One of the ways to practice my varnishing skills is to work on in-the-white instruments, instruments that have been made but not varnished. These skills have recently been augmented by my Lord Mayors creative arts fellowship where I have been learning varnishing from a 3rd generation Italian violin maker. Below is the journey of my practice instrument, a corner-less medieval violin. Here I applied and experiemented with the various stages of surface preparation and bringing out the flame, the ground coat, first few layers, colour layers with highlights (violins look boring if they are just a uniform colour), some light antiquing effects, before the final clear coats. It’s quite a journey to watch the colours and characteristics of the woods develop through the process.
Here also is a violin made from aged timbers – the wood is distinctly darker through the natural oxidation process. Aging is an important part of the seasoning process which helps the timbers sound their best, I am looking forward to hearing how this sounds. I like the classic golden colour so am sticking with it for a while and kept the highlights and distressing to a minimum.
UPDATE: It sounds fabulous and its interesting how the sound matures as the instrument is played and the varnishes cure.
Previous fellowship posts
- Some violin varnishing projects
- A Journey Through Violin Varnish Recipes
- Italian Varnishing – A Journeyman’s Tale
- Journeyman on a Fellowship: Exploring European Techniques
Fiddler Dan is supported by a 2026 Creative Arts Fellowship to study European varnishing and restoration techniques. The Brisbane City Council Lord Mayor’s Creative Fellowships program makes this kind of deep, hands-on learning possible.