I’ve been collecting books for many years, from various disciplines, to understand the varnishes of
antiquity. These books have changed my view of varnish and how it was prepared in the 18th century.
I personally prepare all my own varnishes because of my research.
A violin maker is part chemist/alchemist.
Merrifield, Mary P. Medieval and Renaissance Treatises of the arts of Painting.
London, U.K., 1849
Cennini, Cennino. Il Libro dell’Arte. Tuscany, Italy, 1400’s
Presbyter, Theophilus. On Divers Arts. Cologne, Germany, 1122
Evelyn, John. Sylva, or A Discourse of Forest-Trees and the Propagation of Timber in
His Majesty's Dominions. London, U.K., 1664
Davids, Thaddeus. The History of Ink, including its etymology, chemistry, and bibliography.
New York, New York, 1860
Hurst, George H. Painters’ Colors, Oils and Varnishes: A practical guide. London, U.K., 1892
Schweizer, Victor. The Distillation of Resins, resinate lakes and pigments, carbon pigments and pigments for typewriting machines. London, U.K., 1907
Perry, G.W. A Treatise on Turpentine Farming. Newborn, North Carolina, 1859
Friend, J. Newton. The Chemistry of Lindseed Oil. London, U.K., 1917
Mirov, N. T. Composition of Gum Turpentines of Pines. United States Department of Agriculture, 1961
Tjoelker, Mark G. Biology and Ecology of Norway Spruce. Poznan, Poland, 1998
Langenheim, Jean H. Plant Resins: Chemistry, Evolution, Ecology, and Ethnobotany. Cambridge, U.K., 2003
Eckenwalder, James E. Conifers of the World. London, U.K., 1949
Moore, Jacob B. The Cabinet Makers Guide. London, U.K., 1827
Massey, Robert. Formulas for Painters. New York, New York, 1979
Roubo, Andre-Jacob. To Make as Perfectly as Possible: Roubo on Marquetry. Paris, France. 1769-1775
Allen, Sam. Classic Finishing Techniques. New York, New York. 1994
Baron, Brian. The Techniques of Traditional Woodfinishing. London, U.K., 1987
“...gum, the gum of the mountain spruce.
He showed me lumps of the scented stuff
Like uncut jewels, dull and rough.” -Robert Frost, the Gum-Gatherer 1920
