Official Luthiers Forum!

Violin varnish is not as durable as the type of varnish you would want on a guitar. If the varnish wears off of a violin it is not considered to be a bad thing.
The guitar world frowns on the finish wearing off. I have used Behlen Rock Hard with good results and also I have had very good results with Pratt & Lambert oil varnish. It is easy to brush and buffs out nice.
French polishing is common on classical guitars but not as common on steel strings. Which are you building?

Laurent, thanks for the links. Some of those guys are like master chefs with their recipes. Definitely a lot of good info there...

Barry, I was taking a look at Pratt & Lambert's site; they make a lot of different types of varnish. Which type have you been trying out?

FWIW I found an article somewhere that Mottola had written on varnish finishing. He recommended checking out Jeff Jewitt's book Hand Applied Finishes. The local library didn't have a copy so I checked eBay. I just won the auction and we'll see what he has to say.

Also I found the DIY instrument making series after a google search. In them Lynn Dudenbostel build a mando and guitar. His techniques are quite interesting to me. First he sprays a few coats of shellac; then scuffs and brushes on a few coats of varnish (type omitted); then he finishes the instruments with FP to get a finish that is more glossy than the varnish alone.

Andrew
It's P&L #38 varnish. You can color it with most any type color even artist oil paint.

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Tony, read my post again. I never wrote I do not want to discuss spirit varnishes, or that Martin never used a spirit varnish. Don't be a stranger, don't be rude either…
I am only saying that two Martins from 1927 I worked on had a "simple" shellac finish, pretty thin compared to today's standards, but too thick to have been French-polished. Whereas Martin briefly switched to a spirit varnish, or used it on more expensive models I do not know. I am not a "specialist". I can only describe what I know.
BTW I wouldn't consider Martin from the '20 as being "old craftsmen", it was a factory, pure and simple.
I have no idea what the Larson brothers used, or Howe-Orme or other early 20th century makers as I never held those guitars in my hands.
Oil varnishes were still used at the end of the 19th century by some luthiers, there's a full recipe in Heron-Allen's book and precise tips on how to apply the finish. It is a wonderful book.
Factories and makers switched to the much faster drying, easier to handle, cut-production time spirit varnishes for obvious reasons.
Yes there are (were) hard spirit varnishes, my French violin from 1890 was finished with one. It is crazed but not brittle like nitro would be and has a lot of totally worn patches, down to the ground coat. It also cured for 118 years…
The thread is Andrew inquiring about violin varnishes for guitars. IMO the requirements are totally different. I'm trying to steer him away from it so he doesn't waste his time. What's available out there as violin spirit varnishes simply won't work satisfactorily on a guitar. When I say too soft I mean too soft, really. As Barry pointed out a violin with worn patches is common fare, a guitar not so. As a matter of fact 99% of modern violin makers sell their new violins "antiqued" because you can't sell a violin looking new to a classical musician. It looks "wrong". In the guitar world it's pretty much the opposite: a brand new expensive guitar with a tiny scratch will not do.
Now, if you have a spirit varnish brand suitable for a guitar that is hard enough and resists abrasion you want to recommend…
If you do not mind spending the time explaining the process for your spirit varnish in a new post I am totally interested, as others would be, no doubt.

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Laurent Brondel
West Paris, Maine - USA
http://www.laurentbrondel.com/

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