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17th Century Rib Bending

 
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Bene'violins
Junior Member


Joined: 13 Nov 2007
Posts: 2

PostPosted: Sat Nov 17, 2007 5:50 pm    Post subject: 17th Century Rib Bending Reply with quote

I've had a bit of an interesting run lately experimenting with bending iron temperatures. It's left me curious about 17th -19th century temperature control. What pre-electricity process did violin builders employ that allowed any sense of temperature control?

Thanks.
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Michael Darnton
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Joined: 23 Mar 2007
Posts: 1281
Location: Chicago

PostPosted: Sat Nov 17, 2007 7:19 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Take the iron, shove it in the stove; when it gets hot enough, pull it out and bend fast. Many early violins have char marks on the insides of the ribs. Heron-Allen shows a bending iron of his period--it's a T-shaped piece of iron--the bottom goes in a hole on the bench or a vise, and the crossbar is rounded on top. That's all there is to it.
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Bene'violins
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Joined: 13 Nov 2007
Posts: 2

PostPosted: Sun Nov 18, 2007 1:58 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thanks Michael.

Aiming for excellence with modern conveniences and the best of conditions seems difficult enough. It's hard to imagine the expertise required to obtain Strad-like results with 17th century technology.
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Andres Sender
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Joined: 23 Mar 2007
Posts: 275
Location: N. CA

PostPosted: Mon Nov 19, 2007 3:38 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Our modern conveniences have turned most of us into people who don't know how to use tools, or even know what effective tool use looks like or accomplishes.

The old guys lived in a time when high skill was a necessity and probably quite common, and they were able to learn directly from their predecessors.
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Michael Darnton
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PostPosted: Mon Nov 19, 2007 8:44 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Perfection isn't a Strad-like value; it's a modern one. Old violins not only have a lot of char marks, Strads very consistently have fractured ribs in certain places. Stradivari was great because of his mind and his eyes, not necessarily his hands.
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