Books › Old Violins And Their Makers, 1883 › scan 310
Scan 310
Old Violins And Their Makers, 1883
4 lines. Read by computer on 27 September 2026. Printed page 296. See the scan on archive.org.
1carefully sheltered, in boxes or other places, from light and all changes of temperature. The various states of preservation in which old violins are found are an index of how well or ill this duty has been performed by some of their owners. In the matter of varnish, the quality of the wood has also to be considered to a certain extent; for if it is dense, and has not been worked so that its vibrations are perfectly free and of full length, a solid varnish would simply further impede its tone for a very long time, if not always. The art of making violin varnish consists, therefore, in mixing the resins in such proportions as will best fulfil the conditions required by the instrument on which it is to be laid.
3From various causes, all the resins mentioned above were rejected, with the exceptions of mastic and dammar, the former being the one most in use since the year 1550. It is, under the circumstances, the most elastic, and best supports the polish, and rubbing and handling. Dammar has little value if employed by itself, even in the essential oils, which alone dissolve it; but, mixed with mastic tears, it performs a very useful part in rendering the varnish more siccative. Sometimes camphor has been employed, but it injures the colour. The following is the formula: For every three-quarters of a gill of coloured essence, 5½dr. of mastic tears, about 3dr. (not more) of dammar, 5½dr. of roughly powdered glass, and 5½dr. of raw linseed oil. Take a large flat-bottomed bottle, and pour in the coloured essence; add the powdered glass to prevent the resins from adhering to the bottom. Then put in the mastic tears, which will take about twenty-four
The computer misreads some letters and numbers. Where a name matters to you, read the scan.