Books › The Violin: A concise exposition of the general principles of construction.., 1871 › scan 161
Scan 161
The Violin: A concise exposition of the general principles of construction.., 1871
4 lines. Read by computer on 28 September 2026. No printed page number was found. See the scan on archive.org.
1simple construction, and the mechanism is such that a multiform movement is given to the wheel upon which the strings are attached. The strings, whilst moist, are subjected to a slight degree of twisting, after which they are exposed in bleaching chambers to the fumes of sulphur, for a period varying from 2 to 10 days. During this interval the torsion is several times gradually augmented by spinning, until they are of a firm consistence, when they pass through the process of finishing. In order to attain this latter and important object, the strings are subjected to a sustained friction by being partly covered with a helix of horse hair, or tube of haircloth, to which motion is imparted, by which they are rendered of a uniform diameter. They are now dried and polished, by being rubbed with a piece of cloth, upon which has been sprinkled a mixture of olive oil and ground pumice, after which they are moistened with olive or almond oil, to which a small quantity of creosote or oil of laurel is added, when they are afterwards sufficiently dried, and made into bundles of 15 or 30, each helix containing three or four lengths of string, as the case may be.
3Silk Strings are now in common use by many violinists, especially by the open-air musician, and the country-ball player. They withstand the effects of perspiration better than gut, whilst they are not so liable to break from the variations of temperature and dryness arising from a crowded atmosphere, but their sound is shrill, and nowise to be compared with that of the finest Roman strings. Being subjected to a strong tension in their manufacture, they are difficult to adjust
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