joerobson

Your recovery was excellent. You have received a lot of good advice. I'll add on thing. When you.pat the varnish use a crosshatch pattern....first cross grain and then with the grain. on we, Joe

Cut a piece of parchment paper to fit.

Agreed

Chris is a great maker and great teacher.

As I no longer have a cello drying box, I put together movable panels for my current cello project. on we go, Joe

Buy him Brain Derber's book on violin making.

Enjoy

Nick, Try soaking some steelwool in lye dissolved in water. It has a gray brown tone. on we go, Joe

This is my interest also. I find the process of over polishing on new...particularly competition instruments odd Optically the heavy shine acts like a mirror and bounces back white light. This is distracting. It obscures the color and depth perception of the varnish and ground . It also adds to the self-similarity of the instruments when indivuality should be a benefit . A few years back Molina Pollizi (sp?) who now works for Florian Leonard did Santos Serifim violin with a gorgeous surface..matte in the worn areas and a nice sheen in the areas that don't get touched. There are ways to do this without adding shellac. on we go, Joe

Deo and Jeffery, I agree that this is a great tool in shop practice and a must for anyone who wants a job in the trade. My observation is that the hard shine created produces a white light reflection that distracts the eye and tends to obscure the appearance of the surface and the depth of illumination on new [antiqued or not] instruments. on we go, Joe

Thanks!

I'd love to have an answer to that question, but I am not qualified to do so...and I don't like to ask about stuff that is beyond my work. on we go, Joe

Hello all, The process of creating a highly polished surface over the finished varnish...primarily using shellac and alcohol or a commercial substitute is a common practice in violin making, though not so common in repair and restoration as it once was, is commonly referred to as french polishing. To be clear, this process bears little resemblance to the french polish that I learned as a cabinetmaker. My conversations with those whose opinions I trust seem unclear about the origin of the process. Best guess is that it became popular in the US in the 1950's but did not gain such popularity in England or elsewhere. However, it seems to have become [nearly] universal in current violin making, particularly in competitions. I have some strong opinions on the subject, but I choose to hold back so as not to prejudice the conversation. Do you do it? Do you like the effect? Why do you think it is important or not? on we go, Joe

Amos. Rest on Peace.

All of this and more is avaliable at instrumentpassport.com. Created by Will Howery, a violinmaker and computer wizard in Florida. He demonstrated this at the recent VSA convention. It is thorough, easy to use, and quite reasonably priced . on we go, Joe