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VIOLIN WORKS 
 
 Joachim says : li It is my opinion that this book will offer material aid 
 to all violin players ,” &c. ( See Letter in Preface.) 
 
 THE TECHNICS OF VIOLIN PLAYING, on Joachim’s 
 M ethod, by Karl Courvoisier, with many illustrations, 2s. 6d 
 
 HOW TO PLAY THE FIDDLE, or Hints to Beginners 
 on the Violin. By H. W. and George Gresswell. 
 Fourth Edition, post 8vo, paper, is., cloth, 2s. 
 
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 VIOLIN MANUFACTURE IN ITALY AND ITS 
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 NOTICE OF ANTHONY STRADIVARI, the celebrated 
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HOW TO MAKE 
 
 VIOLIN. 
 
JOACHIM says, “ Contains many useful hints about Violin 
 Playing ."— { July 1887.) 
 
 HOW TO PLAY THE FIDDLE , 
 
 OR 
 
 Hints to Beginners on the Violin, 
 
 ]VlLLlAM pF^ESSWELL 
 
 AND pEOF^GE pRESSWELL, 
 
 “In all things we can do something at first. Any man will 
 forge a bar of iron if you give him a hammer— not so well as a 
 smith but tolerably ; and make a box, though a clumsy one ; but 
 give him a fiddle and a fiddle-stick, and he can do nothing ” — 
 
 Dr. Johnson. 
 
 FOURTH EDITION, 
 
 Revised and Corrected. 
 
 LONDON : 
 
 WILLIAM REEVES, 185, FLEET St., E.C. 
 
 ONE SHILLING. 
 
 Cloth, 2s. 
 
HOW TO MAKE A VIOLIN . 
 
 Ij £ Violin 
 
 ITS CONSTRUCTION 
 
 PRACTICALLY TREATED , 
 
 JOHN BROADHOUSE. 
 
 VIOLIN NOTES, 
 
 BV 
 
 OLE BULL. 
 
 With Plates and many Illustrations 
 
 LONDON 
 
 WILLIAM REEVES 185, FLEET STREET, E.C. 
 
PRINTED BY 
 
 WILLIAM REEVES, 185, FLEET STREET, LONDON, E.C. 
 
OF CONTENTS. 
 
 1 VIA 
 
 Vl^'vT 
 
 TABLE 
 
 Introduction. 
 
 Chapter I. 
 
 * 
 
 
 The Parts of the Violin. 
 
 Chapter II. 
 
 J On the Selection of Wood. 
 
 Chapter III. 
 The Tools Required. 
 
 Chapter IV. 
 
 The Models. 
 
 The Mould. 
 
 Chapter V. 
 
 Chapter VI. 
 
 The Side-pieces and Side-linings. 
 
 Chapter VII. 
 
 0 The Back. . 
 T 
 
 Of the Belly. 
 
 Chapter VIII. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 I 
 
 7 
 
 9 
 
 13 
 
 22 
 
 28 
 
 35 
 
 4i 
 
 46 
 
 1 o Ar c-'-\ • r* 
 
 tour; . t> 
 
Vlll 
 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Chapter IX. 
 
 The Thickness of the Back and Belly. 
 
 52 
 
 The Bass Bar. 
 
 Chapter X. 
 
 56 
 
 The Purfling. 
 
 Chapter XT. 
 
 61 
 
 The Neck. 
 
 Chapter XII. 
 
 67 
 
 Chapter XIII. 
 
 The Finger-Board 
 
 75 
 
 Chapter XIV 
 The Nut and String Guard. 
 
 77 
 
 Chapter XV. 
 Varnishing and Polishing. 
 
 79 
 
 Chapter XVI. 
 Varnishes and Colouring Matter. 
 
 82 
 
 The Varnish. 
 
 Chapter XVII. 
 
 91 
 
 Chapter XVIII. 
 
 A Mathematical Method of Constructing 
 
 the Outline 102 
 
 * Chapter XIX. 
 
 The Remaining Accessories of the Violin. 113 
 
HOW TO MAKE A VIOLIN. 
 
INTRODUCTION. 
 
 So much has been written upon the 
 violin, its history, its development, its 
 beauties as a musical instrument, its musical 
 literature, &c., that a collection of all the 
 works to which it has given rise would form 
 almost a library of themselves. Its history 
 has been ably treated in a German work 
 called “ l^ie Violine, Ihre Geschicte und 
 Ihr Bau. ” The only work, however, as yet 
 given to English readers, I believe, which 
 treats fully and concisely of the numerous 
 details involved in making a violin, is the very 
 fine but expensive work of Mr. Ed. Heron- 
 Alien — a work complete in itself, but 
 perhaps too costly for some who would like 
 to try their hand at fabricating a fiddle. 
 
2 
 
 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 Hints are given in many books, and in some 
 of them a general outline of the process is 
 furnished ; the best I have seen is contained 
 in “ The Violin,” by P. Davidson. By far 
 the greater part of that interesting work is 
 devoted to theoretical and historical matters, 
 which, however attractive in themselves, 
 are not strictly connected with the making 
 of the instrument. My object in writing 
 this book is to afford the amateur detailed 
 information respecting the various processes 
 to be gone through in the workshop, from 
 the time when the wood in the rough lies on 
 the bench to the moment when the finished 
 article is ready to be fitted with strings 
 for playing. I do not think I have 
 allowed any detail to escape me, if I have 
 I shall be grateful to any reader who will 
 communicate with me, so that the defect 
 or defects may be remedied in a later 
 edition. I do not for a moment suppose 
 that my work is perfect, but I have tried to 
 make it as full and complete as possible, 
 and to explain in detail every operation 
 necessary to construct a violin. 
 
INTRODUCTION. 
 
 3 
 
 It is presumed that the amateur is suffi- 
 ciently enthusiastic to make the attempt, 
 and that he means not merely to make a 
 common box of wood which will sound 
 when played upon, but to produce instru- 
 ments which will live after him, and to put 
 his best work into every violin he finishes. 
 Violins are turned out by the thousand 
 every year, but cheap as they are, most of 
 them are dear at the price paid for them 
 because they are made without artistic 
 intelligence, without enthusiasm, without 
 love for the beautiful, and without that 
 minute attention to each particular instru- 
 ment which alone can secure a perfect work. 
 So many backs, so many bellies, so many 
 necks, so many finger boards, so many bass- 
 bars, so many sound posts, are shaped to a 
 given pattern, fitted together, varnished, 
 and sent into the market as so many violins ; 
 but this is not the way to produce one good 
 instrument. The amateur who reads this 
 book doubtless knows all that can be learnt 
 about the old masters whose names are 
 household words in the violin world, and if 
 
4 
 
 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 so, he knows that they did not work on this 
 plan, but bestowed loving care on every 
 single instrument, regarding the one work 
 in hand as quite enough to tax all their 
 energies and absorb all their artistic know- 
 ledge and experience for the time being. 
 This is the spirit in which to work, the 
 spirit which will regard every detail as 
 equally momentous, and bestow as much 
 time and trouble on the inside work which 
 will never be seen, as on the outside work 
 which will be seen. I would call the 
 reader’s attention to the remark of the 
 eminent sculptor to the effect that “ Trifles 
 make perfection,” but I would at the same 
 time caution him against misunderstanding 
 the quotation. In the making of a violin 
 there are no “ trifles,” everything seen or 
 unseen, great or small, beautiful or not 
 beautiful, is of the first importance. The 
 mason who carved elaborate details on 
 figures, in a cathedral, placed so high that 
 the beauty of his work could not be seen 
 and admired, made his work perfect because 
 the gods would see it ; does the amateur who is 
 
INTRODUCTION. 
 
 s 
 
 about to begin to make a violin know what 
 such enthusiasm means ? Is he prepared to 
 produce a perfect work, not merely to make 
 profit by it, not to win admiration for it, not 
 to gain celebrity by it, but because the 
 doing of genuine work, for the reason that 
 it is genuine work, is the highest and 
 purest pleasure known to the enthusiast ? 
 This is enthusiasm j The work will not of 
 necessity be bad if profit or fame result 
 from it, but it will certainly be bad if this 
 particular kind of enthusiasm do not inspire 
 every step taken in the process of doing it. 
 
 Few stories have been told oftener than 
 that which tells how Sir Joshua Reynolds 
 informed an inquirer that he mixed his 
 colours with brains . That is the one single 
 commodity with which I cannot undertake 
 to supply the amateur violin-maker. No 
 amount of instruction will enable a fool to 
 make a fiddle. 
 
 No number of difficulties will prevent 
 a man “ with a head screwed on the right 
 way about ” from working through failure to 
 success. These instructions are only meant 
 
6 
 
 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 for people of the latter sort. For them 
 the directions here given will be ample. 
 Theories have been abundantly dealt with 
 by other writers : this work is meant to be 
 practical. 
 
HOW TO MAKE A VIOLIN 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 The Parts of the Yiolin. 
 
 AKEN to pieces, a violin would be 
 found to consist of the following 
 parts : 
 
 Back . 
 
 Belly . 
 
 (5 Corners and 1 top and ) 
 bottom blocks) ) 
 
 Sides . 
 
 Side Linings . 
 
 Bar 
 
 Purflings 
 
 2 Pieces* 
 
 6 
 
 6 
 
 12 
 
 1 
 
 24 
 
 n 
 
 » 
 
 » 
 
 if 
 
 f) 
 
 * The back is sometimes made in one piece. It is 
 then called “ a whole back.” The same remark also 
 applies to the belly. 
 
 The purflings are the narrow black ornamental 
 double lines running round the outer edge of the back 
 and belly. They are sometimes omitted. 
 
8 
 
 HOW TO MAKE A VIOLIN. 
 
 Neck .... i Pieces 
 
 Finger Board . . . i ,, 
 
 Nut . : . . i ,, 
 
 Bridge . . . . i „ 
 
 Tail Board . . . i ,, 
 
 Button for ditto . . i ,, 
 
 String for ditto i ,, 
 
 Guard for String i ,, 
 
 Sound Post . . . i ,, 
 
 Strings . . . . 4 „ 
 
 Pegs .... 4 „ 
 
 70 
 
 Three kinds of wood are used: maple, 
 pine and ebony. 
 
 Maple is used for the back, the neck, the 
 side pieces, and the bridge. 
 
 Pine is used for the belly, the bar, the 
 blocks, the side linings, and the sound post. 
 
 Ebony is used for the fingerboard, the nut, 
 the tail piece, the tail piece nut, the pegs, 
 and the button. 
 
HOW TO MAKE A VIOLIN. 
 
 9 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 On the Selection of Wood. 
 
 HE maple and pine are the sounding 
 woods of the violin, and the tone 
 of the instrument depends chiefly 
 upon the quality of wood chosen. It is a pity 
 to waste good work on bad wood, and the 
 following points must be carefully observed 
 in selecting both the maple and pine : 
 
 The tree should have been cut in December 
 or January. At that time the sap has ceased 
 to flow, and wood cut down then is always 
 richer in sonorous qualities than that cut at 
 any other time. 
 
 It must have been seasoned for six or 
 seven years before use, more, if possible, but 
 never less. Artificial means have been 
 employed to hasten the effects of seasoning, 
 and make the wood tough, elastic, and 
 resonant, but seasoning is the only genuine, 
 
10 
 
 HOW TO MAKE A VIOLIN. 
 
 because natural mode of attaining this end, 
 and I advise the amateur to avoid baked 
 wood, or wood dosed with chemicals, as he 
 would the plague. di The longer the wood has 
 been seasoned by being kept in a dry and 
 airy place, and protected from extremes of 
 heat and cold, the better will it be for violin 
 making. 
 
 The wood must be perfectly free from 
 knots, quite sound, not worm eaten, and 
 without flaw of any kind. The grain must 
 be perfectly straight, and run lengthwise. 
 The maple must not be too hard or too soft, 
 in the first case the tone will not come freely 
 at the touch of the bow, in the second, it 
 will be dull, muffled, and entirely without 
 brilliancy. This, like many other matters 
 in connection with our subject, is a question 
 of judgment and experience. Vuillame of 
 Paris travelled in Italy and Switzerland for 
 the express purpose of procuring pine wood, 
 and bought chairs, tables, and other articles 
 of furniture whenever he found the kind of 
 wood he wanted. As it is not possible for 
 every would-be maker to follow his example 
 
HOW TO MAKE A VIOLIN. it 
 
 I recommend the amateur to buy the wood 
 he requires from a violin-maker of repute. 
 These are to be found in London, Paris, 
 and even at Mirecourt, the French town 
 where so many common violins are made by 
 machinery to order. For good material a 
 high price will be asked, and very valuable 
 pieces of back and belly wood are worth 
 almost their weight in gold. A maker in 
 London once showed me two pieces of maple 
 sawed into shape for a back, which he said 
 he would not sell, even in the rough for 
 twenty pounds apiece. 
 
 It is not of course necessary or desirable 
 that the amateur should make his earliest 
 experiments on costly wood, on the other 
 hand I recommend him to make his first 
 fiddle of cheap material so as to familiarise 
 himself with the tools and the way to use 
 them. When this experience has been 
 acquired, it will be soon enough to try to 
 turn valuable wood into an artistic and really 
 excellent violin. 
 
 The wood must be cut from the south side 
 of the tree. The old Italian makers took 
 
12 
 
 HOW TO MAKE A VIOLIN. 
 
 great care to select wood of this kind, 
 because they found it more sonorous and 
 brilliant in tone. The maple should be free 
 from red or brown patches, that which is of 
 an uniformly whitish tint is the best. 
 
 The pine should be white, and of perfectly 
 straight grain throughout the length of the 
 instrument. The very finest grain is not so 
 good as that which has an open space 
 between the fibres. The least knot, fault, 
 flaw or curve in the grain will render the 
 piece useless. No other wood but pine is 
 ever used for the belly, though the back has 
 occasionally been made of other woods than 
 maple. Figured wood is advisable if its 
 sonority is not interfered with, as the beautiful 
 and the useful may readily be combined. 
 Some of the backs of Stradivarius combine 
 beauty of appearance and excellence of tone 
 in the highest perfection. 
 
HOW TO MAKE A VIOLIN. 
 
 !3 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 The Tools Required. 
 
 OME of the tools used in violin mak- 
 ing are commonly used by cabinet- 
 makers and carpenters, and others 
 are peculiarly fitted for their special purposes. 
 They may be bought at a good tool shop. 
 
 The work-bench, or table, need not be 
 larger than 4ft. by 2ft. A wooden vice should 
 be attached to one end. The surface should 
 be quite smooth, and kept scrupulously 
 clean. The following tools are required : 
 Three saws ; one of the usual kind for 
 sawing the larger pieces (24 in. of blade will 
 be plenty), a hand saw for the more delicate 
 work, and a bow saw for outline work 
 
 (Fig- i)- 
 
H 
 
 HOW TO MAKE A VIOLIN. 
 
 Three chisels, 3-i6th in., 3-8th in., and 
 i in. broad respectively. 
 
 Eight gouges, ranging from i-8th in. to 
 i in. broad, will be necessary. 
 
 A flat-bottomed plane 8 in. long. The 
 illustrations show the kind of plane required. 
 Figure 2 is the side view of the body ; fig. 3 
 
 is the bottom view, aa being the slit for the 
 blade ; fig. 4 shows the loose pieces detached, 
 
 
 a 
 
 no -3. 
 
 F104 
 
HOW TO MAKE A VIOLIN. 15 
 
 which when fixed keeps the blade in its 
 place ; and fig. 5 shows the plane ready for 
 
 use. The blade must be kept very sharp, or 
 it will tear the wood instead of taking off a 
 thin clean shaving 
 
 If the maker buys his wood in the tree, 
 and decides to season it himself, he must 
 cut his maple for the necks into pieces 12m. 
 long, 2jin. deep, and ifin. broad, the grain 
 running on the broadest side. Stack the 
 pieces so that the air gets freely to them. 
 The pieces of maple and pine for the back 
 and belly must be i6in. long, 6in. broad, but 
 conical in shape, the broader edge being 
 1 1 -8th in. and the narrower Jin. Authorities 
 are divided as to whether the heart wood or 
 the outer edge should be joined in the middle 
 of the instrument. Mauzin, a French author, 
 says: — “II faut avoir soin . • . de 
 
i6 
 
 HOW TO MAKE A VIOLIN. 
 
 mettre la partie du cceur de 1’ arbre, c est-a- 
 dire le veines les plus rapproches, dans le 
 centre de la table.” Mr. Davidson, in the 
 work referred to in the introduction, says 
 the “two thickest edges” should be “the 
 bark side of the tree,” and yet he says later 
 on, after giving directions for planing and 
 joining the thicker edges to make the back 
 and belly : — “ It will thus be seen that the 
 centre of this joined plate contains the 
 interior or heartwood.” If, as he says, the 
 two thickest edges are the bark side , it is 
 impossible that the centre of the joined plate 
 can contain the interior or heartwood . 
 
 Three small planes, with rounded bottoms. 
 Figs. 6 and 7 show what these tools are like. 
 
 The smallest should be of the size shown ; 
 the second half as large again; the largest 
 twice the size of the smallest. 
 
HOW TO MAKE A VIOLIN. 1 7 
 
 Three or four knives of the shape shown 
 in fig. 8, with blades ranging from i in. to 
 3 in. in length. 
 
 Two or three scrapers, like those used by 
 cabinet-makers, but with rounded edges. 
 The necessity for this difference will be seen 
 later, when the use of the scraper is explained. 
 One scraper will be required with the edge 
 shaped as fig. 9. 
 
 A pair of steel compasses for measuring 
 the thickness of the back and belly, shaped 
 as in fig. 10. These must, of course, be 
 
 large enough to allow the back and belly 
 2 
 
18 HOW TO MAKE A VIOLIN. 
 
 pieces to be measured with equal facility 
 from any point of the edge. 
 
 A steel trace, with one leg shorter than 
 the other, fig. n. 
 
 A bending iron, for giving shape to the 
 side pieces and side linings, fig. 12. The 
 body (B) is of an oval shape (C), fig. 12, and 
 6 in. long, the length of the oval being 2 in. 
 and the width 1 in. The handle (A), should 
 
HOW TO MAKE A VIOLIN. ig 
 
 of course be long enough to prevent burning 
 the hand when the body (B) is heated. 
 
 A hand- vice, fig. 13 ; the opening from A 
 
 to B should be about 3! in,, and the breadth 
 
 C to D, about 1 in. 
 
 Sixteen or eighteen hand-screws, made of 
 wood, of the shape shown in fig. 14, and 
 measuring 3 in. from A to B. C should be 
 1 in. thick. In using these hand screws, a 
 piece of cloth must' be put on the violin to 
 prevent marks of any kind. 
 
 A clip of wood shaped like a clothes-peg, 
 
20 
 
 HOW TO MAKE A VIOLIN. 
 
 fig. 15, i in. wide at A, 2 in. from point to 
 
 point at B, its length is 9 in., and its thick- 
 ness 3-8th in. It should be made of hard 
 wood. 
 
 Another clip of a similar kind, but only 
 2 in. long. The inner surfaces of these two 
 little tools must be as smooth as possible, so 
 as not to “ chafe ” the violin. 
 
 A sound-post setter, which is made of 
 steel, and shaped as in fig. 16, where A shows 
 the surface, and B the bend of the tool. It 
 should be 8 or 10 in. long. 
 
 Another form of sound-post setter was 
 used by Spohr. Its shape is given in fig. 17. 
 
HOW TO MAKE A VIOLIN. 
 
 21 
 
 The bend B enables the setter to be applied 
 to the head or foot of the post at will. 
 
 The best tools should be procured which 
 it is possible to buy ; the art of violin-making 
 is not an easy one, and its difficulties are 
 indefinitely multiplied by bad tools. 
 
22 
 
 HOW TO MAKE A VIOLIN. 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 The Models. 
 
 Y “ a model ” is meant a flat piece of 
 wood, about one-eighth inch thick, 
 which affords a means of drawing 
 the shape which any part of the violin is to 
 take. Great care will be required in shaping 
 these models, as upon them the accuracy of 
 the finished work depends. 
 
 While the amateur will naturally wish to 
 copy the outline of an instrument by one of 
 the great masters, it is not to be supposed 
 that he will possess a back or belly by Amati, 
 Stradivarius, or Guarnerius, I therefore 
 give the outline of a violin by each of these 
 masters : see large plate. 
 
 A model of either may be made as follows : 
 Draw the outline on tracing paper, or, better 
 still, cut out the model chosen from the 
 
HOW TO MAKB A VIOLIN. 
 
 23 
 
 woodcut, and paste it on a thin piece of 
 mahogany, having first made the straight 
 edge representing the centre joint quite smooth 
 and even with the plane. Then cut out the 
 mahogany the required shape, with scrupu- 
 lous care, filing out the corners and inlet with 
 a fine file. The shape thus obtained will 
 answer very well if it is carefully done, and 
 can be kept for future violins. The name of 
 the maker of the original instrument taken 
 
 as the model should be written on the maho- 
 gany in ink for identification. If it is pre- 
 
24 
 
 HOW TO MAKE A VIOLIN. 
 
 ferred, the full model can be made in the 
 same way by cutting out another piece of 
 paper, the shape of that taken from the wood- 
 cut, the following will then be the form of 
 the model : 
 
 Fig. 20 shows the model for the curve of 
 the back and belly taken lengthwise. 
 
 Fig. 21 shows the model for the curve of 
 
 the instrument at it greatest width, and fig. 
 22 the curve over the / holes. 
 
 Fig. 23 shows the model for the curve at 
 the widest part at the neck end. 
 
HOW TO MAKE A VIOLIN. 
 
 25 
 
 Fig. 24 shows the model for drawing and 
 
 placing the / holes. It will be observed that 
 the position and shape of the / holes varies 
 in different instruments, and a model must 
 be made to suit each style adopted. 
 
 The four models shown in figs. 18, 19, 20 
 and 21 can only be properly made by adjust- 
 ing them to the back of another instrument. 
 If the amateur cannot obtain access to a 
 good violin for this purpose, he should pur- 
 chase a copy of a Stradivarius, which can be 
 bought tolerably cheap. If it seems strange 
 that I should recommend a trashy copy as a 
 model for the arching of a good violin, it 
 must be remembered that the Mirecourt 
 copies — those at any rate of the better kind, 
 are made accurately to a scale taken from 
 
26 
 
 HOW TO MAKE A VIOLIN. 
 
 the instruments of the best period of Stradi- 
 varius, and are correctly made so far as' 
 shape is concerned. If the amateur prefers 
 to make these models of arching by his eye 
 alone, he must bear in mind that Stradivarius, 
 following the example of the Amati family, 
 began with a high arching, especially between 
 the / holes, but as he gained experience he 
 found that the lowering of the arch contri- 
 buted to fulness and brilliance of tone, and the 
 violins of his best period have the lowest 
 arching of all. The chapter on the mathe- 
 matical method of finding the outline gives 
 a mode of determining the shape of the arch 
 lengthwise; this being once obtained, and 
 the model made, the transverse arching will 
 of course be determined by that, as the 
 arches at the upper and lower widths, and 
 also at the / holes must necessarily fall from 
 the given height' of the lengthwise arch, to 
 the level near the edges. 
 
 The scroll must also be formed from a good 
 pattern. A good neck and scroll can be 
 bought at all instrument dealers, and kept as 
 a model. Directions for carving the scroll 
 
HOW TO MAKE A VIOLIN. 27 
 
 will be found later on. Various methods 
 have been devised for making a model of a 
 scroll without a pattern, but those methods 
 are very cumbersome in operation and uncer- 
 tain in result, and I recommend the amateur 
 to buy a scroll from Hart, Hill, Chanot, or 
 some other London maker of repute. He 
 can work from this pattern, always knowing 
 that his model is as good an one as can be 
 obtained. 
 
28 
 
 HOW TO MAKE A VIOLIN. 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 The Mould. 
 
 HE mould, which properly speaking 
 is a “ tool ” as much as those men- 
 tioned in the chapter on tools, is a 
 piece of wood cut in such a shape as to allow 
 the blocks, side-pieces and side-linings to be 
 fixed in their proper places, so as to form the 
 true foundation on which the violin is to be 
 built up. This mould is represented in 
 figure 25. At A A are the inlets for the two 
 
HOW TO MAKE A VIOLIN. 
 
 29 
 
 top and bottom blocks, and the four pieces 
 marked B are for the corner blocks which 
 fill up on each side of the two circular inlets, 
 for the solid basis on which the back and 
 belly are afterwards glued 
 
 The mould is begun by making a model 
 exactly the shape and size of that for the 
 back and belly, fig. 19. Lay on the bench 
 the piece intended for the mould, and put 
 upon it the model already made, fig. 19 ; 
 mark the outline with the point of the tracer, 
 and with the saw and knife clean away the 
 wood, and then with the file dress the edges 
 until they correspond exactly with the 
 pattern (the four corners may be left sharp), 
 This piece will then be of this shape, and is 
 called the counter mould. 
 
30 
 
 HOW TO MAKE A VIOLIN. 
 
 Now take a piece of hard wood (walnut is 
 the best for the purpose) f inch in thick- 
 ness, and a little larger than the model in 
 fig. 19. This piece is meant for the mould 
 itself. . . Lay it on the table, and the 
 
 contre mould upon it, and trace on it the 
 outline of the latter with the tracer. Then 
 with a rule, trace the inlets A A, and the 
 four inlets at B B B B, as in fig. 25. The 
 dark line shows the shape of the mould ; the 
 dotted lines at B represent the corner blocks. 
 Remove the superfluous wood with the saw 
 and knife, finishing off with the scraper and 
 file. 
 
 It is absolutely necessary that the sides of 
 the mould, in all their extent, should be 
 perfectly square with the surface. Any 
 deviation from this rule will throw the side- 
 pieces out of the upright when they come to 
 be fixed, the edges of the mould being the 
 only means of enabling the side-pieces to be 
 glued to the corner blocks in an upright 
 position. 
 
 Next pierce the eight holes shown in fig. 
 25. The top and bottom holes are to be 
 
HOW TO MAKE A VIOLIN. 31 
 
 respectively 1 5 lignes from the inner edge of 
 the inlets A A, the four marked C 1 inch 
 from the inlets BBBB; and the two in the 
 centre 1 inch from the inner edge of the C 
 curves. 
 
 Eight other pieces must now be added to 
 the mould. 
 
 
 This figure shows the upper mould sur- 
 rounded by the eight pieces in question. 
 They must also be of walnut, and of the 
 precise depth of the side-pieces, viz., 1 and 
 1-4 inch, and must be dressed with the 
 scraper and file till they fit perfectly close to 
 the sides of the mould. 
 
 The next figure shows the mould, with 
 the blocks (A A), (BBBB) fitted in their 
 
32 
 
 HOW TO MAKE A VIOLIN. 
 
 places. These blocks must- be of pine, of 
 perfectly even grain, and a trifle over i and 
 1-4 inch high to allow for trimming. The 
 blocks should fit perfectly in their inlets, 
 and their grain and that of the corner blocks 
 also must run across the instrument. This 
 gives solidity to the body. 
 
 The blocks being prepared, put a mere 
 spot of glue on the edge of the mould 
 in each of the six inlets, and fix the pieces of 
 pine so that they all stand exactly at the 
 same height. They should project beyond 
 the surface of the mould underneath, but 
 only i-i6th of an inch. 
 
 When the glue is dry, trim off with the 
 knife and file the projecting i-i6th of an 
 
HOW TO MAKE A VIOLIN. 33 
 
 inch, and file the blocks perfectly level with 
 the underside of the mould, this being the 
 side on which the back will be glued. The 
 ruler must be used to ascertain that the 
 surface corresponds perfectly with that of 
 the mould. 
 
 Lay the upper mould on the mould so 
 that the outlines of the two are quite square 
 with each other, and trace out the shape of 
 the former on the blocks. Then cut away 
 the extra wood with a suitable gouge, and 
 trim with the knife and file till the blocks 
 are the exact shape of the upper mould. 
 The mould, and blocks will then be of the 
 shape of figure 26 (p. 29). Work slowly, and 
 measure constantly with the square to see 
 that the outer edges of the blocks are per- 
 fectly square with the surface of the mould. 
 
 It is now time to speak of glue, which 
 must be of the best quality, and made with 
 the utmost care. This is the more impor- 
 tant because no other material is used for 
 holding the parts of the violin together. 
 The best glue is that known as Cologne 
 glue. It is pale in colour, and sold in pieces 
 3 
 
34 
 
 HOW TO MAKE A VIOLIN. 
 
 six or eight inches long and two wide ; it is 
 very brittle, and whitish at the broken edge. 
 Common glue is of no use at all. Break a 
 quantity n small pieces, and put it in cold 
 water for four hours, which will soften and 
 swell it up. Then take a small glue-pot of 
 the ordinary kind, but with the inner vessel 
 enamelled . Add water slowly ; when the glue 
 is ail dissolved it should be of the consistency 
 of very thick oil. Take cave that it never boils . 
 The glue should always be used very hot, 
 but never boiling. While making, stir it 
 gently with a stick of pine wood, and in 
 using it apply it to the wood with a large 
 camel hair pencil. In summer glue will 
 dry in four hours ; in winter it needs twelve, 
 and, in the latter case the edges of the wood 
 should be carefully warmed before the glue 
 is put on. When two pieces are glued 
 together, scrape away with a chisel any 
 drops which escape, whilethey are hot , or with 
 a pencil dipped in warm water. It cannot 
 be too often repeated that only the very best 
 glue obtainable is of any use for violin making. 
 
HOW TO MAKE A VIOLIN. 
 
 35 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 The Side-pieces and Side-linings. 
 
 AW out a piece of maple 30 inches 
 long, 4 inches wide, and i-ioth 
 inch thick. The grain should run 
 lengthwise. Lay it on the bench at one 
 end, and clamp it down with the hand- 
 vice. Plane the surface all over (going away 
 from the vice), then unclamp it, turn it round, 
 clamp the clean end down, and plane the 
 rest. This time a flat bit of wood must be 
 put between the hand-vice and maple to pre- 
 vent the planed surface from being marked. 
 Plane the other side in the same way, till 
 the piece is reduced to a thickness of i-2oth 
 inch. 
 
 On account of its peculiar grain maple is 
 very difficult stuff to plane, and the plane 
 iron must be dressed so as to project very 
 
36 HOW TO MAKE A VIOLIN. 
 
 slightly, or it will tear the wood and not 
 smooth it. The most wavy and ornamental 
 pieces are at the same time the most difficult 
 to plane, and best suited for the side pieces. 
 
 The piece is still too thick, but it must be 
 carefully scraped till all inequalities left by 
 planing are removed, and the strip is smoothed 
 to a nice polish on the surface which will be 
 outside the violin. 
 
 Now take the tracer and mark your piece 
 into three strips of equal width. Divide them 
 carefully with a knife. Take the plane 
 bottom upwards, between your knees, and 
 holding each strip in your hands, move the 
 edges along the plane iron till each is exactly 
 one and a quarter inches wide. 
 
 To divide them into proper lengths, 
 measure with a strip of paper round the 
 upper curve of the mould from the point where 
 the neck is to join the block to the corner of 
 the block. Allow for trimming and join at this 
 corner. In the same way measure the inlet, 
 allowing for trimming and joining at both 
 ends. Then measure from the lower corner 
 to the centre of the lower block. Cut two 
 
HOW TO MAKE A VIOLIN. 37 
 
 strips to each length. Cut the pieces long enough. 
 The next operation is to bend the strips, 
 which is done with the bending iron. Heat 
 it in a stove, but not hot enough to char the 
 wood. Fix the handle in the bench-vice, and 
 taking one of the strips, dip it in cold water 
 and bend it to the required shape very 
 gradually. If you are too hasty you will 
 certainly break the strip. Keep the strip 
 damp by frequent dipping. A little practice 
 soon renders this operation easy, but care 
 must be taken to curve square with the width, 
 in other words, when bent the side-piece 
 should touch the table at every point of its 
 edge. 
 
 The side pieces can now be fixed. At the 
 four corners and at the point where the sides 
 meet at the lower block the joint must be 
 trimmed and filed till it is perfect. The 
 eight pieces of walnut before mentioned, of 
 the depth of one and a quarter inches, will 
 now be wanted. Fig. 27 (p. 31) shows them 
 in their places, and their use is to hold the 
 sides to the blocks to which they are to be 
 fixed by means of glue. Rub the edges of 
 
38 HOW TO MAKE A VIOLIN. 
 
 the mould well with soap, taking great care 
 that the soap does not touch the blocks. 
 Glue the two blocks in the C inlet, put 
 the side-piece in its exact place, fix upon it 
 the walnut block, take a hand-vioe, and 
 putting the beak in the hole nearest the C 
 inlet, fix the screw on the outside of the 
 walnut block, and tighten the screw till the 
 side piece presses firmly against the soaped 
 mould and the glued blocks. So for the 
 other C inlet. 
 
 Glue the upper block and the corner 
 block, lay on the side piece, add the walnut 
 blocks, clamp up with hand-vices as before, 
 using the holes nearest to the glued block. 
 The side pieces will of course be level with 
 the mould on the under side, and project on 
 the upper surface. At the upper block, as I 
 have said, leave a space of a third of an inch, 
 at the lower block the joint must be perfect. 
 To do this properly, run the corner end first, 
 glue the block, and clamp and do the same 
 with the other side piece, leaving the two 
 ends free. Then bring them together at the 
 lower block, and make your joint perfect 
 
HOW TO MAKE A VIOLIN. 
 
 39 
 
 before glueing the block ; glue the block and 
 clamp up. It is now clear why the eight 
 holes were made in the mould. 
 
 When dry and firm, remove the vices, and 
 trim the blocks to the level of the side 
 pieces. It is hardly necessary to say that 
 this must be done slowly and with exceed- 
 ing care, lest the side pieces should be dis- 
 turbed. 
 
 It is usual to have the sides slightly 
 narrower at the neck end. This narrowing 
 must now be done. With the knife and file 
 take off the neck block and side not more than 
 one-tenth of an inch ; the height of the sides 
 must then be graduated all round, starting 
 with one and a quarter inch at the lower end 
 and finishing one-tenth of an inch less at the 
 upper end. This operation requires great 
 care. 
 
 The side linings may now be made and 
 put in. They are of pine, three-sixteenths of 
 an inch broad, one-twelfth of an inch thick 
 at the thicker and one-sixteenth of an inch 
 at the thinner edge. They are bent by the 
 same means as the sides, glued in with the 
 
4 o 
 
 HOW TO MAKE A VIOLIN. 
 
 thicker edge level with the edge of the sides 
 and held in their places with wooden clips. 
 When these are dry, take a fine knife and 
 separate the blocks from the mould, round 
 off the blocks with a gouge, and the outline 
 of your violin is complete. 
 
HOW TO MAKE A VIOLIN. 
 
 4 1 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 The Back. 
 
 HE back and belly are made in 
 the same way, save that the 
 latter is left thinner than the 
 former, of which hereafter. In form and 
 arch they are precisely the same. 
 
 Take two pieces of maple shaped thus, 
 and of the size previously indicated, Fig. 29. 
 
 
 Plane the surface and the thicker edges, 
 and lay the two pieces together on the table 
 thus, Fig. 30. 
 
 These two when glued together will form 
 the back of the violin, the ridge being the 
 
42 
 
 HOW TO MAKE A VIOLIN. 
 
 position of the arch. If you decide to have 
 your back in one piece, its size must be that 
 of the other two laid together, and its shape 
 thus, Fig, 31. 
 
 If you use two pieces, plane the thicker 
 edges until they join perfectly. Glue them 
 together. When the glue is dry, your back 
 is ready for work. 
 
 Lay the two pieces (now practically one) 
 on the table, and having planed both sides 
 perfectly, take the model (fig. 19), place it on 
 the flat side, taking particular cart that the joint 
 corresponds with the centre of the model. With 
 the tracer point draw the outline of the 
 model. Rigid accuracy is indispensable. 
 
 Saw round the outline with the bow saw 
 not going too near the line, as the knife and 
 file have to follow to give the exact outline of 
 the model. See that the edges are at all 
 points square with the flat side. 
 
 Open the tracer one sixth of an inch, take 
 the back between your knees, and work a line 
 all round the edge at that distance from the 
 
HOW TO MAKE A VIOLIN. 
 
 43 
 
 flat side. This is the thickness the edge is 
 to be. 
 
 Put the back on the table, fix it with 
 hand-screws, and with a large gouge give to ' 
 it a rough resemblance of the shape which it 
 must ultimately take. Do not hurry over 
 this work. It is hardly necessary to remind 
 the careful workman that when all the 
 gouging, knifing, scraping, and filing have 
 been done, a certain thickness of wood must 
 be left, and that one cut too deep at the 
 outset will necessitate a fresh start. Begin 
 by working along the ridge, so as to give to 
 the joint a rough resemblance to the model 
 of the arching lengthwise. Take short and 
 shallow strokes with the gouge, cutting off 
 only very small chips at a time, and be sure 
 and leave enough wood for the operations 
 which are to follow. When this is done 
 there will of course be a cavity, like a minia- 
 ture railway cutting, getting deeper as you 
 get further away from the centre. 
 
 Now begin again from the centre, and 
 work out in the rough the arching down to 
 the middle of the C inlets. 
 
44 
 
 HOW TO MAKE A VIOLIN. 
 
 Next clear away from the point where the 
 two archings meet, four sloping lines diagon- 
 ally, to the middle of the upper and lower 
 curves. The back-plate will now resemble 
 the following figure, Fig. 32. 
 
 Next clear away all the spare wood from 
 the centre to the edges, and then with the 
 smallest round-bottomed plane, make the 
 whole surface tolerably smooth, until the 
 two models fit with accuracy. The place 
 where the shorter model should fit must be 
 
HOW TO MAKE A VIOLIN. 
 
 45 
 
 found by taking the model of the/ holes and 
 marking through it the two notches on their 
 inner edges. The highest arch must be 
 across these notches. 
 
 Now take the same plane, and clear out 
 the groove or slight depression round the 
 edge, so that the arching of the instrument 
 falls away all round to the bottom of this 
 little valley, from the level of which there 
 will be a slight rise to the level of the outer 
 edges. 
 
 Having thus got the outside of the back 
 to the proper shape, as far as the small 
 plane will do it, finish it off with the scrapers 
 and fine glass-paper. 
 
 You must now turn the plate the other 
 side up. Before doing this, however, put a 
 piece of cloth or green baize on the table, to 
 prevent the outer surface of the back from 
 being scratched. Under this cloth pieces of 
 wood must be fixed all round, of such a 
 height as to support the outer edges, and at 
 the same time allow the middle of the back 
 to rest upon the table. The reason of this 
 is obvious ; if this precaution were not taken 
 
46 HOW TO MAKE A VIOLIN. 
 
 the back would not remain still while the 
 other side was being hollowed out. In 
 hollowing out the inner surface, care must 
 be taken to leave level places where the 
 blocks will have to be attached, and 
 to leave more wood all over than will 
 be the case when the back is finished. The 
 compasses referred to in Chapter III., Fig. 
 10, will enable you to obtain the requisite 
 thicknesses, which are of such vital impor- 
 tance that I have treated the matter fully in 
 a separate chapter. The hollowing will be 
 done with gouges and small plane. Then 
 finish off with the scrapers, and polish with 
 glass-paper, leaving the back, when all is 
 done, i-i6th of an inch thicker than it will 
 be when finished. 
 
 Now turn to Chapter IX, and reduce the 
 back to its proper thickness all over as 
 there directed. Having carried through 
 this operation with great care, the outer 
 edge of the back should correspond exactly 
 in outline with the side pieces, which are 
 already fixed on the mould, and the back 
 should project over the side-pieces one six- 
 
HOW TO MAKE A VIOLIN. 47 
 
 teenth of an inch all round. Now take a 
 good fine biting file, and bevel very slightly 
 round the whole inside of the edge, using a 
 round file where the short curves render it 
 necessary, and a flat one everywhere else ; 
 finish off with medium sand-paper. If the 
 fit is accurate, the back is ready to be glued 
 on, which is done as follows Lay the back 
 upon the side-pieces, in the exact place 
 it is to occupy. Mark with a pencil on 
 the edge of the back the joint where the 
 side-pieces meet at the broad end of the in- 
 strument and also make marks at the four 
 corners where the side pieces are joined at 
 the extremities of the C inlets. These 
 markings are to enable you to lay the back 
 in an instant, and without hesitation, in the 
 place where you want it to be. The glue 
 has to be used as hot as possible without 
 boiling, and unless you can lay down the 
 back in its exact place the moment the glue 
 is put on it will lose its heat and its tenacity 
 while you are shuffling the back about to 
 find its place. Have everything ready, 
 therefore, for a rapid and precise operation, 
 
48 HOW TO MAKE A VIOLIN. 
 
 so as to be in readiness the moment the glue 
 is laid on. When you are ready, take the 
 camel-hair pencil, and lay the hot glue upon 
 the side-pieces, put the back in its place, 
 and secure it with the wooden hand- 
 screws, putting two on the upper block, 
 two on the lower, one at each corner, and 
 as many more as you can place round 
 the edges. Each screw should have a 
 piece of cloth placed upon its surface, to 
 keep it from bruising the wood. The glue 
 which has been forced out by the pressure 
 must be at once removed with a camel-hair 
 pencil dipped in the hot water of the glue- 
 pot. Let it stand till it is perfectly dry. 
 
 The belly is fixed in the same way when 
 it is completed by the fixing of the bass bar 
 as shown later on. When both back and 
 belly are glued on, any variation in the pro- 
 jection, of either beyond the side-pieces must 
 be adjusted with the knife and file, so that 
 the projection is perfectly symmetrical all 
 round. 
 
HOW TO MAKE A VIOLIN. 
 
 49 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 Of the Belly. 
 
 F the operator has succeeded in 
 making a good back, either whole 
 or joined, he will meet with no 
 great difficulty in making the belly ; the 
 cutting out of the / holes being the 
 only difference, and moreover the little pro- 
 jection at the smaller end of the back is 
 not required for the belly. It must be 
 remembered, however, that pine is much 
 more fragile than maple, and will therefore 
 require proportionately increased care in 
 working it must be worked with very 
 sharp tools, and as it is liable to split along 
 the grain, the tool must be used both ways 
 in getting out a curve, lest the wood split. 
 “ Measure twice before you cut once,” cut 
 lightly and delicately, and be content to 
 take off a very small piece at each stroke 
 4 
 
So 
 
 HOW TO MAKE A VIOLIN. 
 
 lest one unlucky gash should at the same 
 time spoil your labour and your temper. 
 
 Take care that the joint follows exactly 
 the grain of the wood, which should be 
 perfectly straight from end to end, and that 
 you get a faultless joint before glueing the 
 pieces together. It is of great importance 
 that the heart-wood — in other words, the 
 part which grows nearest the centre of the 
 tree, and consequently is of closer grain, 
 should be on the side next the joint. 
 
 In regulating the thickness of the different 
 parts of the belly follow the directions given 
 in Chapter IX. 
 
 The / Holes. 
 
 Before these are cut out the belly should 
 in every other respect be finished. Place 
 the model of the / holes upon the belly, 
 having, of course, first laid the latter upon 
 the bench, taking care that the position of 
 the model is accurately adjusted. Then 
 with a pencil sharpened to a very fine point, 
 carefully trace out the interior of the / holes 
 in the model. 
 
HOW TO MAKE A VIOLIN. 51 
 
 First of all pierce the round holes above 
 and below somewhat less than the tracing. 
 Then introduce a very sharp penknife blade 
 and cut away, little by little, all the wood 
 within the tracing. 
 
 UNIVERSITY OF 
 ILLINOIS LIBRARY 
 
 ftT URBANA-CHAMPAIGN 
 
52 
 
 HOW TO MAKE A VIOLIN. 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 The Thickness of the Back and Belly* 
 
 HEN the belly has been finished 
 all but reducing it to its proper 
 thickness, draw a line across 
 the centre from the two in notches of 
 the / holes, and draw by measurements 
 a similar mark on the back. The middle , 
 of this line will in each case be the 
 starting-point of the operation for reducing 
 the wood to its proper thickness. This 
 operation requires the most scrupulous 
 care, as upon its successful performance the 
 vibrations of the instrument, and conse- ( 
 quently its quality of tone will entirely 
 depend. 
 
 The lines above mentioned must be drawn ; 
 upon the inside of the belly and back. Now 
 open the compasses exactly three quarters 
 of an inch, and, putting one leg of the com- 
 
HOW TO MAKE A VIOLIN. 
 
 53 
 
 passes on the centre of the line, mark off 
 that distance on either side from the centre 
 point. These two points will therefore be 
 one-and-a-half inch, or double the distance 
 between the compass points apart. Now 
 with the ruler draw through these two 
 points lines parallel with the joint three 
 inches towards the top and two inches 
 towards the bottom. Join these lines at 
 their extremities, and you thus have a 
 rectangular space five inches long and one- 
 and-a-half inch wide. All the wood of the 
 belly in this space must be one-eighth of an 
 inch thick. 
 
 This thickness must be diminished 
 gradually from one-eighth of an inch at 
 the edges of the rectangular space down 
 to one' sixteenth of an inch at the points 
 where the belly joins the blocks, and the 
 same thickness must be left all round the 
 under surface of the belly where the groove or 
 valley runs just within the outer edges of its 
 upper surface. Take cave that this diminution 
 is gradual , and not by jumps and steps. 
 
 The thickness of the back is obtained in 
 
54 HOW TO MAKE A VIOLIN. 
 
 precisely the same way, but the back must be 
 throughout half a line thicker than the belly . In 
 other words, the rectangular space on the 
 back will be one-twenty-fourth of an inch 
 thicker than that on the belly, the groove 
 round the edge one-twenty-fourth of an inch 
 thicker, and the gradual diminution from 
 the one to the other one-twenty-fourth of an 
 inch thicker at the corresponding points. 
 
 To ensure these thicknesses being correctly 
 obtained, make a small wedge of some hard 
 wood one-eighth of an inch thick at the 
 broader edge, one-twelfth of an inch at the 
 centre, and one-sixteenth of an inch at the 
 thin edge. This will serve to adjust the 
 compasses, the buttons of which must be 
 put at the thickness required, and fixed at 
 that position by the screw. Work with the 
 small plane and scraper. 
 
 Note the following : — the strokes of the 
 plane will take away your pencil lines, and 
 fresh ones must be drawn at each measure- 
 ment. Do not trust your eye, but work 
 rigidly to the exact rectangular shown by 
 the pencil marks. 
 
HOW TO MAKE A VIOLIN. 55 
 
 The plane and scrapers must not reduce 
 your wood to the given thicknesses ; these 
 must be finished and brought down to their 
 proper guage with glass paper. The glass 
 paper is the last “ tool ” to be used on the 
 wood, and when the rectangular is thus 
 finished the compass buttons should move 
 quite easily over it, but touch it at all points . 
 
 Make a second hard-wood wedge for the 
 back, of course one-twenty-fourth of an inch 
 thicker in all parts than that for the belly. 
 
56 
 
 HOW TO MAKE A VIOLIN. 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 The Bass Bar. 
 
 HE making and fixing of this im- 
 portant member will finish the 
 interior work of the violin. It 
 is made of pine, fixed parallel to the 
 foint and between it and the left / hole. 
 Its purpose is to give depth and power 
 to the third and fourth strings. 
 
 The bar should be iojin. to iofin, long, one- 
 sixth of an inch thick, one- third of an inch deep 
 at its centre, and tapering off to the thinneet 
 strip at the ends. The edge glued to the 
 belly is of course curved to fit precisely, the 
 other edge is straight. The centre of the 
 bar falls on the line joining the inner 
 notches of the / holes. The grain of the bar 
 must correspond with that of the belly. 
 
 The measurements here given are for 
 the thickness of belly and back above in 
 
HOW TO MAKE A VIOLIN. 57 
 
 timated; but the proportions of the bar 
 differ in different violins. 
 
 Take care that the bar is at right angles 
 to the surface of the belly, and that the 
 curved edge fits the belly with the greatest 
 possible exactitude. Glue that edge, and 
 fix the bar parallel to the joint, so that the 
 outer edge of the bar is one-sixteenth of an 
 inch from the inner edge of the upper circle 
 of the / hole on the bass side. Clip it with 
 the clips shown in the Chapter on tools (fig. 
 15), and let it dry, first removing the super- 
 fluous glue with a wet camel hair brush as 
 before. 
 
 Some writers contend that the bass-bar 
 would be of greater service if glued diagonally 
 to the grain. The amateur who wishes to 
 do so can easily test this for himself. The 
 following opinion of an American maker 
 (Mr. W. H. Colton) is not without interest. 
 Mr. Colton was a friend of Ole Bull, and the 
 “ note ” is from the life of the latter, pub- 
 lished at Boston in 1883 : 
 
 “ The oblique position of the bar has not 
 been generally adopted. The bar is ordin- 
 
58 HOW TO MAKE A VIOLIN. 
 
 arily placed with its outer side on a line 
 parallel to the centre line or glue joint of the 
 top, and at a distance from it about equal to 
 one-half the width of the bridge, measured 
 from the outer extremities of the feet. A 
 slight spring is given to the ends of the bar, 
 so that when glued to the top it produces an 
 upward pressure at the centre, under the foot 
 of the bridge. This pressure should equal 
 the downward thrust of the bridge, the force 
 of which will depend upon the angle of the 
 strings over its top. Practice soon discovers 
 a certain medium of spring which agrees 
 fairly with a certain height of bridge. 
 
 An entirely successful result is not always 
 insured, but a positive failure is avoided. But 
 in the case of the oblique bar, no such com- 
 mon factor can be found to fit all cases, 
 even averagely well. Each instrument pre- 
 sents its own particular problem. The 
 spring at each end must be accurately 
 determined by mechanical means, which will 
 take into account both the resistance of the 
 top, due to its comparative strength of fibre 
 and the resistance due to the form of 
 
HOW TO MAKE A VIOLIN. 59 
 
 modelling. The same degree of obliquity 
 and position relative to the foot of the 
 bridge which it supports, will not answer 
 equally well in all cases. But when the 
 required conditions are fulfilled, the oblique 
 bar does beyond doubt very greatly in- 
 crease the depth and volume of tone, 
 particularly of the lower strings. Mr. Bull 
 spent many years in attempting to formulate 
 the rules which govern this most perplexing 
 part of the organism of the violin. His 
 observations and experiments demonstrated 
 to him the correctness of the oblique posi- 
 tion ; and though as was his wont, he 
 frankly owned to more failures than one, his 
 instances of success illustrated by his Da 
 Salo and many other instruments, bore 
 most convincing witness to the truth of his 
 theory.” 
 
 Ole Bull’s own opinion on the matter is 
 thus expressed in his “ Violin Notes” : — 
 
 “ The principal object of the bar is to 
 resist the pressure of the strings upon the 
 top. All old violins require to be rebarred, 
 owing to the height of the present musical 
 
6o 
 
 HOW TO MAKE A VIOLIN. 
 
 pitch over that of ioo years ago. The old 
 short bars are no longer adapted to the 
 greater strain, and more powerful ones are 
 needed. From long-continued strain, the 
 pulling of the two extremes towards the 
 centre, and the downward pressure of the 
 bridge at that point, the tops of many old 
 violins have bulged up at the ends and 
 sunk down at the centre. The adjustment 
 of a new bar will tend to remedy this. As 
 the bar was originally placed by Gaspar Da 
 Salo, so it should be placed now, that is, 
 not in the direction of the fibres of the top, 
 but obliquely, the end under the finger 
 board being nearest the centre. In this 
 position it appears to give ample support to 
 the bridge and to allow a fuller and richer 
 tone.” 
 
HOW TO MAKE A VIOLIN. 
 
 6l 
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 
 The Purfling. 
 
 HE purfling is the ornamental 
 black line or lines running round 
 the outer edge of the back and 
 belly. Two lines of black are sometimes 
 inserted with a strip of clean wood left 
 between. 
 
 The wood for the purfling can be bought 
 ready made at any violin makers, and it is 
 better to buy it than try to make it, as good 
 machinery is needed to do the work well. 
 
 The grooves for the insertion of the 
 purfling are made with a purfling tool. The 
 distance of the purfling from the edge is a 
 matter of taste. When decided, open the 
 tracer to the required width and fix it with 
 the screw; put the violin on your knees, 
 and trace the first line, running one limb 
 along the outer edge (which is still square, 
 
62 
 
 HOW TO MAKB A VIOLIN. 
 
 the rounding off comes later). Then trace 
 the second line in like manner. The pur- 
 fling tool is then adjusted to the required 
 distance. The following description of an 
 excellent purfling tool, directions for use are 
 from Mr. Davidson’s book on “ The Violin.” 
 “ By this instrument, it will be perceived 
 we can vary the distances from the edges, 
 to imitate any model chosen. The two 
 cutters are thin pieces of steel, sharpened at 
 an angle, with a shoulder left of the neces- 
 sary thickness, so that the groove cut may 
 fit the indenting strips. The cutters are 
 kept in position by the screw a. Fig. 34 
 
 F 'S 33 . 
 
 represents one of the cutters, seen edge- 
 ways ; Fig. 34, b shows the form of blade 
 
HOW TO MAKE A VIOLIN. 
 
 63 
 
 and point. Fig. 33, has a small screw for 
 adjusting the shoulder-piece to any required 
 distance the purfling may be intended to be 
 placed. This tool may be made from iron — 
 with the exception of the cutters, of course — 
 and fixed in an ordinary tool-handle. 
 Another purfling tool, but much simplified, 
 is shown in Fig. 35. The body of this tool 
 
 may be formed from a piece of beech, having 
 two cutters the same as the preceding, fixed 
 by a binding-screw. This simple tool 
 answers admirably, and may be easily made 
 by any amateur, or can be purchased for 
 about 3s. 6d. The angular parts of the 
 blades must be made thin, and the edges 
 kept very keen. Either of those two tools 
 
64 HOW TO MAKE A VIOLIN. 
 
 is to be held quite steady, and a double cut 
 of the proper depth run round the margin of 
 the back and breast, the interior wood is 
 afterwards to be cleanly cut out with a 
 chisel-sharpened awl.* The indenting 
 groove must be cut gradually and carefully, 
 never allowing the tool to tear the wood, or 
 slip from the proper place. At the parts of 
 the back and belly opposite to the ex- 
 tremities of the neck, where the indenting 
 tool does not reach, two pencil lines may be 
 drawn through the spaces, and the groove 
 cut to such lines with a thin pointed pen- 
 knife, and the wood cut out as previously.” 
 
 When the purfling tool has been run twice 
 along the intended groove, take a sharp 
 knife and cut away enough wood from the 
 groove to allow the awl to enter. The next 
 figure shows the shape to which the awl 
 should be bent and the way the point should 
 be ground. A shows the side view, and B 
 the front view of the point. When you have 
 
 * By a “chisel-sharpened awl,” is meant a cobbler’s 
 awl, narrow enough to run easily in the width of the 
 groove made by the purfling tool but ground to a fiat 
 and sharp edge. 
 
MAKE A VIOLIN. 
 
 65 
 
 cleared away With a knife a starting-point 
 for the awl, begin with the point of the awl 
 and turn up the strip of wood intended to 
 be brought away just as a ploughshare cuts 
 underneath the soil and turns it up so as to 
 leave a furrow This must, of course, be 
 done slowly and with great care, seeing that 
 the groove required is extremely shallow 
 and the wood from which it has to be cut 
 has already been made very thin. 
 
 Glue the strio of purfling to be inserted, 
 or both strips if two are desired, and gently 
 squeese both together into their grooves, care 
 being taken that the small ridge of wood 
 between the grooves is not broken. Make 
 
 neat joints at 
 
 e four corners, and remove 
 
any superfluous glue with the camel-hair 
 brush. When the glue is dry, take away the 
 projecting surface of the purfling with a very 
 sharp knife, and finish off with the scraper 
 and glass-paper. 
 
 / 
 
HOW TO MAKE A VIOLIN. 
 
 67 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 The Neck. 
 
 AKE a piece of maple 10 inches 
 long, 2 1-3 inches wide, and 1 
 2-3 inch thick, and plane it 
 smooth on all four faces. The maple for 
 the neck is usually selected from wood 
 well marked and figured, so as to be as 
 ornamental as possible. The purfling of the 
 body, and the scroll of the neck are the only 
 parts of the instrument which are simply 
 ornamental without being useful, but there 
 is no reason why the useful parts should not 
 be as ornamental as possible. 
 
 Take the finished neck which you have 
 bought as a model, and draw the outline of 
 the model on the piece of maple. Then 
 with the T square, draw a line all round 
 the wood 5 1-3 inches from the end where it 
 is to be fastened to the body. This line will 
 
68 
 
 HOW TO MAKE A VIOLIN. 
 
 be at the point G, Fig. 37, which is the place 
 where the peg-box begins. 
 
 
 Take the compasses, open the points 5-6 
 inch which is half the width of the narrow 
 side ; mark a point at each end and draw on 
 each of the narrow sides a pencil line the 
 whole length of the piece. Open the com- 
 passes 11-24 inch, place one point at the 
 angle where the long line meets the trans- 
 verse line at G, and mark on that transverse 
 line on both sides of the line which cuts it, 
 a point 11-24 * nc h ^ rom the l° n g line, between 
 which points there will of course, be n-12 
 
HOW TO MAKE A VIOLIN. 69 
 
 inch. This 11-12 inch shows the width of 
 the neck at the beginning of the part held 
 by the hand, and also the width of the nut 
 (the small piece of ebony over which the 
 strings pass out of the peg-box). 
 
 Open the compasses 5-8 of an inch, and 
 put one leg on the angle made by the long 
 line and the cross line on the narrow side 
 opposite to that on which you have been 
 working, and mark as before upon the cross 
 line two points on either side of the long line, 
 the distance between which will be 1 1-4 
 inch. This 1 1-4 inch is to be the thickness 
 of the neck at the point where it joins the 
 belly. 
 
 Now fasten the neck to the table with the 
 hand-vice, the broad side upwards, so that 
 the scroll end projects over the edge of the 
 table, and cut away with the bow-saw all 
 the superfluous wood. Begin at point G, 
 (Fig. 37) and proceed along the line F E up 
 into the corner ; then start from C and work 
 past D round the curve to the corner point ; 
 start again from C, work round the top past 
 B down to A. This gives a rough outline, 
 
70 HOW TO MAKE A VIOLIN. 
 
 from G round to A, which must now, by 
 means of chisel, knife, and file, be brought 
 to proper shape. 
 
 Then take your measurements from the 
 model; cut away the wood from the point A 
 to the part where the neck joins the body, 
 and give to that part, and to the neck proper, 
 which is to be held by the hand, its proper 
 shape, finishing it off to the greatest nicety 
 with scrapers, files, and glass-paper. 
 
 Now fasten the neck down to the table as 
 before, and carve out with gouges, knives, 
 etc., the curves of the scroll, beginning at the 
 central “ button ” which, in Fig. 37, is 
 crossed by the line B C and the dotted line 
 aa , bb y the point where these lines meet 
 being the centre of the button. Begin with 
 the smallest gouge, and take a larger tool as 
 the spiral requires it. Finish it with great 
 care with the knife, scrapers, and glass- 
 paper. Before beginning to carve one side, 
 you will, of course, draw on both sides the 
 lines B C and aa , bb . If this precaution is 
 not taken, you will find it difficult to make 
 the centres of the buttons correspond. Be 
 
HOW TO MAKE A VIOLIN. 71 
 
 careful, in widening down from B to A, to 
 maintain the gradual increase of thickness 
 which you will find in your model, taking 
 constant measurements as you proceed. 
 Having finished off the sides, work out the 
 two grooves round the edge A B C D. The 
 neck is now finished, except hollowing out 
 the peg-box, and preparing the foot to join 
 the body. This foot will be glued on to the 
 block, and level with it at the top, while the 
 bottom will be glued to the projecting semi- 
 circle on the back of the violin, and must, 
 therefore, be filed until its shape exactly 
 corresponds with it. From this point the 
 foot will gradually increase in size until it 
 attains the width already marked out. Draw 
 down the foot of the neck a line in continua- 
 tion of that already drawn, which divides it 
 into two parts. The foot of the neck, or in 
 other words, the surface which is glued to 
 the block, will determine the height which 
 the finger-board is to be above the body of 
 the violin, and before you glue the neck 
 finally in its place you must finish your 
 finger-board according to the directions given 
 
72 HOW TO MAKE A VIOLIN. 
 
 later, and, holding it with one hand in the 
 place in which it is intended to be adjust the 
 foot of the neck so as to give to the finger- 
 board its proper height when glued on. Fig. 
 38 gives a view of the foot of the neck (A B 
 
 C D) the part above the line A B being the 
 part which projects above the level of the 
 block. 
 
 The mortising of the peg-box and the 
 placing and drilling of the peg-holes ought 
 to present no difficulty. The conical shape 
 of the peg-holes is obtained by means of a 
 small tapered gouge. 
 
 In glueing on the neck, regard must be had 
 to two points : — The central line of the sur- 
 face to be attached to the finger-board must 
 make a straight line with the belly-joint, and 
 that surface as well as the end or foot must 
 
HOW TO MAKE A VIOLIN. 73 
 
 be so adjusted that while the proper height 
 is given to the finger-board the centre of the 
 scroll-buttons is intersected by an imaginary 
 line drawn in continuation of the level at 
 which the back is glued to the sides. 
 
 The time has now come to fix the neck. 
 When the side pieces were put on, more wood 
 was left at this place than was required, this 
 must now be cut away, so as to allow the 
 neck to fit in exactly. An inlet J inch deep 
 must now be cut in the block — J inch deep, 
 that is to say, from the outer surface of the 
 side-pieces, enough wood having, of course, 
 been left at the end of the neck to allow for 
 this inlet. 
 
 Before glueing the neck, every precaution 
 must have been taken to ensure its correct 
 shape and position, and the neck should fit 
 into the inlet so accurately as to require some 
 little force to get it to its place. You will 
 now want a piece of cork J inch thick and 2 
 inches long by 1 broad.* Glue thoroughly the 
 inside of the inlet, put the foot of the neck in 
 
 * Felt is preferable as it is not so liable to leave an 
 impression on the wood. 
 
74 HOW TO MAKE A VIOLIN. 
 
 its place, put the piece of cork on the back 
 so as to cover the button, and, placing this 
 cork on the beak of the hand-vice, screw 
 down the screw on to the end of the neck. 
 In half-an-hour unscrew it and see if the 
 finger-board is at the right height. If so, the 
 glue can be left to dry; if not, it must be 
 readjusted, and the operation gone through 
 until it is. In damp weather the end of the 
 neck should be warmed before it is put in, 
 and the glue will have a more binding effect 
 if a good number of holes are made with a 
 knife in the end of the neck and in the small 
 surface which fits upon the button. 
 
HOW TO MAKE A VIOLIN. 
 
 75 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 The Finger-Board. 
 
 HE Finger-board is so simple and so 
 easily made that the best way will 
 betopurchaseoneasamodel. The 
 amateur who has followed me thus far will 
 have no difficulty in making one exactly like 
 it from a piece of ebony. It is hardly neces- 
 sary to say that its width at the narrow end 
 must be adjusted to that of the neck, and that 
 it must fit the neck accurately at the sides, and 
 should join it so closely that they both appear 
 as one piece. Be careful in glueing it on, 
 not to mark the neck or the finger-board with 
 the hand screws. The height of the finger- 
 board varies according to the model of the 
 instrument; its mean height at the middle 
 of its upper curve should be 7-ioth inch from 
 
76 HOW TO MAKE A VIOLIN. 
 
 the belly joint, but this will all depend upon 
 the height of the bridge and the depth of 
 touch required for the strings. 
 
 yy 
 
HOW TO MAKE A VIOLIN. 
 
 77 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 The Nut and String Guard. 
 
 HE nut is the small piece of wood 
 over which the strings pass out of 
 the peg-box, and the string-guard 
 is the piece which resists the action 
 of the string by which the tail-piece is 
 held to the button. Take a piece of 
 obony of the size for the nut, as to which 
 the eye will be a sufficient guide. Its 
 length will be determined by the width of 
 the neck, with which it should exactly corres- 
 pond. Its curve must correspond exactly 
 with that of the finger-board, and its upper 
 surface be one sixteenth of an inch higher. 
 Its front, against which the finger-board is 
 glued, will be perpendicular to the neck, and 
 the upper surface in which the slits for the 
 strings are cut must slope gradually down 
 
78 HOW TO MAKE A VIOLIN. 
 
 towards the peg-box, so as to present a 
 rounded surface on which the strings may rest. 
 
 The string-guard is usually a small piece 
 of ebony about an inch long and a quarter-of- 
 an-inch square, which is glued into an inlet 
 made in the block at the lower end. Its 
 outer surface must be level with the side 
 pieces, into which it must fit accurately. 
 An edge should be left upon it to stand one- 
 sixteenth of an inch above the belly, and it 
 should be trimmed to the surface of the latter. 
 The edge over which the strings pass must 
 be rounded so that they are not cut. The 
 four slits in the nut should not be cut, but 
 filed out with a rat-tail file. 
 
 The making of the button presents no 
 difficulty. It is a sort of drawer-handle on 
 a small scale, made of ebony, with a pro- 
 jecting limb about an inch long, and three- 
 eighths of an inch in diameter, which fits 
 accurately into a hole of that size bore d 
 through the side-pieces and into the block, 
 and we are now ready to begin to varnish. 
 
HOW TO MAKE A VIOLIN. 
 
 79 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 
 Varnishing and Polishing. 
 
 OWEVER carefully the work has 
 been done, it is almost certain 
 that on looking it over closely 
 you will find some slight roughness or 
 unevenness, some place where glue has 
 trickled out, some part of the edges not 
 nicely rounded, or some other fault over- 
 looked. These faults must now.be searched 
 for and remedied by file, glass-paper, or 
 other suitable means. When all is perfect, 
 polish with very fine glass-paper the whole 
 surface. 
 
 Now take a clean sponge, dip it in cold 
 water, squeeze it nearly dry, and gently 
 damp ( not wet) the instrument all over. Then 
 polish as before until the surface has the 
 appearance of having been covered with a 
 very thin coat of poor varnish. 
 
8o 
 
 HOW TO MAKE A VIOLIN. 
 
 The making of the varnishes, both spirit, 
 and oil, is treated in the next chapter. 
 
 The best tool to lay on the varnish is a 
 flat camel-hair or sable brush, about an 
 inch wide, and which has never been used. 
 The varnish being ready, take a small 
 quantity in a , glazed earthenware vessel. 
 Have as little varnish as possible at a time 
 in the brush, and take only two strokes, one 
 up and the other down, over each part of 
 the wood. Take care and “ lay it off ” 
 evenly, as a painter would say — that is, work 
 so that the marks of the brush are invisible, 
 and as if the varnish had all been put on with 
 one simple stroke. Try your hand first on 
 two pieces of maple and pine, both treated 
 and prepared for varnishing just like the 
 violin, and do not touch the instrument with 
 varnish until you have put two coats of oil 
 varnish on each piece as an experiment. 
 When you have succeeded in getting a 
 brilliant surface, from which brush-marks 
 are totally absent, you can venture on your 
 violin. After each coat of spirit varnish, 
 polish with a linen cloth, the older the 
 
HOW TO MAKE A VIOLIN. 8l 
 
 material, and the softer its texture, the 
 better will it be for your purpose. You 
 cannot obtain a really brilliant lustre with 
 spirit varnish unless you polish with linen 
 cloth after each coat. 
 
 6 
 
82 
 
 HOW TO MAKE A VIOLIN. 
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 Varnishes and Colouring Matter. 
 
 AVING completed the violin, the 
 next step is to varnish it, and 
 there are two modes of carrying 
 ont this process. The one is genuine, 
 the other is a sham ; and if the amateur 
 has succeeded in making an instrument 
 worth varnishing at all, I strongly advise 
 him to varnish it that it may pass for 
 what it is, a new instrument, and not pretend 
 to be what it is not, an old one. New instru- 
 ments are made to look old by colouring the 
 wood before the real varnish is applied, and 
 leaving those parts uncoloured which in an 
 old violin show the effects of wear and tear. 
 This fraud is on every ground to be depre- 
 cated, for nothing will be gained by it, while 
 the genuine workman, who cares more for 
 turning out a good violin than he does for 
 
HOW TO MAKE A VIOLIN. 83 
 
 making money by dishonest means, will feel 
 that by such a fraud he loses what money 
 can never buy, self-respect. The proper 
 way to varnish the violin is to varnish it all 
 over without any previous colouring. This 
 may be done either with plain or coloured 
 varnish. Both are equally genuine ; the 
 fraud consists, as I have said, in making the 
 violin look as though coloured varnish had 
 been originally used, but worn away by long 
 use. I shall now proceed to give precise 
 directions for making the two kinds of var- 
 nish used for the violin, viz., oil varnish and 
 spirit varnish, as well as the mode of colour- 
 ing the varnish in various tints when colour- 
 ing is desired. 
 
 The best, though most troublesome is 
 
 Oil Yarnish. 
 
 This is vastly better than spirit varnish, as 
 it is more beautiful, more durable, and more 
 elastic ; moreover, it needs no polishing. 
 Two coats, properly applied, will generally 
 be found sufficient, whereas spirit varnish 
 requires six or seven applications. 
 
84 HOW TO MAKE A VIOLIN. 
 
 The ingredients of good oil varnish are 
 three : amber, spirits of turpentine, and lin- 
 seed oil. The latter, however, is such a bad 
 drier, that it must be used in the form known 
 as “ boiled oil.” The operator could, of 
 course, perform the operation of “ boiling ” 
 it himself, but as it is very dangerous unless 
 carried out with great care, and as boiled 
 oil can be purchased ready for use without 
 any trouble or risk, I think it better not to 
 give any recipes for rendering linseed oil a 
 better drier. 
 
 I strongly recommend that varnish that is 
 sold, in any quantity, ready for use, by 
 Messrs. Winsor & Newton, artists’ colour- 
 men, of Rathbone Place, London, who pre- 
 pare boiled oil of the very finest quality for 
 artists, so that the violin maker may rely upon 
 obtaining the best procurable. Cheap com- 
 mon boiled oil is nearly black, and is worse 
 than useless for the purpose under considera- 
 tion. 
 
 The following is the way to prepare oil 
 varnish. The materials required are : — 
 Amber . . .4 ounces. 
 
HOW TO MAKE A VIOLIN. 85 
 
 Boiled oil . .2 ounces. 
 
 Oil of turpentine . . 4 ounces. 
 
 Break up the amber into pieces the size of 
 peas, and having prepared a charcoal fire, 
 put the amber into a glazed iron vessel 
 never before used, and with it a spoonful of 
 the turpentine, and put the pot on the fire 
 and the cover on it. A quarter of an hour’s 
 warming will suffice to melt the amber, but 
 it must now and then be stirred with a strip 
 of pine wood. When the amber is melted 
 down, take the pot from the fire, stir it till 
 cool, and add the oil very slowly, stirring all 
 the time so as to thoroughly mix the in- 
 gredients, and then add the turpentine, to 
 which you have previously given the colour 
 desired. 
 
 The colouring matters must simply be 
 powdered and put in the turpentine to dis- 
 solve, some time before it is wanted for 
 making the varnish. The colouring matters 
 are here given : 
 
 Yellow — Aloes, gamboge, turmeries, or 
 saffron ; these will give various tints of 
 yellow, from light golden to deep, as may be 
 
86 
 
 HOW TO MAKE A VIOLIN.' 
 
 desired. The effect of golden varnish is very 
 brilliant. 
 
 Red — Dragon’s blood or Saunder’s wood. 
 By mixing with yellow any tint of light red 
 can be obtained. 
 
 Brown — Madder or logwood. 
 
 It must be remembered that each coat 
 adds a slight depth of colour to the previous 
 one. These colouring matters are suitable 
 for colouring either oil or spirit varnish. It 
 is sometimes the practice to make a quantity 
 of any colour in as small a portion of tur- 
 pentine as will dissolve it, and keep it for 
 dilution to the requisite tint when required. 
 
 The following are receipts for oil varnishes 
 of different kinds : — 
 
 Amber, coarsely powderd 
 
 2 oz. 
 
 Venice turpentine . 
 
 2 fl. drs. 
 
 Prepared linseed-oil 
 
 I J fl. oz. 
 
 Oil of turpentine . 
 
 2 fl. CZ. 
 
 Amber, fused . 
 
 . 2 OZ. 
 
 Oil of turpentine . 
 
 • 5 >> 
 
 Drying linseed-oil . 
 
 • 5 >> 
 
 Amber, fused . 
 
 . 4 oz. 
 
HOW TO MAKE A VIOLIN. 
 
 87 
 
 Lac 1 oz. 
 
 Drying linseed-oil . . . 4 ,, 
 
 Oil of turpentine . . . 8 ,, 
 
 Dissolve the Lac separately, then add the 
 amber, and thoroughly dissolve by heat. 
 
 Clear and pale African copal . 1 lb. 
 
 Pale drying oil . . .1 qt. 
 
 Rectified oil of turpentine . 3 pt. 
 
 Boil the copal and drying-oil until stringy, 
 then thin with the turpentine, and strain 
 immediately into the store jar. This varnish 
 is hard and durable, and dries hard in from 
 12 to 24 hours. 
 
 Clear pale resin . . . 3J lbs. 
 
 Oil of turpentine . . 1 gal. 
 
 Dissolve. This is the varnish generally 
 used on the cheap violins. 
 
 Colourless Copal Varnish. — To prepare this 
 varnish the copal must be picked, each piece 
 then broken, upon which a drop or two of 
 Rosemary oil is to be poured ; the pieces 
 which become soft upon the application of 
 the oil are those only to be used. Those 
 pieces having been selected are to be ground 
 
88 
 
 HOW TO MAKE A VIOLIN. 
 
 to a fine powder, and then sifted. Place the 
 powder in a glass vessel and add to it a 
 corresponding volume of the Rosemary-oil ; 
 stir for a few minutes, when you will have a 
 thick liquid. Leave the liquid to rest for 
 two or three hours, then add a few drops of 
 pure alcohol, and mix slowly, after which 
 reduce with alcohol until the required con- 
 sistence is obtained. This is a clear and 
 beautiful varnish. 
 
 The following are receipts for spirit- 
 varnishes of different kinds : — 
 
 Elemi 
 
 
 oz. 
 
 
 f i part 
 
 Mastic in tears 
 
 i 
 
 yy 
 
 
 2 
 
 yy 
 
 Seed-lac 
 
 i 
 
 yy 
 
 
 2 
 
 yy 
 
 Sandarac 
 
 2 
 
 yy 
 
 or 
 
 4 
 
 yy 
 
 Venice-turpentine 
 
 I 
 
 yy 
 
 
 2 
 
 yy 
 
 Powdered glass 
 
 I 
 
 yy 
 
 
 4 
 
 yy 
 
 Alcohol 
 
 16 
 
 99 J 
 
 
 ,32 
 
 yy 
 
 Mastic 
 
 . 
 
 . 
 
 I dr. 
 
 Sandarac 
 
 
 . 
 
 I 
 
 yy 
 
 Lac 
 
 . 
 
 . 
 
 
 yy 
 
 Alcohol 
 
 . 
 
 . 
 
 5fl- 
 
 OZ. 
 
HOW TO MAKE A VIOLIN. 89 
 
 Gum sandarac . . 4 oz. 
 
 Seed-lac . . . . 2 ,, 
 
 Mastic . . . . 1 ,, 
 
 Benzoin, in tears . . 1 ,, 
 
 Powdered glass . . 4 ,, 
 
 Venice-turpentine . . 2 ,, 
 
 Alcohol . . . . 32 ,, 
 
 Seed-lac . . . . 5 oz. 
 
 Sandarac . . . . 2 ,, 
 
 Elemi . . . . 1^ ,, 
 
 Venice-turpentine . . 2 ,, 
 
 Powdered glass . . 5 ,, 
 
 Alcohol . . . . 24 ,, 
 
 Coarsely powdered copal and 
 
 glass of each . . 40Z. 
 
 Camphor .... \oz. 
 
 Alcohol (64 O. P.) . . ipt. 
 
 Heat the mixture (with frequent stirring) 
 in a water bath so that the bubbles may be 
 counted as they rise, until solution is com- 
 plete, then decant the clear portion. 
 
 Mastic . . . . J lb. 
 
 Turpentine varnish . . 2jfl.oz. 
 
 Alcohol . . . . 1 pt. 
 
go HOW TO MAKE A VIOLIN. 
 
 This is the spirit-varnish so often seen 
 upon the clear German violins. 
 
 Colourless Spirit Varnish — Dissolve 2\ oz. 
 picked orange lac in a pint of 
 
 rectified alcohol, and boil well for a 
 few minutes with 5 oz. of well burnt and 
 recently heated animal charcoal. A small 
 quantity of the solution should now be 
 filtered and if not colourless add more char- 
 coal. When colourless press the liquor 
 through a piece of silk, and filter through 
 fine filtering paper. This varnish must be 
 used in a room where the temperature is 
 about 60 degrees Fahr. It does not chill or 
 bloom, and dries in a few minutes. 
 
HOW TO MAKE A VIOLIN. 
 
 91 
 
 CHAPTER XVII. 
 
 The Yarnish. 
 
 HE MS. “ Violin Notes ” left by 
 Ole Bull, contain the following 
 interesting observations : — 
 
 “ In a search after an elucidation of this 
 so-called lost art, three facts immediately 
 present themselves : — first this varnish was 
 employed by the very earliest of the Italian 
 makers as well as the later ; second its use 
 was common only in Italy ; third, it ceased 
 to be applied to violins after a.d. 1750-1760. 
 
 “In texture this varnish is extremely supple; 
 it will yield to pressure, but breaks or scales 
 off under a sudden blow. It is entirely trans- 
 parent, and of all shades of brown, red and 
 yellow. The vehicle in which the gums and 
 colours are dissolved is an oil. Applied to a 
 violin, it compacts the tone together, without 
 
92 
 
 HOW TO MAKE A VIOLIN. 
 
 rendering it shrill or harsh, and gives 
 additional beauty to the wood. That its in- 
 gredients were indigenous to the Italian soil 
 is out of the question. It is well known 
 that much of the maple used by the violin- 
 makers of that day came from Turkey. Im- 
 ported to Venice, it was employed in the 
 construction of oars, &c. The extremely 
 curly pieces, owing to their liability to frac- 
 ture under rough usage, were consequently 
 rejected, to be appropriated by the violin- 
 makers. Venice and Genoa held great com- 
 mand over the entire Eastern trade, and un- 
 doubtedly through these ports came the 
 various gums and colouring substances of 
 which this varnish was made. 
 
 “ Turning to other countries of Europe — 
 Germany, France and England — and ex- 
 amining the productions of their most cele- 
 brated violin-makers contemporaneous with 
 the Cremonese school, scarcely a trace of the 
 Italian varnish is to be met with. In 
 German instruments the varnish is distin- 
 guished by extreme hardness, a glassy lustre, 
 and an absence of all delicate shades of 
 
HOW TO MAKE A VIOLIN. 
 
 93 
 
 colour. The vehicle or menstruum, more- 
 over, is alcohol. In France, the colouring 
 was sometimes good, but in general too pro- 
 nounced. The varnish of the old English 
 makers lacked transparency. In both these 
 countries the vehicle was oil, but the varnish 
 in quantity and texture differed essentially 
 from the Italian. 
 
 “ Three questions occur first, was this 
 manufacture a secret ? second, how was 
 this secret lost ? third, are there any clues 
 for perusal and examination ? Answers to 
 these questions should clear up the mystery 
 of this so-called lost art. 
 
 “To begin, then, with the first question, 
 was the manufacture of this varnish a secret ? 
 There is no reasonable doubt that it was, 
 but only in a certain way. For a period of 
 about 200 years, from the time of Gaspar da 
 Salo to that of the Bergonzi, the varnish 
 was common to every Italian violin-maker. 
 Cremona had no monopoly, for the know- 
 ledge and use of it extended to Padua, 
 Venice, Rome, and Naples. It is impossible, 
 therefore, during this long time to say that 
 
94 
 
 HOW TO MAKE A VIOLIN. 
 
 the selection of ingredients or the method 
 of preparation employed in the manufacture 
 of this substance, so well known and widely 
 used, were in any sense a secret. But a 
 little later quite a change is observable. 
 From a hundred Italian instruments of this 
 later date, only a notable few can be selected 
 as possessing the true varnish ; and that 
 this marked characteristic in the case of 
 these few is not the result of mere chance is 
 apparent from the fact that the artists who 
 made them have consistently applied it to 
 all their productions. From about 1745 to 
 about 1760, then, the manufacture of this 
 varnish may be properly called a secret, as 
 being confined to a chosen few. 
 
 “A bitter rivalry had always existed 
 between the Neapolitan, Venetian and 
 Cremonese schools. Alessandro Gagliano 
 probably a pupil of Stradivarius, had estab- 
 lished himself at Naples. Dominico Montagu 
 nana and Sanctus Seraphino were the 
 masters of the Art in Venice. The 
 Cremonese makers seem to have relied on 
 their sonorous, well selected wood, their 
 
HOW TO MAKE A VIOLIN. 
 
 95 
 
 established principles of construction, and 
 their ancient reputation ; the Venetians, on 
 the beauty of their wood, and careful finish ; 
 and the Neapolitans on their exceedingly low 
 price. 
 
 “ As a knowledge of the varnish became at 
 last confined to a few, instances are not 
 wanting of the persecution of such by their 
 less fortunate fellow-workmen. It is quite 
 evident, that, apart from any considerations 
 of beauty, the importance of the varnish as 
 an acoustic element was well recognised. 
 
 “ The second question now presents itself : 
 how was the secret lost ? A careful and 
 repeated examination, extending to a vast 
 number of objects, reveals the fact that the 
 varnish of the Italian violin-maker of the 
 time of Stradivarius and before him was 
 common to the painter, the varnisher, and 
 the gilder as well. Let an ancient piece of 
 Italian furniture, a chair, a cabinet, the case 
 of a spinet or harpischord, be examined, 
 and provided it has escaped modern retouch- 
 ing, the varnish might be by Stradivarius 
 himself. Generally it is colourless, then the 
 
g6 HOW TO MAKE A VIOLIN. 
 
 quality and texture are the indications, but 
 occasionally it is of brilliant hues, and then 
 it proclaims itself to the eye at once. Let 
 specimens of a later date, say 1760, be 
 examined there is no such varnish. This is 
 smooth, fairly lustrous, hard, and durable. 
 The chair of 1725 presents a surface broken 
 and worn away, that of 1760, one com- 
 paratively smooth, and fairly able to endure 
 further vicissitudes of time. 
 
 “Between the years 1740 and 1760, great 
 changes in the manufacture of varnish were 
 introduced. The old soft gums and their 
 menstrua, capable in themselves of dissolving 
 them, were discarded in favour of newer 
 and more complicated processes producing 
 a result more durable and unchangeable 
 under exposure and rough wear. 
 
 “ The old fashion of ornamenting all articles 
 of furniture, whether of ornament or 
 utility with carvings, had given place to a 
 more sober style. Broad, unrelieved surfaces, 
 depending on the intrinsic beauty of their 
 material, were found a relief to the eye tired 
 with unravelling the mazes of complex 
 
HOW TO MAKE A VIOLIN* 97 
 
 carving or painted arabesque. The old, 
 soft, badly wearing varnish no longer 
 sufficed for protection and covering of such 
 surfaces ; hence the new processes, and, for 
 such utilitarian purposes, superior results. 
 The hard copal gums, hitherto undissolvable, 
 or only partially so, were found to yield 
 entirely upon proper heating and fusion. 
 In 1750 a patent, covering a period of 25 
 years, was granted by the King of France to 
 one Simon Martin, a fan painter, for the 
 process of making varnish from amber, by 
 driving off the succinic acid by means of 
 heat, and the subsequent combination of the 
 residue with oil. From that day to the 
 present, various improvements in this art 
 have gone on uninterruptedly. The field of 
 discovery, the gates to which were opened by 
 such pioneers as Simon Martin, being once 
 entered, the problem of durability, hardness, 
 and unchangeableness was soon solved. But 
 with the laying aside of the old receipts, the 
 Italian violin varnish became a lost art. 
 The knowledge of its composition, naturally 
 confined to the general manufactures, was 
 7 
 
gS HOW TO MAKE A VIOLIN. 
 
 forgotten. There is no doubt that some of 
 the Cremonese and other makers knew how 
 to prepare it, but, as has been shown, its 
 use was not confined to them. The new 
 ingredients, the copals, amber, &c., would 
 naturally supersede the old as articles of 
 import, and so by degrees those who 
 possessed the secret, for a secret it was, 
 certainly regarded by its latest possessors, 
 would find increasing difficulty in obtaining 
 the old constituents. Moreover, the days of 
 violin-making in Italy were over. England, 
 France, and Germany were eager com- 
 petitors, the stolid build of the first, the 
 gaudy colour of the second, the baked wood 
 of the Mittenwalder, or artist of the Black 
 Forest, and the general cheapness of all, held 
 the market. And so it has happened that the 
 art of the old varnish is not lost, but buried in 
 the dust under the wheel of progress. For 
 200 years it was in the hands of a nation ; and 
 though now a desire for this forgotten know- 
 ledge is confined to only a few, it would be 
 absurd to say that persistent inquiry must 
 fail to unravel a skein of so many ends. 
 
HOW TO MAKE A VIOLIN. 
 
 99 
 
 “The third question now presents itself: 
 Are there any writings or clues for perusal 
 and examination ? There are many. An 
 ingenious Frenchman, who long ago wrote a 
 treatise on varnish, has given the following 
 list of authors who have treated upon this 
 subject : — 
 
 “ Alexis, Piedmontese (real name of 
 author, Hieronymus Ruscellai), Secrets des 
 Arts, Milan, 1550. 
 
 “ Tiavoranti : Miroir Universel des Arts et 
 des Sciences, Bologna, 1564. 
 
 “ Anda: Recueil Abrege des Secrets Mer- 
 veilleux ; — , 1663. 
 
 “Zahn, Jean, Oculus Artificialis, &c. ; 
 Nuremburg, 1685. 
 
 “ Morley, C., Collections ; London, 1692. 
 
 “ Coronelli, Vincent, Epitome Cosmogra- 
 phique ; Venice, 1693. 
 
 “ Pomet, Histoire Generate des Drogues ; 
 Paris, 1694 (sprinted 1736). 
 
 “ Buouanni, Phillipe, Traite des Vernis ; 
 Rome, 1713. 
 
 “ Here is a succession of treatises, the 
 earliest written about the time of Gaspar da 
 
IOO 
 
 HOW TO MAKE A VIOLIN. 
 
 Salo, and the latest during that of Stradi- 
 varius. Here are hundreds of genuine re- 
 ceipts. Is any one of them the right one ? 
 Patience and perseverence are necessary, 
 much fitting of old names to their nomen- 
 clatures and many tiresome comparisons, 
 but these once made, the desired result may 
 be obtained, and the new varnish may pos- 
 sess the old coveted lustrous softness and 
 suppleness. And the colours ? the brown, 
 the red, and the yellow ? — hidden under 
 quaint and obsolete names, they are all in- 
 dicated by one and another of these authors, 
 and all are soluble in the one vehicle, form- 
 ing a coloured oil varnish, clear and trans- 
 parent, which, however long kept, will let 
 fall no sediment. 
 
 “ There is still another branch of this sub- 
 ject which has never, or very rarely, been 
 specified, and this is the ground-toning. In all 
 Italian instruments the wood appears to be 
 permeated with a colour varying in intensity 
 from pale yellow to almost orange. This 
 colour is quite distinct from that of the var- 
 nish ; for, however faded by exposure and 
 
HOW TO MAKE A VIOLIN. 
 
 IOI 
 
 other causes the latter may be, the ground- 
 tone almost always retains its colour. The 
 violins with red varnish afford the finest ex- 
 amples of this ground-toning. On such its 
 tawny yellow is the most intense, and offers 
 a splendid foil to the superimposed colour, 
 toning and giving life to it. How it was 
 composed or applied, whether as a wash or 
 stain, or as a distinct varnish, none of the 
 authors give any information. But from 
 their miscellaneous lists of the drugs, dye- 
 stuffs, and colouring matter common to the 
 Italian markets, it is quite possible that a 
 selection could be made, which would fulfil all 
 the required conditions of colour and stability. 
 
 “ Butthough supplied with the ground-tone, 
 another element is needed before the exact 
 reflex of the Italian varnish can be repro- 
 duced, and that is the natural colour of the 
 old wood. 
 
 “|The problem of the old varnish is solvable 
 by anyone who deems the reward worth the 
 trial of patience and perseverence, two 
 elements most effective in the task of inter- 
 lining the broken sentences of tradition.” 
 
102 
 
 HOW TO MAKE A VIOLIN. 
 
 / 
 
 CHAPTER XVII. 
 
 A Mathematical Method of Constructing 
 the Outline. 
 
 N constructing an outline accord- 
 ing to the directions now to be 
 given, it is necessary to observe 
 great accuracy in the working, to ensure a 
 satisfactory result. 
 
 First draw a perpendicular line 14 inches 
 long, and divide it accurately into 72 equal 
 parts. Then draw at right angles to line, 
 the following : 
 
 A line through 
 
 point No. see illustration 
 
HOW TO MAKE A VIOLIN. 
 
 103 
 
 77 
 
 22 
 
 r — r 
 
 77 
 
 77 
 
 23 
 
 G— G 
 
 77 
 
 77 
 
 27 
 
 H— H 
 
 77 
 
 77 
 
 28 
 
 I— I 
 
 77 
 
 77 
 
 3 i 
 
 K— K 
 
 77 
 
 77 
 
 33 
 
 L— L 
 
 77 
 
 77 
 
 34 
 
 M— M 
 
 77 
 
 77 
 
 37 
 
 N— N 
 
 77 
 
 7 ) 
 
 39 
 
 0—0 
 
 77 
 
 >7 
 
 40 
 
 P— P 
 
 77 
 
 57 
 
 44 i 
 
 Q-Q 
 
 77 
 
 7 7 
 
 48 
 
 R— R 
 
 77 
 
 77 
 
 55 
 
 S— S 
 
 77 
 
 >7 
 
 56 
 
 T— T 
 
 77 
 
 >7 
 
 65 
 
 V— V 
 
 7? 
 
 Open the compasses to the width of 9 
 parts, put one of the feet at point b, and 
 draw the two little curves aa. 
 
 Open the compasses to the width of 24 
 parts, place one foot on point 24, and draw 
 the arc aba . 
 
 Open the compasses to the width of 2 
 parts, a nd mark off this distance upon each 
 side of the perpendicular, as at cc. 
 
 Put one foot of the compasses at c> open 
 
104 
 
 HOW TO MAKE A VIOLIN 
 
 
HOW TO MAKE A VIOLIN, 105 
 
 \ 
 
 I 
 
 to a , and describe the curve at aa. Do the 
 like on the other side. 
 
 Open the compasses to the width of one 
 part, and mark to right and left of No. 14, 
 on the line BB, two points ee ; make each 
 point the centre of a circle as in the last 
 paragraph, with radius eA , and draw the 
 arcs A D on either side. 
 
 On the line LL measure to a point 22J 
 parts from the perpendicular ; put one foot 
 of the compass at each of these points h au 
 describe from the centre h with a radius 
 of 11 parts, the arcs cutting the lines LL 
 and PP. 
 
 In the same way find on line KK 2 points 
 2 3i parts from the perpendicular, and from 
 centres kk open the compasses to the point 
 where the arcs last drawn, join the line LL, 
 and continue the arc from the line LL until 
 it meets the line HH. 
 
 Open the compasses to the width of 11 
 parts, place one foot upon point 72, and draw 
 the two small lines vv, then place one foot 
 on point 35, and the other on point 72, and 
 draw the curve between these two lines, vv. 
 
io6 
 
 HOW TO MAKE A VIOLIN. 
 
 Open the compasses to the width of 6 
 parts, and placing one foot on point 55, 
 mark on the line SS the two points xx. 
 
 Take each point x as a centre from x to v 
 as a radius, and continue the curve from v 
 to the line VV. 
 
 Open the compasses to the width of 4 
 parts, place one foot on point 56, mark the 
 2 points to zz. 
 
 ^ Take each ^ asa centre, open the com- 
 
 ^ x -.sscr to the point where the arcs last drawn 
 
 joins the line VV, and continue the curve 
 from the line VV to the line RR. 
 
 Mark off on line GG two points 00 , each 
 distant from the perpendicular 24! parts: 
 open the compasses from point 0 to point / 
 on either side, and draw the curve from 
 point / to the line FF. 
 
 On line II mark on each side of the 
 perpendicular at the distance of 14I- parts 
 from the perpendicular 2 points mm ; open 
 the compasses from m to where the curve 
 joins the line HH, and trace on each side 
 the curve from the last mentioned point to 
 the point n. 
 
HOW TO MAKE A VIOLIN. IOJ 
 
 On line EE, find 2 points 22 parts from 
 / the perpendicular on each side qq ; open the 
 compasses from point q to point p on line 
 EE, and draw the small curve from p to y 
 on each side. 
 
 Open the compasses from point 20, 16J 
 parts, and draw the two corners 55. 
 
 On line QQ open the compasses 24 parts 
 from the perpendicular, and mark on each 
 side the point bb ; from point bb , open the 
 compasses to the point where the line RR 
 is joined by the curve from V to R, and 
 continue the curve from cc to dd. 
 
 On the line NN open the compasses 161- 
 parts from the perpendicular, and mark on 
 each side the point t ; open the compasses 
 from point t to the point where the line PP 
 is joined by the curve from the point i and 
 draw the small curve. 
 
 Open the compasses to the width of igf 
 parts from point 50, and trace on each side 
 the corner dd . 
 
 We will now proceed to show how the 
 arch of the violin is made in the direction 
 of the perpendicular. 
 
io8 
 
 HOW TO MAKE A VIOLIN, 
 
 Take a strip of hard wood, two inches 
 wide, a little longer than the perpendicular, 
 and thick enough not to bend too easily, 
 and find its centre, across which draw a 
 line. Open the large compasses 216 parts, 
 that is, three times the length of the perpen- 
 dicular, and, having fixed the strip upon the 
 table, draw upon the table a perpendicular 
 line in continuation of the line drawn across 
 the centre of the strip, place one end of the 
 con passes on the perpendicular line upon 
 the strip not too near to the upper edge, 
 and the other point upon the perpendicular 
 drawn upon the table, and draw upon the 
 strip the arc shown in fig. 40. When cut 
 
 way, this arc will give the proper arch of 
 the violin. 
 
 The length of the / holes is 15 parts; 
 the incision on the inner side of each should 
 be exactly opposite point 40 ; the head 
 commences opposite point 32^, and the foot 
 ends opposite point 47^. The diameter of 
 
HOW TO MAKE A VIOLIN. 
 
 IC9 
 
 the hole at the head is ij- part, that at the 
 foot if parts ; the inner edge of the upper 
 holes should be 9 parts asunder, and the 
 inner edges of the lower holes 23 parts 
 asunder (see fig. 41). For all measurements 
 
 required in this method a rule 72 parts long 
 and accurately divided into 72 parts will be 
 found of great service. 
 
 The Thickness of the Back. 
 
 Point 42 is the starting point for obtaining 
 the proper thickness of the back. With the 
 
no 
 
 HOW TO MAKE A VIOLIN. 
 
 I 
 
 compasses describe from centre 42 a circle 
 having a radius of parts; all the wood 
 contained in this circle should be precisely 
 one part thick. Then open the compasses 
 12 parts and draw another circle from the 
 same centre, the wood in which will * 
 gradually fall off from one part thick at the 
 edge of the inner circle to § of a part at the j 
 edge of the outer circle. From this line to the / 
 side pieces, the thickness will gradually fall 
 away in all directions to \ part (see fig. 42). I 
 
 A 
 
 1 
 
HOW TO MAKE A VIOLIN. 
 
 Ill 
 
 The Thickness of the Belly. 
 
 Point 40 is the point of departure. Open 
 the compasses 4 parts and draw a circle 
 with point 40 as its centre. The wood in 
 this circle must be § part thick'; open the 
 compasses 9 parts, and draw another circle. 
 Then, as with the back, gradually thin off 
 from the inner circle till the wood at the 
 outer circle is f part thick, and from thence 
 thin off again to the sides, where it should 
 be a good J part in thickness. 
 
 The Bar. 
 
 The bar should be 56 parts long, one part 
 thick, 2 parts high in the middle, diminishing 
 gradually to § part at the ends. Its posi- 
 tion should be parallel to the joint, slightly 
 inclining inwards at the top end, or about 
 3-32nd of an inch in its whole length, and 
 precisely upon the edge of the inner circle. 
 
 The Sound Post. 
 
 The sound-post should be one part in 
 diameter, and placed two parts behind the 
 foot of the bridge. Other particulars 
 
1 1 2 
 
 HOW TO MAKE A VIOLIN. 
 
 respecting this important part have been 
 given in previous chapters. 
 
 The Bridge. 
 
 The Bridge should have 8 parts between 
 outer edge of the feet ; its height should be 
 6J parts. 
 
 The Neck. 
 
 The Neck should be 27 parts long from 
 the extremity of the peg-box to the sides of 
 the violin. 
 
HOW TO MAKE A VIOLIN. 
 
 IJ 3 
 
 CHAPTER XIX. 
 
 The Remaining Accessories of the Yiolin. 
 
 HESE are the tail-piece, bridge, 
 pegs, and strings, which can all be 
 bought of any instrument dealer. 
 
 I might give the amateur minute direc- 
 tions for making the first three named, but 
 as I only purpose writing on the making of 
 the Violin , I have expressly omitted matters 
 which merely pertain to the fitting up of the 
 instrument preparatory to playing. When 
 Luigi Tarisio came to Paris with a number 
 of priceless Italian violins in his* possession, 
 he brought nothing but the violins — a mere 
 assortment of wooden boxes, as turned out 
 by the master-hands of their makers. Those 
 parts which gave a finished appearance to the 
 instrument were wanting. An old “Strad” 
 may in its time have had fifty tail-pieces 
 
 or a score of finger-boards ; and however 
 
 8 
 
f 
 
 1 14 HOW TO MAKE A VIOLIN. 
 
 essential they may be, the parts above 
 named are only “ fittings.” 
 
 The tail-piece is fastened to the button by 
 a piece of violoncello D string, the knot of 
 which should be firmly tied. Different 
 modes of fastening are adopted. Some tail- 
 pieces have two holes pierced through them 
 and in this case the ends of the cord 
 should be put through and tied so that 
 the knot comes in the groove of the button. ■ 
 Others have the holes pierced in the end of 
 the tail-piece, and a hollow scooped on the 
 
 I j 
 
 under side to allow the knot to stand within I 
 the level of the wood so as not to touch the 
 belly. The amateur will select the pattern 
 he likes best. 
 
 The strings are an important factor in the : 
 production of the tone. They should always 
 be guaged before they are put on. A string 
 guage can be bought for sixpence, and when i 
 the thickness and quality of strings best 
 suited to a violin are ascertained, no varia- 1 
 tion should be permitted. The following 
 passage from Mr. Davidson’s work wrlbbe 
 useful to the amateur: — 
 
 II 
 
 Jm 
 
HOW TO MAKE A VIOLIN II5 
 
 “ A good Violin-string ought to be perfectly 
 cylindrical from one extremity to the other, 
 having a regular thickness throughout, and 
 possess the necessary elasticity. A packet 
 of strings upon being compressed, or bent 
 together, ought not to change colour, or the 
 united parts to break, but to quickly return 
 to their original shape. They ought also to 
 be transparent throughout their entire length, 
 like a thread of glass, and possess no wavy 
 or curled markings. The best second and 
 third strings are of a transparent white ; the 
 first not being so white, but perfectly 
 transparent. If the first strings are very 
 white, we may safely assume that they have 
 been made from the intestines of animals 
 which have been prematurely used by the 
 manufacturer. The strings should be now 
 and again oiled, preserved in oil-paper or 
 bladder, and laid aside in covered tin boxes, 
 in a dry place. For oiling the strings a 
 small piece of woollen or other cloth may be 
 used, upon which a few drops of olive or 
 almond-oil are poured. If olive-oil is used, 
 it should be purified by a mixture of lime 
 
n6 
 
 HOW TO MAKE A VIOLIN. 
 
 and lead, until it is perfectly limpid. The 
 first string should require a tension of 151b. 
 to bring it to opera pitch ; the second 171b ; 
 the third and fourth about the same as the 
 first.” 
 
 We must carefully observe that the tone 
 of any Violin is very perceptibly affected by 
 the size of the strings, as if not in due pro- 
 portion the one to the other, no uniformity 
 of tone or power will be obtained. The 
 peculiarities of the strings which prove 
 individually suitable to the different classes 
 of Violins must also be judiciously studied, 
 as the instruments vary so much in this 
 respect that a string which is perfection to 
 one is destruction to another, but generally 
 speaking, all the ancient instruments require 
 to be lightly strung, in order to effectively 
 evoke their purity of tone, and freedom of 
 vibration. If the strings are too thin or 
 light, the tone of such will be weak and 
 feeble, whilst on the contrary, if too thick or 
 heavy, the sounds will be hard and coarse, 
 and an unnecessary strain and pressure will 
 be exerted on the bridge. 
 
HOW TO MAKE A VIOLIN. II7 
 
 Many of the common-class Violins require 
 the strings to be over-t\gh.l ere they can be 
 brought to pitch, causing endless ruptures, 
 but a well-made Violin never requires this 
 0^-straining or tightening in order to bring 
 it to pitch. The fingering also varies on 
 some violins, even although they may be of 
 precisely similar lengths of finger-board. 
 
 From the preceding cursory remarks the 
 reader will easily discern that the strings 
 form an important item in the correct 
 adjustment of the instrument. 
 
 The pegs must be accurately adjusted, 
 and when properly fitted the holes should 
 fall so as to allow the strings to run from the 
 hole to the nut without crossing each other. 
 A mixture of finely powdered chalk and 
 resin will be found the best means of making 
 the pegs move freely and stay where they 
 are left without pressure. 
 
 The bridge is ably treated by Ole Bull 
 in his “ Violin Notes,” and the following 
 passage will afford the necessary informa- 
 tion on this point, and also with respect to 
 the sound-post and bow : — 
 
n8 
 
 HOW TO MAKE A VIOLIN. 
 
 The Bridge. 
 
 4 4 The position of the Bridge should be such 
 as to affect the whole violin equally, and 
 not to favour one tone more than another. 
 
 “The centre of the bridge should be directly 
 over the centre line of the top. Whether it 
 should stand slightly backwards or forwards 
 of, or directly on a line drawn across the top 
 from the inner notches of the / holes, will 
 depend upon the character of the instrument, 
 and can only be determined experimentally. 
 It should incline towards the tail piece in 
 order to better withstand the forward pull of 
 the strings in tuning. 
 
 “ The construction of the bridge has great 
 influence upon the tone. Thinness of the 
 centre of the bridge tends to make prominent 
 any nasal quality or shrillness latent in the 
 instrument. A proper solidity conveys sweet- 
 ness and compactness, but two great thickness 
 muffles the tone. 
 
 “High-built violins mostly require low 
 bridges, and such should be particularly 
 thick at the edges where the strings rest. 
 
HOW TO MAKE A VIOLIN. Iig 
 
 “ The bridge should be perfectly flat on the 
 side toward the tail-piece. It may be 
 slightly convex on the other side. 
 
 “ The material of which the bridge is made 
 should be invariably maple. That which is 
 known as the silver-gray maple is preferable 
 to the brown or yellow, as having a more 
 close and elastic grain. 
 
 “ The incisions in the sides of the bridge 
 should extend each one third of the distance 
 toward the centre. The French model of 
 Aubert of Mirecourt, though open to some 
 objections in special cases, is one of the best. 
 These bridges are made of excellent wood, 
 and are thick and strong. 
 
 “ The top of the bridge should be thick. 
 Properly constructed, a bridge may be made 
 quite heavy, and so made it will always 
 convey a rounder and fuller volume of tone. 
 The distance measured along the top 
 between the G and E strings, should be 
 1 io-32nd. in. The G string should be \ of an 
 inch above the finger-board at its larger 
 extremity; the E string, 5-32nd of an inch. 
 The average height of the feet of the bridge 
 
120 
 
 HOW TO MAKE A VIOLIN. 
 
 should be about 3-i6th inch. The thickness 
 at the base, a scant 5-32nd of an inch ; at the 
 top a full i-i6th inch. The feet should be 
 3»i6ths of an inch long. 
 
 The Sound Post. 
 
 “ In general the sound-post should stand 
 from -J to J of an inch to the rear of the right 
 foot of the bridge. Its outer edge should be 
 in line with the outer edge of the foot. From 
 this position its upper or lower end, or both, 
 may be moved with advantage to secure 
 certain qualities of tone. It should in all 
 cases fit the curves of the top and back abso- 
 lutely. Moving the lower end toward the 
 centre favours the lower strings. If the 
 lower strings are weak and the upper at all 
 sharp or hard in tone, then a very loose post 
 should be used. If the reverse is the case, 
 a long and tightly fitting sound-post is 
 required. Moving the upper end outward 
 will help all the strings, if the tone before 
 was hard and shrill ; but if the upper strings 
 happen to be dull and heavy, then the post 
 should stand a little inside the line of the foot 
 
HOW TO MAKE A VIOLIN. 
 
 121 
 
 of the bridge, and a little further back. The 
 sound-post should be made of fine-grained 
 soft spruce. The grain should cross that of 
 the top, as this will prevent the marring of 
 the inner surface of the top in putting the 
 post in and adjusting it. 
 
 The Bow. 
 
 “ I use a bow longer by two inches than the 
 ordinary standard, a powerful, heavy bow is 
 required for four-string passages and many 
 tours de force. The bow, while elastic, should 
 be extremely stiff, so that if dropped upon 
 the strings the rebounds are very rapid. It 
 should have weight to give force to these 
 rebounds, as in many passages the' weight of 
 the hand cannot be applied to assist the bow ; 
 as in the tremolo, arpeggio, and staccato 
 volante. In this last example the bow is 
 thrown upon the strings and runs its length 
 in a series of little rebounds, neither the 
 fingers nor wrist having anything to do with 
 the result. In order to graduate, as it were, 
 the different colours of sound, we favour 
 
122 
 
 HOW TO MAKE A VIOLIN. 
 
 certain overtones by causing the hair to act 
 at greater or less distances from the bridge. 
 The nearer we approach the bridge the more 
 the upper overtones, and the nearer the neck 
 the more the lower overtones will be favoured. 
 In the first instance, the resulting tone 
 resembles that of the trumpet ; and in the 
 second, that of the horn and clarinet. With 
 a heavy bow, in forte passages, only slight 
 assistance is needed from the hand. The 
 wrist is not cramped or stiffened in producing 
 the pressure. In piano passages, the little 
 finger should partially sustain the weight, 
 and the stick should be inclined toward the 
 neck, so that only part of the hairs act upon 
 the strings. 
 
 “ The great stiffness and elasticity of the 
 heavy bow 17 gives a freer, clearer tone than 
 can be produced by one of a lighter and more 
 sluggish nature. 
 
 “The length of the bow is 2ft. 6in. the 
 length of the hair 2ft. pin. The number of 
 hairs is about 160. Half the hairs are put 
 in one way, the other half the other. It is 
 known that the hairs, as seen when magni- 
 
HOW TO MAKE A VIOLIN. 123 
 
 fied have little saw-like teeth running in one 
 direction. By thus dividing the hairs, they 
 present the same friction on either the up or 
 down stroke. The best hair is from Nor- 
 mandy. It should be round and even, and 
 not flat in places.” 
 
 The importance of a suitable bridge is 
 paramount, and to further aid the amateur 
 in its selection I append the following quo- 
 tation from Mr. Davidson : — 
 
 “ The Bridge plays a far more important 
 part than is generally attributed to it. Its 
 incisions and form have a great influence 
 upon the quality of the instrument. It 
 merits, therefore, all our attention. If we 
 take a piece of wood, cut like a bridge, and 
 glue it upon a Violin, the instrument nearly 
 loses its sound. It gets a little better if we 
 form feet to the bridge ; if we make lateral 
 incisions in it, the sound improves, which 
 improvement increases gradually until the 
 bridge assumes the ordinary form. It is an 
 astonishing thing that by trial we gradually 
 arrive at the form of bridge usually adopted, 
 and which appears to be better than any 
 
124 HOW TO MAKE A VIOLIN. 
 
 other. A multitude of trials have been made 
 before this important piece arrived at per- 
 fection. Everything has led to this result, 
 that we cannot depart from the established 
 form without detracting greatly from the 
 quality of the instrument. Bridges have 
 been made of deal with their fibres perpen- 
 dicular and parallel to the belly, but the 
 sound was found to be altered. The size 
 and shape of the openings have been altered, 
 but the beauty of the instrument has always 
 been impaired. Let us examine the move- 
 ment of the molecules of the bridge. If we 
 take a plain bridge with two feet and a 
 single string, the movement is tangential, 
 parallel to the face of the bridge. If we 
 make two incisions in it, the nature of the 
 movement changes, and the sand is seen to 
 move in several directions at once, while the 
 bridge itself experiences movements of oscil- 
 lation, and its molecules appear to execute 
 vibrations in a direction normal to the belly. 
 The effect appears to be to confirm the 
 normal movements of the tables. The bar 
 to which these oscillations are imparted, 
 
HOW TO MAKE A VIOLIN. I25 
 
 produces in the belly a similar movement 
 over its entire surface, and prevents it from 
 dividing into ventral segments by transversal 
 nodal lines. All the parts of the instrument 
 enter at once into vibration. Let us see how 
 we can modify the effects of the bridge, by 
 interfering a little with its oscillations. By 
 placing a mute on the bridge the sound is 
 almost null, and the bridge seems no longer 
 to vibrate. It even appears to arrest the 
 vibrations of the other parts of the instru- 
 ment. The mute arrests its^oscillations, and 
 no longer produces the vibration of the 
 belly. If we clamp the right foot of the 
 bridge, the sound is weakened, but not to so 
 great an extent as with a mute. On the 
 other hand, if we repeat the experiment 
 with the left foot, which ought to communi- 
 cate its movement to the bar , the sound is 
 incomparably weaker. It is evident that 
 the left foot of the bridge produces the 
 shocks which occasion the movement of the 
 bar and of the belly.” 
 
 THE END. 
 
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