Violin Forum/Message Board

MANFIO

Hi! This is my latest instrument, a 16 inches viola which I named "Fanny Mendelsohn", Felix's sister, she was also a fine composer. Thanks again to Andrès Lepage for the photos and for test driving the instrument.

Here we go:

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violinarius · Member Joined: 14 Dec 2007 Posts: 171

Very nice work! Thanks for letting us see this.

Can you comment on how you treat the bare wood on the neck.
Is it the same as all the rest of the instrument?

MANFIO · Posted: Thu Aug 27, 2009 1:06 pm Post subject:

Thanks! I apply some tea to the neck, perhaps some tea with 4% sodium nitrite, followed by UV box. Then it get some dirt while I'm varnishing the instrument. Then I follow with linseed oil. The linseed oil seems to foster the UV box effect, sometimes it get a bit darker than I want.
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http://www.flickr.com/photos/7875988@N02/with/464604020/

Mikes · Posted: Thu Aug 27, 2009 6:16 pm Post subject:

Always a treat Manfio! This one looks much wider in the bouts what effect does that have?

Dave Chandler · Posted: Sun Aug 30, 2009 1:09 pm Post subject: Latest

Manfio:

You said "Then it get some dirt while I'm varnishing the instrument. Then I follow with linseed oil. "

Can you explain the dirt? What do you do with the dirt, are you simply rubbing it into the pores of the wood on the neck?

As an aside -- I've read one way to smooth the neck is with a piece of rounded steel. I did this on my most recent, I take the back side of one of my gouges and rub the wood vigorously, it seems to close the pores of the wood and makes it smooth as glass. Maybe you'all are doing this already (parden my NC mountain twang).
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Dave in the Blue Ridge
Southern Violin Association

"Success is the ability to go from one failure to the next with no loss of enthusiasm" Winston Churchill

"I took the road less travelled, and now I don't know where I am." Marco Polo

MANFIO · Posted: Sun Aug 30, 2009 9:28 pm Post subject:

Thanks! Yes, this model is smaller (40.8, 16 inches) but I kept the same width of my big models to get the sound I want, so they are really "fat".

About the neck. The bare wood of the neck gets some of the dirt of our hands while we are manipulating the instrument, it helps to develop a colour and an age appeareance, the dirt will serve only to give colour to the neck, but it comes from our hands.

I use fine sandpaper on the neck. Yes, sometimes I burnish the neck/fingerboard region with a burnisher.
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http://www.flickr.com/photos/7875988@N02/with/464604020/

caeman · Member Joined: 11 Dec 2008 Posts: 143

Now that is a pretty instrument. Good show!

MANFIO · Posted: Sun Sep 06, 2009 2:03 pm Post subject:

Thanks! Here a small video during the "test drive", with Andrès Lepage:

http://www.ipernity.com/doc/91953/5899950/
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http://www.flickr.com/photos/7875988@N02/with/464604020/

Leif Luscombe · Posted: Thu Sep 10, 2009 10:57 am Post subject:

Thanks for sharing. Your work is admired by all here.
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Leif Luscombe
Violin Maker and Dealer
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MANFIO · Posted: Mon Sep 21, 2009 7:23 am Post subject:

Thanks Leif! I'm just back from a trip to NYC.
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www.manfio.com

http://www.flickr.com/photos/7875988@N02/with/464604020/