Books › Violin making and repairing, 1927 › scan 12
Scan 12
Violin making and repairing, 1927
8 lines. Read by computer on 18 September 2026. No printed page number was found. See the scan on archive.org.
1Stradivarius is, of course, the master generally followed, as his pattern, if carefully constructed, cannot be excelled for gracefulness of line and beauty of arching or modelling. The Guarnerius violin is perhaps easier to copy than the Stradivarius, although in each case every care must be taken in the workmanship. An outline for a Stradivarius model is shown by Fig. 3.
3A general view of an outside mould for a Stradivarius violin is shown by Fig. 4, and is constructed as follows: Obtain a sound well-seasoned block of pine or beech, thoroughly dry and free from knots, "shakes" or cracks. It will be found in practice that pine moulds are less liable to "start" or alter their shape than almost any other material (so far as wood is concerned), and the only disadvantage to their use is that, owing to the softness of the material, they are easily damaged. Beech, if well seasoned, also makes good moulds. Whichever wood is used, be sure that it is dry and thoroughly seasoned.
5The size of the mould is as follows: Length 18 in., width 12 in., and thickness 1 1/2 in. Plane this piece perfectly true, and square it all round. Then place it in a moderately heated oven for an hour or so every day for a week. This will ensure thorough shrinkage and dryness. Then square it to the following dimensions: Length 17 1/2 in., width 11 3/4 in., and thickness 1 1/4 in. Now mark one end top and one side face, from which face all subsequent squaring must be executed.
7The block must now be tapered from the bottom edge to the top (for all properly built violins are wider at the bottom edge than they are at the top), which is
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