Posted by Daryl Hickman on February 20, 2001 at 13:57:22:
In Reply to: Re: Re: Lacquer or raw? posted by Rick Denney on February 20, 2001 at 13:44:08:
Yes, working on unlacquered instruments is easier. However, a good technician should be able to do moderate work without damaging the lacquering if he is patient. Even when the lacquer needs to be removed, it should be in a small enough area that touch-up is hardly noticeable. As far a lacquer vs. raw - I'll take lacquer everytime. Besides the aforementioned green-hand syndrome, the lacquer protects the instrument from the acidic properties of sweat and chemicals that might contact it. Now, given my choice - I'll take silverplating. And yes, it is possible for technicians to work on (and even solder) silverplated instruments without destroying the finish.
Daryl "trying to teach my students not to burn lacquer" Hickman