Crackling Mittenwald Varnish

[Guido]

We have seen and discussed a few examples of this over the years... usually there is a discussion if the violin was in a fire.

Seems to be natural aging of a type of Mittenwald varnish that can sometimes end up looking like this. Anyhow.

I like the look of it, but I appreciate it would be an acquired taste, and suspect none of my potential customers will have had a chance to acquire this taste.

I would very much like to leave it as is, rather than try to improve the appearance.

But would be happy to hear what others think... and if there might be a conservative way, how to approach it.

[match]

Maybe one should give potential customers the chance to acquire a taste for it. To be honest, I don’t have any experience with this yet, but the comparison with Japanese ceramics—where cracked and weathered glazes are considered highly valued objects—often comes to mind. Perhaps that could serve as a way of framing the argument. After all, one sometimes marvels at what kinds of unsightly wrecks are regarded as “beautiful,” whether as family heirlooms or flea market finds.

[Blank face]

1 hour ago, Guido said:

We have seen and discussed a few examples of this over the years... usually there is a discussion if the violin was in a fire.

Seems to be natural aging of a type of Mittenwald varnish that can sometimes end up looking like this. Anyhow.

I like the look of it, but I appreciate it would be an acquired taste, and suspect none of my potential customers will have had a chance to acquire this taste.

I would very much like to leave it as is, rather than try to improve the appearance.

But would be happy to hear what others think... and if there might be a conservative way, how to approach it.

This one looks very moderate in comparison with a lot of others and I would agree that in my eyes it could be left as is.

Otherwise I described a method to restore it (which can be also used in small areas) here:

 

[fiddlecollector]

Its not always Mittenwald either, some of the more severe examples ive seen were English such as some Kennedy instruments. Various explanations for it but often bitumin in the varnish.

[Dr. Mark]

Many seem to recognize that visual interest and visual beauty aren't quite the same thing.  Interesting things can be a pleasure to look at without fitting anyone's definition of beauty.

[Brad Dorsey]

I wonder about the darkest spots that appear to be thicker than the surrounding varnish.  Are they part of the original varnish, or are they some sort of dirt/rosin deposits on top of the varnish?  If the latter, I think it would be best to clean them off, but I don't know how I would do this.

[Blank face]

6 hours ago, Brad Dorsey said:

I wonder about the darkest spots that appear to be thicker than the surrounding varnish.  Are they part of the original varnish, or are they some sort of dirt/rosin deposits on top of the varnish?  If the latter, I think it would be best to clean them off, but I don't know how I would do this.

No, this isn't dirt or rosin. I'm not a chemist and have no clue about the reason why, but this varnish has a tendency to shrink into small alligator-skin alike sheds or round "pimples", and at this thick spots it becomes black easily. Nonetheless that applies usually only to the surface, and carefull sanding with fine grades can remove the dark color, as I described in the above linked thread.

[Guido]

Thanks for the linked discussions (and the links in these).

I might take a micromesh file to the worst bits and see; but will pretty much leave as is.

Btw on my violin only the top is affected. The back has a little case rush indicative of the soft oil varnish.