by Emily Hall

Created on: February 04, 2009   Last Updated: February 25, 2009

There is one point I must make before beginning this article, and it is the most important one of all. If you have a violin that is above student level and in playable condition, it is a very bad idea to try and re-finish it yourself in any way, and certainly not with varnish that you would use on normal woodwork. Violins are very delicate and their sound can be affected dramatically by the finish that is put on them, so the most likely outcome if you try to revarnish a good, playable violin is that you will lose nine-tenths of its value, both musical and financial.

However, it can be a great project to attempt with an old, unused student violin, a violin you picked up in a junk shop, or one you put together yourself from parts you picked up. If you have nothing to lose with a violin and it needs refinishing, it can be fun to do it yourself and if done carefully it can have great results!

In a professional workshop the process of applying varnish will begin with a violin that has been buffed to white. The wood will be entirely porous and unsealed. Then a water based wood stain will be used in a very subtle shade to take the brightness off the wood. The wood is still porous and unsealed at this stage. Next, several very thin base or ground coats for the varnish are applied. The ground coat will contain some colour shades, usually to tone down the brightness of the previous shade a bit more - like washing a painting in coffee. It will also begin the process of sealing the wood. Each coat is allowed to dry completely before applying the next. Finally, a clear varnish made in the workshop will be painted on in very thin coats, building up layers slowly. This varnish will contain seedlac, a substance made from the processed secretions of insects that colonise wood. The same secretions go into shellac, a more commonly known form of lacquer. The varnish mix also contains alcohol and turpentine. Proportions are very important as these ingredients can be destructive.

With your re-varnishing project, it is impossible to start from white. You will need to strip the violin of its existing varnish, but before you do so, you need to consider your end product. When re-varnishing, you can to a certain extent change the colour of your violin. Look at what you have before you change anything. Do you like the shade? If you do, bear in mind that it will probably get lighter and more orange as you strip the violin of its layers. If you already like the colour, you may need to do very

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