violin varnish

ayer

I am about to varnish a new viola. I had considered following Sacconi's method using silica as a ground. However I have seen some adverse reports about this method. Is there any definitive info out there such as books on methods of varnishing?

chin

I've heard that Sacconi "repented" his section on varnish, and I don't think it's the best varnish plan out there. The best overall book on varnish is a privately published one from about ten years ago by William Fulton, called Violin Varnish, I think. A specialist violin book dealer might be able to find you a copy. . . otherwise you're just going to have to read a lot of books and try to put them together to make sense. Or you could do something "traditional" like seal with a thin wash of hide glue, and finish with a purchased violin varnish.

ada

Concerning the waterglass: I have an additional adverse report: Yuk.
I know of no difinitive book on varnish, but there are several publications containing useful information.... Time is too short today for me to list titles, but I'm sure others might... If not, I'll try and respond later on...

Really, your best bet may be to ask a maker who has varnish you like to give you some pointers.