Violin varnish smell

November 29, 2013 at 08:56 AM · Is it a factory made violin? Or was it made by a violin maker? Oil or spirit varnish? The possibilities are many many.

November 30, 2013 at 03:48 AM · I own a Topa, it is a 2006, and there has never been a varnish smell. In fact one of the features of the violin that struck me was the beautiful varnish. I have played two other Topas including a 2012, and it did not smell. Sound quality among his violins seems consistently good. Any chance the dealer polished it?

December 1, 2013 at 01:23 AM · If your polisher makes his own varnish, the process can give off a tobacco smell. Is that what you're smelling? Does it smell more like tobacco or just varnish? There are many different methods you can use, one is to buy orange hand cleaner with liminonine D in it and wet a microfiber cloth with it, let it dry until it's damp, and then wipe down your violin with it. The orange smell should neutralize the strong odor. Another thing you can do is fill several bowls with vinegar and place them around your violin, vinegar absorbs strong odors. Good luck!

December 1, 2013 at 03:57 AM · Please do NOT expose your violin to limonene or "orange hand cleaner" or acetic acid fumes. Nothing of the sort will solve your problem. But they coild wreck your violin and erase your ca. $12000 investment. First you need to learn WHY your violin smells, and then you might address it. I suggest you take this vioin to the best violin shop in your area, preferably one with makers on staff and deep experience in repairs to the finish of fine violins. Maybe there is a luthier who can chime in here, but I dont think your violin should give off ANY odors.

December 1, 2013 at 03:19 PM · New varnish can have any number of smells, especially oil varnishes. Linseed oil, turpentine, and other ingredients will have characteristic odors. The good news is, like a newly painted house, the odor diminishes over time. This can be accelerated by leaving the instrument out in the air, or (if you're daring and in a big hurry) give it some sun exposure. I'd de-tune it if I did the sunning thing, and cover the black fingerboard with white paper.

December 1, 2013 at 11:16 PM · I'd say just enjoy the scent of new varnish on wood! It's really quite pleasant, and will be gone before long. Whatever you do, DON'T put stuff on your violin to kill the odour. A little airing is a good thing; exposing it to the sun, not so much! You could do some serious damage.

December 2, 2013 at 06:28 AM · I did not say to pour the orange hand cleaner on your violin. You pour it on a microfiber cloth until it is almost completely dry, then wipe doen the violin. It does help the smell. I know someone who has used that method personally and nothing bad happened to their violin. Also, I want to add, that with time, the smell will probably just wear out on its own.

December 2, 2013 at 10:36 PM · If you do not know every ingredient and it's chemical characteristics of that hand cleaner (or anything else you're tempted to rub on the varnish) then use it at your own long term risk. Damage might not show up for 10 or 20 years but the very components that make it a "cleaner" are likely to be detrimental in the long run. Have fun.

December 3, 2013 at 07:18 AM · Every single Vuillaume I've played smelled sweet. Very strange.

December 3, 2013 at 12:55 PM · Interesting. Come to think of it, every violin I have known intimately has had a subtle but distinctive aroma of its own, sometimes barely detectable, but each one a pleasant combination of the various woods (spruce, maple, ebony, etc), varnish and rosin. ( I imagine that a carbon composite violin would smell rather nasty, like plastic.)