Varnishing a New Handmade 5-string Fiddle

back of handmade 5-string fiddle

5-string Varnish progress

Sealer

Last post included the sealer, which, to be honest, looks awfully nice. But it isn’t varnish: it was just a resin dissolved in turpentine. The sealer is used to lock in the mineral ground and seal the pores against excessive varnish saturation (which could dampen the tone.) It looked like this:

Back view of handmade 5-string Oregon bluegrass fiddle with sealer.
Back view of 5-string fiddle with sealer.

 

So, from that point forward, the varnishing began:

Early Varnish

The first coats of varnish I use are pretty intensely yellow. I want that golden glow to shine through the other colors, wherever there is any wear, or deliberately thin spots in the color coats. After the yellow varnish I begin selectively darkening certain areas, corners, etc..The purpose of the selective shading is to enhance the overall look and feel, visually.

So, here are the front and back after the early coats of varnish. Pretty much all of this is from the first day or two of varnishing:

Front view of handmade five-string fiddle with early coats of varnish.
Front view, with early coats of varnish.

 

Back view of handmade Oregon 5-string fiddle with early varnish coats.
Back view with early varnish coats.

 

Later Varnish

After the early varnish is well-cured, I scrape or sand away any sags, drips, or brush-marks. I also remove any brush-hairs that might have been overlooked earlier. Then, I lightly sand over the entire instrument. The aim is to produce a smooth surface upon which to deposit subsequent coats of varnish. (Usually, there will be about eight coats, overall, by the time I am done varnishing.)

I add the deeper color coats, still striving to produce the shading that would go along with the old instruments that everyone finds so attractive. (I have numerous excellent photos of “old-master” instruments to study, from which to gain ideas as to what is “normal” wear.) So, here are photos of the front and back of the same instrument after further layers of varnish have been applied.

Front view of Handmade Bluegrass 5-string fiddle with later layers of varnish.
Front view of same 5-string fiddle with later layers of varnish.

 

Back view of handmade 5-string fiddle made of Oregon Big Leaf Maple.
Back view with later varnish layers. I like that back, of Oregon Big Leaf Maple!

 

Future plans:

I anticipate about two or three more coats of amber varnish to deepen the shine and improve the clarity. There will be some re-touching done as needed, of course. This will be especially true after I re-install the fingerboard and fit the pegs, to begin set-up. But, the varnish is looking pretty much the way it will when it is finished, in terms of overall color. The red will probably look a little less intense, but it will still be there.

I hope to have it playing next week sometime.

This is the “sister instrument” to a five-string fiddle made last year. Each was built from wood salvaged from the scraps after I built a five-string Double Bass last Summer.

Here are some clips of the sister instrument played by Andy Pastor: https://fivestringfiddles.com/2020/12/21/first-complaint/

And, here is a 15″ 5-string viola, currently for sale in Charlotte, North Carolina, at “The Violin Shoppe!”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZFC9cYB7fdQ&ab_channel=GlenAlexander

Thanks for looking.

New Handmade Five String Fiddle

fiddle with sealer

Handmade Oregon Five-String Fiddle in Progess!

Just an update: This week was a hard one, in terms of getting things done. Unfortunately, I had some repairs to do; but I did complete the varnish prep work on the most recent five-string violin. Then I rubbed into it the mineral ground I use to fill the wood pores and prevent excessive varnish saturation.

The mineral ground (a suspension of fine particles of Gypsum, in coffee) dried rapidly. This allowed me to accomplish the final rubdown before varnishing began. Consequently, this evening, I applied the sealer, (a solution of rosin in turpentine) which is designed to soak in, and lock the mineral in place. After  the solvent evaporates, leaving only the resin in the wood, I can begin varnishing. I rubbed off the excess with a rag and alcohol to make sure no unwanted residue was drying on the surface.

Next Step: Varnish!

So, here is how it looks today. From here on out, it will be varnish and set-up: It promises to be a great fiddle! (And, it did!) I will post varnish progress soon.

This is the “sister instrument” to the earlier one I made of off-cuts from the  Five-string Double bass I had made. This one is from the other side of that Bass back plate.

front with sealer
Front view with sealer. I must have moved just a little, as I see it is blurred a little. But the color is accurate.

 

Treble side of five-string bluegrass fiddle, with sealer
Treble side, with sealer. I think those ribs are going to be beautiful!

 

Bass side of handmade Oregon 5-string fiddle with sealer.
Bass side, with sealer. Looks even nicer on this side!

 

Back view of Oregon Big Leaf Maple five-string fiddle with sealer.
Back view, with sealer. I like this best of all.

Drying Time

I always hang the fiddles in the dining room to dry, since we heat with wood, and that is where the woodstove is. The room stays warm, especially up near the ceiling. It really pays to allow sufficient time between coats, for the varnish to get dry.

Back of oregon five-string blurgrass fiddle with sealer drying.
Hanging in the dining room to allow the sealer to dry.

 

This is a pretty accurate view of the color, so far: I intend to use yellow varnish as my base coat(s) to produce a golden glow from within the color-coats.

Thanks for looking.

Newest Development

five string viola

15″ Five String Viola in North Carolina!

A shop in Charlotte, NC has agreed to take one of my fiddles on consignment.

The shop is called “The Violin Shoppe” and is a pretty important outlet in that area for stringed instruments, so I am thrilled to be represented there.

One of the owners, Glen Alexander, is a great fiddler, and demonstrated the posiblities offered by my little five-string viola, on his facebook page as well as on YouTube.

Here is the YouTube video: Glen Alexander putting my 5-string fiddle through its paces.

I’m gratified to see an Oregon Five-string fiddle, there, and to hear him play it!

Meanwhile, I have others on the way. 🙂

Thanks for looking!

 

Five-String Progress

Handmade 5-String Fiddle coming along!

Oregon Douglas Fir Top Plate

Otto Erdesz, 1917-2000 often made top plates for violas and violins out of Douglas Fir. Professional players bought and played his instruments. They are still playing them today, although many classical players insist that European spruce is the only “proper wood” for an instrument soundboard.

Frankly, I usually agree: all my experience with Douglas Fir has seemed to indicate that it would not be a very good choice. (I believed this, even though I have played one of his instruments, and it was excellent.) So, I simply didn’t try it, until this instrument.

Game-Changer!

Earlier this winter, a friend gave me a load of clean, dry Douglas Fir firewood. I use wood heat, and we had all been told it would be a bad winter (it wasn’t.) So I felt truly grateful for the gift. Later, as I split some of it, I noticed that, unlike most Douglas Fir, it had no twist at all, and it split easily and cleanly. I picked up a chunk and tapped it, and it gave a very clear, bell-like ring. (Hah! That spells “time to try some Douglas Fir!”)

So, I searched through the pile, and found one of the few pieces long enough to use. Then I carefully split it into useable billets. Next, I sawed along the center-line to book-match a plate.

Douglas Fir billet with Rib Garland
Douglas Fir billet with Guarneri Rib Garland

I frequently use a pattern modeled after the 1735 “Plowden” Guarneri del Gesu. And…I like it, so I installed blocks in the mold, bent the ribs, and got going!

I had one more piece of “scrap” of Oregon Big Leaf Maple. Happily, I had saved it, too, from the 5-string Double bass I built last year. Understandably, I was looking forward to making a fiddle out of it. I had already made one 5-string fiddle from scrap from the other side of the bass-back, (which I sold to a bluegrass fiddle player in Ohio.)  It had turned out very well, so I was anxious to get the “sister” instrument made.

Back Plate Arching Nearly Complete:

Back arching nearly complete.
Back arching nearly complete

 

And, the Neck

I obtained the neck billet from a tree on my wife’s parent’s place. Every time I looked at it, I found the wood very attractive, so I got started on it, as well:

neck billet in progress
Neck billet in progress.

 

First. I began to carve the scroll and pegbox. I find that this task requires a lot of saw-cuts, to outline the actual curl of the scroll, and then to remove the waste wood. Alternately, I can use either a saw or a gouge, but I find that the saw saves a lot of effort. Here, I use the saw.

beginning the scroll cuts
Beginning the scroll cuts

 

Continuing the scroll cuts.
Continuing the scroll cuts.

 

Then, I used various gouges and chisels to complete the scroll and the inside of the pegbox.

Scroll and pegbox nearing completion.
Scroll and pegbox nearing completion.

 

I prepare and attach the fingerboard after the scroll and pegbox are very close to complete. Then I can carve and shape the two as a unit. That hasn’t happened, yet, so the handle portion of the neck is still rough and untouched.

Scroll ready for fingerboard; Arching complete on back plate.
Scroll ready for fingerboard; Arching complete on back plate: ready for Graduations.

 

Completing the Front Plate

Meanwhile, I completed the carving of the front plate. Then, I laid out and cut the f-holes and began the purfling. Cutting the purfling slots by hand on Douglas Fir is quite difficult, because the winter reeds are exceedingly hard, compared to the softer summer reeds. The knife just “pops” over them so that it feels as though it is running over corrugated roofing.

As a result, I took much longer to purfle this plate than I usually do for a spruce plate. (Ah, well! Perhaps that is one reason so few luthiers are willing to use it!)  But, I still have high hopes for the power and tone of the resulting instrument. This plate has exceptionally strong and clear tap-tones.

Purfling the front plate.
Purfling the front plate.

Garland leveled and Front Plate installed!

(Unfortunately, I neglected to get photos of the bass-bar process. I made it also of Douglas Fir, from the same billet. I hope to show it after I remove the mold…sorry.)

Front plate installed and waiting for glue to dry.
Front plate installed and waiting for glue to dry.

 

Well…I’m tired. I nearly completed the graduations for the back plate, but today was a long day. So, I will simply have to finish them tomorrow. However, the progress stands here, for tonight:

Completed front plate on garland, with nearly completed back plate.
Completed front plate on garland, with nearly completed back plate.

 

Tomorrow! (yeah, tomorrow!)

I hope to get the back plate completed tomorrow, except for the purfling, which will have to wait until after I install the plate. Then, I will prepare the fingerboard and get it glued onto the neck, and I will feel as though I am “On the Home-stretch!” (But it won’t really be true: there still will be a great deal of work left to do, before it is anywhere close to completed.)

 

Thanks for looking!

 

 

2021: Two New Five-String Fiddles on the Way

Two New Handmade Five String Fiddles Begun

One Guarneri-Style, One Oliver

The last two commissions were a five-string on the original Oliver Pattern and a five-string on the slightly-wider Guarneri pattern. Both sounded great, and both customers are very happy. So, that left me wondering which one to do next. The obvious answer: Both!

 

Five String fiddles Guarneri and Oliver, side by side.
Five String fiddles Guarneri and Oliver, side by side.

 

I’m trying a new neck and scroll design on the Guarneri model. I hope it works well, because I really like the graceful look.

The instrument on the left (modeled after the 1735 “Plowden” Guarneri, with modifications to acommodate five strings) is  left-over Oregon Big Leaf maple from building a five-string double bass, during the summer of last year (same as the Andy Pastor commission fiddle.)

Heavily Flamed Maple for the back plate.
Heavily Flamed Maple for the back plate.

 

The scroll (also Oregon Big Leaf Maple) is from a tree on the property where my wife grew up, and so are the ribs.  The back is from a tree on the next ridge of hills west: about ten miles by road, probably three miles in direct line-of-flight. (Same one from which the recent double bass was taken, as well as several other instruments I have made. The late Terry Howell, of Howell Tree Farm, gave me the entire log, so I have a good supply.)

Heavily flamed maple neck in progress.
Heavily flamed maple neck in progress.

Experiment:

I have also decided to try an experiment: This will be the first time I have attempted a 5-string bluegrass fiddle with a belly of Douglas Fir, as opposed to Spruce. Otto Erdesz was famous for using it successfully in many of his instruments, so, when a friend gave me some very straight, split Douglas Fir, I decided to make the attempt, on the Guarneri model. It is quite dense compared to spruce, but it rings like a bell, when I tap it with my finger, so, I think it will be good.

Bookmatched Douglas fir top plate with Guarneri-model garland.
Bookmatched Douglas fir top plate with Guarneri-model garland.

 

Douglas Fir Top Plate arching complete.
Douglas Fir Top Plate arching complete.

 

The back, as well as the ribs and the scroll on the right-hand instrument above (the Oliver-model) are all from the tree on my Mother- and Father-in-law’s property. The belly, as usual, is Sitka Spruce.

Spruce belly, Oregon Big Leaf Maple back and scroll.
Spruce belly, Oregon Big Leaf Maple back and scroll.

 

So, that is where things stand, today:

All the parts for the two new 5-string fiddles.
All the parts for the two new 5-string fiddles.

Slow Start due to Repairs and other Responsibilities

This has been a slow start: 2021 saw me needing to repair my ancient bandsaw, and, even more depressing, my drill press had succumbed to the misguided attention of a marauding mouse. (The little wretch had crawled up through the ventilation holes of the electric motor and chewed off all the insulation from about 4″ of wire!)

Saw:

The bandsaw required disassembly and drilling out a worn, threaded hole, and retapping for a helicoil. The machine will probably outlast me, now.

Drill Press:

The drill press motor had to be taken apart and a new wire soldered in place. (A friend did that one for me. I really lack confidence when it comes to electric motor repair.) Fortunately, the damage was limited to just that one wire. (Maybe the plastic insulation gave the mouse a belly-ache.)

Back in business:

At any rate, I now have both machines running again, and I was able to saw out the profiles for the remaining plates as well as drilling the pilot holes in each scroll.

I should be able to get more done, now. (Gotta prune the apple-trees, too… Spring is on the way!)

 

Thanks for looking.

Another new 5-String in Progress

Last five-string fiddle for 2020!

Most Popular Style

This is my original mold– my first five-string was built on this mold, as was the commissioned instrument from a year ago. Unfortunately, I will not complete it before the end of this year, obviously, but it is on the way.

The neck and back are made of spalted, heavily flamed Big Leaf Maple, salvaged from the yard at the home where my wife grew up. Her mom and dad had the tree taken down a few years ago, and my son and I salvaged a little of it. The front plate is sitka spruce.

front plate arching complete
Front plate arching complete.

 

back plate arching complete
Back plate arching complete.

 

Wood for new fiddle.
Wood for new fiddle.

It will be a few weeks…and there is another coming right behind it, but on the Guarneri mold.

Thanks for looking.

 

First Complaint!

Nice Problem to have!

Addictive Fiddle!

I got a text message from Andy Pastor, stating his only complaint so far, regarding the new five-string fiddle he bought last week:

He isn’t getting enough sleep!

He finds that fiddle to be utterly addictive, and has been staying up ’til midnight playing the thing, even when he knows he has to get up and go to work in the morning! 🙂

Great problem to have!

Here is Andy, playing his new fiddle:

Playing the new 5-string Fiddle
Happy Fiddler!

 

And here are two sound clips (actually recorded in his bathroom where there are high, vaulted ceilings, producing a bit of an echo-effect…which he likes. )

🙂

First one is “St. Ann’s Reel” Second is “Arkansas Traveler.”

https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0?ui=2&ik=a7311bb001&attid=0.1.1&permmsgid=msg-f:1686643027999616458&th=176828e5d2ce6dca&view=att&disp=safe

 

Thanks for looking!

New Five-String Fiddle, done and gone!

The Call

A couple of months ago, I received a phone call. I glanced at the “caller-ID” thing, and I thought, “I don’t know anyone in Ohio: this is probably spam!” But I cautiously answered, and was surprised to hear: “Um, hi! Yes, I was interested in a five-string fiddle…” (I instantly changed gears, mentally, and shifted from “Is this another spam-call?” mode, into “Yes! How can I help you?” mode!)

Turned out he specifically wanted a handmade, luthier-made acoustic five-string violin. I had a couple in stock, but he looked at the pictures and asked, “What else have you got?”

(Hmmm! Now what?)

“Well, I have one that I had begun, using scrap from the five-string double bass I just completed….” So I sent him pictures of the beginnings of an instrument:

Wood for the new 5-string fiddle
Wood for the new 5-string fiddle

 

There wasn’t a great deal to see, but he liked it and asked how long it would take to complete it. I guessed “at least a month,” and he said, “Fine! Send me pictures as it progresses!” And that was that!

Progress Reports

So I sent photos and progress reports, and he asked questions.  We chatted via e-mail and phone chat messages, during that month, during which he saw things like:

Progress on back plate and neck.
Progress on back plate and neck.

 

Beginning graduation of the back plate.
Beginning graduation of the back plate.

 

Graduating the back plate.
Graduating the back plate.

 

Completing the Purfling weave on the back plate.
Completing the Purfling weave on the back plate, using wood purfling.

 

He was especially encouraged to see proof that I actually build my instruments from the raw wood. He had already discovered that there are makers who put their label on other people’s factory-made instruments and claim they made them. (If someone can’t afford a handmade instrument, I will offer the option to buy one purchased in the white, and finished in my shop, but I never put my personal label in such an instrument: I did not build it! My own work is all signed and numbered.)

Closed corpus, front view.
Closed corpus, front view.

 

Closed corpus, back view.
Closed corpus, back view.

 

Final varnish, front view.
Final varnish, front view.

 

Final varnish, back view.
Final varnish, back view.

 

And finally, the set-up instrument:

Finished Five-string Fiddle, Front View.
Finished Five-string Fiddle, Front View.

 

Side View.
Side View.

 

And Back View!
And Back View!

The Visit and Delivery

He was growing more and more attached to “his” instrument as it progressed, so, as it neared completion, he made plans to fly here to Oregon (with his family) to be the first to play it! This is what he encountered when he and his family arrived:

Dining table display of violins.
Dining table display of violins: the five-string is front and center!

 

He brought his wife and two sons with him, and they patiently waited (From about 1 PM to 10 PM!) while he played ten of my violins, three of my violas, and, of course, the “prize five-string!” (I still have “Orange Blossom Special” racing through my head, today!) This is how the living room looked when they left! 🙂

Living Room results.
Living Room results: the five-string fiddle is GONE!

 

He ultimately bought the five-string fiddle, packed it into a hard-shell case, and then he and his family headed off to the Pacific coast (the next morning) to hike around the Cannon Beach area, as well as Ecola State Park.

Family at Cannon Beach
Family at Cannon Beach
View from Ecola State Park trail
View from Ecola State Park trail.

 

They found a little shop in Cannon Beach where he bought a stand for his new fiddle:

Fiddle Stand for the New Five-string!
Fiddle Stand for the New Five-string!

And then they flew home to Ohio! But He graciously took time to write a review, and allowed me to post it here, including his name!

Andy Pastor Review

I’m leaving this message of gratitude to Chet Bishop and his family for others to see and hopefully help them make a decision to purchase one of his fine instruments.

I purchased a five-string violin which he had just begun carving months ago and which became a commission violin for me. I flew from Ohio to his beautiful place in Oregon where I had the pleasure to meet Chet, his wife Ann, and his son Brian Bishop. By the way, Brian is a premier guitar luthier who had several guitars with him as well as guitars in local well-known music stores. His guitars sound better than any Martin, Taylor, or Gibson I have heard (attention to detail and work performed inside the body of his guitars sets them apart).

There is so much to say about a Chet Bishop violin and the experience, so I’ll make it bullet points:

  • The sound of a Chet Bishop violin is perfectly balanced on all strings. This is not easy to get a deep clear tone from a C string on an acoustic violin, but this is his specialty. No issue getting that rich sound out of the C string with my lighter weight carbon fiber Coda Bow Diamond GX or my Franz Winkler Pernambuco bow. No need for a heavy bow to get the C to ring!
  • The violin is handmade (not a kit) and he knows exactly where the wood used is from. He has specific wood he uses ( and showed me his supply) which I feel gives each violin its own unique and beautiful sound and, of course, look. The quality of the build process is fully under Chet’s control. (Unfortunately, there are more than a few violin makers using pre-made “white” violin kits and selling them as hand-made. Be aware and do your investigation!)
  • The feel of the five-string Chet Bishop made violin is so similar to a four-string, it makes transitioning between a four and five-string violin easy. The string spacing and bridge/fingerboard arching are dialed-in, and his years of violin making are apparent.
  • The finish of my violin as well as all the other Chet Bishop violins that I had the pleasure to try is similar to the old Master violins from Italy. Cheap student violins all have that high glossed finish look, it’s hard to see the grain on the top of these foreign-made violins, and even harder to feel the ever-so-slight structure of the grain. Probably why these factory violins made in low-cost countries all sound the same; no real soul.
  • Attention to detail can be noticed at first glance, even by any non-musician. The unique purfling design on the back, the internal strengthening (used by the old master builders to make their instruments last hundreds of years), small unique features of the saddle and nut, the wood sealing and varnish process, cycloid arching of the back plate, just to list a few, all add to the quality and beauty. This detail will certainly allow the violin to actually improve over time (not that it needs to!!).
  • Then there is the experience of watching the violin get made. Chet provided daily progress photos and explanations, we communicated via text and sometimes email. This was very exciting. I know more about how a violin is made than I ever thought possible, at least without going to a violin-making school. I also got to know the luthier during this process, such a bonus to know your violin maker. He understood what music I played (in a band environment) and kept that in mind during the build process. (Although any of his violins could easily be (and are) top performers in any style: classical, jazz, country, bluegrass, spiritual, klezmer, Irish, Celtic….)
  • The benefit of visiting the violin maker and trying out the instrument cannot be overstated. Chet and his wife are extremely inviting people, as he said, “ordinary folk.” I probably tried out over 10 of his violins and violas, this was a real pleasure to hear each instrument and compare sounds to the five-string I purchased. Chet and his wife are so patient: I spent a full day with them (10hours). We did some minor adjustments to the five-string violin after I had played it: changed the chin rest, changed the e string, lowered the bridge a very slight amount, and a tiny soundpost move. He made sure everything felt perfect before I left. His wife made us some fantastic burritos for dinner, hot apple cider, and apple scones for snacks/dessert! As I said, very welcoming people, we had great conversation: Chet is extremely knowledgeable and I’m so grateful he shared some of this knowledge that day. Although these are truly the benefits of a visit, he has no issue shipping a violin, and I feel these minor adjustments could be handled remotely and/or by myself.
  • I’m including this last bullet point because… how many people can say they have a Sequoia tree on their property? He has at least two! (I got photos by both.) Chet is a wealth of knowledge about the area, I’m so thankful he suggested visiting Cannon Beach / Haystack Rock / Ecola State Park on the Pacific Ocean. This added to making the trip even more memorable. Even saw a herd of wild elk grazing just feet from me at one of the scenic views.

I hope this review not only expresses my gratitude to Chet Bishop and his family, but also provides assurance and guidance for anyone considering one of his fine instruments. He makes the whole violin-family of stringed instruments and his son, Brian Bishop, covers the family of guitars. Looking forward to another visit in the future. Truly an heirloom instrument!

Thank you, Chet!

Andy Pastor,
From Ohio

 

Here is one of the “baby” Sequoias which Andy liked so much: My mother planted them 50+ years ago. 🙂 They are only 5 or 6′ in diameter.

Young Sequoia tree
Young Sequoia tree

 

Thanks for the very kind review, Andy!

And to all my readers,

Thanks for looking!

New Website Coming!

Coming Soon!

I just began a new website for teaching-related articles, photographs, and videos. The Layman’s Institute will be at http://laymansinstitute.com and will have lots of teaching articles: whether math lessons, violin-making, or anything else.

No content is there, just yet: I will begin adding content in the next few days, I hope.

Hope to see you there.

Bass Stand, Padded and Secure

Padded, heavy Bass stand

Gotta have a stand for the bass…can’t let it just lie around the house.

Heavy base-plate adds stability for the five-string double bass.

Nearly 4
Nearly 4″ thick particle-board base-plate lowers the center of mass.

 

Exterior of 1/2
Exterior of 1/2″ birch plywood for strength and beauty. Ready for varnish

 

Varnish complete: ready for upholstery.
Varnish complete: ready for upholstery.

 

Carpet padding with vinyl upholstery.
Carpet padding with vinyl upholstery.

 

Upholstery begun...outside view.
Upholstery begun…outside view.

 

Inside view.
Inside view.

 

Upholstery completed.
Upholstery completed.

 

Bass stand with the bass, secure against tipping.
Bass stand with the bass, secure against tipping.

 

Looking good!
Looking good! Safe, too!

Travel Case Coming!

The next project has got to be a travel case for this bass. A “Travel-bass” with a removable neck is less than optimal without a case in which to travel. And such cases don’t seem to be readily available for reasonable prices.

So, it is back to the drawing-board for me. :) 🙂

Probably looking at a foam-core fiberglass case. Shouldn’t be too much harder than building a boat. :) 🙂

 

Thanks for looking.