Re: Old fiddle finishes?

[Craig Deller <Craig1708@aol.com>]

Jonathan,
Musical instruments are not my normal thing, however, I am a wooden artifact
conservator that deals with coatings. There are a number of questions that I
would like answered first. Do you believe the coating to be the original? If
so, it should be preserved. I would first do a simple solvent test to attempt
to determine the type of coating. Start with an alcohol (ethonal) to see if
the surface becomes tack to the touch. If it does, we are lucky as they are
the most "repairable". If the coating is not the original ( a later
repolishing job ) than someone more familiar with your instrument needs to be
contacted. There are many avenues to explore. If this is the type of
information you need and want, let me know and I'll try to help the best I 
can.

Craig Deller
The Deller Conservation Group Ltd
e-mail: Craig1708@aol.com.