or
that
you
will
some place where glue has trickled out, some part of the edges not nicely rounded, or some other fault overlooked. These faults must now be searched for and remedied by fi.le, glass-paper or unevenness,
When
other suitable means.
all is perfect,
polish with very fine glass-paper the whole surface.
Now water,
damp Then
take a clean sponge, dip squeeze
(not
it
nearly
wet) the
dry,
it
in cold
and gently
instrument
all
over.
polish as before until the surface has
the appearance of having been covered with
a very thin coat of poor varnish. 79
How
8o
to
Make
a Violin.
The making of the varnishes, both spirit and oil, is treated in the next chapter. The best tool to lay on the varnish is a flat
camel-hair
or
sable
brush,
about
an
inch wide, and which has never been used.
The
being
-varnish
quantity
Have
as
in
a
little
in the brush,
ready,
glazed
take
a
earthenware
small vessel.
varnish as possible at a time
and take only two
strokes,
one
up and the other down, over each part of Take care and " lay it off the wood. evenly, as a painter would say that is, work so that the marks of the brush are invisible, and as if the varnish had all been put on with one simple stroke. Try your hand first on two pieces of maple and pine, both treated and prepared for varnishing just like the violin, and do not touch the instrument with varnish until you have put two coats of oil varnish on each piece as an experiment. When you have succeeded in getting a
—
brilliant
surface,
are totally absent, violin.
polish
from which brush-marks
you can venture on your
After each coat of with
a
linen
cloth,
spirit
the
varnish,
older
the
Varnishing and Polishing. material, will
it
and
the softer
its
texture, the better
be for your purpose
obtain a really brilliant
8
lustre
You cannot with spirit
varnish unless you polish with linen cloth after each coat.
CHAPTER
XVI.
VARNISHES AND COLOURING MATTER.
HAVING next
completed step
there are
out
the other
has
is
in
The
to be
to
varnish
it is,
what
wood
is
genuine,
if
the
amateur
all,
that
I
instrument
strongly advise
it
may
pass
for
a new instrument, and not pretend it
struments are the
it
and
one
making an
worth varnishing at
him what
it,
the
two modes of carrying
a sham; and
succeeded
violin,
varnish
to
is
process.
this
the
is
not,
made
an old
New
one.
to look old
in-
by colouring
before the real varnish
is
applied,
and leaving those parts uncoloured which in an old violin shows the effects of wear and tear. This fraud is on every ground to be deprecated, for nothing will be gained by it, while the genuine workman, who cares more for turning out
a good 83
violin than he does
Varnishes and Colouring Matter. for
making money by dishonest means,
feel that
what
self-respect.
The
violin is to varnish
without any previous colouring.
all over
may
This
will
loses
by such a fraud he
money can never buy, proper way to varnish the it
83
be
done either with plain or Both are equally genuine
coloured varnish.
the fraud consists, as
I
have
said, in
making
the violin look as though coloured varnish
had been long
use.
originally used, but
worn away by
now proceed
to give precise
I
shall
directions for
making
the two kinds of var-
nish used for the violin,
viz., oil
spirit varnish, as well as the
varnish and
mode of
colour-
ing the varnish in various tints when colouring
desired.
is
The
best,
though most troublesome,
is
OIL VARNISH.
This it is
is
more beautiful, more durable and more
elastic;
Two
vastly better than spirit varnish, as
moreover,
it
needs
no
polishing.
coats, properly applied, will generally
be found
sufficient,
whereas
spirit
requires six or seven applications.
varnish
How
84
The three
seed
:
Violin.
good
ingredients of
varnish are
oil
amber, spirits of turpentine and
oil.
The
drier, that it
"boiled
as
Make a
to
course,
latter,
however,
must be used
The
oil."
it
form known
operator could, of
perform the operation of
himself, but as
such a bad
is
in the
lin-
boiling "
"
it
very dangerous unless
is
and
carried out with great care,
as boiled
can be purchased ready for use without
oil
any trouble or
risk, I
think
it
better not to
give any recipes for rendering linseed oil a better drier. I
strongly
sold, in
of
that varnish that
any quantity, ready for
Winsor and Newton,
Messrs.
men,
recommend
who
London,
the
very finest
maker may
ing the best
procurable.
boiled
oil
is
colour-
boiled
quality for
that the violin
rely
by
use,
artists'
prepare
is
oil
artists,
so
upon obtain-
Cheap common nearly black, and is worse
than useless for
the
purpose
under
con-
sideration.
The following is the way to prepare varnish. The materials required are ;
oil
Varnishes and Colouring Matter.
Amber Boiled
85
4 ounces.
2 ounces.
oil
Oil of turpentine
.
.4
.
ounces.
Break up the amber into pieces the size of peas, and having prepared a charcoal fire, put the amber mto
a
glazed
iron
vessel
and with it a spoonful of and put the pot on the fire
never before used, the turpentine,
and the cover on it. A quarter of an hour's warming will suffice to melt the amber, but ii must now and then be stirred with a strip of pine wood. When the amber is melted down, take the pot from the fire, stir it till cool, and add the oil very slowly, stirring all the time so as to thoroughly mix the ingredients, and then add the turpentine, to which you have previously given the colour desired.
The colouring matters must simply be powdered and put in the turpentine to dissome time before it is wanted for making the varnish. The colouring matters solve,
are here given
Yellow.
—Aloes,
saffron; these will
gamboge, give
turmerics
various
tints
or
of
How
86
Make
to
a Violin.
may
yellow, from light golden to deep, as desired.
The
of golden varnish
effect
be
very
is
brilliant.
Red.
—Dragon's blood or
By mixing
Saunder's wood.
with yellow any tint of light red
can be obtained.
Brown.
— Madder or logwood.
must be remembered that each coat adds a slight depth of colour to the previous one. It
These colouring matters are suitable colouring either oil or spirit varnish.
for It is
sometimes the practice to make a quantity of
any colour
in as small a portion of turpen-
and keep it for tint when required.
tine as will dissolve
tion to the requisite
The following
it,
are
for
recipes
oil
nishes of different kinds
Amber, coarsely powdered Venice turpentine Prepared linseed-oil Oil of turpentine .
.
Amber, fused Oil of turpentine
Drying linseed-oil Amber, fused
.
2 oz.
.
2
.
li
.
2
fl. fl.
.
.
drs
fl.
.
.
•
oz oz.
2 oz 5 „ 6 „
4 „
dilu-
var-
Varnishes and Colouring Matter. Lac Drying
......
1 oz.
.
.
•
4
,,
.
.
.
8
,,
linseed-oil
Oil of turpentine
.
add
Dissolve the lac separately, then
rty
87
amber and thoroughly dissolve by
heat.
Clear and pale African copal Pale drying oil '. Rectified oil of turpentine
1 lb.
(
^^^
.
Boil the copal
then thin with
.
and drying-oil the
jar.
y
P>
qt.
3 pt.
until stringy,
turpentine,
immediately into the store is
.
.1
.
.
the
and
strain
This varnish
hard and durable, and dries hard in from
twelve to twenty-four hours. Clear pale rosin
Dissolve.
This
used on the cheap
.
.
Oil of turpentine
.
.
is
.3^
.1
lbs.
gal.
the varnish generally
violins.
Colourless Copal Varnish.
—To prepare
this
varnish the copal must be picked, each piece
then broken, upon which a drop or two of
rosemary
oil
is
to
be
poured; the
pieces
which become soft upon the application of the oil are those only to
be
used.
pieces having been selected are to be
Those ground
How
88
to
to a fine powder,
powder
Make a
and then
in a glass vessel
Violin.
Place the
sifted.
and add
to
corresponding volume of the rosemary stir for
a few minutes, when you Leave the liquid
thick liquid.
it
a
oil;
will have a to rest for
two or three hours, then add a few drops of pure alcohol, and mix slowly, after whicb reduce with alcohol until the required consistence
is
obtained.
This
a clear and
is
beautiful varnish.
The following
are
for
recipes
spirit-
varnishes of different kinds
Elemi
\ oz. or 1 part.
.
Mafitic in tears
.
Seed-lac
.
.
Sandarac Venice turpentine Powdered glass .
Alcohol
.
.
.
.
» 1 » 2 „ \
>>
2
))
2
>>
4
„ M 2 1 n >) 4 16 „ )) 32 „ 1
Mastic
1 dr.
Sandarac
.
Lac Alcohol
„ „ „ „ »
.
.
.
.
,
«
1
,/
6i„ 5
fl.
oz.
Varnishes and Colouring Matter.
Gum
sandarac
4
.
oz.
Seed-lac
.
2 „
Mastic
.
1
»
Benzoin in tears
.
1
„
4
„
2
„
Powdered
glass
.
Venice turpentine
.
Alcohol
.
32 „
Seed-lac
.
5
,j
Sandarac
.
2
„
Elemi
.
li„
Venice turpentine
.
2
„
Powdered
.
5
„
.
24 „
.
glass
.
Alcohol
powdered
Coarsely
and
copal
.
4 bz.
Alcohol (64 0. P.)
1 pt.
glass of each
89
Camphor
Heat the mixture (with frequent
stirring) in
a water bath, so that the bubbles
counted as they plete, then
Mastic
until solution is
rise,
decant the clear portion. .
.
.
.
Turpentine varnish Alcohol
may
.
.
.
,
.
ilb..
.
2\
.
1 pt.
fl.
oz
be
com-
How
90 This
a Violin.
the spirit-varnish so often
is
upon the
Make
to
clear
German
violins.
Colourless Spirit Varnish.
picked orange alcohol,
with
and
5 oz.
boil well
A
now
solution should
add more
less press the liquor
and
filter
a
—Dissolve 2\
pint
of
oz.
rectified
for a few minutes
of well burnt and recently heated
animal charcoal.
colourless
in
lac
seen
through
small quantity of the be filtered, and charcoal.
When
if
colour-
through a piece of
fine filtering paper.
not
silk,
This
varnish must be used in a room where the
temperature
does not minutes.
is
about 60 degrees Fahr.
chill or
It
bloom, and dries in a few
CHAPTER
XVII.
THE VARNISH.
THE MS. Bull,
"Violin Notes" left by Ole
contain
following
the
inter-
esting observations "
In a search after an elucidation of this facts immediately
so-called lost art, three
present themselves
:
this
first,
varnish was
employed by the very earliest of the Italian makers as well as the later; second, its use was common only in Italy third, it ceased to ;
be applied to violins after " it
In texture this varnish
is
A.D.
1750-60.
extremely supple
will yield to pressure, but breaks or scales
off
under a sudden blow.
It is entirely trans-
and of all shades of brown, red and yellow. The vehicle in which the gums and colours arc dissolved is an oil. Applied to a parent,
violin,
it
compacts the tone together, without 91
How
92 rendering
to
it shrill
beauty to
tional
Make a
Violin.
and gives addithe wood. That its inor harsh,
gredients were indigenous to the Italian soil is
out of the question.
much of
It is
well
known
that
maple used by the violin-makers of that day came from Turkey. Imported the
to Venice,
of
tion
it
was employed
oars,
owing
pieces,
etc.
in the construc-
The extremely
to their
liability
to
curly
fracture
under rough usage, were consequently to be
jected,
makers.
mand
violin-
Venice and Genoa held great com-
and unports came the
over the entire Eastern trade,
doubtedly various
which
by the
appropriated
re-
through
these
gums and colouring
this varnish
substances of
was made.
"Turning to other countries of Europe* Germany, France and England and exam-
—
ining
the productions
of
their
most
cele-
brated violin-makers contemporaneous with the
Cremonese school, scarcely a trace of the
Italian varnish
man
is
to be
met
instruments the varnish
with. is
In Ger-
distinguished
by extreme hardness, a glassy lustre, and an absence of all delicate shades of
The Varnish. colour.
The
over,
alcohol.
is
vehicle
93
or menstruum, more-
In France, the colouring
was sometimes good, but in general too pronounced. The- varnish of the old English makers lacked transparency. In both these countries the vehicle was oil, but the varnish in quantity
from the "
and texture
differed essentially
Italian.
was this manufacture a secret? second, how was this secret lost? third, are there any clues for perusal and examination? Answers to these Three questions occur
questions should clear
:
first,
up the mystery of
this so-called lost art.
"To
begin, then, with the
first
question,
was the manufacture of this varnish a secret? There is no reasonable doubt that it was, but only in a certain way.
about two hundred years,
For a period of from the time of
Caspar da Salo to that of the Bergonzi, the varnish was common to every Italian violin-
Cremona had no monopoly, for the knowledge and use of it extended to Padua, Venice, Rome and Naples. It is impossible, maker.
therefore, during this long time to say that
How
94
to
Make
a Violin.
the selection of ingredients or the
method
of preparation employed in the manufacture
of this substance, so well
known and widely
used, were in any sense a secret. later quite a
hundred
change
Italian
instruments of
possessing the true
this
marked
few
From
observable.
is
little
later
this
varnish;
and that
characteristic in the case of these
not the result of mere chance
is
is
made them have
consistently applied
From about
their productions.
ap-
who
parent from the fact that the artists
all
a
only a notable few can be selected
date,
as
But a
it
to
1745 to
about 1760, then, the manufacture of this varnish
may
be properly called a
secret, as
being confined to a chosen few. "
A
bitter
had
rivalry
always
existed
between the Neapolitan, Venetian and Cre-
monese
schools.
Alessandro Gagliano, pro-
bably a pupil of Stradivarius, had established himself at Naples.
Dominico Mon-
tagnana and Sanctus Seraphino were the masters
of the art
monese
makers
their
sonorous,
in
seem
The
Venice. to
have
well-selected
relied
wood,
Cre-
on their
The Varnish.
95
their ancient reputation;
the
and Venetians, on
the beauty of their wood,
and
careful finish;
established principles of construction,
and the Neapolitans on low "
their
exceedingly
price.
As a knowledge of
last
the varnish
became
few, instances are not
confined to a
wanting of the persecution of such by less
fortunate fellow-workmen.
evident, that, apart
at
It
is
their
quite
from any considerations
of beauty, the importance of the varnish as
an acoustic element was well recognised.
The second question now how was the secret lost ? A "
careful
extending
peated examination,
number of
presents itself
to
and a
:
re-
vast
objects, reveals the fact that the
varnish of the Italian violin-maker of the
time of Stradivarius and before him was
common
to the painter, the varnisher,
the gilder as well.
and
Let an ancient piece of
Italian furniture, a chair, a cabinet, the case
of a spinet or harpsichord, be examined,
and provided ing,
it
has escaped modern retouch-
the varnish might be
himself.
Generally
it
is
by Stradivarius
colourless, then the
How
96 quality
and texture
occasionally it
Make a
to
proclaims
it is
Violin.
are the indications, but
of brilliant hues, and then
itself to the eye
at once.
Let
specimens of a later date, say, 1760, be ex-
amined, there
is
no such
varnish.
This
is
smooth, fairly lustrous, hard and durable.
The chair of 1725 presents a surface broken and worn away, that of 1760, one comparatively smooth, and fairly able to endure further vicissitudes of time.
"Between the years 1740 and
1760, great
changes in the manufacture of varnish were
The old
introduced.
menstrua,
capable
in
soft
gums and
their
of
dis-
themselves
solving them, were discarded in favour of
newer and more complicated processes producing a result more durable and unchangeable under exposure and rough wear. "
The old
ticles
fashion of ornamenting all ar-
of furniture, whether of ornament or
utility,
with carvings, had given place to a
more sober style. Broad, unrelieved surfaces, depending on the intrinsic beauty of their material, were found a relief to the eye tired with unravelling the mazes of complex
The carving
or
97
painted arabesque.
wearing
badly
soft,
Varnish.
The no
varnish
old,
longer
and covering of sucli new processes, and, for
sufficed for protection
surfaces; hence the
such utilitarian
purposes,
The hard copal gums, or only
able,
yield
partially
upon
entirely
superior results.
hitherto undissolv-
were found to
so,
proper
heating
and
In 1750 a patent, covering a period
fusion.
of twenty-fi.ve years, was granted by the
King of France
to
one Simon Martin, a fan
making varnish
painter, for the process of
from amber, by driving
by means of
heat,
and
off
the succinic acid
the subsequent
bination of the residue with
day
to the present, various
this art hav^e field
oil.
From
comthat
improvements
gone on uninterruptedly.
in
The
of discovery, the gates to which were
opened by such pioneers as Simon Martin, being once entered, the problem of durability,
hardness and unchangeableness was
soon solved.
But with the laying aside of
the old recipes, the Italian varnish became a lost art.
The knowledge of
its
composition,
naturally confined to the general manufac-
8
How
g8
was
to
Make
a Violin.
There is no doubt that some of the Cremonese and other makers knew how to prepare it, but, as has been shown, its use was not confined to them.
tures,
forgotten.
The new ingredients, the copals, amber, etc., would naturally supersede the old as articles of import, and so by degrees those who possessed the secret, for a secret it was, certainly regarded
would
by
its
latest possessors,
find increasing difficulty in obtaining
the old constituents.
Moreover, the days of
violin-making in Italy were over.
England,
France and Germany were eager competitors, the stolid
build of the
the
gaudy
wood
of the
first,
colour of the second, the baked
Mittenwalder, or artist of the Black Forest,
and the general cheapness of all, held the market. And so it has happened that the art of the old varnish
is
not
lost,
but buried
under the wheel of progress. For two hundred years it was in the hands of a nation; and though now a desire for this forgotten knowledge is confined to only in
the dust
a few, sistent
of so
would be absurd to say that perinquiry must fail to unravel a skein it
many
ends.
The Varnish. "
The
third question
now
gg presents itself
any writings or clues for perusal and examination? There are many. An ingenious Frenchman, who long ago wrote a are there
treatise list
on varnish, has given the following
of authors
who have
treated
upon
this
(real
name
of
subject
Piedmontese
"Alexis, author, Arts,' "
Hieronymus
Ruscellai),
'
Secrets des
Milan, 1550.
Tiavoranti
* :
Miroir Universel des Arts
et des Sciences,* Bologna, 1564. "
And a
veilleux;
Recueil Abr6ge des Secrets Mer-
' :
—
,
1663.
"Zahn, Jean, 'Oculus Nuremberg, 1685.
Artificialis,
etc.;
"Morley, C, 'Collections'; London, 1692. " Coronelli,
Vincent,
'
Epitome
Cosmo-
graphique'; Venice, 1693. "
Pomet,
*
Histoire Generale des Drogues
'
Paris, 1694 (reprinted 1736). "
Buouanni, Phillipe, 'Traite des Vernis';
Rome, 17 1 "Here is a succession of earliest written
treatises,
the
about the time of Caspar da
How
100
Make
to
a Violin.
and the latest during that of StradiHere are hundreds of genuine revarius. cipes. Is any one of them the right one? Patience and perseverance are necessary, much fitting of old names to their nomenclatures and many tiresome comparisons, but Salo,
these once made, the desired result
and
the
And
pleness. red,
and
the colours? the brown, the
the yellow
?
—hidden
and obsolete names, they are by one and another of these all
be
new varnish may possess old coveted lustrous softness and sup-
obtained, the
may
under quaint all
indicated
and
authors,
are soluble in the one vehicle, forming
a coloured oil varnish, clear
which, however long kept,
and transparent, will let fall no
sediment. "
ject
There
is still
another branch of this sub-
which has never, or very
specified,
and
all Italian
this is the
ground-toning.
wood appears
instruments the
be permeated with a colour varying tensity
from pale yellow
This colour varnish
;
is
for,
been
rarely,
in
In to in-
to almost orange.
quite distinct
from that of the
however faded by exposure and
The Varnish. other causes the latter
may
tone almost always retains
lOi be, the
its
ground-
The
colour.
violins with red varnish afford the finest ex-
amples of
this ground-toning.
tawny yellow
is
On
the most intense,
such
and
its
offers
a splendid foil to the superimposed colour,
toning and giving
composed
life to
How
it.
or applied, whether as
stain, or as
was a wash or it
a distinct varnish, none of the
But from their
authors give any information.
miscellaneous
lists
of the drugs, dye-stuffs
and colouring matter common to the Italian markets,
it
is
quite possible that a selection
could be made, which would required conditions of colour "
fulfil
and
all the
stability.
But though supplied with the ground-
tone, another
element
is
needed before the
exact reflex of the Italian varnish can be
reproduced, and that
is
the natural colour
of the old wood.
"The problem of the old varnish is solvable by anyone who deems the reward worth the trial of patience
and perseverance, two
elements most effective in the task of interlining the broken sentences of tradition."
CHAPTER A MATHEMATICAL
XVIII.
METHOD OF CONSTRUCTING
THE OUTLINE. constructing an outline according to
IN the
directions
now
to be given,
it
is
necessary to observe great accuracy in the
working,
to
ensure
a
satisfactory
result.
draw a perpendicular line 14 inches long, and divide it accurately into 72 equal parts. Then draw at right angles to line, First
the following
'
A line through point No.
8
>»
14
tf
16
i9
20
»>
2U
A— B— C— D— E— loa
See Illustration. >)
}) »>
»
Constructing the Outline,
A line through point No.
22
11
23
F— G—
yy
27
H—
>>
28
I—
>>
31
K—
»
L—
f)
Illustration. »» >» »>
)»
33
)>
34
>»
37
M— N—
>>
39
0—0
}>
>»
40
P—
»
>i
44i
Q-Q
>}
»>
48
R-R
it
it
55
S—
»
It
56
T—
»
65
V—
»
Open parts,
See
103
>> }>
the compasses to the width of 9
put one of the feet at point
draw the two
Open
little
b^
and
curves aa.
the compasses to the width of 24
parts, place
one foot on point
24,
and draw
the arc aba.
Open parts,
the compasses to the width of
and mark
off this
distance
side of the perpendicular, as at
2
upon each
cc.
Put one foot of the compasses at
r,
open
Constructing the Outline. to
and
fl,
105
describe the curve at aa.
Do
the
hke on the other side. Open the compasses to the width of one part, and mark to right and left of No. 14, on the
BB, two points
line
point the centre of a
ee\
circle,
make each
as in the last
paragraph, with radius ^A, and draw the arcs
A D
On
on
either side.
L L
measure to a point 22J parts from the perpendicular; put one foot the Ime
of the compass at each of these points h and describe from the centre h with a radius of 1 1
parts,
the
cutting
arcs
the
LL
lines
and PP.
way
In the same
find
on
line
KK
2 points
23! parts from the perpendicular, and from centres kk open the compasses to the point
whe^e the arcs
and continue it
last
the arc
meets the line
Open
drawn, join the line LL,
from the
line
LL
until
HH.
the compasses to the width of
parts, place
one foot upon point
72,
11
and draw
the two small lines vVy then place one foot
on point 35, and the other on point 72, and draw the curve between these two lines, vv.
How
io6
Open
to
Make a
Violin.
the compasses to the width of 6
and placing one foot on point 55, mark on the line SS the two points xx. Take each point ;r as a centre from x to v as a radius, and continue the curve from v parts,
VV.
to the line
Open
the compasses to the width of
parts, place
one foot on point
mark
56,
4
the
2 points to ZB.
Take each
open the com-
s as a centre,
passes to the point where the arcs last
VV, and
joins the line
from the
Mark
line
off
VV
on
continue the curve
to the line
line
GG
drawn
RR.
two points
00,
each
distant from the perpendicular 24^ parts
open the compasses from point on either
side,
and draw
to point /
the curve
from
point / to the line FF.
On
line II
mark on each
side of the per-
pendicular at the distance of 14! parts from the perpendicular 2 points mm; open the
compasses from the
line
m
HH, and
to where the curve joins trace
on each side the
curve from the last mentioned point to the point
n.
Constructing the Outline.
On
line
EE,
107
from
find 2 points 22 parts
the perpendicular on each side qq\ open the
compasses from point q to point p on line EE, and draw the small curve from ^ to r
on each
Open
side.
the compasses from point 20,
16^
and draw the two corners ss. On line QQ open the compasses 24 parts from the perpendicular, and mark on each side the point bb\ from point bb^ open the
parts,
compasses to the poin^ where the is
joined by the curve from
V
line
RR
to R, and
continue the curve from cc to dd.
On
the line
NN
open the compasses
parts from the perpendicular,
each side the point
from point is
/
/;
open the compasses
to the point where the line
joined by the curve from the point
draw the small
Open
i
PP and
curve.
the compasses to the width of I9f
parts from point $0,
the
16-J-
and mark on
and
trace
on each side
comer dd.
We
now proceed to show how the the violin is made in the direction
will
arch of
of the perpendicular.
How
io8
Take a a
little
its
Open
centre,
Violin.
hard wood,
-2
inches widd,
bend too easily, and across which draw a line. to
large compasses 216 parts, that
the
times
the
length
of the perpen-
having fixed the
dicular, and,
draw upon
table,
Make a
longer than the perpendicular, and
three
is,
strip of
enough not
thick find
to
strip
upon the
the table a perpendicular
drawn across the centre of the strip, place one end of the compasses on the perpendicular line upon the strip not too near to the upper edge, and the other point upon the perpendicular drawn upon the table, and draw upon the strip the line in continuation of the line
shown
arc
in Fig. 40.
When
cut
away
this
arc will give the proper arch of the violin.
The length incision
be
of the / holes
is
15 parts; the
on the inner side of each should
exactly
opposite
point
commences opposite point
40;
32^,
the
head
and the foot
ends opposite point 47^. The diameter of the hole at the head is i^ part, that at the J parts; the inner edge of the upper holes should be 9 parts asunder, and the foot
I
Constructing the Outline.
109
inner edges of the lower holes 23 parts, as
under (see Fig.
required in this
41).*
For
method a
all
measurements
rule 72 parts long
and accurately divided into 72 parts found of great service. THE THICKNESS OF THE BACK.
will be
Point 42 is the starting point for obtaining the proper thickness of the back. With the *
Fig. 41. The position of the bar shown in the above illustration is that found in old Dutch and other early made instruments. The position of the bar in modern instruments will be found under paragraph headed " The Bar."
no
How
to
Make a
Violtn.
compasses describe from centre 42 a circle having a radius of 4J parts; all the wood contained in this circle should be precisely I Then open the compasses 12 part thick. parts and draw another circle from the same centre, the wood in which will gradually fall off from I part thick at the edge of the inner circle to f of a part at the edge of the outer circle.
From
this line to the side pieces, the
thickness will gradually
fall
away
directions to ^ part (see Fig. 42). -A
fio .^2
in
all
Construcling the Outline.
ill
THE THICKNESS OF THE BELLY. Point 40
is
the compasses 4 parts
point 40 as
Open
the point of departure.
its
and draw a
centre.
circle
The wood
with
in
this
must be f part thick; open the compasses 9 parts, and draw another circle. circle
Then, as with the back, gradually thin
from the inner outer circle
is
the
circle till
\ part thick,
wood
off
at the
and from thence
thin off again to the sides, where
it
should
be a good \ part in thickness.
THE BAR.
The bar should be $6 thick, 2 parts
parts long,
i
part
high in the middle, diminishing
gradually to f part at the ends. Its position should be parallel to the joint, slightly inclining inwards at the top end, or about
inch in
its
whole length, and precisely upon
the edge of the inner the bar can be readily off
—
circle.
The
length of
gauged by measuring
\\\ inch (or 17 lignes French measure)
from the top and from the bottom of the belly, the ends of the bass bar should come to these points.
The bar should
never be
How
112
to
Make a
Violin.
away from the centre than 8^ lignes top and 9^ lignes at the bottom. The
further at the
sHght slope at the present time given to the bar should be in this proportion also.
THE SOUND-POST.
The sound-post should be \ meter,
inch in dia-
and placed behind the foot of the Other
bridge.
particulars
respecting
this
important part have been given in previous chapters.
THE BRIDGE.
The bridge should have outer edge of the feet;
its
8 parts between
height should be
6| parts.
THE NECK.
The neck should be 27
parts long
from
the extremity of the peg-box to the sides of the violin.
CHAPTER
XIX.
THE REMAINING ACCESSORIES OF THE VIOLIN.
THESE
are the tail-piece, bridge, pegs
and strings, which can all be bought of any instrument dealer. I might give the amateur minute directions for making the first three named, but as I only propose writinp: on the making of the violiriy
I
have
expressly
omitted
matters
which merely pertain to the fitting-up of the instrument preparatory to playing.
When
Luigi Tarisio came to Paris with a number of priceless Italian violins in his possession,
he brought nothing but the violins
—a mere
assortment of wooden boxes, as turned out
by the master hands of their makers. Those parts which gave a finished appearance to the instrument were wanting.
may
in
its
An
old "Strad"
time have had fifty tail-pieces
or a score of finger-boards; and however 113
114
How
to
essential
they
may
named are only The tail-piece
Make
above-
parts
"fittings."
fastened to the button by
is
be
should
the
be,
a piece of violoncello
which
a Violin.
D
string, the
firmly
knot of
Different
tied.
modes of fastening are adopted. Some tailpieces have two holes pierced through them and in this case the ends of the cord should be put through and tied so that the knot comes
in
the groove of
the button.
Others have the holes pierced in the end of the tail-piece,
and a hollow scooped on the
under side to allow the knot to stand within the level of the
wood so
The amateur
belly.
he likes
The
as not to touch the
will select the pattern
best.
strings are
an important factor
in the
production of the tone. They should always
be gauged before they are put on.
A
string
gauge can be bought for sixpence, and when the thickness and quality of strings best suited to a violin are ascertained, no varia-
The following passage from Mr. Davidson's work will be
tion
should be permitted.
useful to the amateur:
The Remaining "
A
good
violin string
Accessories.
115
ought to be perfectly
cylindrical from one extremity to the other,
having a regular thickness throughout, and possess the necessary elasticity.
A
packet
of strings upon being compressed, or bent together,
ought not to change colour, or the
united parts to break, but to quickly return to their original shape.
They ought
also to
be transparent throughout their entire length, like a
thread of glass, and possess no
or curled markings.
The
wavy
third strings are of a transparent white first
not
being
transparent. white,
been
If
we may
so the
white, first
and
best second
but
;
the
perfectly
strings are
very
safely assume that they have
made from
the intestines of animals
which have been prematurely used by the manufacturer.
and again
The
strings should be
now
oiled, preserved in oil-paper or
bladder, and laid aside in covered tin boxes, in
a dry place.
For oiling the strings a
small piece of woollen or other cloth used,
upon which a few drops of
almond-oil are poured. it
may
be
olive or
If olive-oil is used,
should be purified by a mixture of lime
Ii6
How
to
and
lead, until
it
first
string should require a tension of 15 lb.
to bring
it
the third
Make a is
Violin.
perfectly limpid.
The
to opera pitch; the second 17 lb.;
and fourth about the same as the
first."
We
must carefully observe that the tone of any violin is very perceptibly affected by the size of the strings, as if not in due proportion the one to the other, no uniformity
of tone or power will be obtained.
The
which prove
peculiarities of the strings
in-
dividually suitable to the different classes
of violins must also be judiciously studied, as
the
instruments
vary so
respect that a string which
one
is
is
much
in
this
perfection to
destruction to another, but generally
speaking, all the ancient instruments require to be lightly strung, in order to effectively
evoke their purity of tone and freedom of vibration. light,
If
the
strings
are too
the tone of such will be
feeble, whilst
on the contrary,
if
thin
or
weak and
too thick or
heavy, the sounds will be hard and coarse,
and an unnecessary
strain
be exerted on the bridge.
and pressure
will
The Remaining
Many
Accessories.
117
of the common-class violins require
the strings to be
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