apartmentluthier Posted February 26, 2014 Report Share Posted February 26, 2014 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joerobson Posted February 26, 2014 Report Share Posted February 26, 2014 This is "Orion". The varnish is Robson's, but with some of my own magic or should I say "mischief". Orion 007.jpg Mike, Very nice...on the mischief...whatever it might be I quote M. Brandmair, "there are many roads to roam". Spruce pix please... on we go, Joe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter K-G Posted February 27, 2014 Report Share Posted February 27, 2014 This is "Orion". The varnish is Robson's, but with some of my own magic or should I say "mischief". Orion 007.jpg I like it! Do you have any sense of how thin the varnish layer is? I like my last one too but I think it's too thick. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael_Molnar Posted February 27, 2014 Author Report Share Posted February 27, 2014 Thanks everyone. The color is in two very thin layers that float on a clear layer. More photos when I have time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael_Molnar Posted May 31, 2014 Author Report Share Posted May 31, 2014 I almost fell off my bench stool when I saw the Trade Secrets article in The Strad by Joseph Curtin and Alex Sobolev: "Digitising the violin fingerboard". As chance would have it, I was running this on my CNC when I read the article. I have been making fingerboards this way since January 2011. It does save time as the article mentions. It is also fun for us techies. My regrets about the article is that it talks about theory, but does not show anything practical namely their CNC setup. I do show mine here. Holding the work and making fixtures are key to making and ranks as any important secret. I have said enough. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Berl Mendenhall Posted May 31, 2014 Report Share Posted May 31, 2014 Mike, how big are the blanks, or are they over sized violin/viola finger boards? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael_Molnar Posted May 31, 2014 Author Report Share Posted May 31, 2014 Hi Berl They are standard violin size. Most are from Taylor USA. Most any will do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael_Molnar Posted August 21, 2014 Author Report Share Posted August 21, 2014 Here is what I call a "string retainer" that I use to hold the strings in place while I adjust the tailpiece after-length. I got tired of re-stringing pegs. The retainer sits on the end of the fingerboards and slotted holes hold the free string ends out of my way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Berl Mendenhall Posted August 22, 2014 Report Share Posted August 22, 2014 Very nice Mike. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael_Molnar Posted April 5, 2015 Author Report Share Posted April 5, 2015 I occasionally get questions about my unfortunate experience with the Lacey Act for importing tonewood into the USA. So, I am attaching my paper that was published a while ago in the VMAAI newsletter. I encourage everyone to join the VMAAI. There is also a link to the VMAAI on Facebook. VMAAI-Lacey Act.pdf Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael_Molnar Posted August 1, 2015 Author Report Share Posted August 1, 2015 This is a photo of cooking varnish a few minutes after I added the lime. The froth is dissipating and the temperature will rise to maintain the simmering and darkening of the resin. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael_Molnar Posted August 2, 2015 Author Report Share Posted August 2, 2015 This is the same pot of resin the following morning. Notice on the left lip of the pot white crystals of calcium hydroxide - excess lime that condensed on the cool pot edge. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carl Stross Posted August 2, 2015 Report Share Posted August 2, 2015 Thank you, Michael - I'll give it a try, too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael_Molnar Posted August 23, 2015 Author Report Share Posted August 23, 2015 I was at it again yesterday. I realized that this stuff gives me chemical pneumonitis. Anyhow, the red is evident in this batch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael_Molnar Posted November 30, 2015 Author Report Share Posted November 30, 2015 Time to make new violins. This photo shows four garlands. Three are still glued to their form. The fourth is clamped in a collapsible form ready for gluing to a plate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tango Posted December 1, 2015 Report Share Posted December 1, 2015 Good work Michael Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jim mcavoy Posted December 1, 2015 Report Share Posted December 1, 2015 that is impressive Jim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael_Molnar Posted December 11, 2015 Author Report Share Posted December 11, 2015 Here I placed the 4 backs by the garlands. The plate sitting on the clamped garland has been contoured by hand adjusting the arches to my interpretation of a Strad. The other plates sitting on their garlands are pretty much as they come out of the CNC, but I have put in the purfling and pins. The corners must be hand mitered. All of these are hollowed out (thick) on the inside, but need to be graduated. One plate is a single piece from Andreas Pahler (Germany). The other three are two-piece Slovakian from Tomas Byma who is no longer dealing in tonewood. Today, I will be working on the tops. The way I use my CNC is to make the machine do the grunt work that leads to carpel tunnel syndrome and other ailments. The plates are roughly shaped much like the CNC-ed ebony fingerboards we buy and reshape. All the plates are my design, based on my interpretations. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roderick Quiros Posted December 11, 2015 Report Share Posted December 11, 2015 I like it. rq Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tango Posted December 12, 2015 Report Share Posted December 12, 2015 The way I use my CNC is to make the machine do the grunt work that leads to carpel tunnel syndrome and other ailments. The plates are roughly shaped much like the CNC-ed ebony fingerboards we buy and reshape. All the plates are my design, based on my interpretations. 4plates.JPG Hi Mike Next year I will try to make a violoncello (hard, isn´t it?) I was wondering myself if a router could help someting. I am not thinking to work like with a cnc, I only whant to fit the router in the way I can cut some wood, the heavy part of the work , and then continue with gouges, planes and scrapers as usual. I am violinist and sometimes I stop to use tool because I must play. Some hard work may harden my fingers I see you have experience with machines and don´t worry about the use of "modern" tools (ha ha), so: What do you think about that? Does it worth? Thanks in advance Tango Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael_Molnar Posted December 13, 2015 Author Report Share Posted December 13, 2015 Hi Mike Next year I will try to make a violoncello (hard, isn´t it?) I was wondering myself if a router could help someting. I am not thinking to work like with a cnc, I only whant to fit the router in the way I can cut some wood, the heavy part of the work , and then continue with gouges, planes and scrapers as usual. I am violinist and sometimes I stop to use tool because I must play. Some hard work may harden my fingers I see you have experience with machines and don´t worry about the use of "modern" tools (ha ha), so: What do you think about that? Does it worth? Thanks in advance Tango First of all, I know nothing about making a violoncello. It's a different animal. Enormous by my standards. Before I had a CNC I used a router for edging and a small one for the purfling channel. Take a look at router tables and see if that would work. You could make one too. I made a fixture holding the router above the table so I could better control the work. There is a lot of R&D that goes into using machines. For contoured surfaces you would need something like a "Gemini" duplicator. I never used one, but know these were popular at one time. Maybe they still are. Most people are pretty secretive about the machines in their workshop. Everyone wants to be pictured as using only hand tools. I wonder if they also work by candlelight. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tango Posted December 14, 2015 Report Share Posted December 14, 2015 Thanks Mike, I will see what is worth. Tango Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael_Molnar Posted March 28, 2016 Author Report Share Posted March 28, 2016 Here is the first of 4 violins on my bench. I just glued on the top to the garland and will attach the neck/fingerboard tomorrow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arglebargle Posted March 28, 2016 Report Share Posted March 28, 2016 What did you add to your clamps? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael_Molnar Posted March 29, 2016 Author Report Share Posted March 29, 2016 Spacers to position them the right distance from the ribs. They are really not needed. In fact, I am taking them off for the next violin. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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