RobS

I have nothing right now, so I'm looking to buy scroll gouges as well as the regular gouges used to carve the plates, corner blocks, etc.

I am planning to try my hand at making a violin, but my carving experience is almost zero. I'd like to start practising working with gouges, and figured if I'm going to buy some, it may as well be ones that I can use for violin making when I'm ready. If you have a collection of extra gouges that would get me off to a good start, please get in touch! I am located in Toronto, Canada.

Thanks!!

Ok. I was planning on using Tried & True Original Wood Finish, since I have an unopened can of it lying around. Let me know if that's a bad idea. As for the EtOH, I'll try and find something, but in Ontario it's restricted, so you can't just buy that level of concentrated alcohol without special papers. What about denatured alcohol or methyl hydrate?

Thanks. Will rubbing alcohol from the pharmacy be good enough, or do I need pure EtOH? I am not sure where I would procure the pure stuff.

Here's a picture of the chinrest: (full screen: https://i.imgur.com/ouS5QNq.jpg) You can see in the middle area, and on the right-hand side there is a a clear distinction between finished and "no-longer finished". I have cleaned it, so that's not the issue. How can I tell if it's lacquer or something else? Should I remove existing finish before applying more? If so, how to I avoid removing the stain as well? (I assume the wood is stained) Thanks!

Hello experts - I need some help on restoring the finish on my chinrest. The finish is coming off, and the raw (still stained) wood is exposed, which means it's absorbing perspiration and other nastiness. I believe that this was caused by somebody (ok, it was me) applying Hill Violin Cleaner and Polish to the chinrest. I thought it would polish it up nicely, but instead it seems to have taken off the finish in a bad way. I have the tools to properly remove the chinrest, but am not sure what would be the best way to restore a finish without replacing the chinrest entirely (not desirable, since it fits me perfectly). I'm not a luthier, so I don't have any experience with varnishes in that sense, but I do have woodworking experience. I just don't want to apply the wrong finish which would make things worse. Any advice? I was thinking of using beeswax as a simple solution.