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Double bass wood treatment?


lowlandtrees
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my double bass is getting a bit tatty....which I quite like incidentally....but the colour is kinda faded....the pic below is just after I polished it so doesn’t look too bad. I was wondering (must be old guy lockdown mentality) if I could treat it with something that deepen the colour? That is without sanding it down to clean wood. It’s not a top drawer instrument but I like aspects of it. I have a 1901 Hawkes and when they are in the same room this guy looks like he could do with a spa day.
 

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I'm a woodworker not a luthier so take this with a large pinch of salt. Anything you do is going to change the tome of your bass, so proceed with caution. Your post got me thinking and I did a little research too. My initial thoughts were what would I do and my solution was shellac and very light natural oils, I'd also keep water away from the wood as any increase in the water content of the wood is probably not going to help. 

That seems to be what the on-line advice is, there are lots of violin varnishes based upon seedlac and plant oils it seems https://www.internationalviolin.com/Shop/varnish-supplies for example. 

Lot's of advice out there just search violin refinishing https://ourpastimes.com/how-to-revarnish-an-old-violin-12556279.html

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I think the biggest challenge will be finding a way to do it without sanding the existing finish back, at least to some extent, particularly if there's a build up of polish on top of the old finish. Personally I think it looks great in your pic, that sort of naturally aged and well worn look is a beautiful thing!

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1 hour ago, ikay said:

I think the biggest challenge will be finding a way to do it without sanding the existing finish back, at least to some extent, particularly if there's a build up of polish on top of the old finish. Personally I think it looks great in your pic, that sort of naturally aged and well worn look is a beautiful thing!

The top (I think it is called) of the bass is really paper thin. Any amount of pressure on the f-holes will break the ends off. I know what you are saying and if it’s not recommended then I won’t touch it. I have gigged it and probably will again but I guard it with my life. 
I was hoping for something like a wax that may penetrate the finish...which is very thin and matt.... I maybe should not have polished it.....as I really don’t know what I’m doing

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3 hours ago, Phil Starr said:

I'm a woodworker not a luthier so take this with a large pinch of salt. Anything you do is going to change the tome of your bass, so proceed with caution. Your post got me thinking and I did a little research too. My initial thoughts were what would I do and my solution was shellac and very light natural oils, I'd also keep water away from the wood as any increase in the water content of the wood is probably not going to help. 

That seems to be what the on-line advice is, there are lots of violin varnishes based upon seedlac and plant oils it seems https://www.internationalviolin.com/Shop/varnish-supplies for example. 

Lot's of advice out there just search violin refinishing https://ourpastimes.com/how-to-revarnish-an-old-violin-12556279.html

Well if in the international violin shop don’t have it then it doesn’t exist

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18 hours ago, lowlandtrees said:

The top (I think it is called) of the bass is really paper thin. Any amount of pressure on the f-holes will break the ends off. I know what you are saying and if it’s not recommended then I won’t touch it. I have gigged it and probably will again but I guard it with my life. 
I was hoping for something like a wax that may penetrate the finish...which is very thin and matt.... I maybe should not have polished it.....as I really don’t know what I’m doing

Did you use a furniture polish? they usually contain silicones which 'disagree' with wax or oil finishes and make them go pale and cloudy. I would avoid waxes too to be honest. If you want to do anything I might use a bit of meth's on a cloth to just raise dissolve and remove any surface dirt and wax, but really gently and start in a small area you cannot see. If it's something you guard with your life though maybe take it to a qualified practitioner when times ease, or just leave it alone :)

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