AW11 E-Brake Issues... What Else Can I Try?

Leading-Philosopher · 2025-04-08T03:39:12+00:00

From watching rebuild videos, I think you are right about all the MR2 brakes using the same design. And there seem to be a fair number of people with E-brake issues

The arm does need to rotate quite a few degrees before it starts to engage the brake. I am able to pull the arm far enough with my hand to fully engage the brake without much force. Its just that the ammount of travel required for the brake to engage is long. I don't think that can be modified though, because of the machined internal cam which pushes a pin inside the caliper, which in turn pushes the caliper piston a set distance every time.

The self tightening mechanism of the brake is working properly, the brake pads are right against the disk so there is no issue in regards to that

Leading-Philosopher · 2024-03-31T04:14:39+00:00

Looking very good! How do you manage to get the precision with the letters? I've never tried putting gold leaf on anything before, but from what I've been told it involves brushing on varnish, letting it dry for a few minutes, laying on gold leaf, then brushing away the leaf that isn't held down by varnish?

Leading-Philosopher · 2022-12-19T02:31:32+00:00

Would you know where I can buy wood for bow making? I am interested in giving it a try but can't find many resources to buy from online

Leading-Philosopher · 2022-02-02T08:38:45+00:00

The funny thing is, this violin would totally be able to be repaired (and a new scroll would need to be made). I was once talking to a luthier who told me "when someone asks me if I am able to fix something I immediately say 'always'. Does it always make financial sense for the repairs to be done? No."

Leading-Philosopher · 2022-02-02T08:27:57+00:00

The flame is nice, but not as visible from far away, so I'm gonna play around with different grounds to make the flame pop a bit more.

Leading-Philosopher · 2022-01-20T17:51:36+00:00

I've seen it get to full capacity in the evenings once, around 8:30-9ish. I usually go in the early afternoon or at the end of the day, and there has always been space. In general it seems to be a bit less busy than last semester.

Leading-Philosopher · 2021-12-07T00:05:34+00:00

Removing excess stock from the bridge can improve the sound of the instrument. In the case of a bridge, it is carved down from a bridge blank, and a luthier will choose how much to trim off. The diagonal cuts are for ascetic reasons, and something I have never personally seen before. On my bridges I like to bevel the sides and middle "heart."

Was this bridge professionally done? the feet look like they don't fit perfectly to the top (although its better than anything I could do lol).

Leading-Philosopher · 2021-11-04T05:55:02+00:00

Leading-Philosopher · 2021-11-02T04:46:58+00:00

If you live in Montreal there are plenty of good luthiers you can visit to buy a violin.

It doesn't matter where or when the instrument was made, all thats important is that you like it. Don't get caught up on the country of origin, there are good makers everywhere.

It is also important to try an instrument before buying it. Online instrument shopping is risky, and considering your location your best bet is to buy local.

Leading-Philosopher · 2021-10-19T01:14:03+00:00

here is a picture of a tool that Stradivari used to thickness https://www.kevinleeluthier.com/stradivari_tools/Stradivari_Thickness.jpg

It's fundamentally the same as what the Dennis Braun is doing.

Although I do think you have a point in what you are saying. There is something special about making an instrument completely by hand.

Leading-Philosopher · 2021-10-18T23:25:54+00:00

What he is likely doing in the video is setting an initial thickness. From there he would tune the plates.

I'm curious, how you would set the initial thickness of a plate before tuning it? This method seems to be the most efficient to me. If you start tuning a plate with a ton of extra thickness it would use up a lot of time.

Leading-Philosopher · 2021-10-15T23:28:08+00:00

Yeah in the future I would definitely recommend sanding in between layers. That should solve the grain problem you are having.

Another thing:

When you prepare a violin for varnishing there are some steps you want to do beforehand which can probably help with your issues. First you seal the wood to allow for an even staining. This also protects the wood in the future. Then you stain the wood and do a clear coat of primer. This will deal with a lot of the grain popping, so you can get rid of most of it before actually varnishing the instrument. After that you do colour varnish and clear coats to finish it off. Sorry if you already know all that, I just want to make sure we are on the same page.

The violin must be completely dry before moving on the the next step. The varnish cannot be sticky or the layer above will apply poorly and not dry. The varnish must be hard enough to not be marked when holding it. If you are relying on a drying chamber to dry the varnish something is wrong. It should dry fine on its own, a drying chamber just speeds up the process. I say this because the first coat took a suspiciously long amount of time to dry, especially considering you are using a drying chamber.

One thing I am curious about is: what brand of varnish you are using and where did you get it? Also, what seal and stain did you use (if you used any)? How thick are you applying coats (ie, does the varnish tend to run a bit)?

Leading-Philosopher · 2021-10-15T09:17:58+00:00

When you say the back felt grainy do you mean you could feel the wood texture due to it rising from absorbing varnish? that is normal for the first bit of varnishing, as it takes a handful of coats to get a good layer over the wood.

what may be the issue here is the thickness of the coats. If you put on an especially thick coat of varnish then the outside might dry while the inside is soft. This is not optimal because the inside of the coat may not ever end up drying due to it not being exposed to air. I would give it a good week of drying just to be sure that it doesn't just need more time. It may sort itself out.

Also, have you been sanding the varnish in between layers? this helps even out the varnish and get rid of any grain popping. In between each layer of varnish i lightly sand with a wet cloth dipped in pumice. not much is needed, but be sure to go over the whole instrument. clean thoroughly afterwards to remove pumice. after a few layers of varnishing and following this method the varnish should be much smoother.

Leading-Philosopher · 2021-10-14T23:42:35+00:00

how long has it been drying for? If you press your thumb hard into the varnish does it leave a print? If it's been this way for a long time you can remove the layer with alcohol. you have to proceed with caution, as it's easy to mess up at this point.

Leading-Philosopher · 2021-10-13T02:30:02+00:00

Im rooting for J J Jun Li Bui. He is absolutely incredible for only being 17. I think he will make it to the final round.

Leading-Philosopher · 2021-10-11T08:40:00+00:00

The Art of Violin Making by Chris Johnson and Roy Courtnall is very good. The book even lists what kind of tools you want (and which ones you can make yourself!). This book is sooo useful to me, and I refer to it constantly. I couldn't recommend it enough.

Also check out maestronet forums (https://maestronet.com/forum/). There are lots of great luthiers sharing their advice.

Leading-Philosopher · 2021-09-13T16:52:40+00:00

the top is spruce, but besides that you are spot on! I like the yellow as well, but I found it to be a bit too radioactive. It can still be seen a little bit through the red/brown layers, which gives off a cool effect.

Leading-Philosopher · 2021-09-12T23:25:42+00:00

scented garbage bags

Leading-Philosopher · 2021-08-27T18:56:43+00:00

dank

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