Before beginning the varnish process, I am taking time to make some madder lake pigment. For readers who aren't violinmakers, madder lake is a red pigment made from the roots of a madder plant and is often used for the red color on violins. This pigment will, if I am successful, be used to add the red color to the varnish on my violin. There is, of course, plenty of madder lake around the studio that I could use, but I wanted the experience of making my own. I will be following the instructions for making madder lake from the late David Rubio's website (www.rubioviolins.com). The process will take a week or two, so I will post updates as the process moves along. Hopefully the end result will be a useable pigment.
The first step is to combine the madder root with potash in water and heat the mixture at 40-45 degrees celsius for 36 hours.
Here are the measured madder root and potash:
The ingredients are then added to the heated water:
It is important to maintain the low temperature to maintain the red color, so I will check temperature and stir the mixture regularly over the next 36 hours:
The next post on Sunday will show the next steps after the heating is complete. Cross your fingers and wish me luck!
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