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Lute and Historical Guitar Building with Michael Schreiner: January 2012

LuteandHistorical
GuitarBuildingwith
MichaelSchreiner
Thisisablogaboutbuildinglutesandhistoricalguitars.Itisnotonlya"howto"blog
butalsoa"why"blog.Ihavealwaysenjoyedthinkingaboutlutesandguitarsasmuch
asbuildingthem.IalsoenjoythemusicassociatedwiththeinstrumentsIbuildaswell
astheinspirationIgainfromvisitstomuseumstoexaminethem.

Thursday,January26,2012

ThomasMaceandIrepairJohn'stheorbo
"Adialoguebetweentheauthorandhislute:Thelutecomplainingsadlyofitsgreatwrongs
andinjuries".
JohnEdward'stheorboneededattention.SincehisNewYear'sDayprogramforTheMusiciansin
Ordinaryrequiredusinganarchlute,histheorbo,whichhadbeensufferingmany"wrongs",could
intheinterval,beputright.Beingintheholidayspiritmyself,Ithoughtwhatfunitwouldbeto
invitethevenerableThomasMacehimselftooverseeourworkandtolendahandifhethought
thingsweren'tright.
ByrappingonthesoundboardofJohn'sluteitwasobviousfromthedullresponsethatoneor
moreoftheharmonicbarswereloose.Thomaswasexplicitindescribingthetechniqueandthe
toolsnecessaryformendingthisannoyance.
"First,untwistyourStrings,onlysomuch,asyoumayhaveLibertytotakethemfromthe
Bridge....drawthoseofthefirstHeadalltogetherthroughyourHand,andtwistthemaboutthat
HeadandPegs:ThentaketheotherfourRanksofBasses,anddothelikewiththem..."
IhavealwaysfollowedThomas'advicebutgutstringshaveamindandmemoryoftheirownand
theyareanunrulymobregardlessofhowcarefullyyoutreatthem.

"ProceednexttothetakingofftheLace,andifitbeaParchment,youmaybethebolderwithit,
andneverfearthespoilingofit,foryoumusthaveaNewoneputon."ThelaceonJohn'stheorbo
ismadeofblackclothcutonthebias.IhaveseveralyardsofthefabricsoIwon'tmindspoiling
it.
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Thomascontinues:"First,haveaDishofWater,and
letitclosebyyouuponaTable,andwithaLinen
rag,...anointtheLaceallover...andthenwarmallyour
LaceoverwithyourIron,beingredhot..."

ThephotosdemonstratethetechniquethatMace
describesbutthetoolsarealittledifferent.Thomas
suggests"LetyourSmithmakeyouaFourSquare
Iron,aboutthelengthofyourMiddleFinger,and
aboutthreequartersofanInchSquare...".Afriendof
mydaughter'sdidstudytobeasmithbutwasnever
abletogetstartedinbusinessandisnowbuilding
custombicycles.ObviouslyfollowingThomas'
directionswasgoingtobedifficultsoIdecidedto
improvise.Inthephoto(left)Iamusingthebluntend
anold25wattsolderingiron."...andthenwarmallyourLaceoverwithyourIron,beingredhot,
drawingyourHandslowlyandclosely,fromplacetoplace,tillyouthinktheLaceishotquite
through,(buttakeheedofBurning)andwhenyouhavedoneso,youmaytaketheLaceatone
end,anddrawitoff,soeasilyasifIthadneverbeenGlewed..."Indeed!Theheatfromtheiron
essentiallysteamsthewatersaturatedlaceofftheedgeofthelute.Thiswassurprisingquickand
tidy.

Thenextprocedure:separatingthebellyfromthebowl
byslippingasmallknifeintothegluejointbetweenthe
bellyandthetopribisnerverackingtomefraught
withperil.Thomasagrees"...AttempttheBellyafter
thesamemanner,butyetwithmoreCaution..."Among
thethelistoftoolsnecessaryforthis
procedureThomasdescribedtheknifetobeused."A
littleworkingKnifesuch,aremostcommonlymade
ofpiecesofBrokenGoodBlades..."Well,Iprefer
ourkitchenknivesforthissortofthing.MyfavoriteforthisoperationisathreeinchHenckels
paringknife.Ithasamarvellouslystiff,thinbladethatkeepsagoodedgewithacomfortable
handle.IjusthavetobesuretoreturnittothekitchenwhenIamfinishedusingitonalute.
Thomasexplains,"ThentakeyourLittleWorkingKnife,andbegintotrytogetitbetweenthe
BellyandtheBack,attheBottomfirst...AndifyouhaveWetted,andHeatedenough,yourKnife
shallfindaneasieEntrance..."

Ihaveonlybuiltafewluteswithalacebindingratherthanahardwoodhalfbinding.ButImust
saythatatthisstagetheworkisgoingverysmoothlycomparedtomyexperiencewithremoving
belliesfromlutesedgedwithahalfbinding.Thereareseveralreasonsforthis,Ithink.First,there
isnofinishunderthelacesotheheatandmoisturethatisusedtoremovethelaceimmediately
attacksthegluejointaswell.Andthentoothereislittleconcernforspoilingthefinishonthe
edgeofthebellysoiftheknifedoesnot"findan"easieEntrance...WetandHeatthatpart
againwhereyouareatwork,tillyouperceiveitwillwillinglyyieldtothegentleforceofyour
HandandKnife."
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Continuing:
"SowhenthatFlatbottomisopened...thenputinyour
Knifeagain,andwhenyoufeelaBarr,thengetyour
KnifeunderthatBarr,andsogentlyforceit,tillyou
perceiveItloose.AndsofromBarrtoBarr..."
Factorssuchasthestrengthoftheoriginalglue,the
heightofthebarendsandtheclosenessoffitwill
influencetheeaseordifficultywithwhichthebars
yieldtheirgrasp.

ComingtotheareaoftheneckblockThomas
suggeststhat
"...youmustagainWetandHeatand
thorowly,andthen
takingthebottomoftheBelly(whichisloose)
inonehand,
andtheNeckoftheLuteintheother,youwill
find
(withalittleforcing)thatitwillcomeoffvery
readily..."
Ihaveseentheresultsofthismanoeuvreon
lutesbothancientandmodern.Itisasadindictmentofthosewithlittlepatience.Thomas
continueswithawisermethod"butifneedbe,youmaytakeaboardMeatknife,andgettingit
underneathwithin,helpittopartbydegrees."Lutemakerswilloftenglueathinsheetofpaper
betweentheneckblockandthebellywhenassemblingnewlutes.Thisaidsintheremovalofthe
bellyifnecessary.Thisisvisibleinthephoto(below).
"AndnowyourLuteisquiteundone,andyoumustgetitmendedagainaswellasyou
can."ThomasexplainsindetailhowtomendcracksofwhichJohn'slutehassufferedmany,butI
repairedthoselongagoandtheproblemathandisseveralloosebars."Thushavingmendedall
theCracks,falltoworkuponthoseBarrsyoufindloose,

whichmostcommonlybeattheendsaboutanInchortwo..."Thomascontinuesbydescribing
thecleaningofftheoldglue,applyingnewglue,settingitwithahotironandholdingthejoint
closeuntilthegluecools.Mostinterestingtome,hedescribesmakinghomemadeclampsfrom
trenchers."...itwillbeconvenientthatyouhaveinreadinesstwoorthreepairoflittleslipsof
Trenchers,suchasBoysmakeforSnappers,aboutanInchbroad,and4,5or6incheslong.Tye
these,twoandtwotogether,atoneendwithastrongPackthreadandtheywillservetoslipover
theBarrend,andsoholdItandtheBellyveryclose..."
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Lute and Historical Guitar Building with Michael Schreiner: January 2012

Atrencherisawoodenplatter,roundor
squareusuallyroughlymadeofbeechor
sycamore.Bythe17thcenturytheywere
beingreplacedbypewter,earthenwareor
porcelainbythosewhocouldaffordthem.
TheimageofacollectionoftrenchersthatI
usedasamodeltofabricatemytrencher
clampistakenfrom:

http://www.christies.com/LotFinder/lot_details.aspx?intObjectID=5168884

Iquicklymadeonetrencherfromscrapbeechtosee
howtheconceptworked.Ofcoursethesuccessofthe
ideadependsonthethicknessofthetrenchermaterial
whichIwasonlyabletoguessat.Itiedoneendtightly
togetherwithapieceofgutstring.Inpractice,the
amountofpressurethattheclampexertedseemed
aboutrightforthisoperation.Itheldfastandsincethe
materialwaswoodIdidn'tworryaboutmarringthetop
ofthebelly.Furthermoretheirlightnessincomparison
tometalclampsisanadvantageformanydelicate
operations.Iintendtomakeseveralmoretohaveonhand.
Thomasispreciseandthoroughwithhisdirectionsfor
removingtheoldgluefirstbyheatingtheiron"...to
suchaheight,thatyoumaynimblyandlightlytouch,
andscorchallthoseRoughPlaces...",thento"scrape
gently...totheveryWood...tillyouseeAllclearand
smooth."Hefurtheradmonishes:"Takenotice,thatin
cleaningoffGlew,andPaperbyscorching,itisonlyto
bedoneintheInsideofInstrumentsforitwillspoilthe
GlossorVarnishoftheOutsideofany."Thomas
continues"ThereisOnethingmoretodo...whichisto
cleanecarefullyeveryBarrend,andthewholeRoundsideedge,oftheBackandBelly...thatthe
NewGlewmaytakefasthold..."
WhenallofthiswasdoneIwasreadyforthenextstep."FirstbringyourBackandBelly
together,andseeif
theywillfit...Thenfearnothing,butboldlyproceedtotheUniting,whichmustbedoneafterThis
manner."

Icringed:"TakeyourAul,andafteryouhavelaidtheBellyTrueintheuppermostFlat(thetop
oftheneckblock)...prickaHolequitethrough
theBelly,inthemidstofthatupperFlat,andjoynBellyandBacktogether."
Thisservesasamethodforpositioningtheupperbellyaccuratelyduringfinalassembly.Idon't
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haveanawlsoIusedahandpinvisewithasmalldrill
bit.

NowIwanttostopandsetthestageforthe
nextfewstepsinthisstory.Gluingtheback
andbellytogetherwillnecessitateswitching
backandforthfromastickygluebrushtoa
hotironwhichIthoughtwouldbestbe
handledbyfourhandsratherthantwo.
Thomasvolunteeredtohelp,andI
appreciatedhisspirit,butIthoughtJohn
wouldbemorenimble.
InthephotoJohnissmearingglueonasmall
pieceofpaper(Iuse90lb.watercolorpaper)
Mygluepot,lowerleft,consistsofahot
plate,saucepanandasmallplasticcontainer
ofgluethatIclamptotheinsideofthepan
withaclothespeg.My"iron"isnowa
shortenedartist'sspatula.ForheatIusea
propanetorchthatheatsthespatularedhotinafewseconds.

"NowtoyourGlewPot,withBackandBelly,and
beginwithwhichyouplease,andanointalltheEdges
Carefullyround...andeveryBarrendbesureyou
touchwell...bringBothtotheFire,andwarmthema
little,andclapthemquicklytogether,andwithyour
AulprickandfastenthemtogetherattheTopinthe
samehole..."Thomas'expertiseandthoughtfulnessis
evidentinthefollowing:"...youmustbeexactly
Carefull,thatyouClogneithertheBacknorBelly,with
theleastdropofGlewmorethanisneedfullforall
superfluityofGlew,ishurtfulltotheSoundofanInstrument."

"NowhavinginreadinessyourGreatIron,redhot,heattheedgesthorowlyallover,andthen
especiallytheupperFlatwhereyouraulsticks,tillyouperceivetheGlewisbecomewarmand
thin."ForthisprocedureIusedmyelectricironsetonmaximumwithascrapofclothbetween
theironandthelute.
"ThenbeginwiththeupperFlat,andwithyourFingersyoumayforceitclosetoitsoldandtrue
place,andthenwithlittlepiecesofPaper...coveralltheupperflatintheJoynts,yetleaving
aboutaStrawbredthortwobetwixtPaperandPaper,sothatyoumayseehowtheJoyntjoyns,
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andpresentlyscorchonthosePapers,onafteranother,
leaningprittyharduponeachone,withthesquared
endofyourbroadIron,whichmustnotbetooHot,for
fearofburningtheBelly,yethotenoughtoscorchthe
Papers,andthesuperfluousGlew,intoaCrustiness."

AtthebeginningIwastoohesitantanddidnotheatthe
ironhotenough.Thegluemeltedbutdidn'thold.Iheldmyironintheflameuntilitglowedred
hot.Thatdidthetrick.Iwascarefultoapplytheirononlyonthepartofthepaperthatcovered
theareawherethelacewouldlie,bothtopandside.Itimmediatelyscorchedthepaper.ThenI
quickly,butlightly,followedthroughbytouchingtheafterlengthofthepaper.Theironhad
cooledenoughtostillsetthegluebutnottoriskscorchingtheglossyorvarnishedareas.

"ThenafterthismannerproceedInchbyInch,
firstononeside,andthenontheother...and
besureateveryBar,youthrustitsocloseas
possiblyyoucan,withyourThumband
fingersandPaperitwellallthewaywith
Scorching..."

"...andwhenyouhaveroundeditThus,layit
bytillnextday
beforeyoucleaneoffThosePapers,&c."

WhenIexaminedourworkIwassatisfied
thatthebellyandbackhadjoinedproperly
andthegluedhadcrystallized.Thescorch
marksseemedominousandIwasworried
thatIhadmarredthebellyortheback.ButI
hadtowaituntilthenextday.

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"AndtocleaneIt,onlydoThus:TakeadishofWater,andwithaRagbemoistenalltheScorche'd
PapersandGlew,oftenrenewingthemoisture..."
IdeviatedfromThomas'instructionsalittle
andappliedastripofdampclothtotheedge
ofthebelly.AfterafewminutesIfound
that"theywillbesosoft,thatwithyourNails
lightlyrunnimgbackwardsuponIt,itwillall
comeoffasyouwillhaveit."Iwaspleasedto
findthatallofthescorchmarksfellwithin
theareathatthelacewouldcover.

"WhenThisisdone,proceedtotheputtingonofyourLace..."AsImentionedpreviously,Ihavea
supplyofblackcloththatIcutonthebiastoenableittocurvearoundtheedgeofthebelly.
Furthermore,Ifoldthecutstripoveronitselfandironacreaseinitsothatitwilllieevenlyon
overtheedge.
"...youshallfirstlayitinWaterawhileto
steep...andtomakeitGentleandplyable...(a
shortsteepwillsoftentheclothbutnot
removethecrease)...Then(sittingdownand
takingtheluteintoyourLap)...Anointabouta
fingerslengthormoreoftheLacelightlywith
Glew...andbeginyourworkatwhichsideyou
please,holdingIthardandclosewithyour
Thumbandfingeratthetop,drawithard
downwithyourotherhand..smoothingit
gentlybackwardsandforwardswithyour
ThumbandFinger,tillyouperceiveIthas
fastened...andsoproceedtillallbeFinish'd."

"Thisbeingdone,laybyyourLuteforaDayorTwo,thattheGlewmayharden,andthenyou
mayproceedtotheStringingofit."

Thiswasquiteabitofworkandweallthoughtthatitturnedoutwell.Johnwaspleasedtogethis
luteback.Thomasenjoyedsharinghispassionforthelutewithus.AndIamhappytohave
broughtyouthestory.
ThetextofThomasMace'sdirectionsforrepairingone'slutethatIusedinthisreportisavailable
asadownload:
http://imslp.org/wiki/Musick's_Monument_(Mace,_Thomas)
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PartIIThecivilPartortheLutemadeeasy

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