Hardanger -- main parts together at last

Slow, but still plugging away.  Glued the back on my first Hardanger this morning, after fitting the neck yesterday, and after gluing the top to the ribs last week, which came after taking the ribs off the form, trimming the linings and blocks.

This afternoon, I will clean up the pegbox on my viola, including cutting the fluting around the outside.  Once that is done I can attach it to the assembled top and ribs.  Not the method I was taught, but one that I've used on my last couple of fiddles.  The old makers in Cremona used to nail on the neck before fitting the top and back to the ribs.  Current common method is to assemble the body, so that the top and back are glued to the ribs, then fit the neck.  Different ways, and one can defend any one of them. 

Repairs keep me in groceries and away from the new making.  Just the way it is in most violin shops.  An interesting fiddle came in last week for repair.  Fingerboard got knocked off.

Used to belong to Dwayne Youngblood, a well-known fiddler in our area.  Now belongs to someone else, who really enjoys playing it.  Got the fingerboard cleaned up and glued back into place.

A German del Gesu, with ornate bits.

And a label to boot.

Speaking of labels, I put one inside my Hardanger before I buttoned it up.  In my fiddle-making, I usually wait until after the instrument is varnished to put in the label, it being easy enough to fish one in through the f-hole.  But on the Hardanger, the soundholes have overlapping wings, so I wasn't sure how easy it was to get one in after closing the box.  Made a quick one up, the tried it inside in the usual spot, under the bass-side soundhole.  Can't see it from the bass side.  Can see it from the treble soundhole, looking across, but then it's upside down.  So I placed it upside-down on the bass side so that it would be right-side up when seen from the treble side. 

I haven't paid enough attention to what other Hardanger makers do to know what the common practice is for labels.  I don't think much about my own labels.  But of these two labels shown here, one of them is real.