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Thread: Finish question on 40's Strad-O-Lin?

  1. #1
    Registered User Sue Rieter's Avatar
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    Default Finish question on 40's Strad-O-Lin?

    How do you know what kind of finish you have on an older mandolin, and how vulnerable it is to damage? I'm talking specifically here about my Strad-O-Lin. I'm considering getting an armrest for it and have seen various cautions. I'm trying to make an informed decision.

    I spent a little time on the internet this morning with my coffee, but didn't really find too much specific info about finish on these mandolins. I also know Strad-O-Lins are all over the map on how they are made.

    FWIW, this is not an instrument that I ever plan on selling.



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    Last edited by Sue Rieter; Apr-03-2021 at 12:04pm.

  2. #2
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    Default Re: Finish question on 40's Strad-O-Lin?

    No matter what people might say, we don't know for sure what kind of finish is on anything, unless the factory kept records.
    But, it is most likely that a mass produced mandolin built in the US in the 1940's would have some sort of nitrocellulose lacquer finish.

    Gibson and Martin did keep records, and they both used nitrocellulose lacquer.

    I would avoid installing any armrest that uses foam, rubber, or plastic cushioning pads where the armrest meets the instrument. Any of these materials might react with a finish. Cork will not react with finishes.

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  4. #3
    Registered User Sue Rieter's Avatar
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    Default Re: Finish question on 40's Strad-O-Lin?

    Thank you, that's very helpful. The armrest I'm looking at uses cork and leather as padding.

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    Default Re: Finish question on 40's Strad-O-Lin?

    I recommend that you add a piece of cork between the leather and the instrument, or remove the leather and replace it with cork.
    One of my students had a minor finish reaction caused by a leather strap of good quality. Luckily, we caught it in time.

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    Registered User Sue Rieter's Avatar
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    Default Re: Finish question on 40's Strad-O-Lin?

    That's very interesting about the leather. What happened, and how long did it take to manifest? I have a leather strap on this mandolin, and presently it is tied under the fretboard extension.

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    Default Re: Finish question on 40's Strad-O-Lin?

    It didn't take very long. It was during the summer, and that might have been a contributing factor. It was a brand new strap on an old varnished Gibson A model.
    I think the culprit might have been something in the leather dye, or something used in the tanning process.

    I have older leather straps that have been on instruments for years without causing any problems.

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    Default Re: Finish question on 40's Strad-O-Lin?

    Some leather uses salt to tan the leather. It will damage finish. Leather that does not use salt us usually safe. I have leather straps that stay on my instruments, and have for decades, without problem. My armrests have leather, and it has not been a problem.
    THE WORLD IS A BETTER PLACE JUST FOR YOUR SMILE!

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    Default Re: Finish question on 40's Strad-O-Lin?

    I never used to worry about leather until my student's incident, which was about a year and a half ago.
    I will add that this was not a cheap strap, and although I don't remember the brand, it was a well known brand made out of good looking material with decent workmanship.
    The problem is, now that I know that some leather can cause a problem, how do you know what has been used?

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    Default Re: Finish question on 40's Strad-O-Lin?

    Quote Originally Posted by rcc56 View Post
    The problem is, now that I know that some leather can cause a problem, how do you know what has been used?
    Good question. All my leather, which is not a lot these days, I have had for decades so I know it works. If you have a scrap piece of wood sprayed with lacquer and lay the strap on it you will know. Otherwise I am not sure unless you know the source of the tanner and ask.
    THE WORLD IS A BETTER PLACE JUST FOR YOUR SMILE!

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    Registered User Sue Rieter's Avatar
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    Default Re: Finish question on 40's Strad-O-Lin?

    Also, is all lacquer finish the same? Anything sprayed on a scrap of wood is different in some ways, I would think, than something that has been on a mandolin for decades. After reading this discussion, I looked around online a bit and saw that this student of rrc56's is not the only one that has had this experience, either. And heat/humidity was mentioned more than once as well as method of tanning, type of dye, etc.

    I have some green colored leather shoelaces that I just got to fix up some LL Bean shoes; these laces were not domestically made. They smelled bad with an odd chemically smell. Let's just say I wouldn't make a mandolin strap out of the left overs now that I've heard about this.

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    Default Re: Finish question on 40's Strad-O-Lin?

    The short answer to your question "is all lacquer the same?" is absolutely not.

    While we generally refer to traditional nitrocellulose lacquers when speaking about instruments, there are now quite a few types of lacquer.

    But even when we are speaking specifically of nitro, the answer is still no. Every company has their own formulas, and those formulas have changed drastically over the years. One example of this is that Gibson's lacquers have always been very different from Martin's lacquers.

    And it won't hurt to mention that the lacquers that Gibson used during certain periods have been noticeably more susceptible to damage from plastics, vinyl, dyes, etc. than those used by other major manufacturers.

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