Repair and Restoration Seminar

Varnish Restoration Retouch
(Highest Technic)

The violin varnish absolutely affects and helps the string sound. A violin is often stripped off or deformed with faded color, for some strange reasons, including but not limited to frequent misuse by its owner, wearing, application of improper cleansing oil, breakage by careless drop, hand sweat, water dipping, flooding, blistered for over exposure to heat, damages by the oversight blowing of an air blower or messy sticking wet varnish to violin case, etc. Injuries of these categories call for a cautiously chosen well-experienced professional repairer-restorer to do the job for a perfect restoration by using the antique retouch varnish formula, otherwise the restored varnish will have flaw spots not only affecting the appearance but also seriously spoiling the tonality and value. Varnish affects the bow with an equal importance.

Table Crack:

Fig1.Violin by Klotz Matthias 1725。
　　 with crack before repair and retouch.

Fig2.Dismantled table with subsequently
　　 bonded reinforce studs.

Fig3.Crack repaired and damaged part of varnish
　　 was flatly ground, awaiting restoration.

Fig4.Perfect retouch varnish.

Fig5.Perfect view.

Broken rib by dropping.

Fig6.Broken rib by dropping.

Fig7.Internal reinforce studs bonding.

Fig8.Perfect external view.

Loss of Varnish due to Corrosion
by Acidic Hand Sweat

Fig9.Loss of varnish and stuck spoiling by
　　 acidic corrosion of hand sweat.

Fig10.Post-restoration.

Improper Cleaning

Fig11.Cleanser too erosive or scratching by wiping cloth
with rosin crumbs; and endpin hole bushing for oversize.

Fig12.Perfect after restoration.

Sliding Bridge and Erroneous Retouch

Fig13.Violin by Giuseppe Ornati。
Bridge slide caused scratching in all directions due to wet varnish.
Several erroneous retouches had caused severer damages
that made its owner scrap the varnish off in fury.

Fig14.Post-restoration.

Fig15.Perfect view.

Improper Dismantling Damaged the Varnish

Fig16.Violin by Evasio Emilio Guerra。
　　　 Improper dismantling damaged the varnish.

Fig17.Perfect after restoration.