I chose to use boiled Linseed oil as a base, without using fillers to hide timber 'features' and small areas of tear-out. I can't explain why, but it is quite liberating to be free of the traditional restrictions that dictate how a violin should look. This instrument will allow the actual tree to have a bit of ego in the presence of the harp. These pics are of the process of oiling.
Wow. Looks great.
ReplyDeleteYour finish looks splendid. At one time, I imagine violins had more personality too. Speaking of which - are all those violins in the background ones you built awaiting their new owners?
ReplyDelete-Rick Kemper
Thanks both. Those violins on the back wall are old European ones that have come my way over the years. As time and market demands permit, they are restored and hung up for sale.
ReplyDeleteThat is gorgeous! Oil can really bring out the inner beauty of a nice piece of wood well worked. I personally like texture in violin finishes too.
ReplyDeleteThanks Scott. The reference to violins was mainly that people have such rigid expectations about a violin's appearance, and I have tried over the years to recreate really authentic Byzantine and Italian methods to the point where it takes me as long to put the finish on an instrument as it does to make it! Craft was done within rigid limits in the old days, and I've tried to celebrate those traditions in my work, but it is really refreshing to take a nice piece of wood and do to it only the things that seem natural and beautiful. Thanks for your comments.
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