bstone Posted January 7, 2012 Report Share Posted January 7, 2012 I recently had my violin varnished by a smoker. Now the violin really smells of tobacco. I fixed the case with febreze, but what can be done with the violin itself? Thanks, Bob S. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doc Eastman Posted January 7, 2012 Report Share Posted January 7, 2012 I recently had my violin varnished by a smoker. Now the violin really smells of tobacco. I fixed the case with febreze, but what can be done with the violin itself? Thanks, Bob S. Does the varnish smell or the cavity, or both, if you can tell? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bstone Posted January 7, 2012 Author Report Share Posted January 7, 2012 Does the varnish smell or the cavity, or both, if you can tell? As far as I can tell Doc, it is the varnish. Maybe if I could eliminate the varnish smell then I would have a better chance of dealing with the cavity. Bob S. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doc Eastman Posted January 7, 2012 Report Share Posted January 7, 2012 Have you tried an instrument cleaner/polisher compatible with your finish? Depending on value of he instrument, I might try french polishing (rubbing with a soft non-abrasive pad) with olive oil, and depending on the finish state a slight dusting of very fine pumice (I rub out all my finishes with this method). Could also use mineral oil i same way. If it is a fine instrument I would take to a luthier. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joerobson Posted January 7, 2012 Report Share Posted January 7, 2012 As far as I can tell Doc, it is the varnish. Maybe if I could eliminate the varnish smell then I would have a better chance of dealing with the cavity. Bob S. Bob S. If it is the varnish, it is not likely the fault of tobacco or the smoker. I have had some experience with this problem. I know a violin maker who is also a varnish maker. Beautiful instruments, beautiful varnish, not a smoker....however the varnish making method used creates a tobacco smell in and on the instrument and it is very hard to remove. Methods tried and failed: exposure to the sun, dryer sheets in the instrument, cotton balls with turpentine in the instrument, pieces of incense in the instrument, waiting a year.... Let me know if you figure this one out...I have a candidate for your method! on we go, Joe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stephen maloney Posted January 7, 2012 Report Share Posted January 7, 2012 What this life lesson is telling you is: it's never too late to start smoking again. Welcome back. We missed ya. May I recommend filter-less Lucky Strikes (now that's toasted flavor). It is no coincidence that Stradivari and Guarneri were both smokers (it's how they met) - they seem to have done alright for themselves. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeC Posted January 7, 2012 Report Share Posted January 7, 2012 One word, Odoban. Well ok, that's three words... well dang that's five more words... aarrggg doh! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Walter van der Hee Posted January 7, 2012 Report Share Posted January 7, 2012 What this life lesson is telling you is: it's never too late to start smoking again. Welcome back. We missed ya. May I recommend filter-less Lucky Strikes (now that's toasted flavor). It is no coincidence that Stradivari and Guarneri were both smokers (it's how they met) - they seem to have done alright for themselves. Well Guarneri didn't get very old, but I don't know if that was smoking related. But it's good to know they were both smokers, nice to be able to identify myself with them Personally, I'd recommend hand rolled cigs, great taste and you can put in something extra besides tobacco, no no I didn't say that did I. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Burgess Posted January 7, 2012 Report Share Posted January 7, 2012 I recently had my violin varnished by a smoker. Now the violin really smells of tobacco. What's wrong with that? Think of it as an herbal smell, or like incense. You probably don't need to worry about any second-hand smoke medical risks, unless the violin catches on fire. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bernie R Posted January 7, 2012 Report Share Posted January 7, 2012 Personally, I'd recommend hand rolled cigs, great taste and you can put in something extra besides tobacco, no no I didn't say that did I. Nee toch Walter! Dat is echt ongezond en slecht advies voor de jongere lezers. Veel beter om dat "iets extra" te roken zonder tabac. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lyndon Posted January 7, 2012 Report Share Posted January 7, 2012 try leaving it out of the case for a couple weeks, even a low volume fan might help, the smell is going to dissapear or greatly lessen in time, however if you leave it in the case, it will be a much slower process IMO however consider yourself lucky he wasnt a heavy marijuana smoker and you have to explain that smell to your mates in the orchestra? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Walter van der Hee Posted January 7, 2012 Report Share Posted January 7, 2012 Nee toch Walter! Dat is echt ongezond en slecht advies voor de jongere lezers. Veel beter om dat "iets extra" te roken zonder tabac. Oef nee, dat is veel te zwaar voor mij! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jezzupe Posted January 7, 2012 Report Share Posted January 7, 2012 I'm not sure if you are male or female, but. Take either purfume or colonge that you like. 1. tear a very small peice of thick{charmin} toilet paper and saturate it with the purfume, let it dry and then toss it inside the ff hole. This very small peice{about a 1/4" sqaure}will not effect any thing. It will mask the smell with purfime and or blend with the tabacoo and make a combo smell that may be more tolorable. 2. take the same type of toilet paper, spray it with purfume, let it dry, then gently rub the purfume rag on the fiddle, this will impartthat smell to the violin and help mask it. A paper towel that has had an orange based hand cleaner WITH NO PUMICE can be put onto a tough paper towel, soaked with water and the hand cleaner. Unfold and let this paper towel dry out until it is just dry damp, hardly any water left. Then GENTLY wipe the fiddle down. These orange cleaners with liminonine D have great smell cutting properties as well as cut tar, grease,ol etc. this wil also help remove the smell. Good luck, you could always do what I do....Chain smoke, that way nothing bothers you, you just bother everyone else. I just pretend its Europe in 1968, everyone smokes, its good for you, and no one complained. Related to health care, I just pretend its 1564, I just die from an ingrown toenail at 47 because there is no medical care. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bernie R Posted January 7, 2012 Report Share Posted January 7, 2012 Oef nee, dat is veel te zwaar voor mij! Minder gebruiken. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Walter van der Hee Posted January 7, 2012 Report Share Posted January 7, 2012 Minder gebruiken. Ik ben al jaren clean Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
La Folia Posted January 7, 2012 Report Share Posted January 7, 2012 That stuff is water-soluble, and you should be able to reduce it by cleaning the varnish lightly with a damp cloth. The stuff also penetrates paint, so it might also have soaked into the varnish a bit, but it be reduced with a couple of cleanings. For what it's worth, professionals use ammonia, I think, for cleaning walls, but it can take two or more cleanings. (I don't know if ammonia is safe for the varnish, but you could test it.) If the smell is on the bare wood, you could try putting a small bag of baking soda in the violin. It reeks now, but that will diminish with time and fresh air. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Richwine Posted January 7, 2012 Report Share Posted January 7, 2012 Ammonia is NOT safe for varnish IME, especially relatively fresh varnish. However, fumes from ammonia do tend to neutralize tobacco smells. What Joe Robison says makes some sense. I've smelled some pretty unexpected aromas coming from curing coatings. Might just be the varnish. IME, the best alternative, if it really is tobacco smoke, is ozone. Many fire restoration places have ozone chambers that they use to get the smoke smell out of home furnishings. With an experienced operator, that should do the job. Ozone kills just about any odors, but doesn't stop them from being regenerated by an ongoing reaction. (Kills smoke odor, for example, but doesn't keep a cigar from creating more stink) Baking soda and coffee beans are tried and true odor killers, but I don't know how well they would work here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bstone Posted January 7, 2012 Author Report Share Posted January 7, 2012 Thank you all for your input. I appreciate hearing from both sides of the smoking question. I tried polishing the surface Doc, but there is still a lingering odor so I will leave it in the open for a month or so to see if that helps. Jezzupe, in this world of ours you never know anyone's sex based on a name but the last time I checked I was a male Again my thanks. I find this site most interesting. Bob S. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
La Folia Posted January 7, 2012 Report Share Posted January 7, 2012 Sorry, I remembered wrong. It's TSP (trisodium phosphate) that professionals use on walls to remove tobacco residue. I don't know if that's safe for the varnish either, but water certainly is, and the residue most certainly is quite water-soluble, and the smell can't have soaked in that badly in a short time. Fresh air most certainly will help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeffrey Holmes Posted January 7, 2012 Report Share Posted January 7, 2012 I know a violin maker who is also a varnish maker. Beautiful instruments, beautiful varnish, not a smoker....however the varnish making method used creates a tobacco smell in and on the instrument and it is very hard to remove. G. B. Morassi? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joerobson Posted January 8, 2012 Report Share Posted January 8, 2012 G. B. Morassi? Close...but no cigar.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Yacey Posted January 8, 2012 Report Share Posted January 8, 2012 Well, you could fill it up with baking soda right to the top through the F holes. Once you can't get anymore in there, place the violin in the case, and sprinkle another couple boxes in the case, and close the lid for a year or so. That should help. Seriously, you might get a sachet or two of baking soda and place it in the closed case, and change it once in awhile. Anything else is probably just masking the odor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joerobson Posted January 8, 2012 Report Share Posted January 8, 2012 Well, you could fill it up with baking soda right to the top through the F holes. Once you can't get anymore in there, place the violin in the case, and sprinkle another couple boxes in the case, and close the lid for a year or so. That should help. Seriously, you might get a sachet or two of baking soda and place it in the closed case, and change it once in awhile. Anything else is probably just masking the odor. If the smell is a part of the way the varnish was made....and this is true of the instruments I am familiar with...then anything which absorbs the odor inside the case or the instrument makes it worse, not better. So far, only time seems to heal this issue....and quite a bit of time at that. on we go, Joe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeffrey Holmes Posted January 8, 2012 Report Share Posted January 8, 2012 Close...but no cigar.... His varnish smelled rather smoky, especially in the 90s, a I recall. I might get that cigar with another guess or two. Cuban?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Slight Posted January 8, 2012 Report Share Posted January 8, 2012 The English maker William Luff used a stain for his instruments which was made up from the ends of old cigars, however they don't smell of tobacco. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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