Maestro Sora, I have enjoyed watching your videos. Some I have watched multiple times to learn from you. I appreciate your approach with extraordinary dedication to detail. It seems that the result is the only thing that matters. No short cuts, no compromise. I want to express appreciation not only for your work but also for sharing your methods, reasons and insights in detail. I started my first instrument, a cello, early this year and hope to complete it soon. Your videos have been an inspiration. Best Regards from Germany.
I cannot get my garlands off the form without some cracking that I have to repair. This current one I am going to cut the form so no damage. Is there a trick I am missing?
Hi Jeff, you're probably doing something wrong, because I've never had cracking or ungluing problems when I remove the form. Is your form the same thickness as mine? The Cremonese form must have a maximum thickness of 14 mm (13.5 mm is better), if it were thicker it could be more difficult to remove it. Do you protect the surfaces of the form in contact with the ribs with paraffin or dry soap so that the ribs do not stick to the form? This is very important. Do you follow every step of the process I show in the video exactly? One of the fundamental tricks is to free the corner blocks from the edges of the form, in order to allow the free movement of the garland, which would otherwise remain blocked. This is particularly important to detach the upper and lower blocks without stressing the gluings (or cracking the wood in the worst case...), and to guarantee the necessary elasticity to allow the garland to stretch and make the linings go over the edges of the form. I'm talking about this: th-cam.com/video/12jxxrw8pXE/w-d-xo.htmlsi=NQY7bDc63qBIeQdK&t=240
It is used to avoid surprises with the splitting of the blocks, which could sometimes follow unexpected directions. In this way you reduce the length of the parts to be split, identifying any eventual problems and increasing control of the splitting operations. Of course, you can unglue the blocks and remove the form without cutting them first, doing all the work at the end with the free ribs. But doing this increases the risks and moreover, the ribs must be forced more to free them from the form, with possible problems of ungluing of the linings. Just try to do it and see what happens and what the problems are, and draw your own conclusions. As a side note, traces of cuts at the level of the form have sometimes remained on the corner blocks of the ancient Cremonese instruments, which can be interpreted as the consequence of a preventive cut as I do and that you see in my videos
Such amazing work maestro, the dedication and amount of skill put into such tiny details which wouldn't be easily noticeable unless the player takes it to a shop and pops the top open. I'm curious though, does willow make any tonal difference from spruce when used for blocks/linings or is it to achieve lighter weight?
No, I don't think it can have an effect on tone, but willow is more homogeneous than spruce and is easier to work with and performs better as strength of bonding surfaces and crack resistance for upper and lower blocks. But even spruce can be fine if carefully selected with narrow grain, I use it for Del Gesù models (he used spruce for blocks and linings).
I know im randomly asking but does anyone know a tool to log back into an Instagram account..? I was dumb forgot the login password. I would appreciate any assistance you can offer me!
@Charlie Krew I really appreciate your reply. I found the site through google and im trying it out now. I see it takes quite some time so I will get back to you later with my results.
Hi Davide, question, i have taken my violin out of the mould, (by the way this is the first time i ever started making a violin, but after taking of the mould, it is kinda out of it's shape( are their ways, to prevent this?), it could be that i have made mistakes in thickness of the side blades, maybe some parts of the side blades top, or bottom were glued under more pressure?
To avoid deformation when you remove the form, you must carefully bend both the ribs and the linings very close to the final shape before gluing them, without leaving too much spring effect. Especially the C's have to be bended as exactly as possible to their final shape, without having to force them into place when gluing. This also applies to the other ribs and linings, but some spring effect here is acceptable. However, the shape of the curves must be correct and when you glue them they must go into place effortlessly You can evaluate these aspects in this video: th-cam.com/video/pLQ7DoE00JM/w-d-xo.html And in the videos of this playlist: th-cam.com/video/bF3cmIIipyQ/w-d-xo.html
The chamfer is made on the linings, not on the ribs, and in this phase, it is useful to extract the form more easily. After the form has been removed, the linings will be chamfered and rounded along the entire perimeter, to lighten them and make the structure less stiff. You can see the finishing of the linings in this video: th-cam.com/video/dFVzi65U3ks/w-d-xo.html
In the finished violin, no trace of the glue used to glue the blocks to the form will remain, so you can use whatever glue you think works best for you. When removing the form, the block almost always splits along the fiber instead of coming apart at the gluing, and then I remove what remains stuck to the form with a chisel, using it as a scraper to remove the last traces of glue from the form.
@@DavideSora I was thinking along the line of needing less force to dislodge the rim from the mould by using weaker glue, elmers. And then needing less effort remove the Elmer's from the mould when cleaning it up. But it seems to work very well for you. 👍
@@Zappafrank55 I prefer a glue that keeps the block glued to the form well during working, even if only spot glued, and Titebond does the job well. Hot hide glue works too, but it's less practical for this job. I've never tried Elmers glue, but I assume it works fine too
How good of a violin player does one need to be to make great sounding violins? I feel a lot more confident in learning traditional woodworking, the principles of acoustics, and the art and science of what makes them look and sound the way they do than I do than becoming a truly good violin player. I've seen a few too many 10 year olds playing Paganini to not have those dreams crushed.
Being a good violinist requires dedication, as well as being a good violin maker. You can't be extremely good at both, you have to make choices and focus on that. You will never be good enough at playing to be able to try your violins to understand if they work well at a high level, for this there is a need for expert violinists, and not just one but as many as possible because everyone will have different expectations and style of playing. The most important skill of the high-level violin maker lies in knowing how to listen and know in depth all the aspects of the sound and setting that the high-level violin technique requires. Then, the luthier does not only make violins, so how would it be possible to have high playing skills in violin, viola, cello and even doublebass? Stradivari also made lutes, gambas, guitars, viola d'amore, and even harps. How could he be good at all of them?😊
@@DavideSora Thanks for the well thought out response. About what I expected, getting the basics well enough to do the setting up of the instrument seems like something that takes practice but achievable.
@@alexhamon9261 Yes, you don't need to play music for that, just notes with correct bowing all the way up the fingerboard, especially in higher position on G string. For fast passages to evaluate articulation and many other technical things you need a good player anyway. Then, a setup is good if it fits well the player taste and bowing tecnique. I mean the owner of the violin, you will have to work with him for the final definitive setting up.
@@Jeff034 There is too much bureaucracy behind all these things, and I honestly don't like getting paid to give two tips, I prefer to answer questions in the comments or by email.🙂
@@DavideSora as a 20 year (acoustic) guitar builder the biggest hurdle with my violin is to let go of original Titebond. It’s good enough for $120,000 Martin guitars, and in all my years I’ve never had a failure and it is reversible (many necks off guitars) and I now never have finish issues - and my violins will never need to be opened - I guess I will eventually brave up to hide glue but for now there’s a trust issue… ha ha.
@@Jeff034 Not as easily reversible as hide glue, but Titebond sure does its job. There is the problem of creeping under load that they indicate on the package, but the guitars seem to disprove this problem. However, violins are made to last some centuries, for guitars I don't think they care about this aspect🙂
Davide! You are the world’s treasure. Your videos is a great service to the society. ❤
Thanks!🙏
Jou werke is pragtig en ek volg altyd en esi en ek kyk en leer by jou.
Beautiful work, every time I see it, find something new…thank you maestro! 😊👏💥💥
Maestro Sora, I have enjoyed watching your videos. Some I have watched multiple times to learn from you. I appreciate your approach with extraordinary dedication to detail. It seems that the result is the only thing that matters. No short cuts, no compromise. I want to express appreciation not only for your work but also for sharing your methods, reasons and insights in detail. I started my first instrument, a cello, early this year and hope to complete it soon. Your videos have been an inspiration. Best Regards from Germany.
Thanks so much for your kind words, really appreciated!! I wish you a lot of fun with the making of your cello.😊
Very precise hans. Master of art wood carvings.
Grazie, Maestro!
thanks for sharing your process, the film is so beautiful and inspring!
Impressive finish.... excelent work
Just gorgeous
Sin duda un gran maestro!! Saludos
Salam ostad babat tamam amushhayi k midin moteshakerm.
I cannot get my garlands off the form without some cracking that I have to repair. This current one I am going to cut the form so no damage. Is there a trick I am missing?
Hi Jeff, you're probably doing something wrong, because I've never had cracking or ungluing problems when I remove the form.
Is your form the same thickness as mine? The Cremonese form must have a maximum thickness of 14 mm (13.5 mm is better), if it were thicker it could be more difficult to remove it. Do you protect the surfaces of the form in contact with the ribs with paraffin or dry soap so that the ribs do not stick to the form? This is very important. Do you follow every step of the process I show in the video exactly? One of the fundamental tricks is to free the corner blocks from the edges of the form, in order to allow the free movement of the garland, which would otherwise remain blocked. This is particularly important to detach the upper and lower blocks without stressing the gluings (or cracking the wood in the worst case...), and to guarantee the necessary elasticity to allow the garland to stretch and make the linings go over the edges of the form. I'm talking about this: th-cam.com/video/12jxxrw8pXE/w-d-xo.htmlsi=NQY7bDc63qBIeQdK&t=240
É linda...
Tiny bit confused about why the corner blocks where cut on top and bottom then the middle then finished after the garland was removed ?
It is used to avoid surprises with the splitting of the blocks, which could sometimes follow unexpected directions. In this way you reduce the length of the parts to be split, identifying any eventual problems and increasing control of the splitting operations. Of course, you can unglue the blocks and remove the form without cutting them first, doing all the work at the end with the free ribs. But doing this increases the risks and moreover, the ribs must be forced more to free them from the form, with possible problems of ungluing of the linings. Just try to do it and see what happens and what the problems are, and draw your own conclusions. As a side note, traces of cuts at the level of the form have sometimes remained on the corner blocks of the ancient Cremonese instruments, which can be interpreted as the consequence of a preventive cut as I do and that you see in my videos
Meu parabéns lutier
So elegant!
even your form is prettier than my finished violin ):
🙂
Are you using willow for the blocks and linings? It cuts so nicely!
Yes, it's Willow. If the fiber Is oriented correctly (split) it's a charm to cut
@@DavideSora Thank you!
Such amazing work maestro, the dedication and amount of skill put into such tiny details which wouldn't be easily noticeable unless the player takes it to a shop and pops the top open. I'm curious though, does willow make any tonal difference from spruce when used for blocks/linings or is it to achieve lighter weight?
No, I don't think it can have an effect on tone, but
willow is more homogeneous than spruce and is easier to work with and performs better as strength of bonding surfaces and crack resistance for upper and lower blocks. But even spruce can be fine if carefully selected with narrow grain, I use it for Del Gesù models (he used spruce for blocks and linings).
@@DavideSora thanks for the answer maestro, definitely worth understanding woodworking principles at its best in the violin making process.
I know im randomly asking but does anyone know a tool to log back into an Instagram account..?
I was dumb forgot the login password. I would appreciate any assistance you can offer me!
@Jake Kyler instablaster =)
@Charlie Krew I really appreciate your reply. I found the site through google and im trying it out now.
I see it takes quite some time so I will get back to you later with my results.
Hello Davide :
I was wondering which size and cut of gouge you used to shape the corner blocks in the video? Thank you and best wishes from Newark.
It's a n°5, width 22mm
@@DavideSora Thanks very much Davide, best from Newark : )
Baie geluk met jou pragtige werk lutier ek het daarvan gehou.
Hi Davide, question, i have taken my violin out of the mould, (by the way this is the first time i ever started making a violin, but after taking of the mould, it is kinda out of it's shape( are their ways, to prevent this?), it could be that i have made mistakes in thickness of the side blades, maybe some parts of the side blades top, or bottom were glued under more pressure?
To avoid deformation when you remove the form, you must carefully bend both the ribs and the linings very close to the final shape before gluing them, without leaving too much spring effect. Especially the C's have to be bended as exactly as possible to their final shape, without having to force them into place when gluing. This also applies to the other ribs and linings, but some spring effect here is acceptable. However, the shape of the curves must be correct and when you glue them they must go into place effortlessly
You can evaluate these aspects in this video:
th-cam.com/video/pLQ7DoE00JM/w-d-xo.html
And in the videos of this playlist:
th-cam.com/video/bF3cmIIipyQ/w-d-xo.html
@@DavideSora wow, thank you, Nice learning from the master
What was the reason for putting the champher on the rib?
The chamfer is made on the linings, not on the ribs, and in this phase, it is useful to extract the form more easily. After the form has been removed, the linings will be chamfered and rounded along the entire perimeter, to lighten them and make the structure less stiff. You can see the finishing of the linings in this video: th-cam.com/video/dFVzi65U3ks/w-d-xo.html
Elmers glue works better for gluing the blocks to the mound. It has less strength and thus easier to remove.
In the finished violin, no trace of the glue used to glue the blocks to the form will remain, so you can use whatever glue you think works best for you. When removing the form, the block almost always splits along the fiber instead of coming apart at the gluing, and then I remove what remains stuck to the form with a chisel, using it as a scraper to remove the last traces of glue from the form.
@@DavideSora I was thinking along the line of needing less force to dislodge the rim from the mould by using weaker glue, elmers. And then needing less effort remove the Elmer's from the mould when cleaning it up. But it seems to work very well for you. 👍
@@Zappafrank55 I prefer a glue that keeps the block glued to the form well during working, even if only spot glued, and Titebond does the job well. Hot hide glue works too, but it's less practical for this job.
I've never tried Elmers glue, but I assume it works fine too
Hi from korea. What wood is used for blocks and linings?
Willow
How good of a violin player does one need to be to make great sounding violins? I feel a lot more confident in learning traditional woodworking, the principles of acoustics, and the art and science of what makes them look and sound the way they do than I do than becoming a truly good violin player. I've seen a few too many 10 year olds playing Paganini to not have those dreams crushed.
Being a good violinist requires dedication, as well as being a good violin maker. You can't be extremely good at both, you have to make choices and focus on that. You will never be good enough at playing to be able to try your violins to understand if they work well at a high level, for this there is a need for expert violinists, and not just one but as many as possible because everyone will have different expectations and style of playing. The most important skill of the high-level violin maker lies in knowing how to listen and know in depth all the aspects of the sound and setting that the high-level violin technique requires. Then, the luthier does not only make violins, so how would it be possible to have high playing skills in violin, viola, cello and even doublebass? Stradivari also made lutes, gambas, guitars, viola d'amore, and even harps. How could he be good at all of them?😊
@@DavideSora Thanks for the well thought out response. About what I expected, getting the basics well enough to do the setting up of the instrument seems like something that takes practice but achievable.
@@alexhamon9261 Yes, you don't need to play music for that, just notes with correct bowing all the way up the fingerboard, especially in higher position on G string. For fast passages to evaluate articulation and many other technical things you need a good player anyway. Then, a setup is good if it fits well the player taste and bowing tecnique. I mean the owner of the violin, you will have to work with him for the final definitive setting up.
Are your purfling made of alder?
No, poplar for the central strip and black-stained pearwood for the two outer strips. The materials used by the old Cremonese maker
@@DavideSora I was a mistaken asking about purfling. I meant a strip from the inside of the ribs. Just don't know it's name.
@@los5mandarinas Those strips are called linings, they are made of the same wood as the blocks, i.e. Willow
@@DavideSora do you make all blocks from willow?
@@los5mandarinas Yes, only when I make a model inspired by Guarneri del Gesù do I use spruce blocks and not willow
Ek het baie van hierdie verduidelikings gehou, pois o aprendizado é maior a cada dia lutier.
Where is your Patreon page?
Sorry, I don't have a Patreon page. My videos aren't even monetized
@@DavideSora it’s lovely that they aren’t. But mate, you should!!! They are first rate.
@@Jeff034 There is too much bureaucracy behind all these things, and I honestly don't like getting paid to give two tips, I prefer to answer questions in the comments or by email.🙂
@@DavideSora as a 20 year (acoustic) guitar builder the biggest hurdle with my violin is to let go of original Titebond. It’s good enough for $120,000 Martin guitars, and in all my years I’ve never had a failure and it is reversible (many necks off guitars) and I now never have finish issues - and my violins will never need to be opened - I guess I will eventually brave up to hide glue but for now there’s a trust issue… ha ha.
@@Jeff034 Not as easily reversible as hide glue, but Titebond sure does its job. There is the problem of creeping under load that they indicate on the package, but the guitars seem to disprove this problem. However, violins are made to last some centuries, for guitars I don't think they care about this aspect🙂
Noavivistoesapartedelaterminasiongrasias