Violin Forum/Message Board

[M.Lange]

Put 3 tea bags in about 1 cup of water and let it boil for ten minutes.

[ChameleonMan]

Great, I'll try that, thank you.

[ChameleonMan]

The tea turned the violin a nice golden color and really brought out the flames of the wood. Thanks for the tip. I have a question about the purfling, though; when varnishing, should I just go right over the purfling? Keep in mind I have the black/white/black purfling. I'm pretty positive I would, but just asking. I'll post pictures after I sand. Thanks!

[Jack H.]

Yep, varnish everything except for the middle of the neck and the fingerboard and nut area.

[ChameleonMan]

My first varnishing went OK, but I've run into a problem. The varnish has formed dark blobs in ome areas. I need to remove them. I've seen paint remover carefully used on paper towels to remove te blemishes. Would this be OK? Or maybe Acetone or Spirit Solvents? Please Help!

[ChameleonMan]

The last clear coat of varnish is drying today. It has come out decently, and I have posted some pictures. But before that, I would like to say why I varnished my violin the way I did. Violins are traditionally varnished perfectly and evenly. But I have always found that the most beautiful violins are those that are old and torn; in a sense unique. They have character, and in my varnishing process i decided I would try to make mine look, well... unique. I started with a ground coat of gelatin, followed by a tea stain to darken the flames. I then applied one coat of dark brown varnish, followed by two coats of red varnish and two clear top coats. In between, major sanding and scraping was done to give it that antique look. The back of the neck was stained, and the fingerboard has been stained and permanently glued. Just for reference, the coats ARE EVEN. I have gotten responses by people saying that the coats of varnish are uneven and would therefore affect the sound. This is all part of the varnish, and the mixing of colors that I used. Please leave me feedback and tell me what you think:















Thanks!

[deloid]

You're a rare individual. It takes drive motivation, tenacity and talent to do what you have done at your age. I'm incredibly impressed.

I can't wait for additional photos!

[deloid]

How much drying time did you have between each stage?

[ChameleonMan]

Thank you Deloid I appreciate your comment!

I generally gave 24 hours between each coat. The varnish was dry at 12 hours but I gave it 24 to be sure.

[M.Lange]

Congratulations! It is very nicely built. Very Good for the first/second one.

Concerning the varnish, I think it would have been better if you hadn't antiqued it. It is not very convincing, as it is now.
When you look at the wear patterns on well played, old violins, you will see that there are certain areas that show very much wear, while others are preserved pretty well. Also every area has a specific quality of wear, depending on its cause. For example from hitting the right center bout edge with your bow hand/the frog.

Antiquing is something that is very hard to do, I think. (As someone who did not try it)
It needs very much thinking and a lot of practice.

Matthias

[ChameleonMan]

I understand about the antiquing. I thought I'd give it a go, but I don't think it will be something I stick with on future violins. Like you said, the wear is not in the correct area, and I only majorly antiqued the front. Thank you for your comments!

[Janito]

If it's not quite right, there is no harm in stripping and restarting.

A cello I made some years ago fell off its hanger and landed on my recently seeded lawn. I only found out some time later. I didn't have an option...

[ChameleonMan]

Stripping and restarting, that sounds scary, and harmful to the instrument. I don't think I'd go that route. It's all learning now, and It's certainly unique.

[Tim McTigue]

Don't be so quick to assume it'd be too difficult, or harmful in some way. You've accomplished a heck of a lot in a very short time, I'm sure you'll be surprised how straightforward it'll be. Back around the Christmas/New Year holidays, I finally got the top and back glued to the ribs. Only to find that the overhang of the edges was very erratic and way too big. I posted a query about how I might "fix" it without anything being too obvious, but the thing is, I'd already carved the channel and done most of the edgework, there was no way to modify the outline without being very obvious.

Someone suggested the best idea would be to take the body apart again and make the rib garland bigger, to fit the plates. My response was the same as yours - "I don't think I want to go there". But I did, and I was surprised how well it went. Now I have it nearly done, and it looks like it will work. Certainly it's far better than it would have been if I had left it or tried to "fix" it, and I can assure you I learned a heck of a lot in the process...
_________________
Tim
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[ChameleonMan]

Over the past two days I have been polishing with pumice, I have set the soundpost, and have inserted my label. Here are some pictures of my label, and a perfect traditional quote I thought I would put on there:

Dum vixi tacui mortua dulce cano.
While I lived I kept silent; in death I sing sweetly.





I quite like the tag. And also, I have a question as I move onto fittings. What wood do you think would be best? I'm thinking of just sticking with ebony, but would maybe boxwood or rosewood look better with the varnish? Let me know what you think. Thanks!