DIY Network

Handmade Violin, Part 12: Varnishing and Polishing From "Handmade Music" episode DHMM-204

This fourth episode of DIY's five-part series on violin-making focuses the final stages in the creation of violin. In this second segment of the episode, the violin receives the varnish. But first, the students at the Chicago School of Violin Making receive a brief history lesson that's relevant to their efforts at building and finishing a violin.

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To build a violin, the students at the Chicago School first have to know their violins, and they learn history from the best. They are able to see up-close priceless violins made by masters like Stradivarius, and ones that have been played by some of the leading violinists from past years and earlier centuries. It may seem that Stradivarius and his contemporaries protected some closely guarded trade-secrets to secure their place in history but that's not exactly true. According to Chicago School graduate Whitney Osterud, the master violin makers worked in simpler times. Most of the layout done on even the priceless classics shown in the school's collection can be done with a straight-edge, pencil and divider. Early templates and patterns were relatively simple. The builders did have a firm grasp of "the golden mean," but the designs were not based on complex formulas or calculations.

As these students search the tabletop library of knowledge the secrets they seek are right in front of them in the priceless instruments on display. One instructor, Phillip Greenberg of the Savannah Symphony, encourages the students to give special attention to becoming experts on wood and its tonal properties. Sound advice. Another thing about wood is that it also has some nice visual properties. That becomes apparent during the next step in the creation of the violin -- varnishing.

Mixing varnish is the first step in finishing a violin. It's an important step, and at times it can seem a bit like chemistry class. After orchestrating a mix that includes seedlac, turpentine and alcohol, a varnish concoction emerges. Students hope their alchemy creates a finishes similar to those created by Stradivarius, but exhibit curator and conductor Phillip Greenberg explains that there may be less "magic" in that process than one might imagine. "I know that all of you . . . may forever be in search of Strad's secret varnish formula," he says, "but in my opinion, it's an exercise in futility. There were no 'secrets.' You could go into the equivalent of a typical hardware store of the day and buy the same varnish. House-painters had it." With some of the pressure of seeking the "perfect varnish" removed by those words, students can be content in the varnish they create. Confidence and ability have a way of improving naturally at the Chicago School.

In our demonstration, one of the students applies a spirit varnish, gently brushing on a series of thin coats.

The Varnishing Process

According to co-director Becky Elliott, depending on the violin-maker's preference, as many as 20 to 30 coats may be applied. Becky summarizes the overall process thusly:

• The process starts with a "white violin," cleaned and smoothed, but with no varnish.

• A water-color may be added to soften the white shade a bit. A ground coat is then applied to add a small amount of color to the wood, and also to serve as an intermediate coat between the wood and first coat of varnish. The ground coat must be formulated so that it's able to adhere to the wood, and so that the varnish will in turn be able to adhere to the varnish. The ground coat has partial sealing properties that prevent the varnish from soaking completely into the wood.

• Clear coats of varnish are added next. That's something of a misnomer since these coats aren't entirely "clear," but actually starts to darken the wood somewhat. Some additional color may be added at this point using color coats. Once the color is built to the desired point, the process ends with a final clear coat. The exact color and degree of darkness may vary according to the maker's preference.

During this process, there is a temporary block attached to the neck. This keeps varnish off the neck where the fingerboard will be glued later. When students finish each coat, and ultimately when they finish all varnishing, the violins are stashed in a drying room.

After brushing on twenty or more coats of varnish, the violin is allowed to dry in preparation for the final steps of touch-up and polishing.

Touch-Up, Polish and Set-Up

According to expert violin-maker Fred Thompson, touch-up mainly involves taking a small brush and adding varnish to some of the areas of lighter application, between the general coats. Some sanding was done earlier, between application of varnish coats.

In addition to touch-up, polishing is one of the final steps in violin-making. Fred removes brush-marks with very-fine foam-backed abrasive pads, ranging from 1800-grit to 6000-grit. This leaves a surface that will be easy to polish. It's best to wait at least a week after the last coat of varnish before polishing the violin.

Fred the uses a scrap of clean cloth, some alcohol, and a little mineral oil. He describes it as "a little like French-polishing, but without shellac." The alcohol softens the varnish a bit, allowing any sanding marks to be removed. The mineral oil acts as a lubricant to prevent the rag from sticking. It's critical to keep the cloth moving, since the varnish is actually being softened as you work. Stopping could leave undesired marks in the finish.

The goal of the polishing is to remove any brush-marks and sanding marks -- ending with a smooth, transparent finish.

In the segment that follows, the final add-ons are added -- including the pegs, sound-post, bridge and strings -- so that the first sounds can be made by this handmade instrument.

RESOURCES :

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Order this book from Amazon.com.

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