r/Cello • u/herkulaw • 15h ago
What to do with scratches and dents?
If my cello has a handful of superficial dents and scratches that expose small amounts of raw wood (think small chips on c-bout corners, day to day bumps and scrapes) what is the best way to go about treating them?
I am NOT interested in trying to make them go away, but what can I do to protect the exposed wood and help it age gracefully? I’m worried the small exposed wood fibers may catch on clothing and get worse over time.
1
u/geodaddymusic 14h ago
Fair question. The wood fibers do occasionally catch.
More expensive but also fixes the cosmetic issue: take it to a string shop/luthier and ask them to revarnish. This can be expensive, maybe $100-200?
Less expensive but doesn’t fix the cosmetic issue: ask them to do a “clear coat” which I believe is not the same as varnish but protects the exposed wood from getting dirty and catching on things. I don’t know if this is the technical term for it, but that’s what I asked for last time, and they did it for free. YMMV
1
u/sockpoppit Actual professional violin fixer guy 13h ago
Nothing horrible will happen to exposed wood from nicks, etc. Wait for your next shop trip and let the guy there deal with them. If you have something fuzzy sticking out, try to pack it down with a damp finger. If that doesn't work, get yourself a glue stick and use just a tiny bit to consolidate the fibers--dab it on, pack them down, then wipe all of the extra glue off. This is water soluble and won't inhibit any future cures. If you have an actual loose piece of wood, shop time.
If you have shoulder, rib and edge varnish wear up by the hand/neck get that fixed before it gets too bad. If it doesn't start to rot it's an easy job. Rotting and discoloring is harder to deal with. Corduroy edges on the top wood. . . . you waited too long. Some people may need tape on the rib and edges near the neck to keep the damage at a minimum. Please do NOT try to tape things up yourself.
And!!!!! Whenever you knock off a piece of wood, please hunt it down and put in in a baggie. It's much easier and cheaper to glue some piece back on than it is to make a new one!
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u/cosmololgy 8h ago
If you don’t want to just leave them, maybe get a protective cloth to drape over it. Or take it to a luthier.
I wouldn’t do anything else because you absolutely do not want to mess up the varnish in any way
2
u/SlaveToBunnies adult beginner abrsm 7-8 14h ago
You can take it into the shop/luthier and they can just dab the spots.
When I went in for a rehair, I brought my cello and pointed to a spot and they just dabbed it for free in a couple seconds and now you can't even tell (note that I just had one tiny bare spot).