Soft Finish

[Poener]

The finish on one of my instruments is still "soft" after ten years. Can anything be done to make it hard? I have no idea what the finish is but if I play the instrument with a button down shirt the button imprint will be in the finish and later the imprint will vanish. Weird.

[Jim Rowland]

Try a blue chiip.
Jim

[JEStanek]

Can you tell us who made the instrument or have you called the builder/company for an idea of what the finish is? It sounds quite elastic if it will take the imprint of a button and then slowly relax back to normal configuration....

Jamie

[Poener]

Can you tell us who made the instrument or have you called the builder/company for an idea of what the finish is? It sounds quite elastic if it will take the imprint of a button and then slowly relax back to normal configuration....

Jamie

Sorry, I can't tell you the luthier's name but it was a "green" experimental finish and supposedly water based.

[Poener]

Sorry, I can't tell you the luthier's name but it was a "green" experimental finish and supposedly water based.

Additionally, the luthier is based in California for what it's worth.

[Poener]

Try a blue chiip.
Jim

What is this "blue chiip"?

[Pete Hicks]

I would say refinish it with some good varnish or laquer. It sounds like a bad batch of varnish to me. It is probably muddying up the tone as well.

[JEStanek]

The blue chip joke is about playing your mandolin with a button down shirt (that would require a LOT of starch). A Blue Chip is a costly designer pick many people who own them love. I remember these water based finishes from a few years ago. They were supposed to harden like spirit ones...

Here are all the threads on Water Based Finishes.

The best bet is to contact the builder and see what s/he says to do. Without knowing the exact finish, the other builders (and I'm not one) might not have much to offer up. I understand not naming the builder.

Jamie