That inlay design that looks like some kind of seed pod is Hops for beer making. I've done lots of work on hop farms and recognised it straight away. The vine leaves aren't a very good likeness but that's just artistic license.
Well Ted, for a non-violin fixer, you actually did just that. I guess some of us have got it and some of us don't. You sir clearly do. Beside the fact you repaired the owners treasure, you also managed to entertain us. Thank you.
About 30 years ago I had a flood in my basement and one of the victims was my sisters violin. But it was not really damaged ... it just came completely apart. When I opened the case it was like a violin kit. So I can attest to your comment that they were made to be taken apart. I lived in Ottawa at the time and took it to Peter Dawson who fixed it up like new. He made all manner of bowed instruments from huge double bases to small scale violins for young kids. I expressed interest and he gladly gave me a tour of his shop. I remember being very impressed with a violin top he was working on, getting the gentle curves all by eye, using tiny finger planes. No CNC for this dude. Very cool.
“Hey Gang…. This skinny 6 foot long case before me does -not- contain a Gretch Country Gentleman, I assure you. It may surprise you to learn how large the Aboriginal Australian ex-patriot community is in Canada, but today I have a Didgeridoo with some issues……. Let’s dive right in, mates….”
Back in the day, 1920’s, many families had fiddles like that. I was told that there were door to door fiddle salesmen. Our family had one just like that.
@@tiki_trash, I thought it sounded a bit more like the second movement of Phillip Glass' Pertitino #4 in Ab maj., but since I am NOT EVEN a violinist, only a hack fiddler, what do I know?
Geo Heinl & Co. are sending their assassins. Don’t answer the door. Great solution for the button. Love that tail piece. I bet that violin has a great story.
"These Krusty-brand balloons are 3 bucks each. Get a cheap one, and what happens? Goes off! Takes out the eyeballs of every kid in the room. What's that gonna cost you? Hey, Bill. What did that cost us?"
Thank you for your honesty. You did a nice job for not being a violin repairman. Pretty old violin nice yellow varnish. Thanks for your toil. I'm redoing a bridge on my own violin your vidio helped. Most greatful!.
The workmanship on the fiddle is not terrible. The Maggini style scroll is skilfully done, nice back, good f holes. Ok, the maker came to grief on the purfling, but overall, a good amateur effort. Your playing was execrable but the pained expression on your face was priceless.
As if we didn’t all know that your interests lie in baroque instruments!! This must be a treat for you to flex your extrodinary luthier skills!! And of course.. you came thru beautifully! As always amazing 😻
There's a great wordless half hour documentary on Vimeo called "fabrication D'un Violin". It shows a man, y'know, making a violin using all hand tools. It does a great job showing just how organized and fearless you have to be to work with hot hide glue. It's also good to watch when you think that your tools are sharp. They are not sharp compared to this guys tools.
Thanks for the recommendation! I think I found the video on youtube: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-iphJwCNbNSI.html He cut through that wood like a knife through butter, very satisfying.
That last bit was a hoot. I once traveled from Europe to India with a guy who played Bach partitas every evening when we stopped to camp (combi camp). That was pretty close man!!!.
There's a guy here on YT called "Olaf the Violin Maker" he does good work from what I can tell, but he's exactly what Ted explains here concerning traditional violin repair. Especially if you watch his reaction video of some jacklegs repairing a vintage violin. He's kind of smug, but seems to know what he's talking about. I just like watching luthier style stuff. Even though I know nothing about how to play a violin.
Ted, with violin playing like that you should on the stage, but only brushing it!🤣 🤣 🤣 the concentration on you face at the end was priceless, Bravo. 👏
25 years ago we would pick out guitarmaking/repair videos from the stewmac catalogue and pay $54 for a VHS tape with maybe a 45 min. video on it, and it would arrive by mail in 3 to 4 weeks.
Ted; I used to play violin (and fiddle) in my youth, and had, to my best recollection, a look on my face, very much similar to yours. Excellent repair, considering what you started with.
That's your best video so far. I don't even really know why I liked it so much. The mix of skill and humility, with some added spice of self deprecating humor? Could be this. Anyways, you do make me appreciate the work of every luthier I ever encountered.
Bach played with the brooding menace of Beethoven. If you need to scare off a violin repairer just threaten to share their varnish recipe with their competitors.
I got an old crock pot that you can actually set the temperature. It's great for heating up glue and potting pickups. I love it cuz I can set it and forget it and it won't overheat.
A VERY RARE VIDEO WHERE YOU SHOW THE WORLD YOUR FACE!!!! Thanks for encouraging other professionals to try out other instruments but being humble and conscious of their own abilities, specially the part about leaving working material for a more skilled professional, if necessary! You think of everything, Uncle Ford!!!
Awesome. I love the demo at the end. The best bit is blending in the wedge in the heel. Great work on the abalone too. Thank you for a very unique video. I enjoyed it very much.
I watch you for your mastery with guitar playing ......and some repairs :-) but that was so entertaining! Thanks for all your videos and for all luthiers for sorting our precious axes out!
Thomas Johnson Antique Furniture Repair has recently been using a 4 oz (or so) plastic squirt bottle of "Old Brown Glue", which appears to be some form of commercial premixed hide glue. Previously he used the usual method of flakes, water, and glue pot. He seems to like the new stuff fairly well. Other than seeing him use it I know nothing about it, but it might be something useful for you.
That stuff has been around Lee Valley forever, so there's a pretty good chance Ted's run into it. As I understand it, the very things that make it good are the things that make it less reversible, so it's not a 1:1 replacement when things are meant to come apart for repair.
Tom Johnson is a finish matching wizard, as well a a genius repair guy. Titebond makes many kinds of glue, including a premixed hide glue. It's convenient.
It's not good for instruments though. I tried it on fixing a ukulele neck dovetail (I was new to woodworking) and even after 48 hours, it gave in when the strings were brought to tension. In deep joints, it take a long time to dry out.
That pearl design looks like hops ( used for beer making) Didnt know that hide glue is sold by a measure of its viscosity, but that makes a lot of sense!
to thin the bridge hot glue a dowl rod to the flat face , use a belt sander to thin and taper the face. this removes the mass with no danger of carving. I have made seven bridges from commercial stock supplies
Great vid. I'd watch and listen to you repair anything. I learn so much and being a 70s kid I appreciate the instantaneousness of modern research, but you, Sir, are a true consulting detective. 'Bravo Homes! Bespoke stringed instrument construction papers with measurements aplomb!! Ha ha. Take great care, young Sir!
Oooooo an actual barn find!! It's got some surprisingly nice flame to the maple, especially considering the very rough construction. I recently started servicing a couple violins and a cello.... Quite a bit different from my usual electric guitars and basses. I did get those books, which are quite helpful.
That's quite a rarity ! It was made by a strict order of ninja fiddle building monks on the island of Hy-Brasil. Each fiddle has it's own name, but to pronounce it correctly I would have to pull out your tongue. It is said that if a certain order of notes is played on one of these fiddles in the correct manner, the earth will open up and reveal the last resting place of the holy grail. Nice find :)
