Thank you for this Rob, However I disagree. As mentioned earlier there are other sources (eg Michelmas) who discuss this further. regards MH PS what do you think the Old Ones used?
Rob Dorsey <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: Hi Martyn, I hate to be redundant all over again but, in my humble opinion (my wife cautions me against that phrase owing that she reckons I've never had a humble opinion) no oil of any kind should be used on the soundboard of a lute, period, full stop, poink! Only nothing, a practical inconvenience because you can't keep the board clean, or pure light shellac, seals the wood and dries glass hard, or wax, issuing either from the bee or the wily carnauba which I am made to understand is devilishly difficult to catch. Again, in great fear of ranting (another of my bride's accusations) I will reiterate ad nauseum, NO OIL ON THE SOUNDBOARD. As for others who counsel oil I'm afraid that if God himself told me to put an oil varnish on a lute belly, I'd reckon him wrong, gently forect him (he's...you know...after all) and hope I didn't get transformed into a newt for my arrogance. Oil and spruce, or cedar or redwood for that matter, don' mix unless you plan to live in it or sit on it. Thus endeth the rant, for the moment, Rob Dorsey http://robdorsey.com _____ From: Martyn Hodgson [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Sunday, June 25, 2006 1:18 AM To: Rob Dorsey; Lute Net Subject: Re: [LUTE] Re: Protecting the unfinished top (table) True Stand Oil is extremely thick and viscous (rather like treacle) and hardens as a surface film rather than 'soaking into the wood'. It is applied with a stiff rubber and cannot be 'painted' on. Have you any experience of it? There is evidence that some violins (eg Joseph Michelmas ' Violin Varnish' et alia) were given a ground coat which was allowed to harden prior to varnishing. MH -- To get on or off this list see list information at http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html --------------------------------- All new Yahoo! Mail "The new Interface is stunning in its simplicity and ease of use." - PC Magazine --
