Brian in Texas

That looks very nice! Good call on the fittings.

Ouch, that is painful to look at. And yes, I'd try the wet paper towel + bending iron approach to loosen up the glue.

Good to know I'm not alone. I have my doubts that I'll ever be actually good at this, even for an amateur. But since I'm not planning on making it my career, that is ultimately ok and I can just live with that.

I've been on hiatus from making the viola for the last month or so. Do any other beginners have a difficult time wrestling with impostor syndrome?

Oh, that's cool! Glad that my madness could inspire others.

Is a violin ever truly yours if it doesn't have trace amounts of your DNA on it?

That looks amazing, Dave! Good show.

Hey! I'm another newbie, having recently finished my first violin. I'd avoid copying the arching on the Strad poster perfectly. There will be distortions from centuries of tension and wood movement. Instead I'd plot out the average arching symmetrically on both sides. Welcome to the madhouse.

I bought an Accu-Burr burnisher. Here's what I think about it.

I decided to try the Accu-Burr burnisher in an effort to get better results out of my scrapers. Here is my first impression and review.

Gorgeous work as usual!

Davide: It's a goal of mine to get skilled enough at sharpening my scrapers so that they work as well as yours.

Sure enough, despite Davide’s advice, I somehow managed to make too snug of a fit, causing blowout in a couple of spots. (sigh) I guess some patchwork is in my future.

That was a really cool presentation, thank you for sharing this. The violin certainly has a lot of personality, especially with the carved figurehead.

I had some time off from work, so I spent an afternoon dry fitting purfling on the back plate. I'm sure my methods seem sloppy compared to the artistry I see from many here, but the goal of my channel is to document my journey accurately. And right now, I'm still at the fumbling stage, but aiming to improve. As always, any tips or constructive criticisms are welcome.