Secrets of Violin Making-Lesson 3 Varnishing the 1690 Stradivarius viola

Summer in Plymouth, Massachusetts...

Summer on the South Shore of Massachusetts Bay is a slower time. It is a time for beaches, light houses, sailing ships, and violin varnishing!

Jump!

No hurry!

Seals (and friends) this year!

Plymouth beach at dusk

Chatham light.....

Cedar point light...

Preparations for the 400th anniversary...

HMS Bounty visit..

Violin varnish and varnishes for wood surfaces are a very old technology.The varnish I use is linseed oil based, thinned with turpentine. It is applied outside; it drys slowly. I do summer things as it drys!

Flax is cultivated both for its fibers which can be woven into  linen and oil  which is called linseed oil. Fibers of linen have been dated to 30,000 BCE and, thus, represent the oldest domesticated plant material. see en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flax  Flax seed oil has a long history as a varnish for wood surfaces. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linseed_oil   Turpentine is a common and effective solvent for the thinning of linseed oil. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turpentine

A sable brush is ideal!

Application may take only 30 minutes but drying over two weeks! (each coat...)

The plan is to play this viola in November!

The Stradivarius violin

Cremona was the the location of political turmoil in the 1500-1700 period as the luthier art progressed with rule passing to the Venetians in 1499, the Duchy of Milan , and then the Spanish in 1513. Bubonic plague returned to Lombardy in 1630. Viol and violin fabrication shifted from Brecia to Cremona. The scene was set for Antonio Stradivarius!

His instruments were frequently orange/brown in varnish color. His workmanship was spectacular.

At Violins of Plymouth, the Strad "orange" has been reproduced with much attention to the "bee stings" at the corners! The 1720 mold was utilized.

The instrument length is just over 14".

As in the original, profiling was flatter than earlier instruments by Amati and Maggini.

The bold sound derived from the flatter profile was more fully appreciated 100 years later with the advent of solo performances in larger settings!

Perfect for the Mendelssohn concerto in d!

This is NOT an example of a varnish by Stradivarius!

More Stradivarius reproductions will follow.

Antonio Stradivarius lives!

A violin blog must introduce the great Antonio Stradivari! Did Antonio learn in the Amati workshop? Did he learn next to Andreas Guarnerius? Did he use the label "Amati"?  We may never know!

He did start with some maple backs cut on the slab (i.e.one piece construction). At ViolinsofPlymouth, I have started with a "slab" back as Stradivari did...

Great violin with a length of 13 3/4". Perfect for a smaller player but offering a bold sound!