That’s my first attempt at purfling a corner, and I am proud of it. It’s far from perfect, but I think it’s a pretty good start. I am returning the purfling marker that I bought (it’s not made very well) and it’ll be a few days before a replacement arrives, so I have a few days to practice making more of these.
I’ll never see the corner purfling of a violin again without judging it. If you ask an average person, maybe even someone who plays the violin, to describe the top of the instrument they probably won’t even mention the purfling. It’s the sort of feature that, if done right, is subtle. It’s also one of the places on the violin in which the makers style comes through. Compare these two, for example:
So the first one is competent and simple. The interior angle of the corner is acute, but not as much as the second. The first does not have the extended black point called the “bee sting.” The first’s points stay a good 4mm back from the edge of the corner while #2s go impetuously to the edge. Is #1 plain or restrained? Is #2 flashy or expertly crafted? I have no idea, but that’s the kind of crap one wonders after staring at purfling corners for hours. You don’t even have to visit a fiddle shop to do this, just check out: http://www.elderly.com/
It always fascinates me how perception of the crafted item sharpens via the crafting process. I’ve seen this is so many different things: you don’t know the anatomy of a wave until you’ve surfed one, you can’t really see a bicycle until you’ve taken one apart and put it back together. Maybe the most profound example of this (for me anyway) is writing. It was worth the pain of writing a novel just to gain “crafter’s vision” of the subject matter.
So besides purfling fake violin corners and gazing at them contemplatively, I am also making some spool clamps:
Not nearly as exciting, I know. Maybe knowing that a very nice (though unwanted) Coach purse gave it’s life for that pretty green leather that’s on them spices it up? Nah, I didn’t think so.