To anyone who is interested in vernishes for lutherie.
Thanks to a gift made from a friend of mine that is a lutherie enthusiast, I came into possession of a varnishes’s recipe book written by the luthier Lassi Francesco (1874-1968, Faenza) in which he collected, exactly, his own methods for varnishes making.
Lassi had built about 400 instruments (violins, violas, cellos) throughout his lifetime, being significantly awarded first in a competition in Florence in 1921, and later in 1937 for the showcase organized in Cremona in memory of A. Stradivari’s death bicentennial.
On his 20 pages book are included even recipes used on violins handmade in the years 1907, 1908, 19013, 1914 and 1917.
Lassi was in touch with other important liuthers of its time (A. Pollastri, Carletti, etc…), therefore I assume that the noteworthy and their composition have been essential topics for an exchange of opinions and reflections among them.