Today is an infusion day for me, so only a little workshop work is getting done. The time is still there, however, as it gives me time to reflect. Working on the Stainer violins brings to my mind learning how to "copy" or model existing instruments. Of course, that is the cornerstone of lutherie, as we all long to attach ourselves to a legacy, and an easy way to claim that is by copying instruments that represent a valued tradition. The first instrument I measured in 1973 was the Stainer violin in the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford, UK. In those days, our tools for technical measurements were limited, especially for a poor student, and I went to the museum with only pencils, a pad of paper, a divider, and a ruler. Owning a camera wasn't even a dream for me yet, so I hoped my rudimentary drawing skills and memory would be enough to create a record. When more sophisticated tools became available for documenting instruments, I wondered how accurate my ancient rubbings were when compared to the ultra-accurate drawings taken from CT scans. The image today shows a comparison of my original paprubbing taken from the Ashmolean Stainer violin in 1973 with the drawing of the Stainer violin published by the National Music Museum, Vermillion, SD, USA. Although the lines represent different instruments, my old hand tracing is remarkably similar to the computer line. Considering the primitive tools we used, I think we did an excellent job of making accurate reproductions of instruments.