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Effects of Sunlight on violin plates

 
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Dave Chandler
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Joined: 31 Oct 2007
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Location: Mt Mitchell in North Carolina

PostPosted: Wed Oct 31, 2007 3:24 pm    Post subject: Effects of Sunlight on violin plates Reply with quote

I've been reading a number of authors that talk about setting their plates out in the sunlight to improve the tone. Does anyone have any experience with a "grow" light? I've been setting my recent work under a grow light and can't tell that its having an impact (except on my electricity bill). I put my plates out in the sunshine and then worry all day I'll forget to bring them in. I have seen immediate effets under direct sunlight, but under the lamp it seems unnoticeable. I have not read anywhere what particular rays have an impact on the tone, maybe a black light would work better?
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Dave in the Blue Ridge
Southern Violin Association

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Andres Sender
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Joined: 23 Mar 2007
Posts: 275
Location: N. CA

PostPosted: Wed Oct 31, 2007 8:31 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I don't recall that a 'grow light' is a particularly good source of UV, which is usually considered for our purposes to be the useful part of the spectrum.

Black lights are slow but they have enough effect to dry many varnishes and darken wood somewhat. A lot of pros use suntanning bulbs which are more powerful.

If you get good sun, it will be hard to beat the natural light without getting into some dangerous and expensive bulb types.

As to tonal effects, I have no idea whether the sun has an effect, or whether that effect can be duplicated by bulbs. What authors made the claim about sun and tone?
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FiddleDoug
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Joined: 08 Sep 2007
Posts: 227
Location: Hilton, NY

PostPosted: Wed Oct 31, 2007 11:44 pm    Post subject: Reptile bulbs Reply with quote

I've thought about using the florescent bulbs used by people that raise reptiles. They apparently have high outputs of both UVA and UVB that are needed by some reptiles. I think that blacklights are just UVA.
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Dave Chandler
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Location: Mt Mitchell in North Carolina

PostPosted: Fri Nov 02, 2007 12:23 pm    Post subject: More on sunlight Reply with quote

I was reading an article about a maker named Alfio Batelli - he's a no-show in maestronet database Sad . Anyway, he claimed that he left his violins out in the sun for 3-4 hours a day, for about a month, before finishing, claiming that it enhanced the tone the equivalent of 5 years of steady playing. I've visited other makers websites and many fine- tune their plates using sunlight. Not so sure about the prolonged exposure. And now that I've looked for him in maestronet database and found nothing perhaps it needs to be taken with a grain of salt. My problem is I'm making one at a time, and after two weeks with many cloudy days my impatience is calling me to get this assembled so that I can get the finish fully cured by Christmas.
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Dave in the Blue Ridge
Southern Violin Association

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Andres Sender
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Joined: 23 Mar 2007
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Location: N. CA

PostPosted: Fri Nov 02, 2007 5:49 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Fine tune their "tuning" or their appearance?

People suntan instruments all the time to get some color in the wood. Claims regarding effects on the tone aren't very common.
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jethro
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Joined: 07 Apr 2007
Posts: 178

PostPosted: Sat Nov 03, 2007 3:13 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I remember reading someone talking about exposing plates to sun uv,
and measureing the tap tone as he did it. He said it lowered the frequency
gradualy. He used the sun to adjust the tap tone. Can't remember who
it was but I found it on the web somewhere.
I should think it would be the "hardest" uv causing the changes. Most of
the bulbs probably can't generate the higher frequencys.
Shine a flashlight through a plate in the dark -- you can see through the
plate. I have to think the UV may be going all the way through too, or at
least to the inside somewhere. Hard uv can distroy allmost anything man
made. It is what kills plastic lawn furniture. The UV is probably slowly
distroying the mechanical structure of the wood which shows as the tap
tone going down. I can't immagine this being a good thing for the wood.
Maybe just adjust the tap tone other ways.
I think you can find this fellows research thorough google - I think I found
it that way.
You could get and install a "solatube" in your shop roof. It is like
a chrome plated stove pipe which brings reflected sunlight right down
to you - UV and all !
TIM
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Marijan Radaljac
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Joined: 04 Nov 2007
Posts: 1
Location: Slovenia

PostPosted: Sun Nov 04, 2007 8:44 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Tim,

I would say that there is no specific efect of sunlight UVA wave spectrum on the tap tones of the free plate. I think it is simply a mather of dry out which will hapend under the direct sunlight and heat. By that the specific density of wood cels structure in a same volume of the plate will change and make it lighter, which will cause the change of the plate pitch. Same would hapend if you keep the same specific density and thin down the plates.

You would achive contra efect if you soak the plate in a bath filled with thin gipsum or some other stuf, let it dry and the pitch will change in other direction. Up.
That is what I think it is going on.
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Marijan

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jethro
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Joined: 07 Apr 2007
Posts: 178

PostPosted: Wed Nov 07, 2007 3:29 pm    Post subject: UV Reply with quote

Marijan:

Yeah, this thing I read could have been just somebodys Idea with no real
testing to see if it was really happening ! I would think de would have had to UV the plate in a sealed plexiglass box with some way to keep the
humidity and temp. constant to say if it was the UV or the bake-out effect.
If I was still in college I could have tried testing how far the whole spectrum of UV can penetrate through spruce. They had some nice
spectrophotometers that could have printed out a nice graph. !
(maybe a good theses for a graduate student in optics ? Smile )

Tim
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violinarius
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Joined: 14 Dec 2007
Posts: 171

PostPosted: Sun Dec 16, 2007 8:22 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I think this might be what you are looking for.



http://www.dalemfg.com/acousticaladjustment_017.htm
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