Blog Archives

Varnish has arrived!!!!

3/26/2012

I now have varnish and lots of it. Joe Robson at violinvarnish.com makes it.
I considered making my own, but it's a lot of work and the results can be variable.
Joe is probably the foremost violin varnish authority on this continent.
He is also very supportive.
Today, weather permitting, I will try out his balsam ground system on my latest creation.

I have only one really good violin back in stock so I went shopping.
A supplier in Europe is sending me 2 of his very best one-piece backs. He has never seen better quality. I'm also getting 2 very high quality 2 piece backs.
This is good timing as I have a client that want's a custom made violin and I will be able to offer him some extremely good choices in terms of wood.

Waiting for Spring

3/3/2012

I have 3 violins sun tanning at the moment. They await the warm weather in May when conditions will be favorable for varnish application.
I haven't decided whether to make my own varnish or source the wonderful dark amber varnish from Joe Robson in upstate New York.

In the meantime, I'm working on a new violin based on the original Haag pattern. However, I'm trying out a different arching style which is flatter around the edges. Visually, I love it. Tonally, who knows? The arching is a shift more towards the Italian style.

I seem to be doing a lot of setup work for clients right now, and I'm spending one day a week with two other luthiers.
I'm finding this to be very energizing. It's a nice diversion from working alone in my studio and I'm gaining exposure to other ideas, techniques and tools.

It's a bonus that these other luthiers happen to be nice people!

I remain indebted to Bert Jackson of Robert Jackson Violins for taking the time to show me the finer points of bow rehairing.
Bert is a maker of very nice bows and a great patron of my work.

I would also like to acknowledge the support of Donna Turk who is a gifted violinist and Artistic Director of the Calgary Fiddlers. She provides straight up, no nonsense feedback on the tone and playability of my violins. With her feedback, I am able to make adjustments to bring out the best in the instruments.

It's great working with her.