Violin Forum/Message Board

actonern · Super Member Joined: 15 Aug 2007 Posts: 444

Does anyone know what type of clamps were used by the big names in Cremona to glue the linings to the ribs?

Just curious.

E

Michael Darnton · Posted: Tue Feb 19, 2013 9:07 pm Post subject:

I don't know of any surviving clamps or info about this. Perhaps they used wooden spring clothespins with these on them to multiply the clamping power (thanks to Tim Hagar for pointing me to these!): http://www.amazon.com/Castrator-Rings-100-Pk-Green/dp/B000HHLZ82
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actonern · Super Member Joined: 15 Aug 2007 Posts: 444

Oh that's good!

Do you have to buy the doodad clamp thing to put them on and do you need a license for these things???

actonern · Super Member Joined: 15 Aug 2007 Posts: 444

On a slightly different tangent...

Lining heights in the C. and J. book are recommended to be between 7 and 8 mm....

I'm guessing not much turns on it, but I'm not sure either... any thoughts on wheather it's better to go light light light and set them quite short, or go tall and help stabilize/strengthen the ribs?

E

Michael Darnton · Posted: Tue Feb 19, 2013 9:35 pm Post subject:

I make mine 7.5mm. :-) If you were going to mess around with this, I'd probably make them smaller on thin Strad type violins, and larger on del Gesus with 1.5mm ribs.
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violinarius · Member Joined: 14 Dec 2007 Posts: 171

There are a lot of tools missing from Stradivari's shop.

I suspect that they slowly left the shop as bills became due.
The more practical and general the tool, the easier it would be to sell it.
Nothing special about everyday tools like saws or chisels.

So there is a saying in woodworking, "You can never have enough clamps!", so it is my guess that clamps went first. Jointer and smoother plane second.

We are left mostly with the specialized violin making tools, such as violin finger planes, moulds, countermoulds, thickness gauges, purfling scribers etc., which leads me to think that these were considered worth saving, since they are unique.

Michael Darnton · Posted: Tue Feb 26, 2013 8:04 am Post subject:

Oh, I missed the doo-dad question. No--they slip right on.
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