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Hardwood Record — Veneer & Panel Section 



October 25, 1918 



HUDDLESTON-MARSH 

 MAHOGANY COMPANY 



Importers and Manufacturers of 



MAHOGANY 



Lumber and Veneer 



2256 LUMBER STREET 



Chicago, Illinois 



347 MADISON AVENUE 



New York City, N.Y. 



ting it op, one must employ a brushman that will use elbow grease 

 to brush the varnish down as it ought to be. We have found in our 

 business experience that most men seem to want to apply the 

 three, four or five coats at one time and in one operation. Again, 

 it is necesrary to leave proper time between every two operations. 

 Modern dry kilns are assisting very much in cutting the time of 

 drying. Where such kilns are not in use. it is suggested that the 

 more tim3 allowed between coats for drying the better. 



A. T. DEINZER. 



The Wood in a Violin 



The wood that goes into a violin is not ujually classed as ve- 

 neer, though it is as thin as veneer. This small, high-grade mu- 

 sical instrument represents one of the best uses of wood, whether 

 it is regarded as veneer or not. 



The wood needed in the construction of a single violin does 

 not amount to one square foot of inch lumber. This small quan- 

 tity is worked into several parts which are then fitted together 

 to make the complete instrument. The whole range of wood work- 

 ing produces nothing calling for more skill than is required to 

 make a violin, nor is wood anywhere put to a more exacting use. 

 It may further be said that in no instance can a workman add 

 more to the value of wood than is added when a fine violin is manu- 

 factured. A thouTand feet of choice violin woods might be worth, 

 in the rough state, $100, or at most $200; but made into violins 

 it is worth from $50,000 to $100,000. Wood is almost the sole 

 material used by violin makers. Horsehair for the bow, glue for 

 joining together, and the string are about all that is not wood. This 

 13 one place where substitutes for wood have never been found. 



The soundboard, which is the top, is of spruce but some of the 

 old violin makers used Italian pine. The back, which is the bot- 

 tom, is of maple, as also are the ribs and bridge. The maker can 

 take his choice as to what wood shall constitute the purfiing, which 

 is the very small molding round the edges of the front and back. 



For contrast's sake, it is usually made of colored wood like walnut, 

 mahogany, or ebony, and a square foot of it is enough to make a 

 hundred violins. 



The bar and sound post are usually of spruce, while the tail 

 piece, pegs for the strings, and nut for the bow are ebony, rose- 

 wood, or in low-priced instruments may be of maple. The finger 

 board should be of ebony for the sake of looks as well as for 

 utility, ebony being very hard and sti'ong. Inside the body of the 

 instrument, the corner blocks may be of pine, as their sole duty 

 is to round off the corners. They are too thick to be made of 

 veneer unless built up. 



There are several other parts, as the bouts, scroll, shoulder, 

 cheeks, peg box, tail pin, and nsck. which must be of carefully 

 selected wood. 



The bow belongs to the violin but is no part of it. It cannot be 

 made of veneer but must be solid. It is always of wood, except the 

 white horsehairs which number from I 50 to 200. Two, three, or 

 more kinds of wood may be used in making a single bow, but the 

 principal piece is, of course, one wood. Just what wood it should 

 be is a matter of controversy. Specifications usually call for "per- 

 nambuco wood, but nobody seems to know just what that is; at 

 least, there is a confusing lack of agreement on the subject among 

 people who make or use the bows. Pernambuco is a region in Brazil, 

 and a dyewood from there is called pernambuco. It looks much 

 like our Texas bluewood and may be related to it; but some of the 

 manufacturers of violin bows say that the "pernambuco" wood 

 which they use does not come from South America. Some say 

 it comes from Africa, others think it is a native of India; and still 

 others believe the supply is obtained among the islands of Malaysia. 

 It is quite likely that violin bow wood comes from all of those 

 regions, and after it reaches this country is sold under one general 

 name. That would account for the confusion as to name and 

 source. 



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