Dear friends! I would like to add a comment to say that above everything else it is the most important that the cleaning alcohol NEVER touch the violin wood. If you feel uncomfortable using it in any way, then please don’t 🙃 Also this video is based on how I was taught by my teachers and violin restoration experts and dealers but I’m sure there are many good ways to care for your instrument and I’m grateful for your input!
Thanks, I used alcohol on my strings and they are finally clean, and with very little effort. It seems obvious since rosin is solvable in alcohol. I know alcohol is bad for varnish but rosin dust on varnish over time is also bad. Rosin is made from tree sap, and from the same procedure comes turpentine (also bad for varnish) so it is important to keep the rosin off the varnish and off the strings when there is a build up.
Overal pretty good. I wouldn’t say alcohol “damages” the varnish as much as it melts the varnish beyond repair. It is critical that alcohol only be used on the strings and fingerboard. I manage a violin shop in California, and we don’t normally suggest people use alcohol because it’s so dangerous. A clean dry cloth is ideal and safe. I appreciate the tutorial though.
Hi! Thanks for watching and for your input! Yes, I would probably agree with you on the alcohol. I use it from time to time to help clean the strings thoroughly. I would never ever touch the wood though and probably wouldn’t recommend it to anybody who isn’t used to using it or hasn’t been shown how. I wonder if you might know what is on my ‘waxy feeling’ cloth? It was recommended to me many years ago by one of the main violin makers in Amsterdam and the packaging is so worn that I can’t read what it’s called anymore!
@@AMARINS Well, it’s always great seeing such high level virtuosic violinists share their time, so I’m grateful for the videos! I watched a few today, and I’m enjoying the warmup recommendations. I’m not sure off-hand what the waxiness on your cloth might be. I can ask the owner/ one of the luthiers tomorrow. Your Guadagnini would have an oil varnish, and it’s possible minuscule amounts could have gathered on it over time, but it was probably waxy before you got the Guad. Polishing products always have mild abrasives in them, which can damage the varnish if not properly used, so it would seem strange to have them imbedded on a cloth like that.
@@Violamanben Ah, thanks so much for your comment and for watching some more videos! I'm glad you're enjoying them. My channel is still VERY new and I'm definitely testing the waters of RUclips to see what people are interested in. Based on these responses I was thinking it might be fun and interesting for people (with less knowledge than you!) if I asked a luthier here in London to join me for some violin advice. I've always been so disappointed that we are not taught more about violin care/building during our studies!
about the waxiness... I don't think it's coming off my violin. The cloth was definitely like this when I got it (from Andreas Post in Amsterdam) many years ago. A mystery!
@@AMARINS Just watched some more videos. Wow. You are fantastic! It really is great that you are creating content. I know that having a luthier appear worked out well for TwoSet. From what little I know about the RUclips algorithm and having dated a full time content creator, consistent posting and quality content seem to be the most important things. You already have the quality! After going to conservatory, I was astonished with everything I didn’t know about string instruments. There are so many nuances to everything. I wish you the best of luck! I really look forward to seeing more!
Thanks for your comment, this cloth was given to me by a violin maker quite a few years ago and the packaging is so worn that I can’t read what it says anymore! I really don’t use it often at all and generally would clean the wood of my violin just with a dry cloth. I would probably only clean it like this a few times a year. I’ve personally never used commercial violin varnish cleaners so I will just speak for what I know! However, I can imagine they work in a similar way!
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Dear friends! I would like to add a comment to say that above everything else it is the most important that the cleaning alcohol NEVER touch the violin wood. If you feel uncomfortable using it in any way, then please don’t 🙃
Also this video is based on how I was taught by my teachers and violin restoration experts and dealers but I’m sure there are many good ways to care for your instrument and I’m grateful for your input!
Hi everybody! Thanks for watching :) Hope you're all doing well!
Thanks, I used alcohol on my strings and they are finally clean, and with very little effort. It seems obvious since rosin is solvable in alcohol. I know alcohol is bad for varnish but rosin dust on varnish over time is also bad. Rosin is made from tree sap, and from the same procedure comes turpentine (also bad for varnish) so it is important to keep the rosin off the varnish and off the strings when there is a build up.
Good point!
Overal pretty good. I wouldn’t say alcohol “damages” the varnish as much as it melts the varnish beyond repair. It is critical that alcohol only be used on the strings and fingerboard. I manage a violin shop in California, and we don’t normally suggest people use alcohol because it’s so dangerous. A clean dry cloth is ideal and safe. I appreciate the tutorial though.
Hi! Thanks for watching and for your input! Yes, I would probably agree with you on the alcohol. I use it from time to time to help clean the strings thoroughly. I would never ever touch the wood though and probably wouldn’t recommend it to anybody who isn’t used to using it or hasn’t been shown how.
I wonder if you might know what is on my ‘waxy feeling’ cloth? It was recommended to me many years ago by one of the main violin makers in Amsterdam and the packaging is so worn that I can’t read what it’s called anymore!
@@AMARINS Well, it’s always great seeing such high level virtuosic violinists share their time, so I’m grateful for the videos! I watched a few today, and I’m enjoying the warmup recommendations.
I’m not sure off-hand what the waxiness on your cloth might be. I can ask the owner/ one of the luthiers tomorrow. Your Guadagnini would have an oil varnish, and it’s possible minuscule amounts could have gathered on it over time, but it was probably waxy before you got the Guad. Polishing products always have mild abrasives in them, which can damage the varnish if not properly used, so it would seem strange to have them imbedded on a cloth like that.
@@Violamanben Ah, thanks so much for your comment and for watching some more videos! I'm glad you're enjoying them.
My channel is still VERY new and I'm definitely testing the waters of RUclips to see what people are interested in. Based on these responses I was thinking it might be fun and interesting for people (with less knowledge than you!) if I asked a luthier here in London to join me for some violin advice.
I've always been so disappointed that we are not taught more about violin care/building during our studies!
about the waxiness... I don't think it's coming off my violin. The cloth was definitely like this when I got it (from Andreas Post in Amsterdam) many years ago. A mystery!
@@AMARINS Just watched some more videos. Wow. You are fantastic! It really is great that you are creating content. I know that having a luthier appear worked out well for TwoSet. From what little I know about the RUclips algorithm and having dated a full time content creator, consistent posting and quality content seem to be the most important things. You already have the quality!
After going to conservatory, I was astonished with everything I didn’t know about string instruments. There are so many nuances to everything. I wish you the best of luck! I really look forward to seeing more!
Are you using the same kind of cloth as you use for cleaning glasses? And what about commercial violin varnish cleaners? Mine is based on almond oil.
Thanks for your comment, this cloth was given to me by a violin maker quite a few years ago and the packaging is so worn that I can’t read what it says anymore!
I really don’t use it often at all and generally would clean the wood of my violin just with a dry cloth. I would probably only clean it like this a few times a year.
I’ve personally never used commercial violin varnish cleaners so I will just speak for what I know! However, I can imagine they work in a similar way!