tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3858989391440501233.post4886427287475853147..comments2024-03-12T03:20:43.369-07:00Comments on The Lute's Progress,: Building a 13 Course Lute, Start to Finish, 18: Making and Applying VarnishTravishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18149684115949805572noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3858989391440501233.post-66370141177149611932020-08-06T17:23:25.783-07:002020-08-06T17:23:25.783-07:00Awesome post, Travis! That was such an amazing day...Awesome post, Travis! That was such an amazing day with Grant, making his varnish. The neighbours were quite concerned indeed. Maybe if I were one of them I would have been too: the fumes...the location...the precautions. It did not help we both looked like the scruffiest in our oldest clothes, bent over a tripod on the parking lot asphalt. I had to throw my clothes out at the end of the day for fear of causing a fire in my landlady's laundry machine, nor did I want to alert the airline security to the little jar of proverbial liquid gold I went home with a few days later by having these stinky clothes in my suitcase! It is absolutely amazing varnish!wilma van Berkelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10239343042045191780noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3858989391440501233.post-62758051228204826172020-07-25T09:12:43.718-07:002020-07-25T09:12:43.718-07:00Hi! In his various writings about making this varn...Hi! In his various writings about making this varnish, Fulton talks about using linseed oil that is 'break free,' i.e., which has been heated to 300° C and held there for 20 minutes to remove 'breaks' or impurities in the oil. This is basically a description of Stand Oil, so I use it to eliminate that step in the process. <br /><br />I don't know what the ratio of fresh turps to varnish is when I mix it together after cooking the varnish--I simply use Fulton's suggestion of 250cc. The consistency or viscosity of the final result does vary a bit, and I've found that when I get back to the shop, or rather when I'm preparing to use the varnish on some samples, I often find that the varnish needs a bit more dilution with fresh turps to bring it to a brushing consistency that I'm happy with. So I don't think that the precise amount is all that important (and as Fulton notes somewhere in his writings, if you happen to add too much fresh turps, all you need to do is put the varnish in a pot and cook it a little to evaporate some of the turpentine, without hurting the varnish at all.) Travishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18149684115949805572noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3858989391440501233.post-55712156744035697502020-07-23T11:39:13.559-07:002020-07-23T11:39:13.559-07:00Dear 'Unknown'... Thanks for your comment ...Dear 'Unknown'... Thanks for your comment and question! This oil varnish must be dried using UV light. I use a cabinet with UV bulbs, and I leave two full days between coats for the varnish to dry. You can use direct sunlight instead, though you'll need to leave it in the sun for at least a week to get the same effect.<br /><br />About the height of strings--for this lute, when I am setting the action I use a 1.6 spacer at the first fret for all strings--this ensures that I am comparing the height of all strings from the same baseline. Down at the 8th fret where I measure the height of the string, I look for each course to rise about 0.1mm higher than the one before it. So, for instance, the first course might measure 2.7 at the 8th fret, and the 2nd course might be 2.8, the 3rd 2.9, etc. <br /><br />I hope this answers your questions!<br /><br />Best, TravisTravishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18149684115949805572noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3858989391440501233.post-74053329454900181962020-07-21T00:06:22.221-07:002020-07-21T00:06:22.221-07:00This comment has been removed by the author.Travishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18149684115949805572noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3858989391440501233.post-17758994341855434232020-07-10T00:57:04.811-07:002020-07-10T00:57:04.811-07:00A great post, thanks Travis!
May I ask why you use...A great post, thanks Travis!<br />May I ask why you use Stand Oil over cold pressed Linseed Oil?<br />And how much turpentine (by ratio) do you tend to dilute the varnish with once it has cooked?<br />Thank you!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3858989391440501233.post-67608486261953476062020-07-09T02:49:22.609-07:002020-07-09T02:49:22.609-07:00Hi Travis,
I'm a amateur luthier from spain. ...Hi Travis,<br /><br />I'm a amateur luthier from spain. excuse my poor english!<br /><br />I ve a (very modest) blog of lutherie too: rocalla.wordpress.com<br /><br /><br />I follow your blog with attention, waiting for new entries, always interesting.<br /><br />Your barnish.. can dry without UV light treatment?<br /><br />I use shellac barnish (in spanish guitar tradition), but I think its anacronic and I'm thinking about use barnishing method like you!<br /><br />Ive some questions about you establish the height action of strings:<br /><br />In a previous entrie, you say that you use a little piece of wood of 1,6 mm height first fret for measure the height in 8 fret. You put this on 1rst fret position.. You use the same height for the rest of strings?<br /><br />Thanks in advance, greetings!Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15635471934883319540noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3858989391440501233.post-52282635541638374072020-07-07T07:41:34.753-07:002020-07-07T07:41:34.753-07:00HI Martin, the brush I use in this demo is a Kolin...HI Martin, the brush I use in this demo is a Kolinsky Sable brush from Daniel Smith, no 10 or 12 I think (about 1/2" wide.) I also have a wider sable brush about 3/4" wide for wider ribbed lutes and guitar/ vihuela. They're wonderful brushes, and I've been using both for years. (I take a lot of care to clean them well after use.) <br /><br />The varnish flows so well, however, that I'm not sure you need to use a brush this good! I once read an interview with Fulton where he says just this, that pretty much any old brush will do. I like using a fine brush though, because I feel it gives me the best chance of success.<br /><br />And then there are the "cool kids" who spread the varnish on with their hands... Haven't tried that yet, though it looks like messy fun. I think if I were to do it this way, I'd have to mask off the neck. With a brush, you don't have to do this.<br /><br />The varnish does have a fairly slow set, but as I say in the video as I'm working, once I brush out a section well I can start to feel the brush pull harder, and then I know it's time to move on. It becomes a bit of an equation of brush width, rib width, and varnish viscosity (i.e., how much turps as a thinner has been added.)<br /><br />Other questions?Travishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18149684115949805572noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3858989391440501233.post-22419151774719295572020-07-06T09:49:15.322-07:002020-07-06T09:49:15.322-07:00This is very interesting stuff, Travis - keep it c...This is very interesting stuff, Travis - keep it coming! What kind of brush do you use? Do you find it helpful to use a bigger brush for broad-ribbed instruments? I'm assuming your varnish has a fairly slow set, so you can take your time? I have lots of questions, but that will do for now...Martin Shepherdhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12779174172144120529noreply@blogger.com