iburkard.worklog

Tuesday, June 26, 2007

 

finished coffin case


Monday, June 25, 2007

 

violin case with bent repairs and center splints


Saturday, June 16, 2007

 
Oh yeah! I will post an audio clip of the violin ASAP.
click to see a larger image

 
After about ten minutes of rattling a small cigarette shaped piece of aged spruce around inside of my violin, I managed to set my first soundpost. Victory!


This is a major accomplishment, since most people are scared to death of doing this on their own, and take their instrument to a luthier. Plus, it's very difficult to work inside of a violin. Luckily I purchased two small tools which made the job fairly easy. I have NO idea how someone could MacGyver this kind of thing on the fly.

This is the first time that I've felt a sense of accomplishment in quite some time. I'll feel even better once I string the violin!

The violin case is also coming along nicely. I spent about seven hours (two nights) stitching the lining for the main body of the case. I had forgotten how long it takes to sew by hand... eesh. The main body of the case had been painted with black enamel, and is drying as we speak. The lid is still in disarray, and has been a real challenge to fix. It should come together in the next week or so.

Saturday, June 09, 2007

 
I replaced the antique violin pegs (mismatched/broken) with replica ebony pegs. I had to turn down the shafts quite a bit, since the new pegs were much larger than the original ones. A luthier would usually adjust the peg holes with a tapering reamer, but this is an old violin, and I want to leave it as untouched as possible. After an hour of turning down the new pegs, no one will ever know...


While I wait for some minor hide glue fixes to dry on the violin, I'm fixing the old case that came with the instrument. The coffin style case arrived in about five pieces (looked much better propped together in the auction photos), and was in worse shape than the violin. It's probably not worth fixing, but I want to give it a try. Lots of wood is missing, including the rounded end portions of the lid, which are a real nightmare to repair. Now I have to learn something new... how to steam and bend wood.

I ordered some 1/8" maple sheets online, and received them in the mail today. I had to order the wood online, since local lumberyards don't carry specialty sock (i.e. quality wood for fine carving or clock/instrument making)

I finally got around to cutting out a wooden form this afternoon. Then I steamed a ribbon of maple in my oven (wrapped in a soaking wet towel with a drip pan underneath) for two hours. The oven was set to 220 degrees Fahrenheit, which is supposedly a good temperature for steaming without pressure.

I expected the wood to be much softer, but I guess the idea is that the wood doesn't become ridiculously pliable, just more willing to take pressure without splintering. I may try steaming the wood for a longer period of time.

Unfortunately I made my bending form out of pine. The form only needed to be used once, so I thought that it was good enough... nope.



The bow shape seemed like it would be easier to clamp. Oh well. I'm going to give this another shot tomorrow with the solid convex portion of the form.

Did I mention that my apartment is a mess? Ugh...

Tuesday, June 05, 2007

 
I have a strange affinity for scrap metal objects. Today I found a five or six pound chunk of L shaped steel on the curb. It looks like part of a forklift, or some kind of brace for lifting heavy things. Anyway, somehow it cleanly broke off of whatever it was attached to; it will make a good hammering surface. I'd love to find a discarded anvil.

I found a six foot length of I-beam last year, and tossed it in my trunk. It now acts as a weight for my hand cranked bench grinder, and it's been a good hammering surface.

After getting a few groceries today, and putting them in my backpack, I started to wonder why my bag was so heavy. I forgot that I had picked up a chunk of steel earlier - derh. The walk home was a back-straightening workout.

Saturday, June 02, 2007

 
What have I been doing? I've been really busy working on too many projects at once, which seems to be how I operate. How can I truly enjoy creating so many tasks for myself? It feels anticlimactic whenever I complete something, because I know that I have five more tasks waiting to be done.

I started a series of illustrations based on a Russian folktale, which I can no longer find on the web. I made the mistake of being inspired by the tale, and beginning work almost immediately (from memory). Four illustrations later, I've realized that I have forgotten the rest of the story. I've now started writing the story on my own, which is a good thing I suppose (better than lifting someone else's story without adapting it).

I refinished an old treadle Singer sewing machine for a friend of mine. The wooden cabinet was in horrible shape, but after disassembling, cleaning, sanding, staining, three coats of polyurethane, and a final polish, it looked amazing. The machine itself was in fine shape, just required a little cleaning and oiling. I wish that I had better photos of it, but just know that it looks amazing now. I also didn't take before and after pictures, which I should be shot for. Whenever I get something new to fix, I can't help myself. I just start work as soon as an object enters my apartment.

I thought it would be fun to take up the violin, so I purchased a good quality student violin. Playing has proven to be ridiculously challenging. Thank goodness for violin mutes, since they spare everyone my horrible play. There are so many variables that impact the sound: fretless fingerboard, humidity, quality/cleanliness of strings, bow construction, bridge, bowing technique/direction/rosin, violin construction/finish... so many more things.

To learn more about my violin, I decided that it would be fun to fix an old one. I purchased a clunker off of eBay for a song. It was well loved, but horribly neglected in later years. It was literally filled with dirt when I got it, but it's cleaning up nicely. I wiped it down with a slightly damp rag to remove caked on dirt and dust, and then used lacquer thinner to soften and polish the old finish. I've ordered a new tailpiece, pegs, and end peg for it, which was surprisingly cheap. The only thing that I dread is setting the sound post, which I may have someone else do. I'm interested to hear what it sounds like.


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