The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #42415 Message #616188
Posted By: JohnInKansas
25-Dec-01 - 07:56 AM
Thread Name: Best way to mark notes on a fiddle?
Subject: RE: Best way to mark notes on a fiddle?
The guy at the fiddle store was probably giving good advice - but he didn't finish the job.
Liquid Paper, White-out, Sno-Pake, and such come in two kinds. One is a solvent based material, and the other is water based.
If you use the solvent base type, it may penetrate the finish enough to leave marks when you try to remove it. The water based kind shouldn't do any more damage than a sweaty finger, if you make sure to apply it sparingly so that it can dry quickly.
Penetration into the finish should be minimal. It makes a fairly durable marking, but is brittle enough to be "flaked" off with a fingernail when dry.
Either kind - solvent or water based - may get into the grain of the wood if it's an "open" grain. If it does, it can be difficult to remove completely. Best bet is to leave any penetration alone and let it wear off, or wait for it to get dirty enough so it doesn't show. It will just look like you got a little chalk on the board.
It is assumed we're not talking about an Amati, Guarneri, or Stradivarius here?
John