Howery Violins

Sebastian: Getting ready for the ground and varnish stage. Sebastian has his neck set, fingerboard and nut done, saddle on, and now we are ready to prepare the wood for varnishing. I’ve used sharp scrapers to make the plate surfaces as smooth as possible. The next step is to use Equisetum, a plant that has silica ridges. Dorian Barnes processes the Equisetum to an easy to use form. The Equisetum plant has been used since Egyptian times to smooth wood. Violin makers avoid sand paper, since it leaves grit in the wood, and scores the wood fibers. We want the sonorous wood as clean as possible. I’ll also wash the wood with clean water a few times to remove any debris. I take my time in this cleanup prep phase. After I’ve worked on the instrument for a couple of hours my eyes get tired and don’t see things that need attention. So, put it down, come back tomorrow, then there are new areas that need attention. Maybe there are elves in the studio that make flat spots, or mess with the wood during the night?

Sebastian: Getting ready for the ground and varnish stage. Sebastian has his neck set, fingerboard and nut done, saddle on, and now we are ready to prepare the wood for varnishing. I’ve used sharp scrapers to make the plate surfaces as smooth as possible. The next step is to use Equisetum, a plant that has silica ridges. Dorian Barnes processes the Equisetum to an easy to use form. The Equisetum plant has been used since Egyptian times to smooth wood. Violin makers avoid sand paper, since it leaves grit in the wood, and scores the wood fibers. We want the sonorous wood as clean as possible. I’ll also wash the wood with clean water a few times to remove any debris. I take my time in this cleanup prep phase. After I’ve worked on the instrument for a couple of hours my eyes get tired and don’t see things that need attention. So, put it down, come back tomorrow, then there are new areas that need attention. Maybe there are elves in the studio that make flat spots, or mess with the wood during the night?

Instagram filter used: Normal

Photo taken at: Amelia Island

View in Instagram ⇒
Sebastian: Getting ready for the ground and varnish stage. Sebastian has his neck set, fingerboard and nut done, saddle on, and now we are ready to prepare the wood for varnishing. I’ve used sharp scrapers to make the plate surfaces as smooth as possible. The next step is to use Equisetum, a plant that has silica ridges. Dorian Barnes processes the Equisetum to an easy to use form. The Equisetum plant has been used since Egyptian times to smooth wood. Violin makers avoid sand paper, since it leaves grit in the wood, and scores the wood fibers. We want the sonorous wood as clean as possible. I’ll also wash the wood with clean water a few times to remove any debris.
I take my time in this cleanup prep phase. After I’ve worked on the instrument for a couple of hours my eyes get tired and don’t see things that need attention. So, put it down, come back tomorrow, then there are new areas that need attention. Maybe there are elves in the studio that make flat spots, or mess with the wood during the night? #violin #viola #fiddle #5stringfiddle #violinSebastion
#violinmaker #luthier #orchestra #fernandinabeach #ameliaisland #brunswickga #staugustine #stmarys #jacksonville #jaxsymphony #unfmusic #jumusic #luthier #whatsonmybench #violinist #florida #northflorida #Georgia #firstcoast, Amelia Island, Normal

William Howery

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *