jeff1

This whole post has been a waste of time!!! I mean come on, I have seen you hammer people, and people hammer you!! Grow up!!! For people, not just you, to have a pissing contest on the web is stupid! I think, I'll quit coming here,I want to know about violins and bows! Not who thinks their the best maker, or has the highest education, etc... VIOLIN!

I'm not certain that this has any bearing! But I read that an instrument string has a natural vibration pattern! That is on a guitar when it is plucked it is moving side to side and when left alone the string will turn in it's motion to an up and down pattern, even when fingering the fretboard and played this happens. The violin string is forced to maintain the side to side vibration, that along with the bow causes dampening.The natural vibration of the string is what gives the instrument it's ring. I did try a soundpost in a guitar many, many years ago and I don't remember the effect it had, other than an undesireable one. I know that they use them in resonator guitar with great effects for the tone, this guitar's are more warm sounding than the ones with a laminated soundwell!

I don't know! If you go the the large picture of the label, on the left side on the inner most purfling, there looks like a chip in the varnish and the purfling is in tact!

I saw this on ebay, and the the scroll was interesting. http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewI...;category=38108

I drill a .25" dia. hole on the large side, then with a transfer punch that is .25" dia., I just site the punch in straight, and push it in to makea mark ro where I want to drill.

Thanks, I guess I'm lucky, I own a cattle ranch. My cows let me know if my violins sound good, if they moo, it's good, if they stampede, then I'd better try something else!! See I got the last laugh!!:-)

True we don't know what the great masters violins sounded like when they where new! We can only compare our instruments today with the construction of the old masters and how they built their instruments. But learning more about your trade is not a comparsion, it's trying to achieve a higher level. As I stated before there are maker's building instruments close to the tonal quality as the Stradivarus. So I guess yes that is the brass ring for some people. I do feel that it can be achivied, and to scoff at people because they believe in something, just shows how little you know. To me this isn't a money game, I build instruments because I love doing it!! And if thinking that there is a special secret makes me stupid, then for now I'm stupid, but who knows I might just get the last laugh!!!!:-)

Here is an interesting article on wood compostion. I found the last two paragraphs most interesting. http://www.extension.umn.edu/distribution/...ts/6413ch1.html

While your at it get me one too!!:-)

I did talk to Nagyvary, he said that he has been a proponite of the use of borax for 25 years. As I posted earilier I can't see Stradivari boiling his wood for 20 hours. Nagyvary does have some nice sounding violins, I will give him that, but there are alot of great sounding violins by other makers as well! I do believe that Stradivari did treat his wood, how I don't know, but I do believe that someone will make a violin to match his one day!

According to Nagyvary, borax also attachs to the wood fibers, causing the wood to stiffen. Plus doing the proceture also cleaned out any impurities in the wood, causing the wood to be lighter!

Great job Mike and Thanks for shareing!!

To help with you question, what type of crack do you have? Is it a tight crack or a gaapen crack? Acetone does desolve super glue, but don't use it, it will desolve most anything!

I wondered if they use a chemical, or mineral, during the seasoning process! Something to help the wood season, or maybe to stablize the wood to decrease checking or something like that.

Can you clean the super glue out? I know this isn't an answer to you question! I wouldn't try gluing the crack on top of super glue! I don't know if you can or not, to me it's better to do the job right the first time, and not chance it coming back to be rerepaired!!