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Varnishing
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There are so many different ways of finishing musical instruments that I
am not going to show much here. There are all sorts of varnishes
and lacquer finishes, plus various oil finishes, and of course good old
shellac french polished. There are also different ways of filling
the pores, and different methods of application. Books have been
written on the subject, and there is much discussion on Internet Luthier
forums about finishing. All work, and all have strengths and
weaknesses. A french polished finish I believe is the most
beautiful finish, is easy to repair, but it is not very resistant to
sweat damage. I use an alkyd oil varnish manufactured by
Target Coatings and french polish on top of that. I like it
because it is an exceptionally flexible finish that I think sounds great
on my mandolins. Other Luthiers get good results with different
products. Finishing is something that takes a lot of time
to get a great finish, sometimes even as long as it takes to get the
instrument to the stage of ready to be finished, so patience is
required.
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The varnish I use can be sprayed or brushed on. I like
to brush it on, but it is a tricky thing to get right, and
some brushes work better than others. Practice makes
perfect. |
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A great deal of time is spent sanding with fine sandpaper.
I buy sandpaper by the packet.
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Here I am french polishing a mandolin back. This is a
different mandolin from the mandolin shown in most of the
pictures. |
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