Refinishing Timber Part Of Lachenal Strap Bracket

[A2fan]

Hi all

I have a metal ended Lachenal - in the process of being restored - the strap brackets are dark wood - if you understand what I mean - however the varnish/lacquer has worn away on part of them so ideally I would like to remove all of the finish and refinish them - as the instrument now has a new bellows and has the metal ends rebuffed..

 

Any suggestions on how to do this and what type of (very) dark brown lacquer should be used to refinish the wood?

 

Thanks in advance

A2fan

[Bill Crossland]

Unless you are addicted to the heavy lacquer, I'd favour removal and refinishing with wax - strip and sand it, stain to the desired colour, seal it with sanding sealer then apply a good wax polish - you can do this to the wooden sides too to get a colour/finish match too.

[john T]

The varnishes used in those times were gum based (Gum Arabic etc) which were disolved in a number of different oils.

They are still used in violin making and come in a variety of colours including dark brown.

They are by nature very slow drying. Days and not hours per coat.

 

If you aim to use this type of varnish again, you may need to remove the grease that has been absorbed into the wood from years of being touched. Trichlorethylene is good for that, though it is illegal to sell now. Acetone or IPA may do the job but watch out for fumes. They will also lift the grain slightly, so a bit of flour grit paper for rubbing down will be needed.

 

You will need to apply more than 3 or 4 coats, rubbing down in between, and the darker colours in gum varnishes are notoriously difficult for colour 'blobbing'. ie, colour not being evenly spread.

The way to build a deep dark colour that keeps its translucency, is with a safron wash onto raw timber, followed by a pale varnish, then darkening coats of red to brown with a final clear top coat.

 

Lot of work for a few bits of wood.

But for an instrument like a violin that will sound as good as it looks it's worth it.

 

Kind regards, John T