Violin Forum/Message Board

[Dave Chandler]

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?
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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

[MANFIO]

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.
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www.manfio.com

http://www.flickr.com/photos/7875988@N02/with/464604020/

[FiddleDoug]

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.
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Doug Wall

www.wallindependent.com

[Dave Chandler]

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

[Wolfjk]

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

[M.Lange]

[Dave Chandler]

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

[M.Lange]