Ole Bull Tanning

With roughly six weeks left until Oslo, the timeline is getting tight to finish the Ole Bull, so the top, back, and ribs are tanning while I work on the neck and scroll, which will hopefully join the other parts in the UV box early week.

Number One - Assembling the Body

I have received a number of inquiries regarding the status of violin number one, which was put on the back burner while I have been working on my Ole Bull. I noticed today that the blog just crossed 20,000 hits, so it seems like an appropriate time to take a break from the Ole Bull for an update on number one.

The ground and the initial coat of oil varnish have been applied. Before doing further varnish work, the body of the violin is assembled. First, the ribs are glued to the back and clamped:

Then, the top is glued on and clamped:

Here are a few pictures of the assembled body of the violin, awaiting further varnish work, neck set, and setup:

Cutting the Ole Bull F-Holes

I have graduated the top plate and cut out those infamously long, wonky, and wonderful f-holes on my Ole Bull violin. Here is my top next to the original:

Here are the top, back, and ribs "in the white":

Next step is to carve the neck and scroll, and then varnish.

Finalizing the Ribs and Back

Just a quick update -- the woodwork on the back plate and ribs is now basically complete and ready for tanning. I have removed the rib structure from the mold and trimmed the blocks and linings. I have also rounded the edges of the back plate and finalized the corners. Here are three pictures of the ribs and back -- note that the ribs are just set onto the back in these pictures, they are not yet attached.