Another Five String Fiddle in the Works!

I Began this 5-String Fiddle Sometime Last Year…

Life Happens! Projects get put on hold...

Originally, I laid out the “kits” for six new five-string fiddles, two years ago. However, I had taken on other responsibilities, so I was pretty busy. But I did manage to complete two of the fiddles a year ago. As a result of numerous interruptions, I had barely begun this particular instrument.

We had lots of interruptions: some good, (a commissioned five-string fiddle) some bad (Health issues for family members.) But, now I’m almost “on the homestretch” to complete my #17 Five-string fiddle.

Where it began

Initially, I bought some very pretty quilted Big Leaf Maple, and some Englemann Spruce, from Bruce Harvie, of Orcas Island Tonewoods. Fortunately, I got the ribs, back and neck out of the same billet of maple. It was nice that the Quilted Maple billet was large enough for that. I cut the top plate and bass bar out of the Englemann Spruce. However, I obtained the willow for the blocks and linings elsewhere.

But then, I laid the instrument aside for a year, partialy completed, while, as I said, other things (commissioned intstruments, family needs, etc,) took precedence.

Eventually, I “drifted back” to complete this instrument in June, and still there were a lot of sidetracks. (“Life is what actually occurs while we are planning something else.“) But this is the final work:

quilted maple for five string bluegrass fiddle handcrafted in Oregon by artisanal luthier Chet Bishop — Wild quilted maple back inside carving

Carving the back plate

First, I completed the carving, of the back plate, inside and out. Then I installed the purfling on the back plate. (I had already completed the front plate, a year ago.)

back plate of five string bluegrass fiddle handcrafted in Oregon by artisanal luthier Chet Bishop — Outside of quilted maple back with purfling complete

Carving the Neck

Meanwhile, I began carving the scroll and neck.

early carving on a scroll — Beginning the scroll, using a saw

scroll and neck for a 5-string bluegrass fiddle handcrafted in Oregon by artisanal luthier Chet Bishop. — Scroll and neck ready for Fingerboard

After I installed the back plate on the corpus, it was time to install the neck.

The Neck-Set

Neck Mortise in a 5-string bluegrass fiddle handcrafted in Oregon by artisanal luthier Chet Bishop. — Carving the neck mortise

First I laid out the mortise with a straightedge and pencil. Then I carved the mortise out, using chisels and scrapers. Afterward, once the neck joint was perfectly fitted, I glued and clamped the neck into the mortise and allowed it to dry.

However, I still needed to finish carving the neck heel and back button, together, as one piece. In that way, all the dimensions and curves will be correct. In addition, I continued to work on the final smoothing and details on the scroll itself.

Final Shaping of Neck, Heel and Scroll

final carving of the neck and heel of a 5-string bluegrass fiddle handcrafted in Oregon by artisanal luthier Chet Bishop — Final carving of the neck and heel

Back nearly complete on five string fiddle by Chet Bishop — Back nearly complete

Completed front view of five string fiddle by Chet Bishop. — Carving is complete, and it is time to remove the fingerboard!

Finally, I removed the fingerboard. As a result, I could easily access all of the bare wood for the final varnish preparation and varnishing. (Originally, I had only temporarily attached the fingerboard, by means of three dots of hide glue.)

Five String Fiddle ready for varnish, handcrafted in Oregon by artisanal luthier Chet Bishop. — Front view, Ready for varnish

Back view of 5-string fiddle by Chet Bishop, ready for varnish. — Back view, Ready for Varnish

Scroll ready for varnish — Scroll, ready for varnish

Varnish Process

In reality, the varnishing process is fairly involved.

First, I apply a mineral ground. Next, I apply a coat of sealer. Then, I begin varnishing. Furthermore, the varnish must be built up, coat by coat. To begin with, I apply two base coats of yellow. Afterward, I work through whatever colors I have chosen to achieve the final result. (Usually, it requires about eight coats of varnish.)

But, here are some pictures taken after the first two coats of yellow varnish:

Yellow base coats of varnish on five string fiddle handcrafted in Oregon by artisanal luthier Chet Bishop — Two coats yellow varnish, front view

two coats yellow varnish side view — Side view.: two coats yellow varnish

Two coats yellow varnish, back view of five string bluegrass fiddle handcrafted in Oregon by artisanal luthier Chet Bishop — Two coats yellow varnish, back view.

two coats yellow varnish on a five-string scroll by Chet Bishop — Scroll, with two coats yellow varnish

Next time, I will describe the finishing process in more detail. And, as I near completion, I will post again, showing the set-up procedure.

Thanks for looking.

August 19, 2023March 30, 2024

And, the Finish! (How I complete the varnish and set-up.)

This is how a violin is completed:

Last time I posted, I had just completed the commissioned five-string fiddle, up to and including the sealer.

Sealed five string fiddle handmade in Oregon by artisanal luthier Chet Bishop — Sealed instrument, Front View

back view of sealed five string fiddle, handmade in Oregon by artisanal luthier Chet Bishop. — Sealed instrument, Back View.

Varnish:

The “magic” of the sealer was that it caused the mineral ground to disappear forever. The instrument instantly went from stark chalk-white to a natural wood color. As a result, the mineral will never be visible again. I always enjoy that transformation.

The varnish, on the other hand, is a series of relatively small changes, wherein the violin achieves the color we want. Furthermore, the increasing clarity and depth of the varnish gives the impression of being able to “see into the wood.”

I always begin with a couple of coats of deep yellow or amber varnish, as an undercoat which will shine through the later color coats.

Yellow First

Here is the violin after the two coats of yellow varnish:

Yellow varnish base coat on a commissioned 5-string fiddle handmade in Oregon by artisanal luthier, Chet Bishop — Front View, with Yellow base coat.

Yellow base coat varnish on treble-side of commissioned 5-string fiddle, handmade in Oregon by artisanal luthier, Chet Bishop. — Yellow base coat, Treble Side View.

Yellow base coat on back side of 5-string commissioned instrument, handmade in Oregon by artisanal Luthier, Chet Bishop. — Back View with Yellow base coat.

Color Coats

Next, I bagan layering the color coats, building to the look I planned. (Each “coat,” in reality, is usually two coats, applied in quick succession. There were about eight total color coats, but I will call them “first through fourth.”)

First color coat on front of 5-string fiddle handcrafted in Oregon by artisanal Luthier Chet Bishop — First Color Coat, Front

First color coat on treble side of commissioned 5-string fiddle handcrafted in Oregon by artisanal luthier, Chet Bishop — Treble Side, with First Color Coat.

First color coat on back of commissioned 5-string fiddle handcrafted in Oregon by artisanal Luthier, Chet Bishop — First Color Coat, Back

First color coat on bass side of commissioned 5-string fiddle handcrafted in Oregon by artisanal luthier Chet Bishop. — Bass Side, with First Color Coat.

This maple is really beautiful wood. I wish I had a lot more of it, but, sadly, I only was able to salvage a little of the tree from which it originated. The “donor tree” was removed from the property where my wife and her siblings grew up. It had finally rotted and was becoming dangerous, so they removed it. But the wood is gorgeous. You can see the stump in this article….

Continuing color coats

As you can see, the yellow base coat is still showing through pretty strongly. That is good, but I still wanted to move the color toward a deep reddish brown, with the golden yellow shining through. Therefore… I needed more color coats!

Second Color Coat on 5-string fiddle handcrafted in Oregon by artisanal luthier Chet Bishop — Second Color Coat, Front

Second Color coat on back of 5-string fiddle handcrafted in Oregon by artisanal Luthier Chet Bishop — Back, with Second Color Coat.

The color is headed in the right direction, but still needs to be deeper. I will add extra color in any areas that should be darker.

Third Color Coat, front side of 5-string fiddle handcrafted in Oregon by Artisanal Luthier Chet Bishop. — Third Color Coat, Front.

3rd color coat on back or 5-string fiddle handcrafted in Oregon by artisanal Luthier Chet Bishop — Oregon Big Leaf Maple Back, withThird Color Coat.

I was getting pretty close to correct, so I began taking the instrument out into natural light, to check the color there.

Fourth color coat on five string fiddle handcrafted in Oregon by artisanal Luthier Chet Bishop. — Fourth Color Coat, Front.

4th color coat treble side of 5-string fiddle handcrafted in Oregon by artisanal Luthier Chet Bishop — Treble Side with Fourth Color Coat.

4th color coat, back side of five string fiddle handcrafted in Oregon by Artisanal Luthier Chet Bishop. — Back, with Fourth Color Coat.

4th color coat bass side of commissioned 5-string fiddle handcrafted in Oregon by Artisanal Luthier Chet Bishop. — Bass side, Fourth Color Coat.

The color was pretty close to what I had hoped to produce. Therefore, I felt that I was ready to reinstall the fingerboard, Afterward, I would hand-rub the varnish to a good polish. Finally, I allowed it to hang in my dining room and cure a little more fully. The varnish was still quite soft, though dry to the touch.

Fingerboard

First I carved the underside of the fingerboard to remove extra mass. This affects the sound, as well as the feel of the instrument. (Extra, unnecessary mass tends to absorb vibration rather than resonate.)

Then I carved a tiny notch, dead center on the upper end of the backside of the fingerboard, where it would contact the neck. After carving the notch in the fingerboard, I drilled a shallow 1/16″ hole in the neck, to accomodate a tiny nail.

That nail is temporarily installed, at an angle, to serve as a guide and an anchor while installing the fingerboard. (The hide glue is very slippery while it is still hot, and liquid. There is a tendency for the fingerboard to “drift” under the clamps, before the glue can gel.)

The notch in the fingerboard fits on the nail. The nail, then, serves as a temporary stop, so the fingerboard stays put. (I remove the nail after the glue has set.)

Fingerboard installed on 5-string bluegrass fiddle handcrafted in Oregon by artisanal luthier Chet Bishop. — Fingerboard installed. Notice the tiny nail used to temporarily position the fingerboard.

Beginning Set-up

After a few more days, I began set-up. First, I installed the soundpost, saddle, nut, and end button. Next, I fit the pegs, and was ready for the bridge and the strings.

Nut installed on 5-string bluegrass fiddle handcrafted in Oregon by artisanal luthier Chet Bishop. — Nut installed: it will be filed lower before installing strings.

You can see in the above photo that the varnish was still very soft. Everywhere I touched it, it also resulted in my leaving fingerprints. I had to “French-polish” the whole instrument afterward, and let it hang until the varnish was harder. Then it would be easier to handle. (But it was good to have the set-up nearing completion, too.)

Completed five-string fiddle ready for retouching. — Completed five-string fiddle ready for varnish retouch.

Pegs

After the varnish had hardened a little more, I then installed the pegs.

Bass side with pegs, Five string bluegrass fiddle handcrafted in Oregon by artisanal Luthier Chet Bishop. — Bass side view with Pegs.

Back side of five string bluegrass fiddle handcrafted in Oregon by artisanal luthier Chet Bishop. — Back Side View with Pegs.

Final Set-up

I installed the Bridge and Strings and Tailpiece, and then the fiddle was complete. I still let it hang in my dining room for a week or so, too, so that the varnish would continue to harden without damage.

competed 5-string bluegrass fiddle handcrafted in Oregon by artisanal luthier Chet Bishop. — Hanging up to cure.

Final photos

Final front — Final look at the Front before delivery.

Close-up look at the f-hole area. — Close-up of the f-hole on the Oregon Douglas Fir Front.

Bass side final look before delivery. — Bass side: final look before delivery.

I prepared the instrument’s documents (Bill of Sale and Provenance Document) and afterward, when the varnish had cured for another two weeks, the customer took delivery at the end of July, 2023.

He was delighted, and played the instrument for a long time at my house. Further (which is a joy to me,) he has contacted me since then, expressing his continued joy in the new fiddle. That is the kind of thing that makes this work a great pleasure.

Thanks for looking.

May 2, 2020June 2, 2020

16-1/2″ 5-string Viola Varnish Sequence

Varnishing Process for the 16-1/2″ five-string Viola:

All Smoothing and Varnish-prep is done:

When I last posted, the final woodwork had been completed. I had twice wetted down the wood, to raise the grain, and scraped and sanded away the rough raised grain. The wood was stable enough to commence the tanning process.

After the wood is smooth, there will be:

1. a tanning treatment,
2. a mineral ground treatment,
3. a sealer, to lock the mineral ground in place, and
4. finally, the varnish itself in a series of 6-12 coats, depending on color.

Tanning the Wood

People who live in very sunny regions (New Mexico, for instance) need no light booth: they simply hang their instrument out in the sun for a few hours and it takes on a deep yellow-tan color. I live in Oregon. Western Oregon, between Portland and the coast. We are more likely to achieve a patina of bird-droppings than a sun-tan, if we hang instruments outdoors. (Sigh…)

So, a number of years ago, I bought an old cabinet, about seven feet tall, lined it with aluminum foil as a reflector, wired it with a strong UV source (two 48″ fluorescent UV tubes in a shop-light fixture), and I hang my instruments in it overnight. To heighten the effect, I brush on a coat of very diluted Sodium nitrite and let it dry before I expose it to the UV. This works pretty well, and I have pretty much adopted it as a normal pre-varnish treatment.

Tanned front of 16-1/2" 5-string viola — Tanned front side of the 16-1/2″ five-string Viola.

16-1/2" Five String Viola tanned back side. — Tanned back side of the same instrument.

Mineral Ground:

Years ago, an excellent luthier in Europe posted a detailed explanation of why and how he employs a mineral ground in his instruments, to improve projection. I tried it (because, “if it is good enough for Roger Hargraves…”) and immediately started getting better reviews on the sound of my instruments.

So…obviously, that became part of my process, as well. I use gypsum powder, suspended in coffee (gotta wake up the tone!) so as to achieve a little deeper color in the same move. I rub it in vigorously, trying to get the particles of gypsum to actually penetrate the pores of the wood, then rub off the excess with a rag, before it is fully dry. When it is dry, it obscures the grain, and turns a chalky white color.

Mineral ground drying on 16-1/2" Five-String Viola. — Mineral ground drying on 16-1/2″ 5-string Viola. (5-string bass beginning in background.)

Mineral Ground is dry on the 16-1/2" Five-String Viola. — Mineral Ground is dry. I will sand off any excess mineral, and then apply the sealer.

Sealer

The sealer, in this case, is simply rosin, dissolved in turpentine and alcohol. The mixture soaks into the wood, causing the mineral ground to become transparent, then the solvents evaporate, leaving the rosin in the wood. The mineral ground will never again be visible.

Varnish Beginning

When the sealer is dry, I sand lightly, using 320 grit, to remove any lumps I may not have seen, and then I am ready to begin varnishing. I always begin with two base-coats of very yellow/gold varnish, so that the gold color will shine through the darker color coats.

16-1/2" Five-String Viola with Two coats of yellow varnish, side and front view. — Two coats of yellow varnish, side and front view.

16-1/2" Five-String Viola with Two coats of yellow varnish, back view. — Two coats of yellow varnish, back view.

I like the way the European Maple and Spruce are shining through the varnish. I think they will sound great, too. Tapping on the corpus, it sounds as though it will have a big, deep voice.

I will follow the completion of the varnish process in a later post.

Thanks for looking.

February 7, 2020June 2, 2020

Commissioned 5-String Varnish Progress

Varnish Progress on the Commissioned 5-String Fiddle

Varnish Procedure for All my Instruments:

Complete all scraping, shaping and smoothing: varnish preparation.
Wet the instrument down to raise the grain, then
Lightly sand with fine-grit abrasive, to remove rough bits of raised wood.
Rub in a mineral ground, then use a rag to remove excess.
After the ground dries, sand lightly again, to remove any rough excess mineral.
Seal using turpentine and rosin.
After the sealer is dry, begin adding coats of varnish.

Following the above format, here are the results:

Dried Mineral Ground, on the Five-String Fiddle, compared with varnished instruments. — Dried Mineral Ground, compared with varnished instruments.

Five-String Fiddle front view with sealer — Front view with sealer…mineral has disappeared.

Five-String Fiddle Side view with sealer — Side view with sealer…the grain is visible; the ground is transparent.

Five-String Fiddle back with sealer — Back with sealer; the grain is very visible, the ground has disappeared.

Now the varnishing begins!

The mineral ground was intended to close all the open pores in the wood so that the varnish will not saturate the wood. Then the sealer locks the mineral ground in place and causes it to become transparent. (Think “wet t-shirt material.” White stuff becomes transparent when wet, as a rule.)

So, now the varnish further seals the wood and begins to add gloss and protection from moisture, dirt, etc. And, if we do it correctly, it will add the color we want, as well, without losing transparency.

I have used both oil varnishes and spirit varnishes. I believe the old masters used oil varnish, but currently, I have moved to spirit varnish. Perhaps one day I will use oil varnishes again

Spirit varnish dries so rapidly that I can usually apply four coats of varnish the first day. So here is the fiddle with four coats of spirit varnish:

Five-String Fiddle with four coats varnish front view — Front, with four coats varnish…still pretty yellow.

Five-String Fiddle side with four coats varnish — Bass side with four coats of varnish: Too much contrast between side and front plate.

Five-String Fiddle back plate with four coats of varnish — Back plate with four coats of varnish… looking pretty nice!

Leveling the varnish

So, then, after the first few coats have dried hard, we sand lightly to remove brush marks, sags, drips, etc. and begin to add color coats. Usually, I have a pattern of shading I use, to emulate light “wear” patterns. This one has very little of that.

Five-String Fiddle Final color front plate — Final color front plate…the light patch on the upper left is a reflection.

Five-String Fiddle Final color treble side — Final color treble side: notice that the front and side match nicely, now.

Five-String Fiddle Final color bass side — Final color bass side.

Five-String Fiddle Final color back plate — Final color back plate.

Five-String Fiddle Final color bass side scroll — Final color bass side scroll.

Five-String Fiddle Final color treble side scroll — Final color treble side scroll.

Final Finish Work

So, now we will let the varnish thoroughly dry, and harden; after which there may be retouching and minor changes to make, but the main focus will become set-up after that. (In case anyone is interested, the customer has been kept abreast of every step in the build, and is getting quite anxious to take possession.) 🙂

Thanks for looking!