Varnishing and antiquing a cello

The varnishing process of my second cello (scratch built acoustic instrument number four). Big disclaimer: I am no luthier, and therefore this is not an instructional video, since my methods or skills should not be compared to the professional standards. However, since I have found very few vieos myself on antiquing, or even varnishing cellos, this is my contribution for anyone like myself who might be interested in watching. I will make a demo of the cello once it’s set up, so if you’re watching before then, keep an eye out for it!
The process took roughly two and a half weeks from white instrument to varnished, doing one step a day and leaving the cello in a growth tent with 108W of UV set on a timer to give 14 hours of light a day. This was done to avoid overheating, as the Danish winter gave some humidity issues if the lights were running for a long time. Personally I’m very pleased with the result, and especially the red brown colour.
Things I might do differently on the next one include using thinner glazes and varnish coats, maybe finding a more transparent pigment that burnt sienna and having more colour in the wood before applying the ground. This antiquing is a bit “harsh”, and I will try to make it all a bit smoother on my next attempt.

The main pigments used for colouring the varnish:
Winsor & Newton artists’ oil colour, Transparent Brown Oxide, 648
W&N Winton oil colour, Burnt Sienna, 074
W&N artists’ oil colour, Prussian Blue, 538
Kremer madder lake, Krapplack brilliantes bordeauxrot
Hammerl color extract, red brown
Hammerl color extract, golden yellow
Synthetic Indian Yellow

Additional pigments:
Norma Professional Olive Green, 512
W&N Winton oil colour, Burnt Umber, 076
W&N Winton oil colour, Permanent Alizarin Crimson, 468
W&N Winton oil colour, Lamp Black, 337
W&N artists’ oil colour, Transparent Red Ochre, 538

Music in this video:
F. Mendelsson Quartet No. 6, played by the Schumann Quartett at BISQC 2013. Easily one of my favourite classical recordings

Видео Varnishing and antiquing a cello канала Tobias Radmer