varnish as usual

[joerobson]

Almost there on a violin for show and tell at VSA in Baltimore.

[joerobson]

Ground done. On to seperator coat.

on we go

Joe

[Urban Luthier]

Beautiful! 

[Jim Bress]

Awesome!

[joerobson]

Many thanks to the Chicago School of Violin Making for their support of our Varnish Workshop.

[joerobson]

Current viola ready for color and then show and tell at VSA.

See you there?

on we go,

Joe

[Jim Bress]

Looking forward to seeing it!

[joerobson]

Here is a picture of my current varnishing job....a work in progress...

One of the aspects of the Cremonese varnish...particularly Stradivari Bergonzi and Peter of Mantua...that I have observed is how the figure in the maple [latitude] seems to float over the grain of the back [longitude] 

[MikeC]

Curly maple does that if you have a nice finish on it. 

What's on that one?  I like it.  

[MikeC]

 

 I have seen a video of a Stradivari back that does not show the chatoyance.  I'll see if I can find it and post it, maybe you could comment.  Here's a link, not the best lighting but the flames don't seem to move much. 

 

[joerobson]

1 hour ago, MikeC said:

 

 I have seen a video of a Stradivari back that does not show the chatoyance.  I'll see if I can find it and post it, maybe you could comment.  Here's a link, not the best lighting but the flames don't seem to move much. 

 

That's the Jackson...I know it well. 

[MikeC]

I was wondering about the finish or what's left of it. The flames seem burned in.  No 3D movement.  

I reuploaded the video, removed the audio.  

[joerobson]

7 hours ago, MikeC said:

I was wondering about the finish or what's left of it. The flames seem burned in.  No 3D movement.  

I reuploaded the video, removed the audio.  

Give me a call...

[MikeC]

Hi Joe,  I had your number at one time, but you'll have to give it to me again. Send me a PM if you don't want to post it here.  Thanks! 

[Don Noon]

On 6/15/2026 at 3:35 AM, MikeC said:

I was wondering about the finish or what's left of it. The flames seem burned in.  No 3D movement.  

I have seen the ex-Jackson (Sloan) Strad quite a bit as well, and noticed the same thing.  Only under what's left of the original varnish was there any reflectivity, and then not a lot.

We have to remember what "reflectivity" is in varnished wood.  In bare wood, light can reflect directly off of the first surface.  In varnished wood, that can't happen, and the reflection happens at the second (or more) interface between the cell walls and air inside the cells.

The only way there can be no reflectivity is if the cell walls are opaque, or if the cells have been filled with something.  It is known that old wood becomes closer to opaque, and if the exposed wood was exposed to anything to make it opaquer (if that's a word), that would do it too.

[MikeC]

so do you think with most varnish worn off then age and exposure to environment dirt grime etc. is what makes it 'opaquer'    new word for the day.  Lack of 3D rolling flames.  Or could it be some influence from a dye or stain applied by the maker.  

There is also a Del Gesu with a similar appearance.  I'll see if I can post that later.   

[Don Noon]

I certainly can't say who did what to these violins over the years, but I'd guess that varnish protects the wood from some external effects (oxidation, UV, dirt, body gunk) that might make the wood more opaque (the proper form of the word).  (Varnish also offers protection from someone who might use funny stuff to clean or coat the surface.)

Unprotected wood left ouside to the elements goes opaque in well under 300 years, although I can't say if it's oxidation, UV, temperature, or moisture that causes it.

Here's a side-by-side comparison of the ex-Jackson and my #15... and my back wood is torrefied.  Sloan's Del Gesu is pretty much the same as far as appearance goes.

 

[MikeC]

yeah, here's the Del Gesu.    Thing is, I've always heard about the amazing finish. Flames floating in 3D.  So I guess not all are like that.  

This is not a great image, just a quick screenshot from a short video.  

 

[Don Noon]

1 hour ago, MikeC said:

yeah, here's the Del Gesu.    Thing is, I've always heard about the amazing finish. Flames floating in 3D.  So I guess not all are like that.  

This is not a great image, just a quick screenshot from a short video.  

Looks like Bill's hat on the table.  Nice.

Here's a higher resolution shot, again with my torrefied maple violin for comparison.  Not much reflection from the old wood.  I think it's a bit lighter color than the Strad, and I don't recall anything specific about chatoyance or not.

[MikeC]

Don, That's a much better photo.  Even torrefied, yours looks lighter.  I've been thinking about trying a poor mans version of torrefying, wrap some samples in aluminum foil and bake in the oven a low temp for a long time.  Not sure if that would work or not.  

  I have not seen them in person, just a couple of short videos from a friend of Michael Darnton.   

Joe's last photo has a certain look that I like and his description of the figure floating over the grain of the back made me think of these two violins and how I don't see that effect in those two short videos.   In Joe's photo you can see the medullary rays.  I like to see those floating in 3D.   

Here's a crop of Joes photo and a finish I was testing on a knife handle that shows the contrast in the rays and cell structure.