Books › The violin, how to make it, 1880 › scan 84
Scan 84
The violin, how to make it, 1880
8 lines. Read by computer on 3 September 2026. Printed page 78. See the scan on archive.org.
1good instruments varies, the narrowest part being at the neck or hand, gradually increasing towards the button of the tail-piece, where the depth is the widest. In the Violins of Nicolas Amati, the average depth of the sides at the neck will be found to be 1 3/5 inches, increased to 1 1/4 inches at the button-end.
3The side-pieces being now properly dressed, are to be carefully bent to nearly the required shape upon a hot iron. Two iron or brass tubes of different sizes will be found advantageous for the variety of curvature of the sides, the smallest one answering to the acute curves of the corners. The tubes are to be heated either in a clear fire, or by the introduction of a heated iron rod, but the heat must not be so great as would char the wood. They are to be bent gradually, moistening the upper surface slightly with water, which will tend to prevent them from breaking. After they are bent to shape, introduce them into the mould, and cramp them in with the wire and screw-cramps, until they are close to the edges of the mould all round.
5The next operation will be that of making the side-linings, which are formed of pieces of pine or sallow, about 3/16 of an inch broad and fully 1/16 in. thick at one edge, the other being only about 1/2 of an inch thick, one side being thus level, whilst the other or outer side is sloped. They are glued to the inside of the upper and lower edges of the sides, and may be bent into shape upon the hot tubes, or dipping them into boiling water. The corner and end-blocks are also made of pine or sallow, and must be neatly fitted to their respective places.
7The corner-blocks are from 7/8 to 1 inch in length across the upper surface, the end-block at the button, about 3/4 inch at the thickest part, and of a semi-elliptical outline, whilst the neck-block is made similar to the former, but of a somewhat larger size. All the above pieces require to be neatly fitted to the sides, being quite close all round, whilst the under and upper surfaces of the blocks must fit evenly against the back and breast. The side-linings and corner-blocks being prepared, they are glued to the sides and corners, and cramped all round into position, the former being placed with the level surface upon the sides, with the thick edge outermost, after which they are left in the mould for several hours to dry. If the whole model is adopted,
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