Violin Forum/Message Board

[Dave Chandler]

My latest, after Andreas Guarnari 1681, "f" holes distinctively Giuseppe Guarnari. Sitka Spruce top, nice maple back and sides from Alberta, Canada.

The flaw you see in the bottom right quadrant of the top, is not in the wood, but a tool mark that showed up during finishing, and I let it go.



I used the belly, rib and back thicknesses, and archings shown in the "Luthier Library" Instrument #4 diagrams, (as much as humanly possible i.e. give or take 1 or 2 tenths of a mm.







I still have a bit of touch-up on the edge of pegbox closest to the nut, after fitting the fingerboard back on after final finishing. Also could stand to "paint" the insides of the "f" holes and inside pegbox, but having too much fun playing it to want to remove the fittings right now. Soon though.

Sounds marvelous!!
_________________
Dave in the Blue Ridge
Southern Violin Association

"Success is the ability to go from one failure to the next with no loss of enthusiasm" Winston Churchill

"I took the road less travelled, and now I don't know where I am." Marco Polo

[Thomas Southern]

Nice looking violin Dave!

[Mikes]

Very nice looking Dave! Congratulations! I like the color too, what did you use for varnish? If you don't mind me asking what is the height of the ribs at the top and bottom block as I'm just starting one that is guarnari features?

[Dave Chandler]

Ribs are 29.3mm high at the neck, 30.1 at the bottom end. My impression is Andrea Guarnari used shorter ribs and then added another mm or two to the arching, perhaps to end up with the same volume as traditional (I'm guessing here, it just an observation on this particular instrument).

I gave it about 2 coats of clear varnish, then wet-sanded it down. Then a coat of yellow, wet-sanded again, then another yellow. Then a coat of orange-brown, and then a number of coats of straight brown, then a coat of clear. Then polished with pumice, and then with rottenstone.

The technique of applying the varnish changed after the orange-brown. Early coats were with a camel-hair brush. Later coats were rubbed on with a cloth, very very thin coats.

I'm using varnish provided by metropolitan music co, and powdered colorants. Most of my varnishes I mix a small amount, maybe an ounce just for this violin, using about 3 part varnish to 1 or 1.5 parts turpentine, a "dash" of japan dryer, and or course colorant.
_________________
Dave in the Blue Ridge
Southern Violin Association

"Success is the ability to go from one failure to the next with no loss of enthusiasm" Winston Churchill

"I took the road less travelled, and now I don't know where I am." Marco Polo

[DonLeister]

That looks nice, thank you for posting the pics!

[Tim McTigue]

[kubasa]

Real nice. I also like the varnish job.