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Why are luthiers so crazy?
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BarkellWH
Posts: 3458
Joined: Jul. 12 2009
From: Washington, DC
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 RE: Why are luthiers so crazy? (in reply to estebanana)
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quote:
Must be the drugs they take. Rosewood dust, don't get started snorting it unless you want your life to go to hell in a hand basket. You have been warned.
This morning's Washington Post has an article about Maryland recently banning the sale of all 190 proof liquor, including the colorless liquor known as "Everclear," in an effort to stem the rise of binge drinking among university students. The article suggests a possible link to the subject of this thread, as it states that the ban adversely affects luthiers who make violins. I have quoted below:
"While the ban’s intended audience, binge-drinking college kids, has an endless variety of alcoholic substances to consume, violin makers in Maryland depend on 190-proof grain alcohol to create varnishes used in making and restoring their instruments.
"It works like this: When a violin is chipped or broken, a new piece of wood often is used in the repair. When attached, the wood looks out of place because it has not been varnished. To make the violin look untouched, the new varnish must exactly match what already is on the violin.
"The violin maker must dissolve a coloring substance called resin to paint onto the wood. The craftsman dissolves the resin in Everclear because, with its high alcohol content, it dries resins quickly, so the already tedious process can be accomplished in a reasonable amount of time. It looks good, too."
The next time you see a luthier running down the middle of the highway waving his arms and yelling that he is really the "Naked Cowboy" of Times Square, it may be that he has used his supply of Everclear for more than just varnish.
Bill
_____________________________
And the end of the fight is a tombstone white,
With the name of the late deceased,
And the epitaph drear, "A fool lies here,
Who tried to hustle the East."
--Rudyard Kipling
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Date Aug. 21 2014 14:36:00
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BarkellWH
Posts: 3458
Joined: Jul. 12 2009
From: Washington, DC
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RE: Why are luthiers so crazy? (in reply to Richard Jernigan)
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quote:
My always-enterprising friend Don L. devised a use for the 90%. A big punch bowl with a block of ice, Welch's grape juice, a little lemon juice and a hefty spike of 90% ethanol was the centerpiece for some memorable parties. You couldn't taste the alcohol, and the effect on sorority girls was nearly instantaneous.
Spiking the punch bowl with high octane alcohol has been a tried and true device for college students since time immemorial. Regarding the effect on sorority girls, that, too, has been part of the plan since time immemorial. Today, however, colleges and universities have taken the tack that girls who drink too much are not responsible for subsequent activity, and the guys who may think they have the girl's full consent for what follows are liable to be charged with "sexual abuse" and worse. The current ethos seems to be that the girl is absolved of all responsibility, while the guy is totally responsible. One more sign of "Political Correctness" run amok.
Bill
_____________________________
And the end of the fight is a tombstone white,
With the name of the late deceased,
And the epitaph drear, "A fool lies here,
Who tried to hustle the East."
--Rudyard Kipling
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Date Aug. 22 2014 0:56:56
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constructordeguitarras
Posts: 1674
Joined: Jan. 29 2012
From: Seattle, Washington, USA
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RE: Why are luthiers so crazy? (in reply to Andy Culpepper)
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Andy--
A few years ago--perhaps at the same time you tried it--I heard the same thing from Brian Burns, and I tried it. First of all, I couldn't find any reference in the chemical literature to such an azeotrope (water/alcohol/acetone). Moreover, I had the same trouble with the fumes--and I am not sure I saw an improvement in drying time. I noticed also that shellac does not dissolve completely in acetone alone.
So I don't think it's a good method, at least not in my hands. There are other ways to speed up the process, which I'm sure you know, such as spraying or brushing on initial coats, or using an extra concentrated shellac solution in alcohol. For that matter, using anhydrous alcohol, which certainly dries faster than alcohol containing 5% water, though you have to suffer with the vapors of the denaturants (and wear gloves), as I do.
Sources of ignition are a concern with alcohol vapors in the air too, of course (even with wood, grain, or aluminum dust, for that matter). I work in my cellar where there is a gas furnace (with a pilot light going all year) and a gas water heater, so I try not to allow any big spills....
_____________________________
Ethan Deutsch
www.edluthier.com
www.facebook.com/ethandeutschguitars
www.youtube.com/marioamayaflamenco
I always have flamenco guitars available for sale.
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Date Aug. 22 2014 15:30:10
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BarkellWH
Posts: 3458
Joined: Jul. 12 2009
From: Washington, DC
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RE: Why are luthiers so crazy? (in reply to Richard Jernigan)
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quote:
In those days it was bad form to take advantage of someone who was too far gone to be responsible for their actions.
I agree that during our university days it was bad form to take advantage of someone who was too far gone to be responsible for her actions. But I think the key to today's dilemma is how one defines "too far gone." A girl could be drunk in our day (at least in my university experience), and still be considered lucid enough to have made her own decision regarding bedding someone. We're not talking about "force" or "rape" here. By any reasonable definition, it would have been considered consensual sex, even though both were drunk.
I think we could all agree that someone on the verge of passing out fits the description of "too far gone." My impression, however, is that on many campuses there exist examples where both are drunk, the girl accedes to being bedded by some guy, later regrets it, and claims she withheld consent. Of course, in today's "politically correct" world university administrators are all too happy to accommodate her grievance. What may have been considered "consensual" in our day is to stand on dangerous ground today.
When I call it "politically correct" I mean that both in the case of today's campus sex and in the broader society's values, for several decades now there has been an overwhelming emphasis placed on rights over responsibilities. Everyone claims "rights," but few take responsibility for the consequences of their choices and actions that end badly. This attitude, by the way, applies both to individuals engaging in campus sex and corporations who invariably want to privatize profits but socialize losses (reference the "Great Recession" of 2008-2010).
A second, associated force driving the "political correctness" movement on campus and throughout society is the striving to attain the cherished status of "victim." Victimology runs rampant in American society today. Anyone who does not achieve his or her immediate or long-term goals automatically achieves "victim" status, thus entitling him or her to various "remedies" inherent in our system. Whether or not one has the initiative and ability to achieve such goals, if one falls short it is surely a sign that one has been "victimized" by (fill in the blank: society, the "system," etc.). Again, personal responsibility for one's condition is rarely acknowledged.
Bill
_____________________________
And the end of the fight is a tombstone white,
With the name of the late deceased,
And the epitaph drear, "A fool lies here,
Who tried to hustle the East."
--Rudyard Kipling
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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE |
Date Aug. 22 2014 18:34:04
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