here's something you might find interesting - i have a cheapy, chinese-made, shoulder-less fiddle with a nitrocellulose finish. in an attempt to make it look more "early" ("baroque-izing" it) i took some fine grain steel wool to the finish and knocked the nitrocellulose "bling" back a bit. as a consequence it looks less like a giant piece of caramel coated candy and more like a fiddle. it also yielded a noticeable improvement in tone. i did this to my loar-600 at the same time i substituted its bridge for one from cumberland acoustics. might be a combination of the two procedures but my mandolin's tone has improved a lot. if you try this, wear a mask or - as i did - sit outside in a stiff breeze and avoid the fine dust. your loar will look less glossy but if mine is any indication, it'll make it sing
You are getting brave, Bill. I don't have my LM400 yet (July delivery to here in Bangkok is anticipated anxiously), but I doubt if I could contemplate taking steel wool to it. I see frequent mentions of 'fine grade' steel wool on the forum, and while I understand what it probably is, I have never come across the stuff. It must be pretty darn fine if it can amend the finish on a mandolin without the results looking like a kindergarten woodshop project. ron
stumbled across some in the local paint shop - i was curious about it too. the result knocks the high gloss back a bit, that's all - makes it look like you've had it for years. july is a very, very long way away - commiserations
I'm amazed at the thought of taking steel wool to a new Loar 600. Any pictures? Is this steel wool 000 or 0000 or something else?
July long way away? What are you talking about - it's only the month after next, or anything from 8 to 11 weeks or....you're right. It's too darn long away
Interesting Bill... I think I'll grab some grey scotch rite from a jewellers supply and give this a shot when I get to swapping out the bridge. I've noticed how NC finish seems brittle and chips when dinged... From a lesson called one mandolin on the couch at a time.
That's because it is not a 'real' nitro finish. It is a coat of nitro over an enormously thick coating of poly. The outer nitro seems rather prone to flaking off... much more so than a 100% nitro finish that is properly bonded to the wood. So much for truth in advertising!
