[LUTE] Re: fuzzy lute
Hi Wayne, This is a common problem with instruments that are new but it is strange that your varnish has not hardened after all these years. I you leave it out of the case for a while, do the marks go away? Some varnishes seem to be 'self-healing' like that. It's difficult to give a general recommendation to solve this type of problem; it is best to check with the maker first as varnish recipes are very personal and each luthier will probably have a polish he would recommend for his particular finish. In my experience, if you leave the lute out of its case for a while and then use a very light polish (I have some water-based stuff from here in France which can be diluted and is called 'Super Nikco Vernilline) with some fine non abrasive wadding (such as is used for polishing cars) then you could probably get the marks to disappear completely. It would probably be best to wait for the weather to get cooler and less humid. You could also put some non-marking cloth in the case so that the lute's finish is not directly in contact with the lining. Obviously get advice from your lute maker and if you do use a polish, try on a small part of the surface first before risking doing any damage. Best Matthew On 28 juil. 2014, at 15:39, wayne cripps w...@cs.dartmouth.edu wrote: Hi people - One of my lutes has a varnish finish, and in the humid weather the fuzz from the case lining sticks to the varnish, and gives part of the bowl a flocked look! Can you suggest a way to get the fuzz off and keep it from sticking again? The lute is about 20 years old. Wayne To get on or off this list see list information at http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
[LUTE] Re: fuzzy lute
I've only seen this when an instrument is shipped in hot weather and gets stuck in some non air-conditioned warehouse for a long period. I am surprised that this would happen if you are keeping your lute in the case in an air-conditioned environment, its got to get really hot for this to occur I thought. When I have to ship an instrument in the summer I always put it in an old cotton t-shirt to prevent this. On Mon, Jul 28, 2014 at 10:07 AM, Matthew Daillie [1]dail...@club-internet.fr wrote: Hi Wayne, This is a common problem with instruments that are new but it is strange that your varnish has not hardened after all these years. I you leave it out of the case for a while, do the marks go away? Some varnishes seem to be 'self-healing' like that. It's difficult to give a general recommendation to solve this type of problem; it is best to check with the maker first as varnish recipes are very personal and each luthier will probably have a polish he would recommend for his particular finish. In my experience, if you leave the lute out of its case for a while and then use a very light A polish (I have some water-based stuff from here in France which can be diluted and is called 'Super Nikco Vernilline) with some fine non abrasive wadding (such as is used for polishing cars) then you could probably get the marks to disappear completely. It would probably be best to wait for the weather to get cooler and less humid. You could also put some non-marking cloth in the case so that the lute's finish is not directly in contact with the lining. Obviously get advice from your lute maker and if you do use a polish, try on a small part of the surface first before risking doing any damage. Best Matthew On 28 juil. 2014, at 15:39, wayne cripps [2]w...@cs.dartmouth.edu wrote: Hi people - One of my lutes has a varnish finish, and in the humid weather the fuzz from the case lining sticks to the varnish, and gives part of the bowl a flocked look! A Can you suggest a way to get the fuzz off and keep it from sticking again? A The lute is about 20 years old. A Wayne To get on or off this list see list information at [3]http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html -- References 1. mailto:dail...@club-internet.fr 2. mailto:w...@cs.dartmouth.edu 3. http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
[LUTE] Re: fuzzy lute
I have a nice pattern on the back of one of my lutes. It comes from a fancy concert shirt I was wearing during a particularly hot concert. In the e-guitar world these marks of wear and tear of the great players are faithfully reproduced in 'relic' models. Perhaps one day they will sell 'relic' models of the lutes of the great lute players of today? David *** David van Ooijen [1]davidvanooi...@gmail.com [2]www.davidvanooijen.nl *** -- References 1. mailto:davidvanooi...@gmail.com 2. http://www.davidvanooijen.nl/ To get on or off this list see list information at http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
[LUTE] Re: fuzzy lute
Strip off the varnish and leave plain - or finish with Stand oil MH __ From: wayne cripps w...@cs.dartmouth.edu To: lute@cs.dartmouth.edu Sent: Monday, 28 July 2014, 14:39 Subject: [LUTE] fuzzy lute Hi people - One of my lutes has a varnish finish, and in the humid weather the fuzz from the case lining sticks to the varnish, and gives part of the bowl a flocked look! Can you suggest a way to get the fuzz off and keep it from sticking again? The lute is about 20 years old. Wayne To get on or off this list see list information at [1]http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html -- References 1. http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
[LUTE] Re: fuzzy lute
I am forwarding this at David's request .. From: David Brown arpali...@gmail.com Subject: RE: [LUTE] fuzzy lute Date: July 28, 2014 at 11:21:55 AM EDT Hello Wayne, Sorry for not replying to the list, but the ease of just hitting reply is the line of least resistance this morning. Feel free to CC this to the list. I hope I can help you with this matter. First off, it would be good to know the maker. When you say varnish, I assume you think it is an oil based varnish? A spirit based varnish can exhibit these symptoms, too. Do consider M. Daille's words, checking with the luthier, waiting for cooler, dryer weather and trying a light polish to remove the fuzz. This is good advice. Mainly, I see this issue with the linseed/resin varnishes that many luthiers cook up or often called turpene varnishes. They are great varnishes, but often can soften with heat and humidity. They really need to be cooked properly and the quality of the polymerized oil high. I often get instruments that have softened by body heat, summer temps and humidity. The players body chemistry can have come into play as well. Often this mixes into a soft, gooey mess that will never harden and often comes off during cleaning. I have even redone the varnish on extreme cases. Any steps should be tried on a very small spot before proceeding with the rest of the instrument. I would try the light polish first as mentioned by M. Daille. If this doesn't work you could also try the following. This method is used more when there is more dirt and mung incorporated into the varnish. Try a mix of water and Murphys oil soap. Dr. Bronners castile soap is another you can try, but it is a little more aggressive. Use the soap in very small amounts on a slightly moist cloth. If this works, continue this process maybe over several sessions, allowing the lute to rest. The varnish is soft and will take prints and the rubbing will soften it further. If this does not work, then you will need to use a more aggressive solution which I would suggest a luthier who is used to working with these type of varnishes continue the work. It depends how deeply imbedded the lining fibers are in the finish. Aggressive scrubbing can remove this varnish. If it does work, the lute could maintain the high polish or be a little dull. Let it dry in indirect sun with hopefully low humidity. You could try a fine violin polish for oil finishes to restore the gloss. After the instrument has dried more in the indirect sun, use high grade wax with a high percentage of carnauba in it to make a barrier. This type of wax should be available from a high end woodworking or antique restoration supply place. Use this very sparingly also. It can potentially soften the varnish if over applied. Again allow to dry as the rubbing will soften the varnish again. This wax can help it from sticking to the case. A cloth can also be put in the case as a buffer, but you might just get another type of pattern the next time... I hope this helps. Sincerely, David David B. Brown, Luthier 3811 Ellerslie Avenue Baltimore, MD 21218-1952 arpali...@gmail.com 410-366-4865 -Original Message- From: lute-...@cs.dartmouth.edu [mailto:lute-...@cs.dartmouth.edu] On Behalf Of wayne cripps Sent: Monday, July 28, 2014 9:40 AM To: lute@cs.dartmouth.edu Subject: [LUTE] fuzzy lute Hi people - One of my lutes has a varnish finish, and in the humid weather the fuzz from the case lining sticks to the varnish, and gives part of the bowl a flocked look! Can you suggest a way to get the fuzz off and keep it from sticking again? The lute is about 20 years old. Wayne To get on or off this list see list information at http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
[LUTE] Re: fuzzy lute
On Jul 28, 2014, at 6:39 AM, wayne cripps w...@cs.dartmouth.edu wrote: One of my lutes has a varnish finish, and in the humid weather the fuzz from the case lining sticks to the varnish, and gives part of the bowl a flocked look! Can you suggest a way to get the fuzz off and keep it from sticking again? The lute is about 20 years old. Is it possible that the problem is the case material? Just asking... To get on or off this list see list information at http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
