02-07-2018 12:22 AM
by Dave Rutan |
5 comments »
Part of my job as an or hestral repair tech is to try and repair damage to the rental instruments. A chip like the one shown above is sort of dangerous since it presents a rough edge.
This is repair though, not full museum restoration. In this case I took a piece of similar wood and cut it to fit in the gap, oversize.
I carve the patch to match the level and shape of the missing piece as best that I can.Then I try my best to blend it in with the surrounding area. Sometimes I...
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09-05-2017 06:17 PM
by Dave Rutan |
4 comments »
To badly mis-paraphrase a character from Babylon 5, “Zathras wants to have something nice.”
A while ago I made a set of templates out of plastic for creating the arc that is on the top of violin and cello bridges. I was determined that eventually I would replace them with brass ones once I found a source for the brass. Well, eBay sells this 5-inch brass ruler that is an inch wide for less than $2 each…
So I decided to start with a template for a full size viol...
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08-20-2017 01:50 AM
by Dave Rutan |
1 comment »
I have a project coming up, so I’m gearing up beforehand. I have a cello to repair in a fairly major way. The larger clamps are for the cello, though they may be long enough for a double bass, or at least not a full size one. The smaller clamps are meant for violins, though they may even fit on a viola.
The sticks are 1/4” dowels and the heads are mahagony. There is a slight chance the heads might come off even though they are glued, so I may pin them before use.
The cla...
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08-09-2017 09:56 PM
by Dave Rutan |
1 comment »
I continue my acquisition of toolls for repairing cellos and contra basses. These add to the orignal dozen that I need for bssses and get me closrr to the two dozen I want to have for cellos.
FYI the dowel pieces for these were salvaged from an old snow shovel handle. Never throw a wooden handle out. It’s just a big dowel after all. They cost $$ if you have to buy them!
[Below] Witness that my daughter’s animals tend to cause trouble if left to themselves.
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04-03-2017 05:09 PM
by Dave Rutan |
5 comments »
There are at least two instruments in the shop that need necks reattached. I was shown how to do this when the entire neck is detached, but two cellos are broken at the joint and the method shown me might not work so well. Google to the rescue! I found photos of commercially available models, selling for multiple tens of dollars, and decided I could make my own.
I used some of the mahogany at my disposal, some 3/8 in. threaded rod, and some sheet cork I was given a few years ago. ...
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12-07-2012 05:06 PM
by PhiltheLuthier |
7 comments »
What!! 2 days later!!! Well maybe I want to finish before the Aztec calendar runs out so that I don’t have to switch to a new time keeping system in the middle of a cello build. What a billing disaster that would be!
I joined the Spruce plate without a single bit of trouble shortly after writing the last blog post. Next came re-flattening the back side of the plates.
The set up:
I sanded out the plane marks with a random orbit sander, 60, 120 and 220 grit to finish. giving ...
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05-25-2012 03:33 PM
by PhiltheLuthier |
7 comments »
So I haven’t gotten to the ribs yet because I need a bending strap and they seem to be harder to get than they should be. First I tried ordering the sheet metal to make one from McMaster-Carr, but apparently I’m no longer considered an “established customer” so they canceled my order. It seems they don’t like to send stuff to Canada, go figure. Next I decided to order a ready made one from International Violin, but they’re back ordered, so I’ll just ...
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03-06-2011 12:50 AM
by techyman2 |
6 comments »
Hi all,THe last entry saw the contour shapes made. These were chacked against the cross section templates.
I need to check the form is accurate against the contour plan. Remember the plan shown below. It is used to make comparisons with the existing contours on the cello back.
THe contours are drawn on to the back using a simplistic type of surface gauge aka a bit of wood with a pencil held on to a flat surface. The pencil point is set at the height of the contour and this is ma...
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10-21-2010 11:35 PM
by techyman2 |
4 comments »
So far so good. The mold has come out fine had some small adjustments to make to the corner block seats. I cut them too large to start with and then had to add on. the mold was sanded and sealed with water based varnish which is ok. the curved edges will be coated with candle wax to stop the ribs, sides, of the cello sticking when they are glued to the blocks. The prep of the blocks took some time as the wood was initially split with a cleaver to make sure the grain is running parrellel and a...
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10-19-2010 10:38 PM
by techyman2 |
8 comments »
Every now and then you need to face a challenge. This is my latest. I had been working up to this for quite a few months. Luckily I have some project funds and what with my suppliers prices going up and VAT increases in the new year I felt it was the right time. A friend who plays asked if I could make him a cello but I felt that I could not commit his resources and expectations on the first one so I am making it for myself. Goodness knows why as I don’t play. However, he asked for a St...
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