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 Antiquing Violins
I've been asked to write a few things about my approach to making an antiqued instrument. Since my process of antiquing is always changing, developing and hopefully improving it may be difficult to make a general statement about how I go about it every time. Maybe the worst thing I do for myself is that I never build two of the same instruments or models in a row. Maybe I could have formed a better, or more exact process, than I currently have. That being the case, I hope my thoughts won't be too elementary or too incomplete for the reader. In the interest of coherence and usefulness, I will mostly talk about the steps I took in my recent copy of a friend's Scarampella violin dated 1900. 
 The biggest part of this instrument's success was the fact that the original lives here in Salt Lake City, and I had access to it any time I needed. Like almost everyone, I have seen many great violins, but unfortunately most 
Click to enlarge

del Gesu and Strad copies are done from memory,
at least in my case, so having this great violin on the bench was a huge help.

The back and ribs of the violin are made of very strongly marked birds-eye maple, and fortunately I had been given a supply of similar wood by a good friend some months before. For me, the selection of wood is very important. In making an exact copy, getting a piece of wood that matches well means that despite the more difficult parts, like varnish and arching, the finished product won't look so far from the original.

I start by making the back. I will have a good tracing of the original, and for me, the outline of the back is the most important place to start for getting a good foundation for the remainder of the instrument. The next few steps I learned from Roger Hargrave. He told me that building an instrument from the back or from a board is what many of the English copyists would do. I have made changes that work better for me, but I basically do the same.

After I have completed the back, including the graduations, I start the ribs. I glue my top and bottom blocks in place permanently. I then bend the ribs, as if I were using a form. I start with the C-bout ribs, and then make the linings. In the C-bout ribs it's enough to to just eyeball where you want the lining to end and the corner block to begin. Once the lining is bent and cut to the desired length, I glue it to the c-bout ribs. When they are dry I need only trim the excess lining material, and make sure the rib/lining surface is flat. I then glue it down to the back and finish with the remaining ribs. It 's not difficult to make the delicate feather edge for the miters on the c bout rib. Your tool must be very sharp and you need to be careful not to bang the gluing surface of the back with the tool. The rough character of Scarampella's work does make being very clean unnecessary, but I have made many different models, including Strad with this method. 
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All pictures of this Scarampella copy by Gary Vessel may be found here

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