polkat
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Posts posted by polkat
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Yea Glenn, I'm just sort of sitting back and watching all the ideas go by, noting what I like here and there. I rather like Captainhook's idea of the violin going into the case on an angle. Makes for a very nice size accessory section.
One thing I have not seen in 'some' of the ideas is any serious method (straps?) of holding the violin stationary. Even in many of the commercial formed cases I've seen in stores, the violin can move around quite a bit inside the case, banging the ribs or tailpin against hard areas, or allowing the weight of the instrument to rest at least partially against the bridge while being carried. Many cases out there do approach this problem, but too many don't. As much of an art piece as some cases may be, there intention is to protect the instrument, which will be first priority in whatever I decide on.
Great responses here! Far more then I expected!
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I have an old tenor banjo case that is like that. It's a solid (sort of) fiberboard box with a door at the bottom that the banjo slides out of. It doesn't really offer much protection for the instrument though, but is interesting in being unusual.
I have been considering using the foam as well. It seems to me that once fully cured and covered with whatever interior material one chooses, the violin finish should be fairly well protected....OR....do these foam synthetics leach off chemicals long after they have cured??
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While I don't profess to know much about varnish, I have made some from published recipes. I tried Michael's mastic varnish a few years ago from instructions given here. It worked okay (and looked good) but was a bit too soft for my tastes. I am thinking about trying it again, but I was wondering if there might be some simple mods I can do to the ingrediants to make it dry a bit harder? Thanks for any responses!
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I noticed that too, and also how there is no support to keep the violin from sliding around inside (assuming it is not such a small case that the violin fits fairly tight inside to begin with). Welshman's case is nice!
So are you folks carving white styrofoam to fit the fiddle, gluing it in and then covering that with velvet (or whatever it is)?
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I think that there are two reasons why these pegs never caught on; the first being that depending on the size of the players left hand, the G peg would sometimes strike the back of the hand (the ones I had did anyway), and perhaps more importantly, the fit of a violin into it's case is akward with them (both reasons why the Perfections are catching on).
I do like the look of the geared pegs shown above that come normally out of the peg holes. Taking a closer look at the peg hole area, these seem like they may have at one time been commercially available rather then custom made. Anyone know?
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Glenn, did you get my PM?
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Those of you who play on gut strings; what gut string have you found to have the fastest response? Or for that matter the least response to humidity? I play jazz, usually on Dominants. I love the sound of gut strings, but don't want a string with very slow response. Thanks!
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Probably later 19th century. Last time I scanned the catalogs one company was still selling them.
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GlennYorkPA, yes, I had considered modifying a rifle or archery case, but I noticed during a search on the web that most rifle cases are a bit longer then desired. The case pictured in your post, do you know it's origins? Any brand markings on it?
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Could the blackened flames actually be burned from a hot bending iron, and then an attempt to clean it up some way (sanding)? I've never seen a Strad up close in person, but I've seen this black flame on other violins.
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Interesting stuff so far (some that doesn't apply to the thread, but you'll have that). Thanks for the ideas!
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I once had an old Torte bow copy with a nice wooden peg at the end of the screw. Sadly, the frog was crushed beyond use. The eyelet and screw were of very weird and large threads and diameter, and in good shape. I wanted to reuse them so I found a frog that fit well and carefully drilled out the eyelet hole until the screw would drop in. I then painted the eyelet threads with oil, filled the hole with JB Weld and put in the eyelet. When it dried, I was able to unscrew the eyelet from the epoxy and clean out the stick channel of any pushed aside glue. I then had good threads for the eyelet, and once assembled it worked fine and looked good. That was maybe 5 years ago and I still use that bow. Meatball surgery for sure, but it worked for me.
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I am thinking about making my own custom violin case. I've done a lot of violin work, but never approached this before. Can anyone show me, or guide me to examples? Thanks!
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"I've seen shops with bows hung on dowel." I did this as well. I don't handle that many bows, but I took a 4"x1" board 6 feet long and mounted it horizontally about 6 feet up against my shop wall (away from sawdust generating areas). I drilled fourty 1/4" holes along the center of the board (tilted slightly upward), and glued in 1/4" dowels wrapped in hard felt. So it can handle 40 bows (though I rarely have more then a handful). Works fine. The bugs lake dark places nearer the floor (or so I've always read) and I have no bug problems.
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Bill, just how did you heat the screw, particularly while it was in the wood? We are talking about some small stuff here.
By the way, I worked in broadcast television and film myself for many years, and I know the 10-32 well. Do you suggest a 10-32 for this job?
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"It hasnt got any psycho-active properties......."
Then why is it illegal?
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David's method of how to set it up is exactly what I've been doing for years, but it still slips fairly easily.
David also said, "You also might try threading a thicker part of the wedge for a course-threaded set-screw." I have been thinking the same thing. I believe this is a rosewood wedge (dark brownish red with black streaks lengthwise). Is rosewood hard enough to drill and tap? I have found that with rosewood pegs it is often brittle. The threaded insert idea is appealing. What glue? Thanks!
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I have an old GEWA finger plane (37mm length with 12mm blade, rounded sole) that I love and have used for years. However, it has the push-in wood wedge design, and I have always found it difficult to put enough pressure on the wedge to hold the blade from slipping for any length of time. Is it possible to modify this plane to a little thumbscrew design? What might be the best approach? Thanks!
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Yea, I was being sarcastic (perhaps too seriously). Still, a reporter (or even Bell himself) would have to do a bit of research to come up with that idea. For those outside of specific types of finishing (artistry and luthiery), the mix for vernice bianca is not widely known.
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Reading the first article cited in Josh Henry's post, I couldn't help but notice that the article, when speaking of Bell's Gibson ex Huberman, states that it is believed the varnish was a vernice bianca solution (honey, egg white and gum arabic). I use vernice bianca as a ground/sealer under an oil varnish finish on my own instruments, but never as the final finish itself.
Did I read this wrong, or was vernice bianca with some kind of coloring agent, actually used as a final finish in the golden period? Thanks!
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Well....I tried the stick idea this afternoon, and got the best rehair I've ever done. Only needed one small area lightly flamed. Thanks for the tips!!
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I do it that way if I just have some small gluing projects to do, and the clues to it have already been given. Use a thermometer that will fit in the pan and start with a very LOW flame. Let it take the time it wants to get up to about 150-160 degrees (the glue in the jar will be slightly cooler then the water surrounding it) and no hotter. Try to get the work room up to at least 70 degrees, and warm the wood before doing the gluing (the glue begins to cool right after taking it off the stove). Also, watch your water to glue ratio or it won't work well this way (if I want a very strong joint I will use unflavored gelatin rather then standard glue, but you have to work very fast with gelatin if heated this way).
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"You get the length correct, bend it around the stick, pinch the hair, and tie the knot. "
Okay, so the stick should be the same thickness as the plug? And you mark the length somehow, bend it around the stick with one hand, pinch it underneith(?) the stick with the other, so that the mark is underneith as well, and tie it at the mark.
That sound right? Thanks!
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I've successfully rehaired a number of bows, but I've never used a bending stick while doing this. How is this stick made, and how does one tie the knot while trying to hold the hair bent around the stick? Or is it used in a different way? Thanks!
Homemade cases?
in The Pegbox
Posted
Well, I certainly have been considering it as you know. You said, "It's easy to suggest foam but you want it to be springy, but not too springy; firm, but not too firm and importantly, it should not compact or change its properties over years of use."
Of those criteria, I see foam rubber as the only match. The problem with it is in the last part of that sentence. You need only to rip open an original car seat from the '60's to find hard, compacted foam rubber that has taken and holds a specific shape.
So what alternatives are there?