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Comment |
ecmlee
Registered User
Posts: 10
(7/30/01 12:48:12 am)
Reply
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Can I do minor
re-varnishing by myself?
Yesterday when I adjusted the soundpost, I made some minor damage
on the varnish along the edge of the f-hole. Can I do the
re-varnishing by applying tung-oil? Other suggestion is welcomed
too.
By the way, where can I find the proper tools for
soundpost adjustment?
Eddy
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Todd
French 
Moderator
Posts: 222
(7/30/01 9:40:34 am)
Reply
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Re: Can I do
minor re-varnishing by myself?
Eddy,
Not recommended - touch up varnishing is even more
difficult that varnishing from scratch, and if you happen to mess up
in some way, it's even more trouble to have the 'repair' repaired.
There are some who use furniture touchup markers for little dings
and such, but I guess it depends on the value of your cello and your
tolerance for perfection. Some wouldn't dream of using a touchup
marker, yet others use them with abandon. The touchup markers are
more of a stain than a varnish, so it is a lot easier than working
with varnishes and varnish dyes, which can react to your existing
varnish in ways you might not know until you start seeing some odd
colors or cloudy film forming.
Proper soundpost setting
tools is pretty much just a soundpost adjuster for cello. I believe
Shar sells them, and I don't think the cello version is too cheap
($60??). However, I would encourage you to get some training before
going in and adjusting a soundpost - see if a qualified luthier will
be willing to work with you on soundpost adjustment so you can learn
the proper way in which to perform those tasks. There can be a lot
of damage done with soundpost setters, and I've seen some
instruments with the one f-hole significantly larger than another
because of improper soundpost setting - scraping off wood like they
were whittling...
It's a valuable talent to have, so it would
be helpful not only to you but to your colleagues if you were able
to properly adjust soundposts. It takes some practice, however, so
usually the only person who will allow you to practice on a
soundpost is yourself :-)
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Dick500
Registered User
Posts: 107
(7/30/01 9:45:26 am)
Reply
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Re:
Varnish
Applying oil of any sort to bare wood is a sure way of guaranteeing
that any future touchup done by a repair person will be made very
difficult, very time consuming, and very expensive. So, can you?
Sure. Should you? Please don't if you want to have it redone ever.
(On the same note, never touch an open crack because even skin oils
can repel glue and make a repair much more tedious and expensive
than it could have been.)
Soundpost setters can be gotten
from a variety of places. I know that we have German-manufactured
setters for sale at Shar, for example. I always end up modifying any
that I use, though. Depending on who made the setter, modifications
might consist of: sharpening the point and making it smaller,
changing the bend at both ends, grinding off excess metal around the
middle of the shaft of the setter, and wrapping the shaft with some
kind of tape so that I won't accidentally nick up the varnish around
the ff-holes. (It is so easy to do as you have
discovered.)
Dick
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drcello
Registered User
Posts: 538
(7/31/01 7:59:00 pm)
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| Edit
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Todd is right,
but...
Todd is correct, but....If you have an inexpensive cello, and you
are interested in doing repairs, why not have some fun? My cello had
a big scratch on it's belly. I removed all the varnish from the
belly of the cello, sanded it down nicely, and applied 7 handrubbed
coats of varnish. Came out beautifully, and the tone is the same as
before I started. While it was drying out, the sound post fell out,
and I enjoyed learning how to put it back in. So, I think it depends
on the cello. If you have an old cheapy, and it doesn't really
matter to you if you goof up, then try different things and have
some fun. On the other hand, if the cello is nice and means a lot to
you, then "hands off!" Take it to a qualified luthier.
Marshall C. St. John
drcello@vei.net
Wayside Presbyterian Church
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ecmlee
Registered User
Posts: 15
(8/1/01 2:03:16 am)
Reply
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So, what kind of
varnish can I use?
What kind of varnish can I use? There are only a few spots and some
scratches around the edge of the f-hole. I don't have to re-varnish
the whole body, just on those spots.
Eddy
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Dick500
Registered User
Posts: 108
(8/1/01 8:07:11 am)
Reply
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Re:
Varnish
That is the point. Retouch is not done with any of the
comercially-available varnishes. They won't match the existing
varnish on your cello and the repair job could end up looking
considerably worse than the scratch. Yet another example of the cure
being worse than the disease.
Dick
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Todd
French
Moderator
Posts: 224
(8/1/01 9:14:47 am)
Reply
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Re: So, what
kind of varnish can I use?
Eddy,
Marshall (Dr. Cello) is right - if you do want to
'fool around' with your cello (and in his case, he probably removed
a poor quality factory varnish and put a nice oil varnish on, so it
improved it...) you can go for it and give yourself a good project.
It's also true that this is not recommended if you have a valuable
cello because it can affect the value in a very negative way. With
touchup varnish, it is a different story - there are issues that
Marshall didn't have to worry about because he stripped his cello
down and started from scratch.
When touching up varnish, you
have to be sure what kind of varnish that is already on the
instrument, because often different varnishes (spirit, oil, lacquer)
will react to different types of touchup varnish. Likewise, if there
is bare wood and you put some kind of oil on the area, you can
pretty much never get it off for the time in which you want to have
someone professional restore the varnish. It sounds like you are
absolutely dying to repair this yourself, so even though I
personally discourage it, here's what you might want to
do:
Get a sealer, commercial varnish, brush, and analine dyes
or premixed dyes. All these can be purchased from International
Violin Company and the quality is usually pretty good. Seal the area
with a light coat, then mix your dyes and varnish until you have the
color matched (experiment on a blank piece of spruce or pine, not on
the cello) and don't use too much colorant or it will be cloudy and
the repair will be obvious. Sand lightly between coats with a
superfine grit sanding sponge. It should take about 3-4 coats
depending on the color of your cello.
Again, it's really
more complicated than it sounds, and I highly recommend you just
leave it as is. Scratches, dings, and the like happen to all of us
cellists, and certainly I am no stranger to them.
Maybe you
could post a photo of the damage and we could get a better idea of
why you want to restore it?
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