Books › The Violin: A concise exposition of the general principles of construction.., 1871 › scan 87
Scan 87
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.
1adopt this method, but along with intensity there is always a harshness in the sound of the instrument, as the form of the wood cells is changed by the heat, and after a few months the tone of the instrument gradually deteriorates. The firmness and sonority of wood is somewhat improved by steam drying, and we find many of the pieces for violin backs and breasts sold by the musical instrument dealers have gone through this process, whilst others again have undergone an acetous purification. The following method of wood drying is adopted by several of the Continental firms who supply prepared wood for the fabrication of musical instruments. The wood is kept for some hours under boiling water, whereby all its soluble parts are withdrawn. It is next left to dry, and then boiled for some time in a solution of borax, which causes the albumen to become soluble, and to escape from the pores. After this proceeding, the wood is placed in stoves heated by steam, and in three days after the commencement of this series of operations, it has become quite dry, and to all appearance well seasoned.* About 1835,
3* In a recent report by Monsieur Violette upon some experiments in which he has lately been engaged, he states that steam of a temperature of 480° Fahr. is capable of taking up a considerable quantity of water. In his experiments he exposed several kinds of wood for two hours to the action of a current of steam at 7½ lbs. pressure per square inch, and having a temperature of 482°. The wood having been weighed before and after exposure to the steam, it was found that oak and elm decreased in weight ½, walnut and ash ⅔, and pine ⅔, the wood having also become stronger, with an increased power of resisting fracture. The increase of strength in oak was ⅔, walnut ½, pine ⅔, and elm .
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