...there's bound to be a lot of liars in the business." ( from The Furniture Doctor, George Grotz, Doubleday, 1962) This photo from the cover of Mizzou's Alumni Association Magazine from Summer of 2009 shows a common, frustrating problem that plagues violinists and fiddlers: gunky rosin buildup under the strings, on the body of the fiddle and the fingerboard. This stuff sets up and the violin has to go into the shop to have it removed with a secret process in the backroom where no-one is allowed to watch.
EJ's violin used to have this problem, too, (Photo Credit: St. Louis Symphony) until the light came on in my head one night long ago as we used the violin polish purchased in the same shop as the violin. We realized that the little bottle of miracle polish was actually removing varnish as we used it to put a shine on the fiddle! We went into research mode to learn about violin finishes, and polishes. The most useful information at the time came from "The Furniture Doctor," and we soon passed on what we found to the other violinists in our group of string friends.
Most violins are finished with a shellac formula, which will be modified by the violin maker to include some resins to toughen it, but it is still mostly shellac, which is soluble in alcohol. This type of finish is great for violins, because it can easily be repaired, re-amalgamated, stripped, replaced, or added to. It dries fast, too, so it doesn't pick up dust and lint while the finish is curing in the shop.
The polish sold to you by violin shops is an oil product which will leave a nice shine on the violin, plus water to help pick up dirt as you rub your fiddle, plus a little soap, and enough alcohol to make the oil and water mix with the soap when you shake it up. Leave the lid off the polish while it sits in the sun, and soon, the ingredients don't stay mixed so well, because the alcohol evaporates. The alcohol insures that the violin owner has to bring the fiddle in occasionally to have the finish restored, because the more you polish, the faster your shellac finish is wiped away. The oil which gives you the nice shine makes rosin stick, and the proud violin owner must take it to the shop to have it cleaned.
This type of product looks so innocent, but it actually hurts what it is sold to protect, and it provides a steady string of return customer visits for violin shop owners. Who knew? What should you use on your stringed instruments? Paste wax. We touched up the damage ourselves, (after much research) and began using Simoniz car wax with great results. The finish could be dusted easily after playing sessions with no more annoying rosin buildup. If your wax coats build up too much after a few years, the wax can be removed with a bit of mineral spirits. Hard paste wax is difficult to find on most store shelves nowadays. The last time we needed some we found good paste wax in Sears with their wood finishing supplies. Keep the lid on tight when it is not being used, because it will turn into a brick pretty quickly if the mineral spirits are allowed to escape.
The polish sold to you by violin shops is an oil product which will leave a nice shine on the violin, plus water to help pick up dirt as you rub your fiddle, plus a little soap, and enough alcohol to make the oil and water mix with the soap when you shake it up. Leave the lid off the polish while it sits in the sun, and soon, the ingredients don't stay mixed so well, because the alcohol evaporates. The alcohol insures that the violin owner has to bring the fiddle in occasionally to have the finish restored, because the more you polish, the faster your shellac finish is wiped away. The oil which gives you the nice shine makes rosin stick, and the proud violin owner must take it to the shop to have it cleaned.
This type of product looks so innocent, but it actually hurts what it is sold to protect, and it provides a steady string of return customer visits for violin shop owners. Who knew? What should you use on your stringed instruments? Paste wax. We touched up the damage ourselves, (after much research) and began using Simoniz car wax with great results. The finish could be dusted easily after playing sessions with no more annoying rosin buildup. If your wax coats build up too much after a few years, the wax can be removed with a bit of mineral spirits. Hard paste wax is difficult to find on most store shelves nowadays. The last time we needed some we found good paste wax in Sears with their wood finishing supplies. Keep the lid on tight when it is not being used, because it will turn into a brick pretty quickly if the mineral spirits are allowed to escape.
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