Ebony, Diospyros ebenum or Ceylon ebony is a hard, dry, brittle wood with a very low oil and resin content. The wood is so dense it can even sink in water. Many (even the occasional flute-maker!) find it quite difficult to distinguish ebony from grenadilla (African blackwood). However, ebony is,...
The terms Fragonard Courting Couple or Fragonard Love Story refer to a motif inspired by the work of the French artist, Jean Honoré Fragonard (1732-1806). Fragonard, born in Grasse, on the now French Riviera, was a painter and printmaker from the Rococo (Roccoco or Late Baroque) movement and later Neoclassical...
Unicorns have become all the rage over recent years and we are often confronted in our daily lives with unicorns in the form of cartoons, cuddly toys, pencil cases, hairbands and even inflatable pool loungers.A unicorn is a beast that typically looks like a horse and has one single, pointed...
So, what is an ocarina? It is the strange name of a wind musical instrument – and means ‘little goose’ in Italian dialect. Also known as a vessel flute, the ocarina’s chamber has between four and twelve tone-holes and also a mouthpiece which usually projects from the flute body. The...
Ebonite was invented in 1839 by Charles Goodyear. He found that he could obtain a black material, which was rigid rather than elastic, by mixing together and heating latex and sulphur. The result was a hard rubber and it was given the name ebonite because both the colour and consistency...
Boxwood is a lovely wood and it’s hardly surprising that it remains quite a favourite among today’s woodwind instrument makers. Buxus sempervirens, known as European boxwood, or common boxwood, is a species of flowering plant. It is an evergreen bush really, rather than a tree. It takes a long time...
Every old/antique woodwind instrument has specific care needs because of its individual construction and material properties. But there are some general recommendations to follow.The playability of old, antique wind instruments is only achieved if the instrument is restored and prepared for its function. Even a short play or improper assembly...
Cocuswood is the very dense hardwood of a Caribbean flowering tree called the ‘Brya ebenus’. ‘Brya ebenus’ belongs to the pea family ‘Fabaceae’ and is native to the Caribbean islands of Jamaica and Cuba. It also goes by the quite romantic name of Jamaica Rain Tree because it blossoms bright yellow-orange...
Guilloché or guilloche is a craft that was developed over 300 years ago. Guilloché is a special pattern that is created using various overlapping or interlaced lines. To guilloche means then to mechanically engrave guilloches on an underlying material using pressure. This was done using a special lathe by guillocheurs....
