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Dave Chandler Super Member
Joined: 31 Oct 2007 Posts: 691 Location: Mt Mitchell in North Carolina
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Posted: Wed May 14, 2008 10:51 am Post subject: Warming the Varnish |
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I'm still working on the finish of my 6th violin, and still struggling to get a nice finish, so I'm trying different things. It doesn't bother me to strip a violin back to the wood and start again, so I do experiment a lot. Here's a couple things I've been experimenting with, and hope to get some professional (or not) feedback from some of you makers.
I tried something the other day, warmed my varnish up (didn't take the temp, but it was perhaps about 90 degrees, warm to the touch, not hot), and it went on more smoothly and seemed to give me a few extra moments before setting up.
Anyone else warm their varnish or the instrument before application?
Also, I'm thinning my varnish much more than in the past, if I'm using Behlen varnish direct from the bottle, I'm using about 1/3 turpentine. It is possible to thin it too much and what's the penalty? It does give me nice thin coats.
As an artist, when I have a large area on the canvas to fill, I'll prime the canvas with straight turpentine so the colors go on more quickly, and spread more evenly. Has any of you put a thin turp layer on the violin just before a coat of varnish? Too much turp? _________________ Dave in the Blue Ridge
Southern Violin Association
"Success is the ability to go from one failure to the next with no loss of enthusiasm" Winston Churchill
"I took the road less travelled, and now I don't know where I am." Marco Polo |
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MANFIO Super Member
Joined: 11 Apr 2007 Posts: 458 Location: Sao Paulo
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Posted: Wed May 14, 2008 11:55 am Post subject: |
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Hi! Warming the varnish is mentioned in many old recipes. Oil varnish can be quite thick and warming it helps. Applying oil varnish with the fingers is also mentioned in many old recipes.
You can try Kerosene (a god suggestion by Michael Darnton) or Spike Oil to dilute the varnish, they will help quite a lot in brushing, reducing the time the varnish settles, Kerosene is much more cheaper.
I use my oil varnish diluted in turpentine, 2 coats, to help sealing the wood. Michael Darnton suggests turpentine with some drops of linseed oil. _________________ www.manfio.com
http://www.flickr.com/photos/7875988@N02/with/464604020/ |
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FiddleDoug Member
Joined: 08 Sep 2007 Posts: 227 Location: Hilton, NY
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Posted: Wed May 14, 2008 1:03 pm Post subject: Behlen varnish? |
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Dave,
Isn't the Behlen varnish (I also have some) a spirit varnish? I'm not sure that turpentine is really the correct solvent to thin it with, but the slower drying time of turpentine over alcohol would explain the slower drying time. _________________ Doug Wall
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Dave Chandler Super Member
Joined: 31 Oct 2007 Posts: 691 Location: Mt Mitchell in North Carolina
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Posted: Wed May 14, 2008 1:40 pm Post subject: Varnish |
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No, clearly an oil varnish, purchased in bulk from Metropolitan Music. I was wrong on the "Behlens", its "Old Master" according the their website, but comes unlabelled. _________________ Dave in the Blue Ridge
Southern Violin Association
"Success is the ability to go from one failure to the next with no loss of enthusiasm" Winston Churchill
"I took the road less travelled, and now I don't know where I am." Marco Polo |
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Wolfjk Junior Member
Joined: 29 Jul 2007 Posts: 8 Location: UK
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Posted: Wed May 14, 2008 8:46 pm Post subject: Warming varnish |
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Hi,
I warm the oil varnish in a warm water container, but use only the amount enough for one coat. Colours disperse better in warm varnish. I find it spreads easier.If you put a few drops of cold pressed linseed oil in, it spreads even better!
Wolfjk |
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M.Lange Member
Joined: 30 Apr 2008 Posts: 81 Location: Germany
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Posted: Thu May 15, 2008 4:59 am Post subject: Re: Warming the Varnish |
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Dave Chandler wrote: |
It is possible to thin it too much and what's the penalty? It does give me nice thin coats. |
If the varnish you are using does dissolve the previous layers, as for example spirit varnishes or the Hammerl volatile oil varnish do, it is possible.
I just did it. The result was, that all the coats that I had applied were dissolved and the varnish concentrated in some spots while it was completedly removed in others.
I had to take off the varnish and start again.
Matthias |
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Dave Chandler Super Member
Joined: 31 Oct 2007 Posts: 691 Location: Mt Mitchell in North Carolina
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Posted: Thu May 15, 2008 12:59 pm Post subject: Varnish |
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Definitely this can happen with spirit varnishes, but with oil varnish if you wait until previous coat has completely cured, it shouldn't come back up -- at least this has been my experience. I've stripped violins with spirit varnish very easily with alcohol when I wanted to start over. I also found out the hard way with "peg drops" on spirit varnish. _________________ Dave in the Blue Ridge
Southern Violin Association
"Success is the ability to go from one failure to the next with no loss of enthusiasm" Winston Churchill
"I took the road less travelled, and now I don't know where I am." Marco Polo |
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M.Lange Member
Joined: 30 Apr 2008 Posts: 81 Location: Germany
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Posted: Sun May 18, 2008 11:21 am Post subject: Re: Varnish |
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Dave Chandler wrote: | ...but with oil varnish if you wait until previous coat has completely cured, it shouldn't come back up |
That's what I thought too. But the Hammerl volatile oil varnish is much like a spirit varnish in its properties.
Although the volatile oil varnish looks much better, I now use the Hammerl 1a oil varnish, which is really easy to brush.
Matthias |
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