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Old 12-06-2019, 06:17 AM
hat hat is offline
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Default oil based Violin Varnish hardness

I'm using an oil based violin varnish to finish an electric body. Should I worry about the final hardness of the finish? How does this compare to Lacquer or Urethane as far as hardness and durability?
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Old 12-06-2019, 06:30 AM
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An oil varnish can be as hard or even harder than some lacquer finishes its all subjective to the mix, neither compare in hardness to 2k finishes, Epoxy finishes or UV finishes.

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Old 12-06-2019, 06:34 AM
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If the varnish is good quality and not been sitting on the shelf for years it should be fine and more than hard enough. It's probably has hard as any lacquer finish, though if you put it on too thickly it may chip more easily.

Durability? The original varnish is on violins that are 3-400 hundred years old.

How hard it is depends to some degree on how it's been formulated and the quality of ingredients. Drying time is slow, which is why it's not used on mass production instruments. (Even some violin makes use spirit varnishes.) Some of the makers I've known like to hang their fiddles outside for a good dose of UV to assist the curing.
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Old 12-06-2019, 10:30 AM
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Oil varnish actually intended for the violin is usually intended to remain flexible and compliant and so is the softest varnish generally available. It is however extremely durable and resistant to chipping and abrasion. Other oil varnishes are not only considerably harder, but cure more quickly as well. As a big plus, some are much less expensive, like 10% the price! European violin varnish can be $50 pint or more, whereas the Ace oil varnish I mostly use for my guitars is $12 a quart.

If I were finishing a solid body, I’d consider poly-urethane, which handles like a varnish but is usually considerable more durable.
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