Opinions about Magister Varnish over time.

[Apoteca Brasile]

Hi,
I'm looking for opinions about how  Magister Varnish behaved over time.

If anyone on the Maestronet Forum can share observations about the behavior and wear patterns of the Magister Varnish over time I would appreciate it.
I ask if the type of wear would have any similarity to the Cremonese Varnish of 1700, we know that the fluorescence light was very similar.

Another question would be about what you considered most positive in the result of the Sandarac Oil Varnish "Vernice Liquida" type, and whether you still consider it viable for current use.

Thank you for attention, greetings.

[Wood Butcher]

15 hours ago, Apoteca Brasile said:

I ask if the type of wear would have any similarity to the Cremonese Varnish of 1700, we know that the fluorescence light was very similar.

It will not, for the reasons that the way instruments are stored and played, has changed greatly since 1700.

Cases are different. Chin rests & shoulder rests minimise contact with the instrument. Chin placed on the opposite side too.

For cellos, there still may be some comparisons, but again, how the instrument is held, and positioned, has changed a lot.

[Apoteca Brasile]

9 hours ago, Wood Butcher said:

It will not, for the reasons that the way instruments are stored and played, has changed greatly since 1700.

Cases are different. Chin rests & shoulder rests minimise contact with the instrument. Chin placed on the opposite side too.

For cellos, there still may be some comparisons, but again, how the instrument is held, and positioned, has changed a lot.

Hi Wood Butcher,
Thanks for answering.
Yes, maybe because of my limitation with English I didn't write the question properly.

I understand that Magister Varnish and old Cremonese Varnish cannot be compared as they are cultural conditions and different times.

But I am interested in knowing if, in recent years, violin makers who have used Magister varnishes have noticed any other type of structural problem with the varnish, such as cracking, sticking and never drying, if chips naturally occur, if wear on the edges and area of contact with the player's skin became interesting over time.

[Wood Butcher]

I understand now.

I cannot specifically comment on the Magister varnish, since I would not know from looking at an instrument, if that brand of varnish had been used.

What I do know, is that oil varnishes, in general, can be susceptible to many of the problems you are describing.
The high contact areas can degrade quite badly, presumably because the heat, perspiration, skin oils etc, cause the varnish to break down quite fast.

Hopefully someone who used the Magister products themselves can say more, although I do not think it has been available for quite some years, so only an older maker may have any insight.

[ernym]

I would send your question by email to Bill Scott since he was the distributor of Magister products in the US. He also used the products and is an award winning maker.

http://www.scottstudios.net/