How often should I polish my Violin?
Sunday, August 22nd, 2010 at
8:49 am
I'm wondering how often I should polish my violin. I play it at school every day and the rosin can build up under the strings by the bridge if I forget to wipe it after I play (this happens often).
The violin is 93 years old. It has a nice pale-orange varnish on it.
I have a bottle of polish that my mom bought. It has Fiddlebrite written on it. I'm not sure if I should use it on this violin or not.
I'd also like some suggestions on what kind of violin polish to use, Thanks.
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Tagged with: bridge • mom • rosin • varnish • violin
Filed under: Polish Written and Spoken
Fiddlebrite is not a polish, it’s just a cleaner. And I woudln’t use it on a violin that old. Your violin may have a French finish on it, and Fiddlebrite might damage the finish.
If you will go to SHAR music, they have a nice cleaner and polish you can get. I would just dust the violin off right before you put it away and then maybe have a luthier look at and clean it. They would be able to tell you how often to polish.
SHAR:
http://www.sharmusic.com/itemdy00.asp?T1=1136&Cat=
Thats a gem there……………wipe gently and handle with care
every 4 days is my advice for ya.
STOP ; do not use any polish on that violin. You do not know what sort of varnish is on it and you could ruin it. Wipe it down with a soft cotton cloth ; an old cotton T-shirt is fine. Do this after EVERY time you play. You must remove that rosin from the violin as it is corrosive and will damage the varnish. DO NOT FORGET. Carry a cloth inside the violin case.
Do not use furniture polish or any concoction from the kitchen cupboard. Special violin polishes are not needed and may actually do some damage.
Consult with a luthier at a violin shop if there is a problem with removing that old rosin. They will be able to tell what sort of varnish is on your violin and how best to clean it but the soft cotton cloth should do the trick..
PS no need to use too much rosin. A couple of strokes per day on the rosin block is enough. If you have clouds of rosin falling like dandruff on your violin then that is way too much rosin on your bow.
It’s important to wipe away settled rosin under the strings (and up the fingerboard if you’ve strayed) after you’ve finished playing – but also don’t overdo it with too much rosin on the bow. If you’re playing everyday, just a couple of light strokes should be enough. If you do this, then you shouldn’t need to polish your violin very often, just dust it off twice a week. I wouldn’t recommend home polishing on a older violin, its much better to send it off for professional cleaning (which isn’t very expensive) every 4-6 months or so.