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So, last night I was cleaning the dirt and smudges off of my fiddle via a slightly damp cloth. Upon finishing my task, I (very stupidly) left the cloth underneath my fiddle over night and now it has a dark spot where the finish has been damaged. (I'll attach some photos of what happened) A few hours later since taking off the cloth, I have noticed it has gotten a little bit better, but not much. As this is my instructor's fiddle that I am borrowing, I'd rather not let him find out that I have been taking poor care of his instrument. Is there any way I can fix this provlem at home? Money is tight for me and I'd rather not take it to a lutheir for repair. Any suggestions are greatly appreciated. Thanks!
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Here is the picture.
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There is no way to cover it up without him knowing. If you dont know how to do woodwork like this you will probably make it worse.
Part of the problem, other than the obvious, is that you dont know what finish was used so no matter what you do it will look different.
Best to fess up.
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I would think, since like you said it isn't your violin, how the repair is made should be up to the owner. That's just my two cents, thinking of what I'd want if it were my fiddle. 
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I dont know the relationship, but if i was an instructor i wouldnt loan a prized instrument to a student no matter how much i trusted him/her so you are probably over worrying yourself over what is probably just an annoyance.
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^^ Agreed. They probably won't be as upset as you imagine, and they will be happier in the end that you were honest about what happened
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Agree with the other posters. There is no way you are going to fix that blemish so that it blends in with the rest of the finish. Best to just tell the truth and explain what happened.
BTW, I would advise against using a damp cloth to clean a violin. Best to use a dry soft cloth. Sometimes I'll use a tiny amount of violin cleaner/polish to buff out stubborn smudges but any cleaner or polish should be tested to make sure it doesn't affect thee finish. Otherwise a dry soft cloth is the best, and safest, way to do it.
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My guess is that this is not an expensive instrument. For me, it appears as the moisture penetrated the varnish which indicates that it was probably a spirit varnish. Oil based varnishes will block moisture a bit more provided it's not too old.
Also, your instructor could have student/outdoor instruments that he uses in situations in which he is cautious or needs to perform in an uncontrollable environment such as an outdoor concert.... Not unusual.
Tell him what happened and that you will take care of it and leave it with whomever he wants you to leave it with. Let him know that you don't have much money but can possibly pay in installments.... With a great apology I don't think he'll get upset at all. Shit happens!!!
Good luck with reparation.
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but the one who needs the least."
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jessc_789,
Welcome to the forum, also good advise given above.
Mark
Master the Frog and you have mastered the bow.
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Actually, the water dried up after a few days and the damaged area now looks like it used too. So, I guess I was worring over nothing.
Crazymotive said
Agree with the other posters. There is no way you are going to fix that blemish so that it blends in with the rest of the finish. Best to just tell the truth and explain what happened.
BTW, I would advise against using a damp cloth to clean a violin. Best to use a dry soft cloth. Sometimes I'll use a tiny amount of violin cleaner/polish to buff out stubborn smudges but any cleaner or polish should be tested to make sure it doesn't affect thee finish. Otherwise a dry soft cloth is the best, and safest, way to do it.
Thanks Crazymotive for the advice about cloths and polishing. I'm new to the violin, (only been playing a little over a year,) so I have little to no knowledge about cleaning it. I'll make sure not to make that mistake with the wet cloth again!
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