Posted on August 11, 2021May 5, 2025 by Dale Phillips Jack Batts Jack Batts An interview by Jeff Feltman Originally published in American Lutherie #10, 1987 and Big Red Book of American Lutherie Volume One, 2000 You can walk into a clockmaker’s shop and see fifty clocks. One reads 12:00, another says 11:55, another 12:05. Only one can be right, and it probably isn’t a bad guess that none of them is right. Searching for the right varnish is like being in that clock shop.” “A man could make 150 more violins in his life if he wasn’t so worried about concocting some witches brew. He would do well to spend his time learning to make a fine violin.” Become A Member to Continue Reading This Article This article is part of our premium web content offered to Guild members. To view this and other web articles, join the Guild of American Luthiers. Members also receive 4 annual issues of American Lutherie and get discounts on products. For details, visit the membership page. If you are already a member, login for access or contact us to setup your account.
Posted on August 11, 2021May 9, 2025 by Dale Phillips “1704” Varnish Recipe “1704” Varnish Recipe by George Manno Originally published in American Lutherie #12, 1987 and Big Red Book of American Lutherie Volume One, 2000 The subject of violin varnish and its making has been the topic of great debate and secrecy for the last hundred years. Many makers still spend a great deal of time chasing the elusive dream of coming up with the perfect varnish. Books and manuscripts are filled with endless recipes from the very basic to the most absurd. I have seen some formulas that call for ingredients such as goat urine, sheep bile, gold, and other even more exotic organic extracts that have to be boiled, dried, and then mixed with many different hazardous chemicals. I showed Dr. James Martin, head chemist for Bradshaw and Praeger Shellac Co., one of these more eccentric recipes. His reply to me was, “If you heat these chemicals, you will probably blow your shop to smithereens.” Needless to say, I took his advice. The varnish recipe described on the preceding page is known throughout the world as “1704”. The recipe came out of the old Wurlitzer shop in the early ’50s. As you can see, the varnish is a simple mixture of seedlac, gum, resin, and oil mixed with alcohol. Become A Member to Continue Reading This Article This article is part of our premium web content offered to Guild members. To view this and other web articles, join the Guild of American Luthiers. Members also receive 4 annual issues of American Lutherie and get discounts on products. For details, visit the membership page. If you are already a member, login for access or contact us to setup your account.
Posted on April 29, 2021May 21, 2025 by Dale Phillips Rosin Varnishes Rosin Varnishes by Louis DeGrazia Originally published in Guild of American Luthiers Data Sheet #226, 1982 and Big Red Book of American Lutherie Volume One, 2000 Rosin varnishes are shunned by master violin makers because they are soft, “chippy,” and do not adhere well. Yet they are not so bad in these respects that they could not be used by an amateur or beginner on instruments with no pretension to outlast their maker. Pale rosin is a wonderful, natural, wood-derived resin that can be very easily made into a variety of beautiful and acoustically suitable varnishes both of the spirit and oil type. Its solubility in both alcohol and turpentine and its compatibility with oils and other resins make it a versatile ingredient that can help in combining normally incompatible substances to achieve special properties. Rosin varnishes have been around for centuries and in some respects they resemble those of the old Cremonese masters. Pale rosin in powdered form can be obtained from pharmaceutical companies which use it in preparation of salves and ointments. This is the purest grade and is recommended for varnish making. Rosin can be added to many varnishes to add body and to make them softer. Adding rosin to shellac makes a “woodcarver’s varnish” that can be prepared in just a few minutes, although it is best to let it stand overnight. This varnish brushes well, dries considerably slower than straight shellac, has good luster, and is much softer than shellac. To prepare, simply dissolve as much rosin as will go into solution in orange shellac and strain. Become A Member to Continue Reading This Article This article is part of our premium web content offered to Guild members. To view this and other web articles, join the Guild of American Luthiers. Members also receive 4 annual issues of American Lutherie and get discounts on products. For details, visit the membership page. If you are already a member, login for access or contact us to setup your account.
Posted on May 21, 2020May 20, 2025 by Dale Phillips Oil Varnish Techniques Oil Varnish Techniques by David Rolfe Originally published as Guild of American Luthiers Data Sheet #89, 1978 and in Big Red Book of American Lutherie Volume One, 2000 I decided to investigate the use of traditional oil varnishes as used by violin makers. At first sight, there seemed to be a lot of information around with enough detail to get on with the job. But as I delved deeper, I found enormous gaps in details of technique and lack of information on what is important and what is not. This is a detailed summary of what I have learned so far. My basic sources of information are the books and articles listed at the end. Materials Varnish. Traditional oil varnishes consist of a variety of resins, heated and dissolved in linseed oil, and turpentine. Coloring is added, and these agents can either be from the heartwood of certain trees (like dragon’s blood or gamboge) or organic mineral salts. Linseed oil is a slow-drying oil, and in conjunction with the resins, goes through the process of oxidation and polymerization (molecules of short length combine to become longer). Polymerization occurs mainly in the presence of ultraviolet light and continues for decades. Turpentine is used as a thinner or as a solvent to get the varnish on and then to evaporate in a relatively short time. The important characteristics of the varnish in liquid form are: Become A Member to Continue Reading This Article This article is part of our premium web content offered to Guild members. To view this and other web articles, join the Guild of American Luthiers. Members also receive 4 annual issues of American Lutherie and get discounts on products. For details, visit the membership page. If you are already a member, login for access or contact us to setup your account.
Posted on January 19, 2010September 9, 2025 by Dale Phillips Questions: Brushing Varnish Questions: Brushing Varnish by Wade Lowe Originally published in American Lutherie #70, 2002 and Big Red Book of American Lutherie Volume Six, 2013 Ray Thompson of Kennett Square, Pennsylvania asks: What would you recommend for a good brushing varnish, either oil-based or spirit-based for guitar? Or do you know of recent written material on this? I have tried Behlen’s 4-Hour Rubbing Varnish. It did not seem to dry hard enough on test pieces. I tried the French polish (shellac) but now I’d like to try a brushing varnish for its ease of application as compared to spraying or French polishing. I have thought of trying to brush shellac. I read that if you do very thin 10% coats it can work. Then just fad level and spirit it off after build up. But that might be as tricky as French polish. I want a finish I can brush on, let dry a prescribed amount of time, steel wool it back; and repeat as necessary. Become A Member to Continue Reading This Article This article is part of the Articles Online featured on our website for Guild members. To view this and other web articles, join the Guild of American Luthiers. For details, visit the membership page. MEMBERS: login for access or contact us to setup your account.
