Tom's most detailed F5 models are generally triple bound, which greatly increases the time and effort required to install binding on each instrument.

Lucky for Tom, he has a secret weapon in Pava Knezevic, who has been helping Tom build his F5's since he restarted production in the mid-2000's.

The attention to detail required to bind an F5 is incredible. These binding jigs help Pava make sure she has all of the pieces accounted for and properly hand-bent before they are installed.

They also make great forms for still-hot binding to cool and maintain their desired shape.

Pava's skill lies in her incredible ability to make and align detailed miter cuts on each segment of binding. With three layers of material to line up, it really is a remarkable skill she has developed.

The first layer of binding to be installed here is the black and white inner binding. Here we see Pava working on the corner miter before she glues everything in place.

The tortoise outer binding is glued on once the inner binding has set. Pava starts at the outside of the scroll as the outer binding layer is one continuous piece along the entire side of the instrument.

Here you can see the miter joints that all meet at the inside point of the scroll.

Once the inner and outer scroll binding has been installed, the miter points of the binding blend together. With a little bit of finish sanding, you can start to see everything coming together for #464.

Part 8: Body Binding Completed →