Sound post cracks are very common in the long life of a violin family instrument. When repaired properly with a sound post patch, the instrument can continue to be a reliable tool beyond your lifetime and perhaps even improve its tone. Materials and tools Block plane Sharp knife Wide gouge with tight sweep Sharpened pencil […]
Even though you can buy a fingerboard blank from your supplier, it is not ready to be put on the instrument. A little prep work is involved to get the blank ready. In this article I will cover the method I use for preparing a new fingerboard. MATERIALS AND TOOLS -Fingerboard blank -Block plane with […]
A cheval is a form of wood replacement. Often, due to a bow frog’s small size, an entire section of wood has to be replaced with new wood to reinforce the structure and to supplement missing wood. Traditionally, a cheval is performed by planing away original material and replacing it with new wood. A rounded cheval maximizes the surface area […]
The thumb leather can help you grip the bow, but it can also make your bow more stylish. In this post I will list the materials you will need to make a thumb leather, show you the different kinds of leathers that we use in the shop and describe their attributes, and give you step-by-step […]
Often, a musician will wear a divot in the bow where the thumb contacts the stick. The use of the optical epoxy to fill the worn area is a noninvasive and reversible restoration and looks good as well. MATERIALS AND TOOLS -good-quality, non-stretching transparent packing tape – modelling clay or candle wax – 1 dental dappen dish – […]
The nut is a piece of the setup process that many people overlook. However, it is important to get it right. A well made nut allows the strings to flow unimpeded into the pegbox. It affects the feel and playability of the instrument and is one of those details that shows the competency of the […]
This viola came in with some serious damage to the treble c-bout edge due to the bow hitting it. The purpose of the conical patch is to use the existing wood and raising it into a position that is past the damage so that the joint is almost invisible. In this case in particular, there […]