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What does satin/gloss finish have to do with anything? That's a choice made at the finishing stage as to what clear coat to put on it for uv protection and scr
by 83 3y ago
What does satin/gloss finish have to do with anything? That's a choice made at the finishing stage as to what clear coat to put on it for uv protection and scratch resistance. And while uni might be appropriate for parts of the violin, you still need to orient plys in multiple axis for flexural strength, so you might as well do some of that on the outer cosmetic layer to make the product more appealing to consumers.
- jdietrich 3y agoViscoelastic polymers are poison for stringed instruments, because they have very high damping coefficients. They turn the precious vibrational energy from the strings into useless heat. Only cheap mass-produced instruments are finished in polyurethane; quality instruments of traditional wood construction use a shellac-based finish (sometimes nitrocellulose lacquer on guitars), which have lower damping and can be applied more thinly in practice. In the context of high-quality instruments, the difference is not subtle. Wood instruments need a finish to protect them against moisture, but that isn't an issue for CFRP. Any finish - especially the kind of thick finish you need to get a high gloss over woven reinforcement - makes the instrument worse for no benefit other than cosmetics. If you would choose a shiny instrument over one that sounds better, you're buying a showpiece rather than a serious musical instrument. Epoxy is a necessary evil in CFRP, but we want the absolute highest possible fiber volume ratio. Unidirectional or spread-tow reinforcement will always allow for a higher fiber ratio than woven material.