Books › An Encyclopedia of the Violin, 1925 › scan 175
Scan 175
An Encyclopedia of the Violin, 1925
14 lines. Read by computer on 28 September 2026. Printed page 149. See the scan on archive.org.
1not flexible, and do not easily resume their former cylindrical position. They are also liable to change color when compressed. Hence, it is always a sign of good quality when strings do not change color, and when they at once resume their cylindrical form.
3"The coarser strings, the second and third, on the contrary, should be transparent and very white. If rolled they should be flexible when pressed together; yet they should not change color, and should promptly return to their cylindrical form. If they are too stiff, it is a sign that they have been made with guts of too resistant a character, and in that case they will have a poor tone quality."
5It must be remembered that the making of good strings depends largely on the care exercised by the workmen, and the routine they have in their work. Experience is the greatest master in this connection, and is the true secret of good string making. A lack of attention in any of the various processes and operations, too alkaline a water bath, poor twisting, etc., may and will proportion very defective products. The sulphuring process, too, has a great deal of influence on the quality of the strings. The process is an indispensable one if good strings are desired; yet at the same time, there is a point in the process which must be rightly seized, or else poor results are inevitable. If, in fact, this point be passed, the strings will have less tension, and if it be not attained, they will lack resisting power. It is evident, therefore, that the art of manufacturing violin strings depends practically altogether on experience, which, as Bacon has said, is the demonstrator among demonstrators.
7Colored Strings, Silk Strings and Spun Strings
9Colored Strings.—As is known, certain ones among the harp strings are colored red, and others blue. This artificial color is given them before they are split, and those guts which are most spotted are reserved for making the blue strings.
11The red color used is prepared by boiling cochineal in a solution of potassa to one degree of the aërometer. The liquid is strained, the guts are then placed in it, and care is taken to stir them from time to time. One precaution which should not be forgotten is that of seeing to it that the larger the size of the strings, the lighter the coloring matter should be. The red strings are passed through the sulphur bath in the same manner as the white ones. In fact, it is worth noting that the action of the sulphuric acid contributes largely to give them a livelier and more brilliant gloss.
13The blue color is obtained, as a rule, by macerating Dutch orchal or tournesol in flags in the same solution of potassa used for the red. The liquid is strained and the guts are then placed in it, care being taken to stir them from time to time. As has already been remarked in connection with dyeing the red strings, the liquid used should be thinner in proportion as the strings are thicker. The blue strings, however, must not be put through
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