Violin finish

[ed lundquist]

Does the finish require aquafortis before the varnish? Thanks.

[P.Bigham]

One is a stain. The other is a sealer possibly with a tint. No you wouldn't have to use it.

[Eric Kettenburg]

This is a subject that could easily fill many pages.  The bottom line is that *IF* you are discussing what was used on some lehigh area rifles, primarily 19th century, you will need a sealer to prevent the wood from taking up finish coats and imho this was likely shellac or seedlac.  I am only talking about a sealer, to fill the wood pores and render it largely impermeable to the overlying colored 'violin finish' that will be the actual finish itself.  Most of these (again imho) do not look to have been stained - that was the point of a quicky sealing coat and a colored finish:  To avoid hitting the stock with anything water based and to come up with a very colorful, attractive finish that is fast drying and can be applied quickly.

[ed lundquist]

Thanks Paul and Eric. I have read Eric Von A on the subject and with that information I was thinking of a thinned wash of aqua fortis followed by a sealer followed by thinned coats of varnish (copal?) into which oil pigments are mulled. A lead drier will toughen the varnish film and if I don't chew on it I should be safe. Anything stand out as problematic? Thanks again.

[Eric Kettenburg]

Theres nothing wrong with what you propose but I'm pretty certain that on these lehighs anyway, aquafortis was not being used in any way.  Water based stains are a pain in the butt and I believe the entire point of developing a useful colored varnish was to avoid hitting the stock with water.  A good dark seedlac or button lac will give you a golden undertone anyway.  There are also assorted other dark resins that are solvent in turp that will create a light golden undertone and can act as sealers, so there is really no reason to use anyting water based.

An interesting note is that I have seen these finishes used on extremely curly maple stocks, yet it is clear that the goal was oriented around the color of the top coat and there was no attempt to highlight the curl as would be typical with AF.

[ed lundquist]

Eric the piece I am working on has only a little curl. I don't want a pink stock and perhaps that is a matter of layers. I will do samples and hopefully arrive at a reasonably similar result. Looking forward to the experiments and any additional assistance. Thank you.

[Goo]

I am guessing that "violin finish" means you want that similar color which is common in varying shades among violins.  If you should contact a violin repair shop they may be willing to show you what they use to match color on repairs.

[RichG]

https://www.vonaschwegeflintlocks.com/
tutorial on violin finish

[Bob Roller]

I know little about finish on a violin but have been told the difference between a violin and a fiddle was that beer is more likely to be spilled on a fiddle. I THINK that came from Paul Mullins or maybe Eddie Adcock or John Duffey.
Bob Roller

[Mike Lyons]

I know little about finish on a violin but have been told the difference between a violin and a fiddle was that beer is more likely to be spilled on a fiddle. I THINK that came from Paul Mullins or maybe Eddie Adcock or John Duffey.
Bob Roller

Bob,  The difference is in the “strangs.”

[rmnc3r]

I build Violins as well as Longrifles - in fact, please see my post "Curly Maple off-cuts wanted" in the For Sale/Wanted forum.
https://americanlongrifles.org/forum/index.php?topic=72579.0

I recently asked Jim Chambers about tinting his Traditional Stock Finish for use on my fiddles - he replied that Laurel Mountain Forge Stain works well for tinting.
https://www.flintlocks.com/parts.htm

I haven't used it yet, but it holds promise.

Violins are typically sealed (called "Ground" in Violin-ese) before tinted varnish is applied.
Some Grounds (sealers) may impart a tint to the wood.
The topic of "Ground" is frequently a hot topic amongst Luthiers. 
Heretofore, I just used thinned Birchwood Casey's Tru-Oil for my ground, but am now casting about for other options.

Here's a direct link to von Aschwege's tutorial on Violin Finish
https://www.vonaschwegeflintlocks.com/red-violin-varnish.html

[rmnc3r]

I know little about finish on a violin but have been told the difference between a violin and a fiddle was that beer is more likely to be spilled on a fiddle. I THINK that came from Paul Mullins or maybe Eddie Adcock or John Duffey.
Bob Roller

Bob,  The difference is in the “strangs.”

I heard the difference was that Violins are carried in a case, while Fiddles are carried in a sack.

[BrianS]

I heard that violins have the rosin cleaned off of them regularly and fiddles do not.

[rmnc3r]

I'm down to my last bottle of BC Tru-Oil - any tried and true ways to tint it?

[foxm2015]

Jack Brooks, jsbrookslongrifles.com, has information regarding this finish technique.

[ed lundquist]

Thanks, I'll have a look at that.