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Apr 24, 2010 16:16:59 GMT
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About 20 years ago, my dad bought a violin building kit, and had a go at making it with help from my sister. They didn't do very well... the neck came off the first time they tuned it so it got bunged in the loft and forgotten about. I rescued it recently - I don't have a fiddle at the moment and was hoping there was a useable one going spare (there wasn't - just the snapped one ) so I brought it back and set about it. Top levered off, started sanding the varnish back (very thick varnish... also not too good for a violin) and removing the old glue. Much sanding later... The wood is really good. Close grained white pine for the belly, maple back and sides, limewood interior binding, Hard maple and real ebony for the neck (also, an ebony bridgepeice and string pegs that I suspect came from a much older instrument) I also suspect that the really fiddly (lol) bits of the back were pre-assembled (because they are well done, and the rest wasn't) See what I mean? Here it is just placed together while I went to find some glue. In a break with tradition, I've used PVA glue instead of boiled hide glue (It is what I've got...) While the body set, I dealt with the neck (which didn't fit the body properly - not square or snug) so lots of careful sanding and filing to make this which sits nicely in place, so I glued it on. Masking tape is for allignment not fixing... left it overnight to dry Clamps off, fingerboard on. Finishing time. Couple of coats of thinned down polyurethane varnish and it's starting to look really nice. Leaving it to set properly, I'll see how it came out tomorrow (sand back and another couple of thin coats, probably) so maybe monday or tuesday I can fit the hardware and the soundpost and give it a try.
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To get a standard A40 this low, you'd have to dig a hole to put it in
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Apr 24, 2010 18:24:35 GMT
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Good work on rescuing it!
It always amazes me how much internal stresses there are in a violin and how delecate they are considering the tenstion in the strings!
Also suprises me how old some of them can be. My mum is a pro Viola player and has some propper old ones which she much prefers to some of the 'newer' (still old) ones.
Lewis
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Apr 24, 2010 19:57:57 GMT
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That build looks like fun
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Apr 24, 2010 20:28:26 GMT
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It is fun ;D I'm really enjoying it. Having so much fun I'm thinking about building something from scratch next time. Lewis, yeah, I know.. fragile little beggars, the top and back are carved and around 1mm thick! I'm DIY'ing this, cos I can't make it any worse than it was.. By the way, the violins I was hoping were still in the loft were 19th century german ones that belonged to my great-aunt (who had a brief career as a soloist in the '30s) but unfortunatly all three of my sisters beat me to it oh well. The case I have is from one of the oldies.. coffin job with the handle on top, veneered walnut and very manky (but real) velvet inside, catch is dated 1909.
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To get a standard A40 this low, you'd have to dig a hole to put it in
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Apr 24, 2010 20:56:47 GMT
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Hats off to you from Nicola and I .
You never cease to amaze and ammuse.
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Apr 24, 2010 23:24:25 GMT
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You have too much skill, give some to me ya greedy curse word!
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Apr 25, 2010 14:29:34 GMT
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Varnish has set now, I really should sand and polish (it's not quite that set yet..) but curiosity got the better of me. I want to know what it sounds like! So, I built it up. For the record, getting the soundpost upright is the devil's own job. It lives behind the bridge inside the cavity, your only access is through the f holes. Took about an hour! Also, while tuning, the E string snapped (It's a 20 year old set of student strings, no real loss, they want changing anyhow) but I found this in one of the pockets in the case. One gut E string! "for sweeter tone and fuller volume" says the packet So... what does it sound like? I made a bit of a vid.. Bridge wants cutting to suit the violin, it's a little high and slightly the wrong curve, the strings are mismatched and old, I have no rosin for the bow either. It's also at least 10 years since I played a violin, and double that since I last practiced! Have I made enough excuses yet? lol... But anyway, playing and tuning issues aside, it doesn't sound bad. Think I'll pick up some new strings and a blank bridge next time I'm in town.
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To get a standard A40 this low, you'd have to dig a hole to put it in
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stueyt
Posted a lot
Saving cars from the scrapyard.
Posts: 1,682
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Apr 25, 2010 15:29:25 GMT
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Mate sweet work ;D
That is fantastic, I always fancied having ago at building my own guitar but that was as far as it went.
Could this be the start of a Retro-rides Orchestra?
Cheers,
Stu.
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Always looking for the next project!
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Davenger
Club Retro Rides Member
It's only metal
Posts: 7,272
Club RR Member Number: 140
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New project - Building a violinDavenger
@dminifreak
Club Retro Rides Member 140
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Apr 25, 2010 15:59:21 GMT
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Nice work dude. How did you get the soundpost into place? Only ever had to do 1, and I had the right setting tools. That was bad enough.
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Apr 25, 2010 16:38:46 GMT
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I passed a piece of wire with a loose knot in it between the two f holes, then pushed the soundpost through the treble side f hole into the knot. Holding the tip of the post, I pulled the wire to tighten the knot, then pushed the soundpost into the cavity. Guided the post with the wire until the top of it was where I wanted (about 1cm behind the treble side of the bridge) and pushed the bottom into place with the end of a needle file. once the post was in, and the fiddle tuned up (to clamp the post down...) I waggled the knot loose and withdrew the wire. This took forever, and needed all three of my hands, so no photos
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To get a standard A40 this low, you'd have to dig a hole to put it in
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Davenger
Club Retro Rides Member
It's only metal
Posts: 7,272
Club RR Member Number: 140
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New project - Building a violinDavenger
@dminifreak
Club Retro Rides Member 140
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Apr 25, 2010 17:00:50 GMT
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It's a pig of a job even with the right tools. Sounds like you did well mate
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Apr 25, 2010 17:48:03 GMT
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Yeah. I remember the look on my violin teacher's face when I handed him my fiddle and said "sir, I dropped it and now it rattles" - now I know what that was about. Trouble is, I don't even know what a setting tool is supposed to look like! The hour includes the time it took to figure out a suitable way to fit it using stuff I had to hand.
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To get a standard A40 this low, you'd have to dig a hole to put it in
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Apr 25, 2010 18:20:14 GMT
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Scary - My mum teaches so is always messing around with soundposts that childern have 'modified' You could knock a setting tool up in three seconds flat. They are just a correctly bent strip of metal with the right sized holes in the end. sorry the pic is small, but you get the idea! I asked my mum about her 'best' Viola and she said it is just about 200 years old, and is still in fantastic condition. Lewis
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Last Edit: Apr 25, 2010 18:21:04 GMT by lewist123
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Apr 26, 2010 21:57:52 GMT
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Looks easy enough to make ta. Spent a couple of hours at the garage practicing this evening.. I'm improving, but my bowing has gone to seed big style. Left hand stuff is fine, I can play it pizzicato easily enough but bowed I still sound like a class of 8 year olds. Partly this is the bridge, the A string is the same height as the G and D so i's hard to only hit one string at the mo but mostly it's me losing all the fine motor control through not practicing forever. I try stuff that used to be easy and mess it up, it's really wierd feeling.
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To get a standard A40 this low, you'd have to dig a hole to put it in
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Apr 28, 2010 20:23:51 GMT
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Flipping heck. It's threads like this that keep me coming back here. Mr Scary, I doff my cap to you sir, multi talented doesn't really sum it up!
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1967 Morris Traveller 1971 Series IIA Land Rover 1991 Golf GL 4+e 1992 Corrado G60 1986 E28 BMW 528i
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May 10, 2010 21:11:32 GMT
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If you want to make a fun project, have a go at making a cigar box fiddle. I'm in the middle of making my first 3 string cigar box guitar. You can make it as simple or as elaborate as you like, and acoustic or electric, using the core of a piezo buzzer as a pickup.
I can't actually play yet, but plan to learn some slide techniques once I've made it up and built a smoky/minty amp.
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May 11, 2010 11:41:51 GMT
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nice one. Now start practicing Devil went down to Georgia.
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75 Range Rover 2 door 82 Range Rover 4 door 84 Range Rover 4 door 78 Datsun 120Y 2 door 78 Datsun 620 Pickup 81 Datsun Urvan E23 86 Datsun Vanette van 98 Electric Citroen Berlingo 00 Electric Peugeot Partner 02 Electric Citroen Berlingo 04 Berlingo Multispace petrol 07 Land Rover 130 15 Nissan E-NV200 15 Fiat Ducato
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May 11, 2010 15:33:57 GMT
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mm, Charlie Daniels Band ;D I need to get strings.. the gut E lasted about 20 minutes but I've been brushing up my bowing technique on the remaining 3
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To get a standard A40 this low, you'd have to dig a hole to put it in
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I think we need to get together an RR band jam session at some point in the far and distant future.
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