Join me Oct 19th, for a day long overview of violin making including a review of techniques, tools and supply sources. The session will be held as a Lee Valley Seminar (class room setting, not hands on) at the Lee Valley Vancouver location at 1180 SE Marine Dr, Vancouver, BC, Tuesday Nov 19 from 9:30am to 4:30pm. Registration is required and the cost is $70. View the seminar on the Lee Valley website here.

I’ll be hosting a Lee Valley Seminar on Violin Making on November 2nd (Friday) at their Vancouver Location (Marine Drive) from 9:30am to 4:30pm.  While not a hands-on session, I will be going over violin making history and steps.  I’ll also demonstrate some of the tools and basic violin making techniques.

You can read more about the seminar here.

Check out this inaugural Violin Making conference in Australia, titled the “Australian Luthier and Archetier Congress 2019” which will be held in Bathurst, New South Wales, Australia from July 13th- 20th, 2019.  Bathurst is about a 2-3 hour drive from Sydney.

“Held from July 13th – 20th 2019 at The Scots School in Bathurst, NSW, Australia, this is promising to be a illustrious gathering of some remarkably talented and internationally renowned minds. The congress is the first international Luthier and Archetier gathering in the southern hemisphere. It is hoped that the congress will inspire, inform, connect and maintain the creativity and professionalism of all participants.”

alacongress.com

I’ve added a new addition to the resources section.  There you’ll find an updated list of North American Violin Making Schools and workshops.  You’ll also find a link to a comprehensive list of international programs.

Check it out here.

The Violin Society of America has gone to a new online format for its Journals.  The articles from new issues of the Journal will now appear online at vsapapers.org and is part of the Open Journal System under the Public Knowledge Project.   Information on previous VSA Journals can be found here.

If you’re lucky enough to be around Turin, Italy this summer check out this temporary display being put on between The Strad and Edizioni Il Salabue.

Titled “Precious Instruments, Illustrious Names: Lutherie and Music in Europe between the 17th and 20th Centuries”, it will take place from 31 May to 30 September.  “Visitors will see instruments played by some of the most prominent musicians of all time, including violinists Nicolò Paganini, Henri Vieuxtemps, Yehudi Menuhin and Gaetano Pugnani; and guitarists Mauro Giuliani, Ramon Montoya, Andrés Segovia and Ida Presti.”

The exhibition takes place at the Royal Palace of Venaria Reale.

Check out more here.

After a quiet summer, I think an update on the 2nd Stainer 1679 is due.  Since last update I’ve assembled the corpus and attached the neck.

I had planned not to setup the instrument ‘in the white’ but had a change of heart.  So I’ve cleaned up the nut and added a saddle.  As soon as the bridge has been cut I’ll put on some Evah Pirazzi stings and try out the sound.  I’ve been working on some new ground techniques which I’ll be trying out once I”m satisfied no other adjustments need to be made.

An update on progress.  The 2nd Stainer 1679 is nearly complete with the back now glued to the ribs.  Next the top will be attached and the neck mortised into the body.

Stainer 1679 #2

Its usually at this point that I start looking forward to the next project.  For the next instrument i’ll be following the ‘Il Cannone’ 1743 Violin by Giuseppe ‘del Jesu’ Guarneri.

My mold and materials for a ‘Il Cannone’ 1743 inspired Violin

The neck, back and ribs are aged European maple, chosen for similar figure patterns to the original.  The belly will be made from Newfoundland black Spruce.  This wood has higher strength than other species, but tends to be smaller and twist as it grows, making it very difficult to source.  As a final touch the nut will be made from Tagua to simulate the ivory nut on the original ‘Il Cannone’.  Known as vegetable ivory, its actually the nut of a tropical palm tree.

My ‘Il Cannone’ will have an outline which is an approximation of the original.  This was a design choice.  I went with a symmetrical outline, whereas the original has large variations.

Il Cannone back outline variation

Getting on the finish of the first of the two Stainers.  After the burnishing and ground layer a clear varnish is applied, then color.

I experimented with a red-brown glaze, but this was later removed.  The glaze looks mat in this picture, but would be clearer and deeper after a clear varnish top coat.

Stay tuned for the final color.