Violin Forum/Message Board

[John Cadd]

Soundpost setting is not that hard until you try it on a 1/8th size violin . The post here needs to be 4mm thick. That`s how wide the soundhole slot is.You could cheat and use the circular holes but dimension sheets tell us it`s 4mm .
So just the idea of stabbing a tiny 4mm post with a traditional setter seems a bad idea. One way around that is to pick a spot on the post in between the hard grains and drill a hole right through the post. You need a drill bit about 1/2 mm thick .(Half of one millimetre ) .That`s wide enough to put a paper clip right through . So make the hole about one third down from the top .
That will let you position the post without dropping it .End of Stage one .
Stage two is to fix the place where you want the post to be "below and behind " the bridge. To save arguments you have to decide where that will be yourself .
As a guide to that magic spot where the top of the post will be placed you can organise a thin piece of plastic fitted into the soundhole and out the other side.This will have a slot cut out to hold the soundpost. The slot will have a rounded end to match the post .Exactly the diameter to hold the post with out jamming . Like a feeler gauge. If you draw a line along the plastic so it just touches the rounded cutout you will be able to position the top of the post relative to the bridge foot position .
Put the plastic support in place and tape the ends to keep it still.
If you have the end pin removed you can use a length of stiff brass wire as a pusher for the bottom of the post. The end pin hole is wide enough to make a right angle bend on the wire. That will act as a pusher or a hook .
There , you have enough elements to place the post where it has to be .
I found my soundpost measuring device a bit too thick for the 1/8th size (4mm wide ) soundholes so I made a plastic gauge to reach inside .Trial and error and trimming the ends will get the gauge to stand vertical eventually.
If you already know the plate thickness for top and back you can check those dimensions against calipers measuring the violin outside .Put two plastic rawlplugs onto the sharp caliper ends to save any scratching .
Cutting a soundpost end reminds me to mention the best practice of only cutting inwards on end grain. Cutting outwards will always tend to splinter the edge. But if you support the edge with a pre drilled hole in scrap wood the splitting problem is under control . For final trimming of the post cut /slice along the end grains and not across the grains.
On the Fiddlerman site he shows how to work out the angles of the post ends. I call that the "Outside--Upside down --Back to front " method .

[John Cadd]

I wrote down what I thought would work for the 1/8th size post but when I tried it all the negatives showed up . But I came to one important conclusion. The plastic tool I made previously to grip the bottom of the post is the best solution . I just need to make a smaller one to fit through the soundhole.
Using plastic to set the top position just got in the way . I had abandoned the setting spike and I will still reject that .The small drilled hole was on the same wavelength as the spike . Using a paperclip was too much in the way . I had also used strong cotton thread .That also got in the way .
So a thin gripper for the bottom of the post still seems a more efficient method . The top of the post is easy to move around as long as the bottom end holds on to give a few extra chances .I have plenty of plastic and a pair of scissors .
This tiny 1/8th Chinese violin had a 5 mm thick post. Maybe that could work better than a thin one .
So ignore the previous post and I will describe the better method later . I just need to make the same thing smaller.

[John Cadd]

Well I scaled down the plastic soundpost setter and it worked perfectly . The post is gripped by two angled cuttouts which are pivoted so the post can be released .One inch wide strip of plastic and taped on top are two strips that pivot from the middle .The bottom strip has a square cuttout in the end . The small violin does not allow much room through the soundhole and this small version was bent into a smooth curve. I fitted a 9 volt PP£ battery in a box with a switch .That lit up a single diode lamp .The battery box was taped onto the fingerboard .
The post was a bit tight first time so I took it out and did some adjustments . Second time it was just as easy .This post had no holes drilled or stabbed in it . The post is held lightly and does not fall out to give time to move and adjust .Much better with a lamp.
The video from Cremona shows a large diode lamp with about 4 diodes.That would be far too bright and 4 lamps would not give a decent shadow if you wanted to search for gaps .One single diode is better .

[John Cadd]

For added refinement or curiosity the bridge can be moved a little to see what space between post and bridge comes out best . The bridge can be replaced in the original position after that test and the post put in a better place . Much like tuning a crystal set radio . That`s the sort of greneration my parents came from . You will need to look that up .
I have read that the thickness of a soundpost is not that important . So another good question . I can`t see why a 4mm thick (Thin ) post can be any better than the original Chinese 5 mm post that was in place . I am thinking of the isolated pressure on the belly surface.

[John Cadd]

I saw a question about cutting the soundpost ends and the edge splitting away . I can`t see the question here but I have a good way to stop the splitting . If you cut on a hard surface (bad ) the post is not cushioned at all . Better is to have some flexible ,padded plastic floor covering beneath the post. If you press the post down with your left hand the plastic bends around the post a little and you can cut without the back end breaking away .
Try not to cut with a straight down push. Move the blade as if you are cutting a tiny cake. The edge comes out smooth ,shiny and flat .