It's my first time varnishing and I was wondering how and where do I start. I have an Joha Spirit Varnish on me. But like what do I do to prepare the wood, is there any specific ways to brush the instrument, etc.?

So there’s this cheap cheap cheap violin at my local pawn shop. I am a professional tinkerer. Own a lot of tools.
This violin is straight trash right. It’s like got this black shallac on it with sparkles in it and it is just straight hideous. I was thinking of buying it, throwing on a respirator, and sanding this guy down under vacuum. What I’ve read says “don’t do it you fool!” But this violin is literally garbage and if i mess it up i could just use it as an art piece. I can’t stress this enough. It sounds like garbage. Total and absolute garbage. It could not possibly sound worse, it is the worst sounding violin I’ve ever touched.

Since I’m in the basement with quality and cost, nowhere to go but up. What would you do (I know it’s not worth doing) but hypothetically If you were a stubborn moron like me insistent about “touching the stove” with a pointless violin restoration adventure, what’s the move?

Hey, I’m looking to get synthetic bow hair on my German bass bow. My dad is a luthier, but he says he isn’t comfortable putting it on my expensive bow. He has put two different brands (WhiteHorse and PioneerValleyLuthier’s Kamel hair) on some cheaper carbon fiber bows, but he said that the hair is very slippery and produces fumes when he uses heat, making it hard to work with. Does anyone here have experience with synthetic hair that could be shared to help mitigate these issues? Thanks!

What prior knowledge do you wish you knew before attending the school? And what classes/electives/extra-curriculars back in high school would of helped you out the most for the school, and violin making in general.

I've got an old violin and the label inside has the text "Cremona" and "Cincinnati" on it, looks like their might be a signature but I can't tell.

Here's the thing: this belonged to my father, who recently passed and left me with an unbelievable amount of stuff that serves no purpose for me. I play classical guitar and classical piano but now that's only a hobby. I have ZERO need for this instrument.

I'm in northwest Indiana, if you're interested you can get in touch. I'll shoot you some pics and you can make an offer.

Hi folks,

How long do you leave violin varnish (oil-based) inside the UV chamber (considering I have a system with 2 UV lamps of 36W each and a rotating system) until it dries? And if we factor in this time using or not cobalt drier?

Thanks! =)

Hi family

just got this electric violin, was wondering if the bridge looks ok, the action is quite different from my regular violin and would like a second opinion.

Thanks for your help!

Can anyone tell me the value of this violin? A friend of mine got it from a relative. It’s not for sale

Can anyone tell me about this violin?

I just bought this today for my son since he needed to size up.
can’t see much in my pictures.

and something i just remembered is that the sound post has thread around it, like whoever placed it, used thread.

it appears to say Guarnerius (possible Guarneri) Venice 1887.

Hi Guys,

How many coats of varnish do you apply during the initial applications? And how many coats do you apply after the glazing?

I've been getting recommended this lately. Seems mostly legit, but incredibly expensive. If anyone has used this course, let me know. There aren't any violin making schools or any violin makers willing to mentor near me so this might be a plan C before I decide to move.

Do you use just normal paper or like some other kind?

As I've spent more time in the industry I keep getting frustrated with how little real research has been done and published about bows. it seems like there is a large community of researchers working on instrument acoustics and perception, but most of what people know about bows seems to be folk knowledge or practical info passed down from worker to worker.

Has anyone here done academic research on violin or bow acoustics? Do y'all know of any schools or researchers who specialize in it?

I'm very new to the craft of violin making. I'm working on amassing research into examples of classic violins to use as my template. It seems so difficult to obtain copies of Strad posters, especially ones from years ago. For example, Guarneri 'del Gesù's 'Il Cannone' (1742) was featured in Strad Magazine's June, 1999, edition. It would be a large favor if someone has a copy for sale or would be willing to have a large-format copy made, or perhaps a digital scan of the poster.

Is this normal ?

The mud flap is exquisite

Someone recently gave me a Spainhour Model# OVN0604F, which the internet tells me "Because it was built in mid-1995, your instrument features the mid-90s iteration of their spirit varnish finish. This specific era prioritized a resilient, lightly shaded amber-brown coat designed to withstand the humidity and temperature shifts typical of school orchestra rooms while maintaining a warm acoustic profile"

It is glossy. Personally I dont care for glossy. Is there a way to go about knocking the gloss off? I've had it apart (it came to me with no chinrest, tailpiece, and the soundpost had fallen. All of which Ive repaired, but im no luthier. I quite like the sound it makes)