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Jeffrey Holmes

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About Jeffrey Holmes

  • Birthday July 23

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    http://www.holmesviolins.com

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    Ann Arbor/Tecumseh
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  1. For what it's worth (or my 2 cents); I prefer parallelogram cleats for most things, grain running perpendicular to that of the plate....BUT... there are occasions when I feel diamond shaped cleats set in at 45 degrees appropriate and others when I feel old fashioned rectangular cleats are the best choice. I shape all types to reduce stress risers. I may choose something besides a parallelogram depending on where I'm placing the cleat(s), the possible stress factors to the area and the restrictions inherent in the area to be cleated. Seems to me that having choices for various applications is a good thing, especially if you've seen how they hold up for many years and base your choices on those observations. I run the grain for patches to match the grain of the plate, but I first learned to offset them slightly. I've seen little difference in performance between the two as long as they've been well installed.
  2. Yes. I have seen Gand here violins with 3 piece tops, the center portion bent.
  3. I tend to review most all of the ongoing threads, usually have limited time, and therefore I am certainly guilty of not reading all threads start to finish carefully. My apologies to Brad and fiddlecollector.
  4. If you're speaking of the stuff we used at "the firm", I believe you are correct. I still have (and very occasionally use) a roll of tin foil (.0006 if memory serves me) I bought from Cremona Tools years ago. It's wider than any I could find in the states at the time. I looked for it on their site today, but could not find it there. May be a discontinued item. I do recall it wasn't cheap. Frankly, 99% of the time (maybe I'm exaggerating? Maybe not!) I'd rather use thin latex. We ordered some to be split for interested workshop participants at Oberlin several years ago which was thinner (at .004) than what is commercially available (at .006) which was nice, but it was more fragile... and the minimum run was $500 at the time. May order more in the future. I find the .006 works fine for most jobs, however. The Definition/detail with latex can be improved a bit with a vacuum setup (didn't know if anyone had mentioned that earlier in the thread). Some restorers (like Jean-Jacques Fasnacht) make their own ultra thin latex sheeting.
  5. This help? https://doublebassblog.org/2018/03/string-winding-guide.html
  6. I have not been able to confirm part of the above information (that "no-one else does"). Metoree lists 7 companies that claim they manufacture bone glues (bones and connective tissues), including Mulligan & Higgins.
  7. Good high clarity hide glue doesn't really "stink" and isn't that expensive. According to an article pertaining to a visit with Eugene Bjorn Thordahl (Bjorn Industries a good source of glue) on letter press, he sources glue from Milligan & Higgins in the US (another good source of glue). High clarity (which is manufactured not to stink, tends not to show glue lines, and stores very well) is available from both suppliers at varied bloom strengths (192, 222, 251, 280, 315, 347, 415, etc)... The higher strengths reduce working time (and some artists use them to chip glass. I overcooked 415 in a glass glue insert once so I know what it can do first hand!). While obtaining a small amount directly from these companies might not be a simple task, there are several resellers who carry the products in smaller amounts at reasonable prices. M&H also carries technical gelatins for those who like to use them. I also use bone glue (often available in pearl form) for gluing on tops. It's more brittle and tops I've later needed to remove when it's used seem to come off the ribs quire cleanly... but many luthiers just thin down hide glue for this purpose/result) I suspect that the stinky glue Victor mentioned is just a less refined product. The furniture grade we used at the conservators shop (where I worked when I was in violin making school) was brownish in the bag and had a distinct odor.
  8. For what it's worth, I've had more luck adjusting the lights angles and height than using a polarizing filter. As far as "what's best" (concerning controlled reflection or reducing that as much as possible, I believe that depends on what the photos will be used for. Archival photos for study of outlines, etc. can be very useful relatively "flat", (with no glare... or however you'd like to put i)t. Controlled reflection can make for an attractive portrait photo. @Michael Darnton has more experience photographing than most all of us. Maybe he has a different approach or opinion (which I'd personally listen too closely).
  9. I don't believe "always" would be a safe statement...
  10. Wondered that myself....
  11. Yup. Date stamping (last two digits of the year) apparently started around 1928 (according to what William Watson told me)... about the same time as the channel (when there was one) for the frog was ended before it ran out through the butt of the stick.
  12. The bow siick/frog marks (matching frog to stick) were usually a single letter.
  13. Could be the year, especially as the track for the frog ends before the end of the stick. Might be your photos, but I don't see a Retford mark. The marks Iv'e seen are more or less centered and indented (the don't resemble a pin. I do see two pins above the mortice and one below it on the left side.... and I assume there is a second one below the mortice on the right, but could not get a clear enough image on my phone. Retford mark
  14. Alberti makes a "skiver", which I believe can assist in adjusting pegs to a diameter between the set cutters by removing material on the upper end of the shaft. I don't use one, as I have there ways of accomplishing this, but the contraption looks interesting and I tried one of the earlier versions.
  15. Curiosity never really bothers me, but if it extends to the know it all level it might be a problem (third thing on violinsrus' list). The first and second thing are kind of related... and that behavior would most likely cause me to suggest to the client that looking for another luthier might be a good option... While it's on the luthier to make an effort to define scheduling, most of us tend to juggle several projects at once. Some are better about communicating that an unforeseen delay (for whatever reason) may effect the completion date of other projects when we take them on, but admittedly a majority of luthiers tend to err on the side of optimism (hence the need for ongoing communication). ... and Shelbow has it right Cheers!
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