West Dean College
Education Services Award 2022:
Casper received funding for a jointer plane, bending iron, thicknessing calipers and some help with expenses for a trip to the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford.
A few months in from receiving the award, Casper sent us a report:
I want to thank the RAB Trust for funding my bending iron, thickness caliper, jointer plane and trip to the Ashmolean Museum.
These tools are essential for me to support my future career as a professional maker. I used the bending iron for bending the ribs of my viola d’amore. The bending iron is made for instruments and has proper curves and with the heat control it saves time and is easy to use.
The jointer plane is of good quality steel and the sole is absolutely flat which is necessary to make perfect joints for the top and back plates.
The thickness calliper is accurate to 0.1 of a millimetre so I can improve the sound of my instruments by thinning the wood in specific areas.
When making historical instruments, I believe research is as important as the making skills themselves. The Ashmolean collection of musical instruments has given me new ideas and inspiration which I can use in my own future projects. It has widened my horizons and understanding of the old masters and has granted me insight on their level of making. My favourites are the Amati violin from 1564 which is believed to be the oldest surviving violin and the beautiful head carving on this English viol by John Rose.
