Hi all.
I have been busy making a fiddle for a while now and am in the final stages. I am decorating the fiddle with celtic inspired carvings which will represent the saga an Táin.
I have carved the back and front of the fiddle but want to do some more detailed drawings around the sides. I would ideally like to do these drawings in the same way the "hellier" violin was done but I dont know how that was accomplished.
Does anyone know of a way i can 'draw' black lines onto raw maple and not have the lines bleed?
Is there a pen I can get, a certain ink, or a paint. Bear in mind I dont care how i get it done but i need to be able to do it with a lot of detail.
There are some wise and highly skilled folk over at mimf.com who'd give a helpful answer I'm sure. Real names only and very strict moderation on that board!
In a documentary on the 1987 Stradivari Exhibition,
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aTOnWmIbC4M)
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m1cnu7cEhu4&feature=related)
they indicate that the Hellier work is actually ebony inlay. And what a job
THAT must have been.
On all the Hellier copies that I have seen, the design was first carved
and then 'inked' or painted.
Now, this is just a guess....(I have enough challenge just playing
fiddle - let alone building one). You could carve or cut the design
and seal it with a very light coat of varnish (to prevent bleeding)
and then paint or ink in the cuts.
Black paint would work over varnish but I don't think something
like India ink would work over varnish.
Another thought would be to formulate a black varnish to fill
in the cuts.(Again, not my area of expertise - have a chat with
a luthier who formulates his/her own varnishes.)
Good luck with the project.....I'd like to see pictures when it's done.
Fr.J
Michael I have been wondering that since I started. I have decided that once i have finished the "decorative" work I will bring it to a luthier to grade properly.
I'm not really expecting too much from it.
I've seen a violin made by Tim Phillips which had a black drawn line design on it. http://www.timsviolins.co.uk/ I met him when he came over to the Baltimore fiddle fair and he seems a friendly guy,if you emailed him he might tell you how he did it.
Thanks for the interest cathy. I have a couple of pics posted now but they were taken with my phone so the quality aint great. If you like you can check them out here.
Sir, a simple round nibbed pen dipped in lampblack
will do. BUT--do prime the fiddle first and add a few
coats of very light varnish first. Then trap your Hellier
style work with the remaining coats.
Help finishing a fiddle.
Help finishing a fiddle.
Hi all.
I have been busy making a fiddle for a while now and am in the final stages. I am decorating the fiddle with celtic inspired carvings which will represent the saga an Táin.
I have carved the back and front of the fiddle but want to do some more detailed drawings around the sides. I would ideally like to do these drawings in the same way the "hellier" violin was done but I dont know how that was accomplished.
Does anyone know of a way i can 'draw' black lines onto raw maple and not have the lines bleed?
Is there a pen I can get, a certain ink, or a paint. Bear in mind I dont care how i get it done but i need to be able to do it with a lot of detail.
Thanks in advance.
Savage.
# Posted on January 2nd 2008 by session savage
Re: Help finishing a fiddle.
Sounds like Hardanger fiddle techniques would be appropriate.
There's a lengthy thread on a conversion at
http://www.fiddlehangout.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=979
that might help.
There are some wise and highly skilled folk over at mimf.com who'd give a helpful answer I'm sure. Real names only and very strict moderation on that board!
# Posted on January 2nd 2008 by TomB-R
Re: Help finishing a fiddle.
Thanks Chadmills
# Posted on January 2nd 2008 by session savage
Re: Help finishing a fiddle.
Uh... maybe use a pencil, instead of a pen?
# Posted on January 3rd 2008 by John Galt
Re: Help finishing a fiddle.
In a documentary on the 1987 Stradivari Exhibition,
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aTOnWmIbC4M)
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m1cnu7cEhu4&feature=related)
they indicate that the Hellier work is actually ebony inlay. And what a job
THAT must have been.
On all the Hellier copies that I have seen, the design was first carved
and then 'inked' or painted.
Now, this is just a guess....(I have enough challenge just playing
fiddle - let alone building one). You could carve or cut the design
and seal it with a very light coat of varnish (to prevent bleeding)
and then paint or ink in the cuts.
Black paint would work over varnish but I don't think something
like India ink would work over varnish.
Another thought would be to formulate a black varnish to fill
in the cuts.(Again, not my area of expertise - have a chat with
a luthier who formulates his/her own varnishes.)
Good luck with the project.....I'd like to see pictures when it's done.
Fr.J
# Posted on January 3rd 2008 by Fr.Jack
Re: Help finishing a fiddle.
A pencil would be my last resort because the colour would be too light. Even a 5B pencil would not come out dark enough after varnishing.
# Posted on January 3rd 2008 by session savage
Re: Help finishing a fiddle.
What's it gonna sound like?
# Posted on January 3rd 2008 by ...
Re: Help finishing a fiddle.
Michael I have been wondering that since I started. I have decided that once i have finished the "decorative" work I will bring it to a luthier to grade properly.
I'm not really expecting too much from it.
# Posted on January 3rd 2008 by session savage
Re: Help finishing a fiddle.
I've seen a violin made by Tim Phillips which had a black drawn line design on it. http://www.timsviolins.co.uk/ I met him when he came over to the Baltimore fiddle fair and he seems a friendly guy,if you emailed him he might tell you how he did it.
# Posted on January 3rd 2008 by cathycook
Re: Help finishing a fiddle.
By the way it sounds like a great project, you should post a link to a picture of it when you've finished, so we can see what it looks like.
# Posted on January 3rd 2008 by cathycook
Re: Help finishing a fiddle.
Thanks for the interest cathy. I have a couple of pics posted now but they were taken with my phone so the quality aint great. If you like you can check them out here.
http://s244.photobucket.com/albums/gg29/squiresfan/?action=view¤t=DSC00005.jpg
http://s244.photobucket.com/albums/gg29/squiresfan/?action=view¤t=DSC00003.jpg
http://s244.photobucket.com/albums/gg29/squiresfan/?action=view¤t=DSC00086.jpg
# Posted on January 3rd 2008 by session savage
Re: Help finishing a fiddle.
I like the bulls on the back, should look really good when it's finished. Lets hope the sound will turn out well to match.
# Posted on January 3rd 2008 by cathycook
Re: Help finishing a fiddle.
here is a page devoted to teh "spanish" stradivari
http://www.cozio.com/Instrument.aspx?id=237
# Posted on January 7th 2008 by Sunnybear
Re: Help finishing a fiddle.
"the"
# Posted on January 7th 2008 by Sunnybear
Re: Help finishing a fiddle.
Sir, a simple round nibbed pen dipped in lampblack
will do. BUT--do prime the fiddle first and add a few
coats of very light varnish first. Then trap your Hellier
style work with the remaining coats.
# Posted on January 7th 2008 by hauke