I have used Ozmo Hard Wax Oil for finishing some of the banjo’s and guitars that I make. It brings out the colour in the wood. I don’t know if you want to use it on a fiddle. If so do be sure to give it a thin first coat so it doesn’t penetrate very far. Then build up the finish with at least another three coats. I also use Tru-Oil occasionally.

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Originally posted by ShadowVio

Wanting to have a clear vanish look, natural wood color, to the violin. Be my first one doing.

Wanting to go oil route.

I guess, what would be 101 to going about it?
Ground, seen some say they use egg. Any steps before this?
For a more clear look, don't want to much color added to it. What would be the steps needed after ground?

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There are a few things to consider. Before applying a ground, you'll need to think about the color of the wood. If it's very bright white, do you want to make it more golden first, or do you want to add all the color on your varnish? A lot of people will tan instruments for some time to put some color in the wood itself, either though natural sunlight exposure or through use of UV light sources. Another approach is to reach a color with a chemical treatment; this can be through use of a stain (coffee, tea, dye, feces/urine, etc.) or it can be through use of a chemical that will react with the wood (acid, ammonia, etc.). Once a desired wood color is achieved the ground process can begin. 
 

Grounds tend to have two components: a pore filler and a sealer. The pores need to be filled to a certain extent so that varnish won't soak into them too deeply and weaken the wood or oversaturate endgrain with color. A sealer forms a protective layer over the surface that will often remain if the varnish is removed and it prepares the surface for receiving varnish. It may also complement the refractive index of the wood so that the varnish will look clearer and have the look of depth when applied. There are lots of grounds to choose from and they all have their pros and cons. 

Oil varnish is available from various sellers or you can try making your own. While the ingredients needed are straightforward (essentially a resin and a drying oil), the process of cooking them is anything but simple. Cooking varnish is dangerous and has been outlawed at many times because of the possibility of explosions or fires. The cooking process tends to add some color on its own and you can then decide whether to add pigment to the varnish to color it further.

A good transparent varnish will enhance the appearance of the wood and show the quality of its figure. On the other hand, if the wood is a bit plain, the judicious use of pigment and shading will make the instrument more visually interesting. A monotone varnish can be rather boring. A really impressive varnishing job will draw the eye to important areas and will frame the instrument nicely. The varnish can display the outline of the instrument and its arching as well as its wood. 
 

There are a number of ways to apply oil varnish. You may want to do some experiments to see what method you prefer. It's a good idea to at least use some test pieces of wood before applying to the instrument to make sure everything is working well. You can even buy cheap white violins made for the purposes of varnish practice. 

For the ground, what is recommended? Have seen different ways to go about it. What's the most common that's available to buy or easy to make?

For both ground and varnish, sanding recommended? What kind of Sanders or pumice stone if need be.

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Originally posted by ShadowVio

For the ground, what is recommended? Have seen different ways to go about it. What's the most common that's available to buy or easy to make?

For both ground and varnish, sanding recommended? What kind of Sanders or pumice stone if need be.

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I use unwaxed shellac. Very easy.

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Originally posted by Brian Wood

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Originally posted by ShadowVio

For the ground, what is recommended? Have seen different ways to go about it. What's the most common that's available to buy or easy to make?

For both ground and varnish, sanding recommended? What kind of Sanders or pumice stone if need be.

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I use de-waxed shellac. Very easy.

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Originally posted by Brian Wood

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Originally posted by Brian Wood

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Originally posted by ShadowVio

For the ground, what is recommended? Have seen different ways to go about it. What's the most common that's available to buy or easy to make?

For both ground and varnish, sanding recommended? What kind of Sanders or pumice stone if need be.

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I use de-waxed shellac. Very easy.

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To desolve it, it goes in alcohol. What kind is best?

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Originally posted by ShadowVio

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Originally posted by Brian Wood

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Originally posted by Brian Wood

quote:

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Originally posted by ShadowVio

For the ground, what is recommended? Have seen different ways to go about it. What's the most common that's available to buy or easy to make?

For both ground and varnish, sanding recommended? What kind of Sanders or pumice stone if need be.

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I use de-waxed shellac. Very easy.

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To desolve it, it goes in alcohol. What kind is best?

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Everclear, if you live in a state that allows sale. But I use commercial alcohol solvent from the hardware store with no problem.

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Originally posted by ShadowVio

For the ground, what is recommended? Have seen different ways to go about it. What's the most common that's available to buy or easy to make?

For both ground and varnish, sanding recommended? What kind of Sanders or pumice stone if need be.

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Like Brian suggested, shellac is an easy ground to use and it's easy to prepare and apply. You can buy dewaxed blonde flakes and dissolve in alcohol to prepare, or if you're nervous about making it, you can always buy Bullseye clear shellac pre-made in a can at a hardware store. If you make your own varnish you may be able to get better results, but Bullseye is a well-made varnish that's fine for violins.

If you use alcohol, Everclear (the 190-proof variety only) is the purest you can obtain without a license for scientific-grade pure alcohol. Denatured alcohol from a hardware store will work well, but be mindful of the dangers of the additives in it. I also find that it doesn't cut quite as well as Everclear and it seems to leave behind a bit of residue. When I've used denatured for touchup, I find that it doesn't work as well with some pigments as Everclear to dissolve them for mixing into a varnish. But for the purposes you describe, you can use any of the products. Just make sure you have adequate ventilation.

I would not recommend sanding the ground. At that stage, the purpose is to lay something on the surface of the wood that will fill pores and seal the surface without penetrating too deeply and to enhance the optical appearance of the wood for the coming colored varnish layers. As you add colored varnish, you may want to abrade the surface to get rid of orange peel texture or brush strokes. Be careful about overdoing it because you can easily sad through color. Spirit varnish is thin and since it's alcohol soluble, each new layer melts into the lower layers, so it's not completely dry even when it's dry to the touch at first. If you sand, a fine grit (1500 or finer) with water will even things out and leave a fairly matte surface. The more you sand, though, the more you may erase surface texture from the wood. In an ideal world, each cost of varnish will go on cleanly and seamlessly enough that no sanding will be needed before the next coat. This isn't always possible, although with enough finesse and an absence of dust, you can often apply several layers without having to sand.

For a lot of luthiers, if the color goes on well enough, no sanding is needed until the end. Once the color is to your liking, you can put two or three layers of clear on the top and let it dry for a while. Then you can do your sanding to remove unwanted bumps and nits. When it's smoothed out you can polish to the final sheen.