My second violin!!

Some years ago at the violin making course, we got a phone call from someone that had a half built violin project. They had inherited it, from a dear relative that had passed. The question was, if someone at the club would be interested in finishing the project. And yes there was, me!

A few days later I had a look at the project, and became interested in finishing it. What I didn't realize at the time, was that it was going to be such a learning process!

The information that I got, was that it was half built, after looking at it, it was not. At first I had to retrace the steps of the original builder, and sort of follow in his steps. Because the decisions that he had made, I could not undo, without deconstructing the whole construction. If I had done that then the violin that had been begun, would not be build, and I wanted to finish the project. So I had to retrace his steps, and also follow in his directions. To complicate things, the measurements that had been used, was new to me. The templates that we have at the club, did not fit. So there was some initial thinking to be done, which continued during the making of this violin.

When I received the project, the back was mounted on the ribs, and I took it from there. First I worked on the back to get the right thickness, and then I worked on the purfling. Then I worked on the belly, and on and on!

When the neck is mounted on the "body", it can hang in the kitchen window to get some summer sun. During this time I started on my next violin and lets not talk about that process, I'm still licking the wounds on that one, phew! ;-)

After the summer sun, it was varnished, and then put together. I might've had finished it earlier but I really wanted to come to a point with my third, that it was ok to leave it, so that I did not just leave it hanging there. So that pushed the finishing date forward a bit.

Here are some pictures of it, and as always I am NOT a photographer, but I hope you will get a hint of its gorgeousness!

So, dear Lars Lundskog, the violin that you started building is now finished. I have your name on the label inside, together with mine. And wherever you are, I hope you are as proud of it as I am. A retired violinist have already played on it, and it sounded great, at least in my ears! Actually he gave me some pointers, that I can implement on my next project!

Take care