Well Eric, we're not talking stradivaris violins here.
Seems to me it would be something simple like linseed oil with some dryers. And maybe a couple other special ingredients.
As for original finishes, there's no doubt some around. The Dickert I had, until found in 2008, hadn't seen the light of day back to at least 1920.
No big deal, just curious. I wouldn't mind spending a bit, but don't know where I could get the job done.
John
If you want accurate results, the process is the same whether a violin, a harpsichord, a carved altarpiece or a rifle. It's an expensive process as someone has to pay for the equipment utilized. Wallace mentioned many years ago that Winterthur used to undertake work like this as well as metal alloy analysis, and it was not in any way cheap even in 1990s dollars. I have no idea whether they were performing the work 'in house' or farming it out.
Some people use a cheap and simple dissolution process but this will only tell you the solvent base and whether oil or 'spirit' soluble. This tells you nothing about the composition of various resins or driers, nor will it tell you the type of oil used if oil-soluble.
I did not say all antiques were refinished, only that
most have been, and quite obviously at that. In general, those who possess pieces retaining original finish are not inclined to permit removal of said original finish for analysis unless it can be harvested from an innocuous area.
- Shemp