| View previous topic :: View next topic |
| Author |
Message |
kjb Super Member
Joined: 06 Feb 2013 Posts: 385
|
Posted: Tue Oct 15, 2013 7:45 am Post subject: |
|
|
| yes that is quite nice |
|
| Back to top |
|
 |
DonLeister Moderator
Joined: 29 Mar 2007 Posts: 383 Location: Richmond, VA
|
Posted: Tue Oct 29, 2013 11:10 pm Post subject: |
|
|
I'm back from the dead. Here's something from today.
 |
|
| Back to top |
|
 |
kjb Super Member
Joined: 06 Feb 2013 Posts: 385
|
Posted: Wed Oct 30, 2013 3:50 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| the block of wood in the vise looks like the rest of neck at 90 degrees from the scroll! its supposed to be straight!! |
|
| Back to top |
|
 |
DonLeister Moderator
Joined: 29 Mar 2007 Posts: 383 Location: Richmond, VA
|
Posted: Wed Oct 30, 2013 9:14 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| That's a big hunk of wood I had to glue onto one mangled jaw. My workbench was really beat up when I got it. |
|
| Back to top |
|
 |
ctviolin Super Member
Joined: 07 May 2009 Posts: 961 Location: Roswell
|
Posted: Sat Nov 02, 2013 6:30 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| Mikes wrote: | I've been doing the final scraping and edge work on this fiddle. Here's a few pictures of the final edge work at the corners I did over the weekend.
Best,
Mike Spencer
|
And I find that I must agree with Don here.
Nice work Mike.
On everything shown, besides the edgework and purfling. Are you going to varnish this beauty soon? I'd like to see it varnished if you get the chance.
Thanks
ct _________________ Look,
Listen,
Learn. |
|
| Back to top |
|
 |
DonLeister Moderator
Joined: 29 Mar 2007 Posts: 383 Location: Richmond, VA
|
Posted: Mon Nov 04, 2013 11:52 pm Post subject: |
|
|
 |
|
| Back to top |
|
 |
J. Goldsmith Strings Member
Joined: 09 Oct 2013 Posts: 26
|
Posted: Tue Nov 05, 2013 3:21 am Post subject: |
|
|
| Wow, what a pretty piece of wood! |
|
| Back to top |
|
 |
DonLeister Moderator
Joined: 29 Mar 2007 Posts: 383 Location: Richmond, VA
|
Posted: Tue Nov 05, 2013 9:40 am Post subject: |
|
|
More often than not the figure stands out best when the back is veiwed at an angle. The color is more accurate in the first shot, since I'm messing with the desklights to show off the wood.
Yes it is a nice piece! It is red maple and my most recent.
 |
|
| Back to top |
|
 |
Cliff Green Member
Joined: 01 Apr 2007 Posts: 111 Location: Amissville, Virginia
|
Posted: Tue Nov 05, 2013 10:41 am Post subject: |
|
|
| "El Tigre" |
|
| Back to top |
|
 |
Mikes Member
Joined: 28 Mar 2007 Posts: 80 Location: Vermont, USA
|
Posted: Tue Nov 05, 2013 10:50 am Post subject: |
|
|
Don, Wow! very nice color and great looking work and wood! Dare I ask what is your varnish and system?
CT, I hope to start varnishing in about a month. I have an extensive restoration to do first. Maybe I'll take some pictures of that during the process. Thanks for the kind words. |
|
| Back to top |
|
 |
actonern Super Member
Joined: 15 Aug 2007 Posts: 444
|
Posted: Tue Nov 05, 2013 3:05 pm Post subject: |
|
|
Lovely!
I've been busy making another new viola... it's almost done in the white. I've also been busy slaking lime and cooking varnish for 7 days to try Roger Hargrave's recently described varnishing methods... on the new viola, I've decided. I've played around a lot with pieces of wood to get a sense of what he means about striking the right balance between burning the figure and not having the varnish penetrate enough. It'll be nerve wracking the first time, I'm sure, but I'm 'goin in!
After reading his rather declarative statement to the effect that sizing the wood with minerals has been the single greatest thing he's done in the past 30 years to improve the sound of his instruments I got a little weak in the knees... or the head?
Best regards,
E |
|
| Back to top |
|
 |
DonLeister Moderator
Joined: 29 Mar 2007 Posts: 383 Location: Richmond, VA
|
Posted: Tue Nov 05, 2013 10:12 pm Post subject: |
|
|
If I remember right, Roger uses a stain of some kind to darken the wood before the mineral ground goes on.
I think just the mineral ground does not do a whole lot on it's own. At least my samples were dissappointing with mineral ground (plaster of paris) alone.
Mikes, in a nut shell I'm using artist oil colors and a thickish oil varnish that I made.
The colors are pthalo blue, indian yellow, rublev madder lake (looks just like alizarin crimson) and old holland transparent red oxide.
I start with a mild pot. dichromate stain but the first thing on the wood is a few washes of turps with a few drops of linseed oil added. |
|
| Back to top |
|
 |
actonern Super Member
Joined: 15 Aug 2007 Posts: 444
|
Posted: Tue Nov 05, 2013 10:43 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| Oh Roger uses a stain all right... it comes out of rabbits if you squeeze them real hard! |
|
| Back to top |
|
 |
ctviolin Super Member
Joined: 07 May 2009 Posts: 961 Location: Roswell
|
Posted: Wed Nov 06, 2013 10:36 am Post subject: |
|
|
| DonLeister wrote: |  |
Don, that's a gorgeous looking back and ribs.
What does she sound like?
Yes, I do essentially the same thing, I using an oil varnish, and oil colors in order to arrive at the exact correct color I want.
I have come to use a ground that Mr. Darnton had suggested many years ago, which is a straight dilute shellac.( from flakes & alcohol, not the caned stuff) I have come to use garnet shellac, which does give a slight base color to start work with. So I believe we are making/using very different grounds.
I believe everyone knows what type of (oil) varnish I now use, which is my own commercial war against most of the available "violin varnishes" so I won't go into that here.
I have (and still do) also used a base color for the oil varnish, (that Mr. Darnton had suggested many years ago in another universe...) and that is pure road tar or asphalt - diluted with (I forget now - us it alcohol?) down to a colored liquid, and initially added to the oil varnish for a great base color that I will then alter with the tube oil colors. I have so much of it that I use, I no longer need (or remember how- more wonders of my stroke...) to make it. I do remember that it's simple to make.
OK - I'm thinking that it was so long ago, that Michael may have abandoned these methods entirely since then, which methods, of course, I have bastardized tremendously, but I still use the basics methods and they work well for me.
Enough of my endless blather!
Can we see the front?
ct _________________ Look,
Listen,
Learn. |
|
| Back to top |
|
 |
DonLeister Moderator
Joined: 29 Mar 2007 Posts: 383 Location: Richmond, VA
|
Posted: Wed Nov 06, 2013 1:19 pm Post subject: |
|
|
Here's the front. I have not set it up yet, that's on tomorrow's agenda.
I like hearing what others are doing and I look forward to some pics.
 |
|
| Back to top |
|
 |
|