Waling Tiersma's Page

Beste Waling, mooi instrument, gefeliciteerd!

Hi, of course l d like to try these songs. l live in Köln, Germany. maybe we can try some songs, that u have studied well. they are not easy but maybe Isabel, Claros y frescos rios, Durmiendo iba el Senor. Which vihuela u play?
Groetje,
Rafael.

Hallo! do u work with singers? l love singing Mudarra and Valderrabano. groetje uit Keulen, Rafael.

greetings

I build at between 40-50% humidity. Maybe the 75%, unless your in a humid climate all the time, had something to do with it.

Waling,
Whenever there is an anomaly involving wood, glue, and string tension, we all can learn from each other whether we have made 3 instruments or 300 instruments. I appreciate your account of the event.
Thanks,
Mike

Hello Waling,
Thank you for your input on my rosette discussion. On your page, I found a scenario where the bridge pulled off your renaissance guitar. I used "Google" to translate it into English. I recently had a similar experience. This has never happened to me before (17 years of lutherie) and was wondering if our events have anything in common.
From the pictures of your work shop, I see that use hide glue warmed on a "hot plate" stove. I use a manufactured glue pot that self-regulates temperature. The viscosity of the glue was about like thick cream. My glue supply is 10 years old, but stored properly. I glued the bridge to the top during the winter when the ambient temperature was about 45 degrees Fahrenheit with 75% humidity. The workshop would have been about 55-60 degrees Fahrenheit. My clamping "Go-bar -deck" has a heat lamp but I have not ever checked the temperature. I remember being in a hurry to get another instrument done, and removing the clamps after only 4 hrs rather than the usual 8hrs.---I blamed this for the failure. Other than the first course, non of my strings are more than 3.2 kg each which is well within the lute tension spectrum.

Do you remember the circumstances and details of when you glued your bridge?
I am glad that this lute was not for sale and intended for my daughter to learn on. It would have been terrible if it happened on a customers instrument! It makes me reconsider going back to "Tightbond 1" glue for bridges and neck/body joints.
Best,
Mike

Lessons for a guitar - not a bad exchange. I look forward to you ripping up and down a new 4c in a few months time!

Great recordings, Waling. I can't believe you've been playing for such a short time AND making your own instruments. You are doing some really excellent work. Keep it up!