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Small da Salo Viola Varnished

by | Jan 11, 2020 | Making

Varnishing

Even after 86 instruments and a great many restoration jobs that involved a lot of varnish work, varnishing a new instrument is still a bit of an adventure. I usually sample the process on a scrap of rib stock from the wood used in the current project. The way the wood is prepped to recieve the first coats of coloring has a big impact on the way it looks visually, even if I use the exact same coloring agents.

While some violin makers are happy to leave the varnish making to a person or business that specializes in the product, I prefer to make all of it myself. Oddly enough I think I get more consistent results. No one changes a recipe without my knowledge! And little tweeks to the process can have big results.

So what it is made out of? Basically it is linseed oil and a few kinds of resin from different coniferous trees. Add to that a lot of heat, practise, observation and many disasters and eventually you have something that works and holds up fairly well.

Small da Salo Viola

by | Nov 23, 2019 | Making

I usually start building another instrument while the previous one is being varnished. In this case it is a small 15 1/2″ Brescian pattern  Viola is modeled after a small viola by Gasparo Da Salo. I process all the wood myself, starting out with a few chunks that I hand plane and then re-saw using a bandsaw. The rib wood is sawed from the same block that the two piece back is made from.

Here the ribs have been bent and glued to the blocks, the linings bent and glued to the ribs and the whole rib garland is then popped out of the mold. I can then mark the outline for the back, saw it out and and start carving the outside arches.

After the arching is roughed out and the outline finalized I cut the purfling channel and then I bend the purfling to shape. All of this purfling I make using aspen for the whites and black archival paper.