nibs specks... ugh

[fiddlefaddle]

OK. I've solved the fisheye business with your alls help. now on to more trivialities that plague my life. Nibs, specks whatever you call them. try as i might. filters, Lint free cloth, scrupulous care. they always show up. Please help.

Bud

[This message has been edited by fiddlefaddle (edited 07-28-2001).]

[Kelvin Scott]

Bud,

Clean the room. Put on an air filter.

Humidify the room a bit may drop some dust out of the air.Filter your varnish, esp. if you have been adding pigments. Tack down the fiddle.Load the brush with varnish and brush out this varnish on a very clean piece of typing paper. This seems to remove dust and dirt from the brush. Thin coats seem to be less problematic with dust than thick ones for the imperfections pop out with light sanding. If none of this works, do as Joe Curtin would have you do....varnish naked at sea.

Kelvin

[fiddlefaddle]

AHH.. an answer at last, and a good one too. thanks Kelvin. I especially liked your method of brush prep.

Bud

[fiddlefaddle]

All right Kelvin, your suggestions worked great. I varnished in the bathroom after running the shower!!

Now. I am intrigued by your statement about thinnning oil varnish.. I think you said, Why would one do that.. Well I'm using NRI varnish which is like taffy.

So everyone says thin coats right, well, How do you do that?? without thinning.

Sorry to be such a bother.

thanks

Bud

[MikeH]

Bud,

When I can't be bothered to brew up a batch of varnish I use the NRI mixture. I sometimes thin it with a little pure turpentine, but mostly I make sure that the room and the fiddle is warm, and then stand the opened tin in hot water. This makes the varnish liquid, and easy to apply by brush. As to nibs, specks and dead fly legs, this is easier to deal with when the varnish is tack-dry - after 4 to six hours hours in the light box. Then you can pick out the nasties with some fine tweezers, and the surface does re-amalgamate itself.

Your point on using the bathroom is a good one. My variation involves filling up the bath with water - and pulling the plug before varnishing. Any specks etc. land on the water and are sucked down the plughole, leaving a cleaner environment.

It is also important to use a very good brush when using oil varnish. I use the Windsor and Newton Filberts in camel hair, 1 inch wide, with the extreme tips trimmed and the brush stroked up and down a piece of planed wood for half an hour to round off the ends. You tend to get better brush out with this.

Mike

[David Tseng]

The additive which reduces the surface tension of the liquid works pretty good.