Violin Forum/Message Board

antonio · Member Joined: 21 Sep 2008 Posts: 27 Location: Croatia

Type_A_04_violin by komac1, on Flickr

Hi, can anyone tell me how to paint/varnish a violin like this and what exactly to buy. I need exactly the procedure, and types of paint that I need to achieve this (I found this picture on the internet), and where to buy the paint.

Thank you

ctviolin · Posted: Sat Feb 16, 2013 10:19 pm Post subject:

you mean how to stain/varnish a violin just like that?

You'd probably have to talk to the guy who did it to know EXACTLY.

But it sort of looks like he started by staining or varnishing the whole thing yellow - and then added a brown stain and/or varnish, graduating it into the yellow at the center, carefully starting at the purfling (??) (perhaps he masked it there?) - but leaving the edges the origional yellow.

?
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Oded Kishony · Posted: Sat Feb 16, 2013 11:36 pm Post subject:

CT is correct, the only way to know how it was done is from the person who did it. But this color effect is called a 'sunburst' and you can see how it's achieved a this site:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s1aauftLf90

It's not a traditional violin color effect, mostly it's done on plucked instruments like guitars and mandolins

Oded Kishony

Chet Bishop · Posted: Sun Feb 17, 2013 10:59 am Post subject:

I could be mistaken, but that looks very much like guitar lacquer to me. I don't think it is varnish...it also looks as though it was sprayed on, but I suppose it is possible it was accomplished by french-polishing.
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ctviolin · Posted: Sun Feb 17, 2013 5:45 pm Post subject:

Oded Kishony · Posted: Sun Feb 17, 2013 6:40 pm Post subject:

if you take a look at the youtube link I posted above you can see how the colors are spray painted on a guitar.

Lacquer is not thought to have very good acoustical properties for violin family instruments. But seem ok for guitars.

OK

kjb · Super Member Joined: 06 Feb 2013 Posts: 385

you may find that its a little more complicated than painting, what are you thinking of doing, refinish one or one you made?

antonio · Member Joined: 21 Sep 2008 Posts: 27 Location: Croatia

...I was thinking just to paint my new violin which is not completely made yet... but the transition doesn't have to be like this from brown to yellow, maybe it could be done by brush, and then polished somehow...

Jacob · Posted: Mon Feb 18, 2013 11:06 am Post subject:

Michael Darnton · Posted: Mon Feb 18, 2013 12:44 pm Post subject:

On guitars the traditional way to do this is with a dilute alcohol stain and a rag, gradually wiping on the color around the outside, building the fade into the center, darkness towards the outside. Then when that dark border is right, plain amber varnish is put over the whole thing.

Antonio, what no one is saying is
1/ this is a hideous look that looks only a little better on a cheap guitar and screams out "low-price factory-made instrument"
2. it's never done on violins (the example you put up is the first I've seen)

Usually variations of color on violins follows the natural wear paths that an instrument gets through the passage of time.

Lacquer sounds fine on violins, by the way, if it's thin enough.
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ctviolin · Posted: Mon Feb 18, 2013 2:22 pm Post subject:

actonern · Super Member Joined: 15 Aug 2007 Posts: 444

antonio · Member Joined: 21 Sep 2008 Posts: 27 Location: Croatia

HA HA! Ok so what would you suggest, if I want my violin to be brown, without these transitions, what should I put first, what last, I mean the coats of paint/varnish, and where to buy them... I painted a lot of things, including megayachts, wooden doors etc., but never a violin, so I would like to know at least what is the proper paint or varnish so that it doesn't ruin the sound...

Michael Darnton · Posted: Mon Feb 18, 2013 3:55 pm Post subject:

The basic plan is to lay something almost uncolored as a base--it's considered bad for the wood to get stained as is common with furniture--violin makers call that "burned", when color gets into the wood. A little amber color to mimic age is OK, but not too much. Then after you have a good sealed surface, put on layers of varnish of the color you want--say, brown, in your case.

Spraying is common, if you have the equipment, and extremely easy.

Shellac, with it's original color in it, not "white" or bleached, is a good base. Then for on top of that, the normal thing to do is use either an alcohol-based varnish, or a linseed-oil based varnish, for the colored part. Alcohol varnish is very difficult to brush, very easy to spray. Oil varnish is easy to brush on. For colors, you can use anything that will mix with your varnish, doing tests until you have something you like.

If you want some sort of aged look, you can carefully remove color to copy age. For instance, I always remove quite a bit of color around the edge, outside the purfling, the corners of the head, etc. with steel wool, lightly. Then you can do more and more to mimic different states of wear. Look at photos of older expensive violins to see what people are trying to copy. The violins here, for instance: http://archive.music.ntnu.edu.tw/chimei/search.html
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Jacob · Posted: Mon Feb 18, 2013 4:07 pm Post subject: