Violin Forum/Message Board

tkafitz · Member Joined: 24 Oct 2009 Posts: 26 Location: NC

I am starting a restoration of my personal violin. It has been in my family for years. It needs some work, I have never attempted anything like this. I have been stuying up and reading many books on the things that I want to do also. I have all the needed tools, and I havd already started grafting small pieces of wood onto the body were needed. I will post some pics as I progress, I am open to any and all criticism and would appreciate any pointers given. Thanks for your time and I look forward to hearing back from the more experienced professinals here.
Thanks alot!

tkafitz · Member Joined: 24 Oct 2009 Posts: 26 Location: NC

Quick question, if I want too re varnish this violin, what should I do first to remove the old varnish. Use denatured alchol??? Or something else?
I have ordered new varnish and have enought to redo the entire violin.

rs · Posted: Thu Nov 26, 2009 9:50 pm Post subject:

None of the above.

The original varnish should be kept on it no matter the condition of it.

If it is oil based, clean it with xylene and touch it up with water color and spirit varnish.

If it is spirit varnish, clean it with xylene and touch it up with water color, a little spirit varnish where bare wood is an issue, or repairs are in order, and french polish.

I can think of no circumstance where removal of the original varnish is a good idea in restoration. NONE.

Best wishes and hope it works out.
_________________
Randall Shenefelt

Andres Sender · Posted: Fri Nov 27, 2009 5:24 am Post subject:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/3728193.stm

FiddleDoug · Member Joined: 08 Sep 2007 Posts: 227 Location: Hilton, NY

Don't do anything irreversible and remove as little of the original material as possible. What exactly do you mean by restoration? What's wrong with it as is? What exactly needs to be restored? What is the origin of the instrument, and who is the maker? The last thing that you want to do is mess with an instrument of historic and/or monetary value, because, as a beginning restorer, the work that you do may decrease the value of anything valuable.
Take the instrument to a luthier for an evaluation before you mess with it.

Restoration is not refinishing!
_________________
Doug Wall

www.wallindependent.com

tkafitz · Member Joined: 24 Oct 2009 Posts: 26 Location: NC

Okay, maybe I made a mistake writing restoration. The violin needs touch up work all around, I have already repaired a few opened seams using hide glue. The varnish is nicked all over and it has not been kept up in years since it was out of my hands on loan to a younger cousin playing in an orchestra. After she finished playing there it has been put up in who know waht kind of storage because when I got it I could have not been more upset that it was in such poor condition. It has had the neck repaired before and I have already touched up that also as the person who repaied it put a wood screw into the heel of the neck. I have removed the screw, and put a small dowel into the hole and matched the grain as best as possible. The largest problem I have is the varnish. it has faded so bad I have actually scraped both top and bottom and retreated it. I just need to revarnish it entirely at this point and I will be satisfied.