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Have tried a couple of versions but couldn't get a result as good as I can with the string method.

Any here just use the single trapezoid wedge? That's what I do, because it facilitates sloppy rib bending...

This time, considering I used low-density maple (0.56) for this viola scroll, I decided to reinforce the heel with a rod. I don't normally do this, but if the wood is low-density, I think it's a good idea. However, I'm not a carbon fiber fan; as David Burgess recommends, I also prefer wood. In this case, a 5.8 mm rod, 32 mm long, made of walnut, inserted at an 80° angle. Glued with Titebond in a 6 mm hole.

I don't know if a rubbed joint holds more or less than a clamped joint, but certainly, if done well, I do not doubt that it will hold. A few years ago, while I was teaching at a violin-making school, one of my students asked if he could try the rub joint on a spruce plate, and I let him. In the end, we did the hold test by standing on the still-rectangular board, and it held without a hitch. The one who stood on it with both feet weighed about 80 kg, so I'd say it passed the test with flying colors. Warning: Don't try this test; it's a bit traumatic, and I don't particularly recommend it. But since it wasn't one of my plates, it was fun and even a bit thrilling to watch. Warning II: Despite this, I continue to use clamps on my joints; I'm not brave enough to face the unknowns of a rub joint.

Very nice!

@Davide Sora I agree with you, but I don’t have other testing options at the moment. This particular test functions like a resilience test, where we assess the weaker, narrower, point of the wood sample. Fortunately, a violin is not meant to withstand impacts. The back and top joints of a violin are approximately 3 to 4.5 mm thick and 354 mm long. Still, I believe the purpose of this topic is to verify whether the rubbed joint performs similarly to the clamped joint, and viceversa. In the attached photo a typical resilience test specimen.

The first and maybe only application of the mastic ground, I actually think it's looking pretty good at this point.

I've always found gluing tests on oversized pieces of wood to be a bit too far from reality. Furthermore, a lot depends on where and how the force is applied, with what lever arm, etc. I think it would be best to perform the tests on pieces of wood no thicker than three to four mm for spruce, and four to six mm for maple, to get closer to the actual thicknesses of the glued plates.

The attached photos show the results of two rub joints break tests performed on maple and spruce samples. These are offcuts from the wood used for my most recent violin. I find this leftover material particularly useful for testing varnishes and grounds.

Final gluing of the fingerboard on the 2025 viola.

Quite right.

Mr. Burgess, I believe you are right.

"When violinist Lara St. John goes public about her own assault as a child at an elite music school, she uncovers a global pattern of abuse in the classical music world and joins fellow survivors to confront an entrenched culture of silence."

Finally after two weeks of waiting for the tanning to happen, I've applied the casein ground. I'm sure I have a long way to go to develop a good finishing process, but I don't think it's off to a bad start. Next I'll move on to a mastic ground, then varnish.

It refers to the shop of Karel van der Meer (born in 1862). He is a well-known violin maker who worked in Amsterdam in the late 1800s and early 1900s. They are not. No. Again, no. This is a crudely made modern Chinese both with an irrelevant stamp.

A side issue for the experts - I have heard of the Voller brothers' notorious reputation as copyists (fakers?) Would this have been their own work or just a shop label on a bought-in Cello?

Old cellos are great to find for shops, especially if they aren’t too severely damaged. This one has had some noticeable damage, but from the photo of the top looks to have some potential. If you’re selling at an estate sale, it’s a tough question—on the one hand, potential buyers will want to pay a wholesale price for it since it’s not being sold by a shop, but on the other, it will be harder to sell when it’s not whole. You’ll need to put some money in to get it in serviceable shape, but the practicality of this will depend on what you hope to make from its sale. It might make sense to see whether a shop would just like to buy it outright as is. Many shops are desperate for old cellos.

There have been several discussions of wood selection and processing here in the past. The comments above are running about 60% nonsense. I and several other people who post here have selected, cut, dried and successfully used and or sold tonewood and have shared our experience with the forum. Check out the earlier threads.

Hello everyone, I came across this violin bow and I’m hoping to get some opinions from people who know more about bows than I do. The bow is stamped “Karel van der Meer Amsterdam” (K.V.D. Meer Amsterdam). I don’t have much experience with violin bows, so I’m curious whether this stamp refers to a known maker or shop. I’m also wondering if the fittings might be silver mounted, but I’m not sure how to tell the difference between silver and nickel. Does this bow look like something of reasonable quality? And based on the stamp and fittings, could it possibly be a silver-mounted bow? Any thoughts or insights would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

Hey guys. I've been exploring different methods for staining the interiors of my violins to look convincing. I've been told about a stain called Iron(ii) Nitrite. Fe (NO2)2. It can be made with easy to find precursors, which are Iron(ii) Chloride and Sodium Nitrite. They are supposed to yield iron (ii) nitrite and Sodium Chloride in aqueous solution. Has anyone used or toyed with this one? I made some not too long ago, but instead used potassium nitrite as the precursor in substitution because it's easier to acquire. It made an interesting orange liquid and subsequent brown, heavier than air gas that was quite unpleasant. But the wood color was beautiful that it created. A true neutral brown that looks just like an old fiddle interior. Not too pink or orange. Has anyone used this? Is it any different in practice to ferric nitrate?

First thing, your logs need to be fresh cut. Mill it asap. The longer it sits un-milled and undried it will develop what is called “blue stain” in the sapwood. The wood will get a blueish-gray tint the further in you go from any dried areas. The ends will split and worst case it spalts and gets woodworm in it. You might get away with having the logs sit a month or two in winter, but I wouldn’t. Sugar maple is really heavy and hard to work, silver is pretty weak for its weight. Most folks will use red maple or black maple. Good insurance against pests would be to give it a good spray of borax and water to mitigate bugs and mold, but that still is no guarantee.

I don't think that re-wording it will make it any clearer, and it's off-topic anyway.

If you plan to sell this at an estate sale, I don’t think that paying to have the fingerboard planed makes sense. You would be selling it as a repair project, and the fingerboard grooves would be minor compared with the detached neck. Edit: I missed that you were asking about having the luthier “reassemble the cello” as well as plane the fingerboard. I’m not sure about that. But it’s probably worthwhile having someone knowledgeable look at it and suggest a selling price.

Sorry about the pictures, here are better ones.

Right on. Thanks again for posting the profile. I made my form to be collapsible but I had a lapse of logic in my design and had to break out the splines holding the form together. The rib garland still came out fine without having to chisel the corner blocks, but I need to remake or repair the mold for the next one. I took the PDF that you sent me and used it to create the profile in a CAD program. I did the same with the arching information that Mr. Darnton gave to me, and I also digitized a neck template. If I have to make a new form, I may just have all my templates and the form laser cut. It will save a bunch of time and be more accurate. I think I am going to string this one up in the white. I am chomping at the bit to hear it. Hopefully I got the arching close enough to make the thick plates sound good. I have a bunch of testing to do to get a better ground before I varnish it. I don’t want to have to wait another 2 or 3 months to hear what she sounds like. lol. My first two are too light in color for my taste, but I don’t think they look horrible. I am heading to Chicago tomorrow for my daughter’s engagement party so I reckon I’ll be cutting a bridge and sound post on Monday.