"Fiammetta", mon dernier alto 40.8

[jean-no]

Bonjour Manfio,
Quel type de vernis à tu appliqué ?

[l'H]

il est joli son vernis, hein
(excusez, je bave un peu...)

[MANFIO]

Kel: quarante jours a pour cela faire, y compris le vernis d'huile.

Rachma: ce modèle est très large pour produire la qualité de son et le volume que je veux, par conséquent les lignes plates sur les extrémités.

Jean-no: Je l'ai verni avec le vernis d'huile connu comme "Vernice Marciana", la recette est daté environ 1550: 2 parts huile, une part de colophony, une part de mastic.

[jean-no]

Merci Manfio,
Je me lance dans le vernis, c'est pas facile !

[MANFIO]

Oui, le vernis est une chose difficile. Ma méthode est la suivante (en anglais, désolé, mon Français est trop mauvais pour celui…).

I hope you speak English:

I use quite strong tea (much more strong than "drinkable" tea), then 4% sodium nitrite followed by sun (about 4 or 5 hours, two times), then more tea, I don't know how many coats of tea. I want to get a brown/golden wood, because my coloured varnish is quite strong in colour and it would appear ugly over whitish wood, I think. I apply it over the neck too.

Then I follow with Marciana Varnish diluted in turpentine, two coats. Then some untreated propolis I got in Cremona in spirts. Then my light coloured Marciana varnish (that is thick) with very fine pumice in a paste (to which I add some transparent terra di Siena naturale pigment, to get a golden yellow colour) rub in the wood (no pumice residue left over the wood), then I immediatly follow with my Marcina recipe (darker version) again with some Terra di Siena Naturale) in a thick consistency, that I give with my fingers, rubbing it energially to cover the entire instrument with a thin coat. The finger heats the thick varnish so that it can be worked, it's a bit tiring, but works.

Then I follow with Magister Doratura Rossa diluted with kerosene, to which I add Kremer's Alizarin Crimson dark in oil and some bitumen. The final coat is the same, but with a thicker consistency. I polish betwen the coats with a rag with some pumice (no residue left). The final coat is polished with fine pumice, mineral oil and some commercial white polish.

The Marciana Varnish recipe is on a manuscript on the Biblioteca Marciana, in Venice, and is dated 1550 "circa":

Item Vernice che si distende come olio et seccha presto et è molto lustrante et bella et pare uno specchio di vetro et per stare alla cosa et sopra liuti et simile cose è mirabile;" ma nel testo, queste "simile cose" sono descritte come manufatti in legno, ferro, carta, cuoio e opere dipinte:

"Togli per una misura: una libra d'olio di linseme, et quocilo come si fà in una pignatta invetriata netta, poi vi metti su mesa libbra di pece greca chiara et bella et polverizzata et mesta quando la metti, tanto che si incorpori bene a fuoco dolce, poi vi metti su mezza libra di mastice macinato, et quando lo metti perché ei rigonfia leverai però la pignata da fuoco et mettilo su a poco a poco mestando et incorporando bene, poi torna la pignata al fuoco et mesta tanto che si solva ogni cosa bene, poi mettivi quanto una noce di allume di roccha arso pesto et mesta che si solva et incorpori bene poi lievala dal fuoco et colala per peza lina vecchia et serbala, et per legname, et per ferro et per carta et corame et per ogni dipintura et lavoro farà un opera bellissima et per stare alla aqua, et quando ti pare soda stempera con olio di lino come si fa etc. ".

Claire Givens (who speaks some Italian) offered this translation, that I find good (Tradutore, traditore!):

"put a pound of linseed oil in a glass vessel, then half a pound of good greek pitch (clear, attractive, and pulverized). Mix on a gentle (?sweet) heat. Add a half pound of minced mastic. It will swell up so remove the vessel from the fire and mix until every thing is dissolved well. Then add the walnut-size amount of ground burnt alum and mix until it is all incorporated, then filter through a piece of old linen."

[winxart]

C'est tres instructif !on n'en demandait pas tant Manfio! Merci

[jean-no]

Merci beaucoup Manfio pour toutes ces infos précieuses et précises !
Je sens que cette affaire de vernis va m’occuper un bon moment.
Je posterais des images.

[l'H]

Mille mercis Manfio, je crois que cette description détaillée va beaucoup m'aider également.

[MANFIO]

Merci ! Ici un enregistrement de Beethoven Seranade op. 25 pour harpe, flute et alto, Andrès Lepage joue cet alto, le flutist est Jessica Dalsant et Paola Baron joue le Harp:

http://cid-9aef3ee9d085a21b.skydrive.li ... 5-2009.mp3