Making a Fiddle - Day 9

I am making a Strad model, so I had to mark all the blocks where the lining needs to go. This includes depth and length. A razor blade and a small hammer are used to make the initial cuts into the blocks.

I used a very small chisel to clean up the tunnels in the blocks where the lining will go.

Using a super flexible ruler, I measured the distance in between the cuts in the blocks so I would know how long to cut the lining.

After bending the lining, I had to make sure each piece fit snugly into the "tunnels" and against the ribs.

The linings are made from spruce. They have to be bent to fit the curvature of the ribs and also into the blocks. Each piece of lining has to be dipped into water and then bent on the bending iron. I used a small block of wood to help bend the lining pieces.

I needed about 30 clothespins to clamp the lining to the ribs. The clothespins have to be taken apart and put back together again backwards. A heavy rubber band is wrapped around each clothespin to make it stronger.  Rosemary and Emily helped me retrofit all the clothespins!

Hide glue is used on the lining and also on the ribs where the lining will be glued. You have to work fast!

Emily was helping me by holding the form when I was brushing on the glue, and also with the actual clamping.

Using a damp rag, all the excess glue has to be wiped off so the clamps don't stick to the ribs or the mold, and so there is not excess glue everywhere.

Believe it or not, these clamps are so strong some of them took two hands to open them!

Here you can see me readjusting the spacing of the clamps so that there aren't any gaps, especially near the blocks.

This is what it looks like with all the clamps on it!

Here is a closeup of the lining going into the edges of the endblock.

Here is a closeup of the lining going into a corner block. Note how one side goes into the "tunnel," and the other side is just a wedge fit.

Here is the entire form with all the lining done and sanded level with the ribs. Next step is carving the back!