Color Matching Violin Varnish, introduction

By John Orth

In this first part I'll begin with an overview of

color matching principles for violins.  There are many available techniques, and over time perhaps I can cover a few of them.  I have developed a few techniques that I would consider my favorites.  What works for me may not work for others, but by studying many possible techniques you will find one or two that work for you. 

Here are a few questions to ask yourself before you begin:

The most important question you can ask:
What is the value of the instrument and how will any varnish repair affect that value?
     The answer to that question is always subjective and requires experience.  Know the instrument you are about to work on and do not enter into varnish work lightly because the consequences are usually permanent.  (These articles will focus on touch up and matching, not refinishing.  The complete refinishing of a violin has many consequences, not just monetary value of the instrument, to consider and will be explored separately.)  

Is the area to be color matched separate from other colors? as in a newly installed rib?

Or a newly installed neck?

Or do the colors have to blend together on a single surface as in the damaged top shown below? 

These might seem like obvious questions, but it helps put you in the right frame of mind.  Asking yourself obvious questions will give you pause to explore options.  In each of these examples multiple techniques could be employed.  Which technique would best suit the job at hand? Experience and practice will provide the answer.

In future installments we'll explore three important techniques in detail that cover all the images shown above: brushing, pointillist brushing, and airbrushing.  Airbrushing is the most basic in that the techniques are simple to learn, take little time explore, and offers any luthier great flexibility with fading and color blending over large surface areas like the violin rib shown above. The airbrush allows a degree of fading and blending that other techniques just don't offer.  I typically use the airbrush on lower end instruments or to apply a final clear coat when time is a factor. 

Brushing, or padding, requires patience, practice, and a steady hand to accomplish with any degree of skill on a valuable violin, but can often be employed with relatively positive results by a beginner if the pre-made varnish is well matched to the instrument as with the heel and scroll shown above.  With the violin neck shown in the photos above I pre-matched the varnish and applied it to many scraps of wood until I was happy with the results.  Then, using a combination of brushes and french polishing techniques, the final product is a well blended and effortless looking finish that matched the original.

Pointillist is my preferred technique on high end violins or anywhere the colors are complex as in the photo below.  Pointillism is usually the most time consuming and most difficult to master, but will provide you some amazing results if your patience can withstand the monotony.  The violin shown below was done with many hand carved toothpicks and extremely tiny brushes using pointillist techniques (this violin will be the focus of the post on this particular technique).  Each bit of color is applied in extremely tiny dots, using sharpened toothpicks and then very slowly blended together using brushes, often handmade, of various shapes.  The color application can take many hours over as many weeks. You can easily plan on one hour per inch.  (The lighting on the violin was not very good when I took these photos, but if you look closely at the photos you will see that this technique allows you to completely control the color application and maintain the original look of the varnish with all the variation in blending and fading that was in the original varnish.)  

With any of these techniques there is a certain amount of learn craft, or simple technical skill that one must employ, but the rest is art.  Color matching is where the luthier is allowed to explore and create, dream and hope... and sometimes with a bit of guessing, resurrect something beautiful.  Varnish repair can be a simple craft when carried out by an amateur, or the highest art when performed by a luthier who loves his work.  Matching becomes art with each application of color regardless of how it is applied and the luthier must decide beforehand what the final product will be.  

Once you decide on an appropriate method you must ask yourself: Will I being true to the original? or, Am I creating something new? This is the last question you need to ask, because the answer determines the instrument's future.   

Thank you for reading, John

Orthwest Studios