Sunday I squeezed in a half hour of violin stuff. I sawed out my neck. Tonight before dinner I took another half hour and filed it up some. Now I'm ready to start marking up a center line and get going on the scroll.
The scroll used to be my least favorite part of violin making. Seemed so senseless.
A part of the violin that gives little or no input to the sound, but gets a irrational amount of scrutiny from other violin makers. I thought it was something where the maker could express his originality. Wrong. I thought it was something that you could do yours a little different and people would say "I know who did that violin". Well yeah, but in a condescending tone. You don't really want to go there. The scroll isn't anything like that. It is a mark of achievement. It is something that shows that you have an eye, and your hands do what you want them to do. Even more so than the violin body itself. Only the old masters can get away with a so so scroll. "Sure it is lopsided, but his dad did it blind in one eye, and with one foot in the grave". "His gouge slipped a little on the treble side..." "The scroll looks like it was rushed, but money was tight..."
Now I'm at the point where I try to do as good on the scroll as I can. I know that I won't get it perfect. But that's what I aim for. I've seen photos of really nice looking ones. Some by fairly new makers that are amazing. Once you figure out what tools work, and which ones don't it is just a matter of not getting a chunk pop out from carving on the wrong side of the flame, and trying to get it even on both sides. And having the lines so they flow evenly, and fluting that is not too deep and not too shallow. And...well you get the picture.
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