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Fiddlerman Soloist Chin rest mark
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bunify

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April 18, 2020 - 8:25 pm
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06D5F025-F1E4-4D2E-A638-D85B7F7807B9.jpegImage Enlargeri just took off the original chin rest from my Fiddlerman soloist and there is a black sticky mark left on the violin varnish.. not sure what to do.

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Fiddlerman
Fort Lauderdale
April 19, 2020 - 4:34 pm
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This is quite common when a chinrest sits on an instrument for an extended period of time. Good varnish is on the softer side in order to not muffle the instrument too much. Softer varnish can't withstand the pressure of a chinrest. What we do here is to use a blend of alcohol/oil/vinegar/water and soap but I don't recommend that you experiment. If you were local I would ask you to drop by and our luthiers would take care of it for you.
I'll ask my luthiers what they would suggest. Perhaps some wax but I'm not sure.

"The richest person is not the one who has the most,
but the one who needs the least."

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bunify

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April 19, 2020 - 5:11 pm
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Fiddlerman said
This is quite common when a chinrest sits on an instrument for an extended period of time. Good varnish is on the softer side in order to not muffle the instrument too much. Softer varnish can't withstand the pressure of a chinrest. What we do here is to use a blend of alcohol/oil/vinegar/water and soap but I don't recommend that you experiment. If you were local I would ask you to drop by and our luthiers would take care of it for you.

I'll ask my luthiers what they would suggest. Perhaps some wax but I'm not sure.

  

I’m not local. I live in Australia. 

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Irv
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April 19, 2020 - 5:40 pm
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@bunify and others.  Your instrument is in rarified air in comparison to my lot.  If you plan to continue with the current chin rest, the best option is likely to do nothing.  

If you are going to replace the current chin rest AND the finish blotch bothers you, I would first try placing a small amount of naphtha (lighter fluid) on a cotton swab or soft cotton rag and rub the solvent gently on the offending area.  A more aggressive option would be the use of semi chrome metal polish or a dab of tooth paste (non gel type) on a soft cotton rag. 

Success is the progressive realisation of a worthy ideal. —Earl Nightingale.

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MoonShadows
Stroudsburg, PA

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April 20, 2020 - 7:50 am
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I would not recommend you use anything that has alcohol or naphtha yourself unless you really know what you are doing. You could damage the varnish.

Cork residue is quite common. A friend of mine had the same problem when she changed her chinrest out for another. She researched it and used Turtle Wax car wax. It took a few applications, but you can easily see she got a perfect finish. (These are her actual before/after pictures from her blog.) BTW...she told me she found the recommendation here on the Fiddlerman Forum from a few years back.

turtlewax.jpgImage Enlarger

beforeafter1-1.jpgImage Enlargerbeforeafter2.jpgImage Enlarger

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Mouse
April 20, 2020 - 12:14 pm
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Fiddlerman said
This is quite common when a chinrest sits on an instrument for an extended period of time. Good varnish is on the softer side in order to not muffle the instrument too much. Softer varnish can't withstand the pressure of a chinrest. What we do here is to use a blend of alcohol/oil/vinegar/water and soap but I don't recommend that you experiment. If you were local I would ask you to drop by and our luthiers would take care of it for you.

I'll ask my luthiers what they would suggest. Perhaps some wax but I'm not sure.

  

I would wait until you hear back from Fiddlerman. 

The Bumblebee Flies!

Please ignore any typos. My typing ability on a real typewriter did not transfer to these device key pads.

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Irv
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April 20, 2020 - 12:31 pm
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@MoonShadows and others.  Thank you for your comment above, which allowed me to do some further investigation.

A paste wax needs to be dissolved in a carrier which allows it to be spread on a surface.  The wax adheres to the surface as the carrier solvent evaporates.  The paste wax that I own is Lundmark (carnauba wax carried by naphtha).

Turtle Wax products are more than a little coy concerning the ingredients, but I did find the appropriate MSDS sheet.  The petroleum carrier is listed as a hydro treated petroleum distillate, which means that a hydrogen atom is added in the presence of a catalyst.  Naphtha is created in this manner, and though the Turtle Wax carrier might contain more or fewer molecular chains in its formula (likely varied from market conditions), performance should be similar.

Turtle Wax contains kaolin clay, which is a useful abrasive.  A DIY substitute would be plumber’s putty.  I do not think the problem raised by the original poster would require it.

The ingredient that would concern me with Turtle Wax is that synthetic silicone based waxes are used.  Attempting to apply varnish on a surface treated with this material would be exceedingly difficult.  

The Turtle Wax will likely work, but be clear that naphtha (or similarly created petroleum distillate) remains as part of the bargain.  My preference would be to limit instrument exposure to a minimum of reagents.  

Success is the progressive realisation of a worthy ideal. —Earl Nightingale.

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MoonShadows
Stroudsburg, PA

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April 20, 2020 - 3:43 pm
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Fiddlerman actually recommended to someone to try Turtle Wax from a post back in 2014: https://fiddlerman.com/forum/f.....ix/#p64970 ,but there are others solutions as well.

Personally, I would go with the Turtle Wax if I had to do this procedure after seeing the great job it did on my friends fiddle without any harm. Others may prefer other methods, which is fine and a personal decision.

Jim

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Fiddlerman
Fort Lauderdale
April 20, 2020 - 3:57 pm
Member Since: September 26, 2010
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Thanks Irv and MS. I've seen great results as well. We may not use it with our luthiers, but DIY results have been great. I just hate to recommend something that could backfire so I only say that some people use it. The good thing about this area is that it's VERY small.....

"The richest person is not the one who has the most,
but the one who needs the least."

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MoonShadows
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April 20, 2020 - 4:24 pm
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And, my friend's violin that she used the Turtle Wax on was a Fiddlerman Master violin. I would imagine the varnishes on the Fiddlerman series of violins are similar. @bunify has a Fiddlerman Soloist violin.

Jim

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Mouse
April 20, 2020 - 8:36 pm
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Personally, I have that mark on my Doetsch violin. It was there when I bought it new. I also have it on my older violins I bought for their character. That was part of the character. I like it on my Doetsch. I noticed it when I changed out the chinrest. It shows character, even though it was not a used violin, it was new when I bought it, and it is not a cheap violin. 

Must my thoughts. I would not worry. Good varnish with the mark, or a bad varnish that is clear of that mark. I will take the good varnish.

The Bumblebee Flies!

Please ignore any typos. My typing ability on a real typewriter did not transfer to these device key pads.

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Peter
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April 21, 2020 - 3:24 am
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cid said
Personally, I have that mark on my Doetsch violin. It was there when I bought it new...

  

My old German fiddle has not only the marks, but the rubber pads themselves have detached from the chin-rest and adhered firmly to the back. It's benign I guess, and locates the chin-rest when I re-fit it. I wonder if they've ever been off the varnished surface since the violin was originally fitted-out by the maker:

chin_rest_pads.jpgImage Enlarger

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Peter

"It is vain to do with more that which can be done with less"  - William of Ockham

"A crown is merely a hat that lets the rain in" - Frederick the Great

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MoonShadows
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April 21, 2020 - 7:32 am
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I think there is a difference when you have/buy violins not only for their sound but their appearance (a.k.a. "character"). My teacher's fiddle looks like it has been through a war, but I love the character and wouldn't change it one bit if I owned it. But, some folks buy new violins and want to keep them looking their best, and while things like cork residue or a scratch/nick here or there will not affect to quality of sound, it does affect the beauty if you are trying to keep the instrument looking pristine. It's the proverbial first scratch on a new car.

For me, if I had cork residue, I would remove it. For me, that is not character...but, the little nicks/scratches/blemishes, etc. I already have collected on my two Fiddlerman violins ARE character and I have done nothing to "fix" them. For me, that is character.

Jim

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Fiddlerman
Fort Lauderdale
April 21, 2020 - 2:00 pm
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We get instruments from all kinds of makers, distributors and brand names as well. It's pretty much a common denominator that if you remove that chinrest and use a different system, you'll either have to touch up or just have it slightly visible.
That being said, with some of our cheaper spirit based spray varnish violins, the varnish is a bit hardier.

"The richest person is not the one who has the most,
but the one who needs the least."

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