But I have to work away at the rough neck after having traced the outline of the button upon the under end of it—not the actual shape of this necessity, but such as will serve as a guide to one of more grace. Added to that, I roughly mark the shape and thickness of the wood up to which I have to cut away, to insure nice handling. To this line I cut with bow saw [68]; and I then use all the knives I have, and many files—rasps in the early stages—until I get to the shape I want, after which I wet with a sponge, renewing the work when dry with finer files and glass-paper, No. 1½, making a second stage, then wet again, to two more stages, when all should be very clean and nice. Of course, I round the fingerboard's edges somewhat, and clean on each occasion of wetting. When finished, the neck should measure round thick end (one and a half inches from extreme end of wood), three and a half inches; and round thin end (one inch from peg-box) three inches. This finishes the neck, which is now ready for insertion in the violin.
I have, above, treated of this: I now do it actually. I have wood guard [31] ready for protection of fingerboard, and [32], for the back, and one of No. [11] cramps. I dab the neck and the cutting with hot strong glue, and gently work them together, until the glue oozes out at all points, when I put on the wood guards and clamp hard. Then I wash the superfluous glue away with a sponge wrung out of hot water, after I have tested whether I have got in the neck straight and at its correct angle. (See fig. 27.)
| PLATE XXVII. |
But there is the neat finishing off of the neck and button, which I attend to carefully, when all is set hard on the following day, paying much heed to grace and character here, as it is a part of the fiddle which cries out at once if slovenly, or ungainly, or the least bit out of line or centre.
And I fashion the nut over which the tail-piece gut has to stretch, and cut the bed into which it is glued. Then I very carefully wash the violin all over with a clean sponge wrung out of warm water, giving it plenty of time to dry before I finally clean every part thoroughly with No. 0 glass-paper—and the violin is finished in the white.
| PLATE XXVIII. |
| PLATE XXIX. | PLATE XXX. |
CHAPTER XVI.
OF VARNISH AND VARNISHING.