milkpowder Posted January 31, 2021 Report Share Posted January 31, 2021 (edited) Hi everyone. I've been lurking for a while and have learned a fair bit doing so. Wondering what the general thoughts are about retouching varnish that has either worn away from playing +/- artifically aged. My violin has wear on the varnish in particularly where the left hand touches the body of the violin to the point where it has lost its shine. I know ultimately this is up to me whether to have it done or not, but as much as I am an owner of this fiddle, I am also a steward of this instrument and my gut feeling is to leave it alone to keep its "originality". However, I can't help but want to restore the shine, and to an extent the colour, in particular on the table. Do others feel the same, or have reservations about revarnishing? Edited January 31, 2021 by milkpowder Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Burgess Posted January 31, 2021 Report Share Posted January 31, 2021 In general, an instrument which is being used should have a layer of clear varnish applied wherever there is bare wood, to protect the wood from moisture and wear. This may need to be done quite regularly. And make sure it's done by someone who knows how to do this carefully and artistically. Once sealed with varnish, the wear area on the upper rib can also be further protected with clear adhesive plastic, but the top and back edges in that area appear to have a lot of wear too, so those will still probably need to be retouched regularly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FiddleDoug Posted January 31, 2021 Report Share Posted January 31, 2021 Don't do it yourself!!!! Retouching is an art, and bad things happen when amateurs try to do it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deans Posted January 31, 2021 Report Share Posted January 31, 2021 looks like a nice one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wood Butcher Posted January 31, 2021 Report Share Posted January 31, 2021 20 minutes ago, deans said: looks like a nice one. Which would make it a great shame if it became ruined by some diy varnishing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scordatura Posted January 31, 2021 Report Share Posted January 31, 2021 Retouching even with clear can be a slippery slope. Matching the level of gloss or matt is tricky. Color matching is one of the most daunting things in restoration. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Violin Beautiful Posted January 31, 2021 Report Share Posted January 31, 2021 Light retouching is usually fine, although the larger the area, the greater the chance it’ll be visible. Sealing bare spots is important to keep the wood healthy, but the wood needs to be clean from dirt and oil before anything is put on—otherwise all that debris is trapped in and might go deeper into the pores, which will make the area darker. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
milkpowder Posted January 31, 2021 Author Report Share Posted January 31, 2021 (edited) Thank you for the advice. I especially take on board the comments about the protective nature of varnish. Attached is another photo and you can clearly see where the varnish has been completely worn down. I've had this violin for about 16 years and played a lot more over the first ten years - looking back at older photos I'm relieved that I haven't added any wear to the unprotected wood. I definitely won't be attempting any retouching myself! I anticipated colour matching would be pretty difficult to do well, but never considered the matt/gloss aspect as well. Am I correct in thinking that even clear varnish will darken the wood slightly? Edited January 31, 2021 by milkpowder Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wood Butcher Posted January 31, 2021 Report Share Posted January 31, 2021 It's refreshing for someone to post such nice photos, well done milkpowder! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
milkpowder Posted January 31, 2021 Author Report Share Posted January 31, 2021 1 minute ago, Wood Butcher said: It's refreshing for someone to post such nice photos, well done milkpowder! Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick Allen Posted January 31, 2021 Report Share Posted January 31, 2021 I highly recommend at least sealing off areas of bare wood. Especially the upper bout ribs where your hand touches. If you don't, it'll start to go grey/green with dirt and sweat. You'll even deposit salty crystals into the wood that looks bad and clouds up the wood when sealed. To be honest I'd just have the areas of egregious and detrimental wear done. The areas on the back and top with nice subtle wear look quite nice to me. But that's just my opinion and take it for what you will. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dwight Brown Posted January 31, 2021 Report Share Posted January 31, 2021 I am 100% with Maestro Burgess on this. I would seek out a first class restorer. It will be very cheap compared to undoing bad work later. What is the instrument? DLB Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeffrey Holmes Posted January 31, 2021 Report Share Posted January 31, 2021 1 hour ago, Dwight Brown said: I am 100% with Maestro Burgess on this. I would seek out a first class restorer. It will be very cheap compared to undoing bad work later. What is the instrument? DLB Yup. Very standard maintenance, accomplished easily by someone who knows what they are doing. It should be carefully cleaned first to remove salts and oils. I usually flatten the varnish used for exposed areas appropriately. It looks more natural than a shiny area where it really shouldn't be shiny. Flat varnish protects as well as glossy, and if a bit more protection is required, there are some waxes that can be applied over the retouch. Plastic barrier on the rib will prevent further wear there. Go to a pro. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
milkpowder Posted January 31, 2021 Author Report Share Posted January 31, 2021 Fantastic advice, exactly what I was looking for. When the situation in the UK improves, I'll embark on looking for an experienced restorer. Dwight, it's unlabelled violin that came with a 1950s receipt from Beares stating it is a BS Fendt circa 1830s. The scroll is by another maker. I've taken it to a local(ish) dealer with quite a bit of experience in British/H&S violins who was supportive of the attribution and dating. I couldn't tell you very much else, only that there were some physical clues (numbered markings/bridge) supporting it having gone through Beares and possibly Hill & Sons over the course of its life. I'm quite fond of it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spelman Posted January 31, 2021 Report Share Posted January 31, 2021 I'll add my agreement to this thread. @The Violin Beautiful retouched the same bare wood areas on one of my fiddles and you can't tell. If I had left it as was, in a few years you definitely would have been able to tell... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dwight Brown Posted January 31, 2021 Report Share Posted January 31, 2021 1 hour ago, milkpowder said: Fantastic advice, exactly what I was looking for. When the situation in the UK improves, I'll embark on looking for an experienced restorer. Dwight, it's unlabelled violin that came with a 1950s receipt from Beares stating it is a BS Fendt circa 1830s. The scroll is by another maker. I've taken it to a local(ish) dealer with quite a bit of experience in British/H&S violins who was supportive of the attribution and dating. I couldn't tell you very much else, only that there were some physical clues (numbered markings/bridge) supporting it having gone through Beares and possibly Hill & Sons over the course of its life. I'm quite fond of it. It’s really quite handsome. I’m absolutely sure there are some great restoration folks that can do a sympathetic job for you. You could ask Jeff, I’m sure he knows just the right person. DLB Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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