Nicolo Amati- violin -1679 Stephen Rossow Steve Sirr John R. Waddle
Violin making is what John was trained to do at The Violin Making School of America, in Salt Lake City, Utah (1978-1981).
John is part of an ongoing collaboration with luthier Stephen M. Rossow, and Radiologist Steven A. Sirr, M.D., on a project that uses existing and emerging technologies to explore the structure of-and ultimately replicate-famous violins.
Steve Rossow started doing repairs and restoration work for John in about the year 2000. Since then, we have developed some new techniques for making violins. Steve has his own website.
http://www.steverossow.com
The Amati violin was made available to the three of us for study. This allowed us to take lots of pictures, notes, measurements, and Computed Tomography (CT) scans. Years ago, it was called Computed Axial Tomography or (CAT Scans), but the technology has changed, and now the imaging is not limited anymore to just the axial images, so the axial designation has been dropped.
CT scans allow us to see the violin in ways that are not possible any other way. We can see not only the surface of the outside of the violin, but also the wood structure, and the inside of the violin as well. Density differences can be seen. Since 1989, with the help of Radiologist Dr. Steven Sirr, of Minneapolis, we have scanned more than 100 of the world's finest violins. Some of our articles on this subject appear elsewhere in my website.
Here are a picture of the label in the violin, and the Amati violin in the CT scanner.
A CT scanner is a device which can pass X-ray light through an object. As the X-ray light encounters areas of greater density, less light passes through. Differences of density are detected and shown on a computer screen. Images can be produced using specialized software. The data is digitized.
The Nicolo Amati violin is a fascinating violin. In 1679, Nicolo would have been 83 years old. His son, Hieronymus II would have been active in the shop, and could have done much of the work. The scroll was clearly made with the same pattern as the one used by Nicolo's Grandfather, Andrea. The pattern for the body was the same one Nicolo used for the violin known as the Alard, housed in the Ashmolean Museum in London. Nicolo Amati was the only violin maker in Cremona who survived the plague of the 1630's. It is interesting to have a chance to study this great violin.
We will try to update this page regularly with photos as we make progress on the Amati copy, so if it interests you, check for progress from time to time.
Here is a photo of the mold for the Amati copy violin we are making with the blocks glued on. The blocks are made of willow, just like the original. Steve Rossow made the mold for the rib structure from CT scans of the violin, using his CNC machine. This insures that the rib structure will be exactly the same as the original.
The next step is to make the ribs and glue them to the blocks.
Here, the spruce top is being planed flat prior to carving. The top will be two pieces glued together and book-matched. The block plane handmade made out of walnut.
Below, you can see the top and back in the clamps. These will be carved into the Amati copy violin.
Having the top and back joined and flattened, it is time to cut the outline and carve the archings. We are using a new process. We discovered that we could use the CT scans to make Stereolithography (STL) files which can be programmed into a computer which is connected to a Computer Numerically Controlled (CNC) machine, which cuts out the top and back exactly the same as the original.
Here is a picture of Steve Rossow's CNC machine. Steve and friend Chris Ramirez have made the machine, and Steve has learned how to program it and carve the tops and backs.
Steve cuts out the top and back using the machine.
Here is what the process looks like. First the arching is carved,
Next, the outline is cut out.
Now the back is ready to be graduated.
More documentation of this project will be included as we progress on the project.