Hi everyone ,

The topic title says most of it really. On the varnished wood of my violin there is lots of rosin which wont come off when I clean it with the duster and it makes my hands really sticky whenever I touch the violin now! What can I use to clean it?

Thanks,

Lil_miz_music xx

It depends on how long you have left it on there for, to be honest. If it has fused to the wood, then the only way to remove it is to pay a luthier to take it off and then he may have to revarnish the fiddle (very expensive!)

Try some violin polish and gently remove it, if that doesn't work then you have to either leave it on there (but remove any future deposits over the top) or have it done professionally.

You really should remove the rosin after each use.

Good luck.

Allan

I know nothing about violin varnish[u], which is said to be a key element of the sound of some instruments. I do know that in the U.S. there is a product called "Formby's Build-up Remover". I have no idea if it would be effective and not damage a violin's finish AND alter its tone by removing some or all of the varnish.

I do know that if you try any cleaner on your own, you should recognize that it could damage the instrument more than in merely visual terms (by altering its tonal qualities).

If you have an expensive instrument, consider how you approach removing the rosin very carefully. I'd check with a couple of music shops and ask if they know how to clean rosin from a violin, and how much it would be. (They may need to see it to make a determination.) I'd then check on whether it would be cheaper to replace the instrument with an E-bay special or have it cleaned.

Being me, I'd probably try a little of this Build-up Remover product on a tiny dot of rosin somewhere that was inconcspicuous, and if it removed the rosin but not the varnish (which may be a waxy product that the Build-up Remover is DESIGNED to remove), wait a few days to see how it affects the finish. If you can polish the spot and it looks as it did before and feels like other clean parts of the finish to your touch, perhaps you'd have a solution that might be expanded to another tiny, inconspicous spot for a second test to evaluate the effects. If both tests are successful, then its up to you to decide if you want to risk using it on the finish of the rest of the instrument.

Before I'd attempt anything on my own I'd contact some violin manufacturer's/luthier's as well via their web sites. They probably get inquiries all the time with regard to the proper care and feeding of a violin. They may be able to recommend both a suitable product and a source. Rosin on a violin doesn't sound like an odd problem.

NOTICE: NO ADVICE IS OFFERED HERE THAT HAS BEEN TESTED. NO PRODUCT IS RECOMMENDED BASED UPON PRIOR EXPERIENCE WITH A VIOLIN. The Build-up Remover is a furniture product.

Don't use anything other that violin products on a violin, preferably take your violin to a luthier to be professionally cleaned. If you've been playing for anything over a year then your violin would probably benefit from a general checkover and clean as offered by most violin shops. If you must try and clean it yourself then use a violin polish such as Viol or Hill's and be very careful. Test a small patch in an incospicious area first such as on a rib near your chinrest. Follow the manufacturers instructions closely.

Take the instrument to a luthier. They will be able to clean the rosin residue from the varnish without damaging it. Unless you really know what you are doing, even proprietry violin cleaners, you could make the situation worse rather than better.

In future, always dust the rosin off your violin immediately after playing, not just once a week or when you remember or it starts looking white and dusty - by that time it will be too late, it will already be starting to stick. Wipe rosin from the bow stick too, as it can build up on there as well.

Thanks everyone for your replies. To be honest, I don't think I will risk using furniture polish! My violin is only a cheap Stentor Conservatoire that I've had for 10 months. Do you all really think I need to take it to a luthier? I didn't think it was a big deal and I could just wash it off ! What I don't really understand is how it got there. I clean my violin with a duster after every time I play it so how can I prevent the wood having a sticky surface when the duster wont help and I thought I was cleaning it properly anyway? Sorry if I'm sounding stupid and every violinist should know this type of stuff !

I have exactly this problem!

If you don't brush the rosin off every time then it'll build up and eventually affect the varnish, after which it will need a professional clean-up job and a bit of revarnishing to return it to its original state. I'd try some proper professional varnish cleaning fluid first (follow the instructions very carefully) and if you can't get it off, take it to a luthier and get a quote.

Hope you can get it sorted.

Have just re-read your last post and seen that you do clean your violin every time, so the build-up is odd - unless of course it's a duster problem - ie you're using the wrong kind of cloth! Yellow dusters do have fibres that tend to come off, get imbedded in bits of rosin and then the whole lot sticks to the violin, so if you're using this type of duster stop immediately and get a violin-specific one from a luthier, or find a cloth that doesn't have detachable fibres!

If you are finding that your violin is covered in rosin dust as though there has been a fall of snow each time you've played then you are most likely using too much rosin. Three or 4 swipes of rosin onto the bow hair a couple of times a week should be all that is needed. I play about 2 hours per day and only re-rosin about every 5 or 6 days and rarely have any visible rosin dust on my violin although I'm still fastidious about wiping it down after playing, the bow stick also.

Also not all rosin is created equal, some are much cleaner in use that others, cheap rosins like Hidersine, Hill and AB tend to leave more dust than better quality rosin like Jade or my choice, Melos.

Me too!
I thought i was the only one
In my string group one girl's violin is absolutely PLASTERED with rosin dust, looks like it's had a seriously heavy snowfall over it, around the end of the fingerboard and under where the strings are bowed, there is no visible wood just a thick coating of white.
Yet i don't get barely any dust. I still wipe my violin but if i forget to wipe it, i can go a week or more of playing atleast an hour a day, and my violin wont have any visible rosin dust. I do use a good quality rosin (Jade) but even when i used a cheap stentor rosin i didn't get any rosin dust.
+ I put a thin coating (2 or 3 strokes) on every other day or so. So to get a lot of rosin dust you must be putting quite a lot on perhaps. I don't know, it depends on your rosin and stuff too i suppose

Gosh, does the type of cloth you use make a difference?! Oops Well I have been using a flannel - does that have detachable fibres? Maybe I should go and buy a violin cloth...?



Thanks that is really good advice No one ever told me how much rosin to use so I've just realised I was using way too much!

Where can we buy a violin cloth? None of the online shops mention them.

I use a yellow duster (well worn first so the fibres are not loose) and wipe down even if I've only played for half-an-hour. The varnish under the playing part of the strings is not as shiny as the rest of the instrument (on my Gama which I played for 11months from new) but it's not sticky.

Cheap yellow dusters aren't ideal as has already been stated they can shed fibres and some also have quite a loose weave that can get caught around the corners of the bridge or snag on the point of an F hole, damaging the instrument. If you can find non-shedding cotton dusters with a close weave these are ok.
Decent quality microfibre cloths are good as they are non-scratch. Cotton jersey, such as T-shirt fabric is good, be careful of using any cloths that may have residues of detergent in them in case they affect the finish of the instrument.

Whatever sort of cloth you use it is best to have two in your case, one used to wipe the strings, fingerboard and the area beneath the strings and the bow stick. Another used for the rest of the violin so as not to spread rosin dust over the whole instrument.
Change your cloths from time to time too.