Bowlbacks of Note

[plinkey]

Jim, did DeCorte have to use any filler (paste) on wood gaps in the breaks ? I mean, sometimes when we are lucky, a break looks like a separation which could be reclosed and glued, with no gaps left.

[Tavy]

How awkward would it be to glue up the cracks without a good support from inside the mandolin ? Have you ever used maple wood filings mixed with glue to a paste-like consistency as a crack filler ? Then, of course, there is commercially available "plastic woods" too, I've used those on a few old beat-up wooden cases for mandolins, but never on instruments themselves. The stuff I've had shrinks as it dries, plus I could not get it sanded smooth.

I wouldn't use commercial fillers, wood dust and HHG works well as a filler, but:

* Wood dust and glue is always darker than the solid wood alone, sometime much darker, which is an issue for maple obviously.
* Wood dust and glue, likewise the commercial fillers, have no intrinsic strength, so they're usable for cosmetic issues only.

That said, I would hope that one would glue up with almost no gaps, albeit a bit of a puzzle to fit together. If the basic structure was sound after gluing with just a couple of small pinhole like gaps here and there, then those could be filled with glue and dust. Reinforcing from behind would help too of course. Note that even if it all glued up with no gaps or fills, I would still expect the glue lines to be visible on maple - glue lines along the grain (centre seems etc) can be almost invisible, but not across the grain like that. And lastly... glued end grain is very weak, so we would be back to reinforcement again (probably!). There are a few tricks one can use (like colourless kitchen gelatin for HHG) which would no doubt help, but you probably wouldn't know how it would turn out till you'd done it, it certainly shouldn't look too much like Dr Frankenstein s mandolin, might not even be noticeable from a casual glance, just not invisible.

HTH, John.

[plinkey]

Thank you, mate, all that makes perfect sense to me.

[Jim Garber]

Jim, did DeCorte have to use any filler (paste) on wood gaps in the breaks ? I mean, sometimes when we are lucky, a break looks like a separation which could be reclosed and glued, with no gaps left.

I don't know but here is what it looks like after the work was done:



Before shots:

[Tavy]

Great work on a very fine looking bowl!

[plinkey]

Yes, Jim's pictures show a super repair, and as master Tavy had observed before, that sort of repair works better on rosewood than on maple, speaking from the repair "optics" viewpoint.

[vic-victor]

J. Bonabilla Instrument from ebay France. (This is what happens when someone try to marry Calace with De Meglio)

[brunello97]

Well, a mandolin could have worse parents, Victor.

Here's a link to the ebay auction and a shot of the label.

Mick

[Beanzy]

Back at the beginning of November a group of mando-nuts went on a visit to the Victoria & Albert Museum Furniture Stores at Blythe House in London. I'm posting up a selection of photos here as it seems the most logical place to make them available.

First off Antonio Petroni no.50. Made in Rome 1865.
Label inside says prize winner at the Paris Exhibition of 1867.

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[Beanzy]

And more of the case...



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[Beanzy]

Left: "Milanese mandolin" (guitar tuning) made by Giuseppe Molinari active between 1737-1762.
Right: "Neapolitan Mandolin" Antonio Vinaccia made in Naples in Via Constantini 1772.

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[Beanzy]

Continued..



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I'll add some others once I get the catalogue info sorted to give the correct description to the remaining ones.

[Beanzy]

Upper: Antonio, Vinaccia mandolin from 1772
Lower: 6 course mandolin, possibly from Genoa around about 1770

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[Beanzy]

Mandore / Milanese mandolin made in Paris by Jean Nicolas Lambert 1752

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[Beanzy]

Milanese mandolin by Pietro Antonio Gavelli 1690 Perugia

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[Beanzy]

Saz (No info yet & just posting as a curiosity of lutherie rather than anything mandolin related)

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[Beanzy]

Upper: Vincenzo Vinaccia Neapolitan mandolin 1785
Lower: (Searching for info we were given)

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[Beanzy]

Finally some panorama photos I took for detail:









A really big thank you to Maxine who organised this visit over nine months of chasing up and liason.

[Tavy]

Wow, some great stuff there Eoin, must have been a great trip!

[Beanzy]

Upper: Antonio, Vinaccia mandolin from 1772
Lower: 6 course mandolin, possibly from Genoa around about 1770

Oops it was bound to happen. Post 6938 should I possibly be;
Vincenzo Vinaccia with a speculative date of 1761 or 1766-1767 don't know why they're uncertain.

The catalogue pages I have seem to have a totally unrelated mandolin photo to the description given so I'm going by the description.

[Tavy]

Overpriced Ceccherini 10-stringer on eBay UK

Interestingly the string tensioners seem to be set for 4 courses? Maybe 2+2+3+3 was the original stringing on these?

[Jim Garber]

Overpriced Ceccherini 10-stringer on eBay UK

Interestingly the string tensioners seem to be set for 4 courses? Maybe 2+2+3+3 was the original stringing on these?

Yes, price is up there considering it will need considerable work plus a good bath. I believe that is how it would have been strung. Martin J has one (or maybe had one?). Take a look at the two treble hooks. The right side looks longer to take two strings, I believe.

Here is a clear pic of the stringing from another example including the cast string nut with built-in zero fret:


And the usual Porpoise™ Pics attached.

[vic-victor]

Embergher inspired Giuseppe Battiato, Catania instrument from Russia. Looks neat and well made.The maker is a mistery though. No other mentioning in the net. But the instrument reminds the ones made by Francesco Olivieri, perhaps there is a connection of some sort...

[brunello97]

Yes, price is up there considering it will need considerable work plus a good bath. I believe that is how it would have been strung. Martin J has one (or maybe had one?). Take a look at the two treble hooks. The right side looks longer to take two strings, I believe.

Here is a clear pic of the stringing from another example including the cast string nut with built-in zero fret:


And the usual Porpoise™ Pics attached.

Good eye, Jim. I was looking at this and wondering about the 4 hooks / 10 strings. Also wondering if that top crack aligning w the bass hook was a chicken or egg thing.

Mick

[brunello97]

Embergher inspired Giuseppe Battiato, Catania instrument from Russia. Looks neat and well made.The maker is a mistery though. No other mentioning in the net. But the instrument reminds the ones made by Francesco Olivieri, perhaps there is a connection of some sort...

Muy cool, Victor. Curious mandolin, as we've seen so often from Sicily..with scrupulous attention to-sort of get an Embergherian recurve at the bowl/neck joint along with a very un-Roman neck profile.

Man, that maple looks good though.

Mick