Books › Violin making and repairing, 1927 › scan 90
Scan 90
Violin making and repairing, 1927
10 lines. Read by computer on 18 September 2026. No printed page number was found. See the scan on archive.org.
1During varnishing, the instrument should be protected from dust, and if possible air and light allowed to reach it, in order to assist oxidation of the oils.
3Polishing.—When thoroughly dry, the surface of the varnish must be ground perfectly flat and smooth all over by the aid of pumice powder and water or No. 0 glasspaper dipped in water, using plenty of water, and making sure that there is no grit in the pumice to scratch the surface belly. When a final smooth, dull polish is obtained, the surface should be brought to a fine bright polish by rubbing with crocus or tripoli powder in oil or soap and water. This tripoli finishing will mellow the appearance of the varnish and improve it considerably; but it has a tendency towards softening the film, which must be allowed to dry hard again.
5Finally, a mirror-like appearance may be imparted to the surface by rubbing briskly with the fleshy part of the thumb.
7Some makers claim that this fine polish destroys the tone to some extent, but there does not seem to be any scientific ground for this, and probably in those cases where the tone has suffered after polishing there was some other undetected cause of the loss of tone. There is, however, a peculiar beauty about the appearance of the varnish before the final polishing which would no doubt appeal to many people, and the maker must use his own discretion as to the desirability of the final mirror polish.
9Spirit varnishes are ground flat and polished in the same manner as the oil varnishes, and as they dry instantly (or practically so) the process of spirit
The computer misreads some letters and numbers. Where a name matters to you, read the scan.