My son desparately wants a coloured cello..

So mad as I am I have bought a white cello with all the fittings at a fraction of the cost of a coloured cello.

Now... the task is to oil varnish this instrument or spray paint it with car paint spray. This is apparent how it is done.

The cello arrives on Friday and I am getting nervous.

What spray paint, which brand what oils to use and colour to choose?

Anyone here done this before any help greatly appreciated.

I know about linseed oil but do you brush or rub with a cloth?

Gratefully the cello is only a 1/2 size so there is not too much surface to cover, maybe I should have started with a 1/8 violin or better still 1/10 violin.

Might be wise to phone a local luthier and see what they recommend - apart from asking them to do the paint job for you. The other avenue worth exploring is getting in touch with Rainbow violins and asking them what paints etc. they use for their instruments.

Off the top of my head, I would gather it will have to be something that will expand and contract with the wood quite well, otherwise it might crack and peel off.

GOOD LUCK!!

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My son desperately wants a coloured cello

Yes, and I want a Ferrari!

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Gratefully the cello is only a 1/2 size so there is not too much surface to cover,

How old is your son?

Perhaps if you explain that coloured instruments are laughed at and so 'uncool', he'll change his mind. Because they are laughed at!!

Steve

QUOTE (stevensfo @ Apr 14 2005, 08:12 PM)

QUOTE My son desperately wants a coloured cello Yes, and I want a Ferrari! QUOTE Gratefully the cello is only a 1/2 size so there is not too much surface to cover, How old is your son? Perhaps if you explain that coloured instruments are laughed at and so 'uncool', he'll change his mind. Because they are laughed at!! Steve

They may be laughed at by older kids/teenagers etc, but not amongst normal younger kids. I teach a group of three in one school, and one of the girls aged 11 going on 12 has a purple violin. I think it looks horrible but she obviously chose it, and nobody laughs at her because nobody of her age knows it's supposed to be uncool.

I'd imagine this boy is pretty young because the mother's looking at a half or even quarter size.

Violinia

Just a thought. What would orchestras be like if all the stringed instruments were different colours? Would all the green violins be separated from the blue ones or would they be mixed with the yellow and red ones?

One of the grade 1 candidates I accompanied in March for his grade 1 had blue violin. It was a nice shade of blue, almost the same colour as my car but I'm not sure I'd want a blue violin.

Violinia, what colour is your violin? I must try and get a red on for next red nose day...

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I'd imagine this boy is pretty young because the mother's looking at a half or even quarter size.

Exactly. He's young, yet a very nice cello is going to be ruined with coloured car spray because of what he wants!


I suggest she try saying 'No'.


Steve (Dad of 2 young boys and world leading authority on saying 'No')

why shouldn't he have a coloured cello? I personally quite like coloured instruments.... A boy I know at primary school has a turquoise recorder, and it's a far more fun looking instrument than the normal brown plastic variety...

Thats true. But if the cello needs to be painted pink with yellow spots and green stripes to get a child to practice it then its worth it.

I think it is imperative that you take advice. The nature of the finishing material has a considerable effect on the sound of the instrument. It is usual for string instruments to be varnished and not any old varnish. I have never heard of paint being used.

I shall be interested in what you learn.

'ere Stevensfo - have another think about that - my three fave string teachers (est. 2003!) on this forum are: Frumpybabes, Violinia and AmandaL - who have all just posted encouraging comments about Frumpybabes choice of instrument. Since Frumpybabes' young children keep getting distinctions on their various string instruments (I think we're up to about grade 4 distinction apiece) and since she is their teacher as well as their mother, I think she (and they) should be afforded some small say in what instrument she buys. In any event, it's a bit late for your advice, because she's already bought a white instrument, and will now have to varnish it in some fashion.

I'm sorry I can't help with any ideas Frumpybabes - you're obviously more adventurous than me, but I'm sure your customised end result will do you proud.

It's funny that in my daughter's last cello lesson the teacher was talking about freedom of bowing with reference to big sweeping brush strokes, and I thought "I've never seen brush strokes that big on a painting" - maybe he was talking about painting a cello!

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'ere Stevensfo - have another think about that -

I quite agree. I will think about it. My 8 yr old's piano is black but obviously I should paint it yellow with blue spots - to encourage him.
We go to concerts at the primary and secondary school and I've never seen a coloured instrument. Poor little kiddies! How ever did they learn to play on boring old brown violins?



Steve

If it was yellow with blue spots and he liked it that way would you paint it black?

If you try to impose your obsession with dull colours on your son you'll only come home one day and find him sitting in front of a sparkly white piano with pink starry glasses singing "my song".

A brave purchase ... was the soundpost in place? Otherwise, best of luck

Liz

thank you Zoda and everyone for your encouraging advice.

as for stevensfo I was asking for advice about how to varnish and paint my cello and not parental advice about saying NO.

For your information my son is 8 years old has a gr 4 distinction in piano and has just passed gr1 cello with distinction after a term of lessons.
His older brother is 9 and was 5/6 years when he took gr1, he really wanted a coloured violin and so I promised him that if he got a distinction at gr1 he could have it. It encouraged him to play. He has now just passed gr4 with distinction and he is no longer playing a coloured violin. (they come of an age where they will choose the traditional colour... he is playing a 4/4 gliga gem )

That is one reason why my no.2 son wanted a coloured cello. When his results arrived he said he would like a coloured cello for his next one. He has only just grown into his 1/4 so it will be a while before he is ready for his 1/2 so we wont decide paint/varnish until nearer that time. Children grow out of the tiny size so quickly so Stevefo I think my kids will be past this colour stage before they are at secondary stage.

I am really just gathering info so I can make an informed choice.

Our county orchestra encourages children of all backgrounds to play whatever coloured instrument and bows they like. The children are not separated on the colour of their instruments but by how well they play.

As for the colour instruments being inferior to the traditional ones... I think you should listen to some of the gliga violins that come in all sort of designs (www.violinlovers.com) and sound really lovely help me out elidatrading. Where are you?

Amandal thanks for your advice about Rainbow..... in fact I am buying the cello direct from Emma Newton who started Rainbow violins. Her violins are spray painted by an auto company.
She has said it is fine to spray paint with car paint spray as long as you have a good practice before.

And my local luthier has told me to use linseed and some coloured oils that you can buy direct from Stentor.

I am looking for some advice from people who is not in the profession to see how they would undertake this job.

Keep your post coming

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sparkly white piano with pink starry glasses singing "my song".

Now there's a nice thought!
Anyway, we're an hour ahead here, it's already midnight, so I have to go off and dream about it.
Steve

Sorry Stevefo

Forgot to ask where are the coloured instruments laughed at.... and have you any experience with string instruments other than your black piano.

Thanks Elida you beat me to it you posted while I was writing mine

I have a violin which is blue and white, with butterflies painted on it, which i play in church.

Actually, those who follow my ebay auctions may be advised to look in on Sunday - we have a cosmetically damaged blue and white butterfly violin which looks highly likely to go on ebay. A customer ordered a blue and white one, the Gliga person we normally deal with was in Frankfurt for the trade fair and we got a blue one with butterflies. The customer still wanted a blue and white one so we re-ordered and this one, though extremely pretty, has varnish cracks, either they have happened in transit or someone didn't check it well enough before packing it. These things happen. Can't sell it at full price like that. There will be a 16 inch Gama viola up too - cosmetic fault again


Liz

One of my jazz pupils turned up with an electric violin the other day; it's just a piece of wood, really, with strings on, and has no tone of its own but needs to be played through an amp. I took a deep breath and proceeded with the lesson, but have to say I'm glad he reverted to his original violin for his next lesson.

In the end it's whatever turns you on, and as frumpybabes points out, they soon grow out wanting coloured instruments. We live in a (tiny) Victorian house, and when my son was about 8 and up he started moaning about living in an old house. "It's so naff, mum" he'd say. "why can't we live in a nice new modern house like so-and-so" (who lives in a sqeaky-clean 1980's home). Now, at the age of 15 he's changed his mind and has decided our house has character ( eloquently expressed by slugs who crawl up through the floorboards from the bare earth below, wonky walls, crumbling plaster etc etc).

Before long all the kids who are desperate for painted instruments will be lusting after antique relics - just wait.

Violinia

May I suggest you ask the Pegbox discussion forum at maestronet.com -- A number of instrument makers contribute there and may have useful advice.

Hey- you could always oil gild it, gold leaf wouldn't add much weight and wouldn't a gold cello stand out! Bronzing powder would be cheaper though...

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Now, at the age of 15 he's changed his mind and has decided our house has character ( eloquently expressed by slugs who crawl up through the floorboards from the bare earth below, wonky walls, crumbling plaster etc etc).

wow! do you live in my house?

slugs - check
gaps in floor boards - check
crumbling plaster - yep

I quickly learned never to leave my cello down stairs. I had horrible nightmares about the slugs getting in it and living there!



pinkoi
x

QUOTE (pinkoi @ Apr 16 2005, 12:22 AM)

I quickly learned never to leave my cello down stairs. I had horrible nightmares about the slugs getting in it and living there!

Last week when I went to get my cello case, it had snail trails all over it! Yuck! Luckily the cello wasn't in it at the time lol.

QUOTE (meg @ Apr 16 2005, 03:10 PM)

Last week when I went to get my cello case, it had snail trails all over it! Yuck! Luckily the cello wasn't in it at the time lol.

I find snail trails every morning - yuch!!! Years ago a friend was staying the night; he was on a camp bed in the sitting room. He got up in thre night for a call of duty, staggered aross the floor in the dark and put his bare foot right on top of a large, juicy slug.

I won't tell you what mood he was in over breakfast.

Violinia

I should have responded before this, sorry...I quite like to paint, and have considered painting instruments, but not actually done so. However, a couple of years back, a painted violin got quite a lot of attention here in Japan. The tailpiece was painted like a cane basket, with white flowers spilling out all over the top of the violin, which had been lacquered black. It was a memorial piece, in commemoration of the painter's friend and her love of music.

However, that kind of painting probably made the instrument unplayable, because it was done using pigment based paints (almost every kind of fine art paint is made of ground pigment mixed in some kind of binder, be it acrylic, glue, oil, whatever). The fine particles of pigment or undercoat work into the grain of the wood a little but also create a layer over the top of the wood. Of course, this layer has its own resonating properties, which are not the same as wood, and when you apply a varnish which is compatible with the paint rather than the underlying wood, you further dampen the wood's capacity to resonate.

Luthiers use "stains", which essentially dye the woodgrain, and are the least "clogging" of any kind of colour. Varnishes are often old-fashioned ones which do not form completely impermeable films, and which are therefore less likely to damp the sound. Dye/stain and askingur luthier to varnish the instrument is probably the safest course for a fairly good instrument. You will see old instruments with painted backs, usually outlines or washes in monochrome, and as far as I know, always on the backs or necks, not on the tops of the instruments.

Automobile lacquers are probably a good high-tech choice, as they are durable and applied in fine mists, so you don't get too thick a layer. My own, inexpert opinion is that this would be an acceptable approach for a student class instrument.

The cello arrived on Friday in lots of pieces. We have put it together to see the finished product minus the painting.

It sound ok at the moment but could do with upgraded strings( cheap student strings at the moment),the bridge lowered a little and the pegs tweeked a little. All of which I would get done on a new instrument anyway with a local luthier I know or maybe back at the dealer.

Liz the soundpost was upright...... makes the cello easy to put together as I cannot get a soundpost up without help.

For the price I paid for it I got a thick luxury backpack case and a nice bow as well as the cello.

All it needs is a paint job and it will be ready to go...

and finally it fits in that hard case I bought

So...what's happening??!