06 January 2015

Labor of Love


Just a little update on Jim's project . . .




Seems every surface he could create in his little "workshop" is covered with supplies.  He will be ready for his next project - assuming it involves chisels.




All the parts are ready to glue together, using hide glue like the original violin makers used.  We won't go into too much detail about where that glue comes from, but this particular glue is used so the instrument can be easily taken apart (supposedly!) for repairs in a few hundred years.  He mixes it and keeps it in the 'frig., warms it up when he needs to use it.   When it molds, he makes some more!




I have no doubt that these pieces are a perfect fit with each other.  Patience is Jim's middle name and I don't mean just in violin-making either :)




It looks so small in his hands, but it's the standard size (4/4) for a violin . . . actually, violins do come in different sizes, but are not as common as the standard sized one.  The body (without the neck) of it is 356 mm (about 14 inches).




A true work of art.




Before gluing it together permanently, a violin maker, aka luthier, places a label inside with the maker's name and the date and perhaps a message he or she might want to include.  It's in Italian and he's practiced more than a few times so it will be just right.

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