Adventures in Lutherie #10: Just a glue-up-du-jour

You have advanced quickly, Dave!

-- God bless, Candy

be great to see it back making music.

-- Bruce, Boise, ID

You have advanced quickly, Dave!

- CFrye

Aside from learning some of the procedures for repairs, I think the biggest obstacle I had to overcome was the idea that these instrumenbts were sacred objects that could not be disassembled and put back together by us mere mortals so to speak. To me, only high priests called Luthiers could do such operations.

But now I’ve come to understrand that these instruments are basically oddly shaped wooden boxes, and that in some cases they are made to fall apart rather than break. That’s why certain glues are used in them. Slowly I’m learnuing the secrets.

I’ve had to take up my fiddle again as It was suggested I should be familiar with the instruments I’m repairing. That’s another ball of wax.

-- Ni faru ion el ligno!

You have advanced quickly, Dave!

But now I ve come to understrand that these instruments are basically oddly shaped wooden boxes, and that in some cases they are made to fall apart rather than break. That s why certain glues are used in them. Slowly I m learnuing the secrets.

- Dave Rutan

I believe you will find that the idea is to be ‘take apart’ rather than fall apart. All with the goal of repair. There was significant violin (might have been a Stradivarius) that if I remember correctly made it’s way into the Appalachians many years ago. It was damaged and repaired by the Appalachian owner and a skilled Luther was able to restore it many decades later because the ‘repairs’ were ‘undo-able’.

Iain

-- For those about to die, remember your bicycle helmet!