Salve Håkedal

I would not think "cello acoustics" is fundamentally different from violin. Learning to understand the physics of the violin will help a lot with understanding the cello. I.e: I think I kind of understand that the cello wolf note is an issue with the B1+ mode.

For some years I've used a varnish made of Ruby Shellac and Mastic (5+1). Ruby Shellac is dewaxed. I have only seen cracking on one instrument. And only adjacent to the brigde feet. Interestingly, this instrument has exceptionally light and soft spruce. So I expect the brigde feet to make depressions in the top wood rather fast, and the craking may be the first signs of that? This varnish is rather hard and resistant. The Shellac probably dominates its properties. I've tried a larger proportion of Mastic, but did not like it, as it seemed to affect the drying time appreaciably. Of course: drying time is also dependent on the amount of solvent as well as the Shellac/Mastix ratio. I mix around 1 part solid matter with 3 - 4 parts alcohol. Thinner than that would require an unpleasant number of applications.

I use dewaxed shellac (ruby). I'm sure a chemist would be able to find some rest of wax in it, but I never considered micro amounts to be an issue. Wouldn't that be a philosophical question only?

I'm using spirit varnish only, and would like to participate. (I'm on Facebook, kindof, but would not like it to be there. I feel Facebook's interface is restricting to fruitful discussions. A forum like Maestronet is better. But oldfashioned IRC is really the best. Though it would attract rather few posters, I know.)

.. (Sorry,! For some reason the font became huge, and I don't want that.)

Yess. When I started making I felled a "lind" (Tília cordata), which smells lovely, is light and cuts well. But is plain white. Then finally, after 30+ years I tried something else: "selje" (Salix caprea) from my firewood pile. Upper right corner.. My inside work is rougher than Davides. But color is nice!

Ctanzio, I've been on Linux for 20 years. I've had problems for sure, but never virus related. Thanks to the operating system but also to the user. If someone sends me an email with an attached program (bash script) containing the simple line "rm -r *", and tells me to run it, all my files will be gone. BUT I DON'T DO THAT!

Virus = Microsoft Windows

If you can take music outside equal temperament, here is a Stradivari Tenor model tuned an octave below violin:

When it's that cold, the pee will freeze before hitting the fiddle.

My most important consideration would be not to have a too high arching/steep rise close to the end- and neck-block. So I agree with Nathan as well as Don. I've done that mistake once with very light, and therefore soft, spruce. and it is now bulging up rather unpleasantly under the fingerboard and under the tailpiece. Making it thicker to try to compensate for the fiber runout would not really have helped much to prevent the bulging/creep.

I don't think it is possible to make a child size violin sound anything like a full size. Small thicknesses will help, but it will still sound different. I think that's all right. A childs voice is different from a grown up, too. So I think that's cool.

Geared pegs saves a lot of hardangerfiddle players and listeners time. They are mostly well recieved by players. One should use child size pegs, just as one should when fitting a hardangerfiddle with wooden pegs. (By the way, the picture above is a Viola d'amore, not a hardangerfiddle)

Wittners are a blessing!

Don! You are so beautifully intelligent, down to earth, to the point etc.-etc.... Thank you!