Ole Bull - Purfling the Back Plate

I spent New Years eve day installing the purfling the back plate on my Ole Bull copy. Using a single blade purfling marker, I marked a line 5mm in from the edge, in accordance with the system that I described in previous posts. Then, I made another pass with the purfling marker set differently to mark the inside line and account for the varying widths of the purfling on the original instrument. Once both lines were marked, I used a knife to cut the groove 2mm deep for the purfling:

With the groove cut, I bent the purfling and fit the corner mitres. Although the width of the groove varies from 1.2-1.6mm, the purfling will fill it -- I am using larger purfing compressed in a pasta roller, and the wetness and heat of the glue will cause it to swell out and fill the groove -- whatever width it may be at a particular point.

Once all the purfling was dry fit, I used a syringe filled with glue and a hammer to glue the purfling into the groove. Once the glue was dry, I trimmed off the excess purfling with a gouge:

Here is my my project next to a photo of the original:

Tomorrow, I plan to install the purfling on the top plate and will post an update. Then, I will be ready to trim the plates to the final word outline and finish the arching.

Happy New Year!!!

Ole Bull Rough Arching

I have roughed out the arching on the top and back plates for my Ole Bull copy. The arching is left in a very rough state until the purfling is installed. Remember, the current outline of these plates is equal to the outside edge of the purfling outline of the original instrument plus 5mm so that the purfling marker, when set at 5mm, can replicate the purfling outline of the original. Once the purfling is installed, the outline will be cut to match the actual worn outline of the original, and the arching can then be refined. This process allows me to replicate the uneven distances between the outside edge of the purfling and the outside edge of the plate on the original.

I will be spending the next few days with family for the holidays, and will install the purfling next week. I hope that everyone has a wonderful holiday!

Beginning Work On My Ole Bull Copy

After spending a considerable amount of time with Gregg on the computer designing the mold and templates for the Ole Bull copy, construction of my second instrument has finally begun. Because my instrument is intended to be a copy of the original instrument, the top plate, back plate, and ribs will be made independently of one another based on separate templates, instead of the usual practice of basing the ribs and both plates off of a single mold. In addition, the purfling will be based on the original instrument, with varying widths and distances from the edge of the plates, instead of being installed at a uniform width and a uniform distance from the edge.

So, rather than starting by building the rib structure, I am starting by carving the top and back plates. The rib structure will be made independently.

I have selected wood for the top and back plates that is similar to the original instrument, split the wood, and joined the halves together:

Then, I cut out the outline of the plates using the templates that we prepared for the purfling outline of the top and back plates. The purfling outline templates were created by adding 5mm to the outside edge of the purfling of the original instrument. This way, the purfling marker can be set to scribe a line that replicates the purfling outline of the original instrument, regardless of where the actual edge of the finished plate falls. The actual edges of the plates are based on a separate template and will be cut after the purfling is installed.

Rough arching and installing the purfling are next, along with the completion of varnishing and assembling my first violin (and planning my trip to Scandinavia with the violin in April!).

The Ole Bull del Gesu Project

For those who have wondered about why it has been a couple of weeks since progress has been made on my varnish, it is because Gregg and I have been working hard on another project. As I have mentioned previously on the blog, Gregg has been commissioned to design and build a violin based on the 1744 Guarneri del Gesu violin that once belonged to the Norwegian violinist Ole Bull. In fact, many of you probably recall watching Gregg's YouTube "demonstration video" on the proper way to cut the long f-holes on the Ole Bull. :)

Gregg's commission offers me an interesting and exciting opportunity to build my own violin based on the Ole Bull alongside Gregg, and participate in the process starting with the design of the mold and templates.

Assuming all goes well, my version of the Ole Bull violin will be displayed in Oslo, Norway in April 2010 as part of the Ole Bull del Gesu Project, which is being organized by Christophe Landon. The Ole Bull del Gesu Project will feature a number of Ole Bull-inspired violins from violin makers around the world and will take place during the 2010 Menuhin Violin Competition. More information about the Ole Bull del Gesu Project can be found here.

For those who are unfamiliar with the original Ole Bull violin, numerous photos of the violin can be found here on the Ole Bull del Gesu Project website (which, as a copyright lawyer, I won't just copy and paste here without permission).

Designing and building a violin inspired by the the del Gesu Ole Bull violin is a challenge, to say the least. Gregg and I have spent countless hours on two separate computers analyzing and studying photos and plans of the original violin, and creating our own plans and templates based on our analysis and study. In the process, we have learned that the plans and photos available in books are inaccurate in many material respects and we have corrected those inaccuracies. We have painstakingly examined every bump and flat spot on the outline of the plates, all of the deviations and slips of the knife on the purfling, the saw and file marks on the scroll, the various repairs that have been done to the violin, etc.

Gregg mentioned that unlike many copies of violins that he has made in the past, in which the goal is to replicate the clean craftsmanship of the original instrument, with the Ole Bull, decisions have to be made. In a way, it is like an airplane pilot who has flown between two cities regularly over many years, who now has to fly a new route -- there is no autopilot for the new route.

If we want to truly replicate the Ole Bull instrument, we are in for a wild ride, so to speak. Do we include every bump in the outline? the breaks in the purfling? every knife slip? the saw and file marks? If we start cleaning up or modifying certain aspects of the original instrument, the question becomes one of where to stop. If we start modifying the original, the "auto-pilot" is off and it is a matter of judgment and taste as to where to stop the modifications.

Those are the issues that we have been wrestling with in the design process and will continue to contend with throughout the building process. For me, it has been and promises to be an exceptional learning opportunity, and I look forward to sharing it on this blog.

For those who are following the completion of my first violin, I expect to return to it very shortly, so expect further posts very soon.

Installing the Saddle

To install the saddle, a mortise is cut into the bottom of the top plate, 33mm wide, up to the outer edge of the purfling, and a bit more than half deep into the edge:

The roughed out ebony saddle is then glued into the mortise and clamped - note that the saddle has a ledge that sits on top of the purfling:

When the glue has dried, the clamp is removed, and the saddle is shaped with a chisel, file, and scraper:

At this point, the saddle is still a bit rough -- final shaping and polishing will be completed after varnishing is complete.

Soundpost Veneer Patch

To protect the inside of the top plate from wear and damage due to the pressure of the soundpost, a very thin veneer of maple is glued to the inside of the top plate:

Bags of sand are used on both sides of the plate when clamping the veneer:

Here is the veneer with the clamps removed:

Ole Bull F-Hole Demonstration

Just a quick update -- Gregg has been commissioned to copy the del Gesu Ole Bull violin, and I will be covering certain aspects of his commission on the blog in addition to covering the completion of my first violin, and maybe attempting the Ole Bull violin myself as violin number two.

As an introduction, Gregg has posted a video on You Tube demonstrating how to cut the Ole Bull's long f-holes -- with a twist...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4DPSVf6eaJw

VSA Convention - Day Two

Here are some pictures from day two of the VSA convention:

VSA Convention - Day One

Here are some photos that I took of day one of the VSA convention in Atlantic City -- it has been both a fun and educational time thus far, and I have enjoyed meeting several followers of this blog in person.

VSA Convention

I am excited to be attending the annual convention of the Violin Society of America (VSA) in Atlantic City tomorrow through Friday, and I look forward to meeting followers of this blog who are also attending the convention. So, if you see me there, please stop me and say hello!

For those who aren't able to attend, I will post some pictures, etc. from the convention. For more information about the convention, visit http://www.vsa.to

Rubbing on a Thin Coat of Clear Oil Varnish

Here is a quick photo update to show the result of hand rubbing a thin coat of clear oil varnish over the ground on the front and back plates:

Instrument assembly and colored varnish will follow soon.....

Article in Michigan Lawyers Weekly

I am honored to be featured in this week's edition of Michigan Lawyers Weekly, and thought that some of you would enjoy reading the article:

"After years in big practices, Ann Arbor attorney makes beautiful music on his own"

Applying the Ground

The first step in the varnishing process is to apply the ground, which seals the wood, accentuates the figure of the wood, and provides a base color for the forthcoming varnish. There are numerous grounds used by different violin makers.

I have spent the last couple of weeks experimenting with various grounds, and have now applied the ground to my violin. Because this is the first time that this specific ground method has been used in the shop, and because the method isn't my own (and thus not mine to share), I hope you will understand if I don't include the details of the method. Nonetheless, here is the finished result -- the first picture is out of the UV box, the subsequent pictures are with the ground applied:

Note how the ground accentuates both the flames in the maple and the scraper marks that I left on the back plate for character:

With the ground applied, it is now time to apply the varnish and assemble the instrument, which will be the subjects of future posts.

Making Madder Lake - Part 5

I have now repeated the siphoning/washing process four more times, and the water is now clear and the process thus completed. Here are photos of the progression, showing the water becoming clearer after each wash:

After 24 additional hours:

After 8 additional hours:

After 8 additional hours:

After the final 8 hours:

The product of the last week of effort is now clearly visible at the bottom of the bucket -- very fine red powder that is the madder lake pigment, which will be added to the oil varnish to add the red tones:

At this point, the common practice is to filter out the pigment from the remaining water, let it dry, and then grind it into very small particles and store the dry pigment in jars for future use. Gregg tells me that he has a way to avoid the labor of grinding by keeping the pigment wet, so I will skip the filtering/grinding step for now.

For a quick color check, I compared my color to the commercially available Madder Lake from Kremer:

This check, of course, is not accurate because my pigment is wet and the Kremer pigment is dry, but it confirms that I am at least in the ballpark in regards to color. Now, at the great relief of some readers, back to the violin itself.

Making Madder Lake - Part 4

The sediment (which is actually the madder lake pigment that will result from this process) has now settled to the bottom of the bucket after being left undisturbed for 36 hours. You can see in this picture that the water is more transparent at the top of the bucket:

The next step is to use a siphon to siphon half of the water from the bucket into a separate bucket. The siphon is used to avoid disturbing and removing the sediment / pigment from the bottom of the bucket:

With half of the water gone from the bucket, you can see the madder lake pigment at the bottom of the bucket:

Because the water removed isn't entirely transparent (see the color of the water in the small glass jar in the photos above), the bucket will again be filled with cold water:

Because adding water has disturbed the sediment/pigment, the mixture will again be left undisturbed, this time for 24 hours, and the siphoning/washing process will be repeated. This process will be repeated until the siphoned water is clear. I will post an update at that time.