Eau Japonaise.

[Jabberwocky]

Well, I wrote to Fred Archtop and asked him how he got that shine on his 1938 ES-150.

He said, Eau Japonaise and naturally, I looked it up : Popote - Eau Japonaise 500ml .

Eau Japonaise is a weak solution of hydrochloric acid and is an old violinmaker's cleaning solution. I wonder if anyone has any experience of it.

Since it is French in origin, I wonder why it is called Eau Japonaise.

Doncha love 'em late 70s!! I don't know whether to feel offended for my Japanese bros or have a chortle at their expense. Feeling conflicted since 1979...well, 1980 actually.

[bananafist]

Well, I suspect 'eau japponaise' is so named to make it sound more exotic to European/French ears. And those Japanese chaps are pretty clever with lacquers, etc. Eau de Seine or Eau de Galle doesn't have quite the same ring, n'est ce pas?
The vapors - well, being very old, I can't understand a word they're saying, but whatever that is, I imagine its only meant playfully - but what do I know?

I 'ave nevaire tried eet.

(apologies to anyone who might be offended)

I have to buy some red socks.

[Jabberwocky]

There is Super Nikco Polish used by violinmakers Super Nikco, 500 ml .

[Jabberwocky]

...
The vapors - well, being very old, I can't understand a word they're saying, but whatever that is, I imagine its only meant playfully - but what do I know?

I 'ave nevaire tried eet.

(apologies to anyone who might be offended)

I have to buy some red socks.

Not if you're slowly going blind, and developing hairy palms.

[Jabberwocky]

Oh well, they even have their own Wiki entry. Such is the price of (minor) fame Turning Japanese - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia .

[Jabberwocky]

Well, I suspect 'eau japponaise' is so named to make it sound more exotic to European/French ears...

I suspect its weak hydrochloric acid vapours made one squint...thus Eau Japonaise and hence the free association with The Vapors and Turning Japanese and all that 80s offensive stuff.

[Engine Swap]

Doncha love 'em late 70s!! I don't know whether to feel offended for my Japanese bros or have a chortle at their expense. Feeling conflicted since 1979...well, 1980 actually.

Doncha love even more how the drummer gets up and walks around @1:14 without missing a beat.

Super-awesome song.

[wintermoon]

Eau de toilette works almost as well.....not

try pure gum spirits of turpentine.
a friend and I went to a guys house that had a ton of old guitars in his basement that hadn't been attended to in yrs.
we opened a beautiful leather case to find a prewar Epi Emperor, I grabbed the neck and when I pulled it out the back of the guitar stayed in the case. the finish was so oxidized/cloudy you couldn't see anything.

some turps and elbow grease and that back looked beautiful and w/an untouched looking patina.
of course there was the matter of regluing the back, but.....

[MarkRhodes]

Ah, The Vapors. Hadn't heard that in a long, long time. Thanks.

[travisty]

FWIW, I think the lead - Ed Bazalgette (the guy wearing black and dancing around in the back) is using a Yamaha SG....

Ed's great, great grandfather apparently designed the London sewer system. Ed is currently most well known for being the Director of TV series Poldark.

[newsense]

Ahh-- those were the days when the Musician's Union rules decreed that artistes could not play or sing live on BBC TV, irrespective of whether it was live or pre-recorded output.-They were forced to mime, whether or not they wanted to. Bizarre ! These days the MU would be more concerned by the perceived (sorry, actual) racism in the song, whilst being totally ignorant of the fact that it was really about masturbation. Alas, a fine example of the changing morals of our times.

[Para]

Thanks Jabba I've always liked the runners.

[Ol' Fret]

No personal experience here, but "Eau Japonaise" is a collective term for old French cleaning agents for varnished or lacquered furniture (also leather). "Popote d’ébéniste" (la popote = ‘food’) is one of them. See http://freresnordin.fr/catalog.php?famille=110 or http://www.mon-droguiste.com/popote-ebeniste-bredac,fr,4,POPEBEB2654000TDE.cfm#.VVyycGPwCM8.

These recipes are non-standardized, meaning that there are dozens of formulae, hence you’ll never know what you’ve got exactly.

One formula of Eau Japonaise is:
Water: 750 g.
Diatomaceous Earth [Abrasive]: 100 g.
Alcohol: 50 g.
Sulfuric Acid or Acetic Acid : 40 g.
Benzoe/Styrax Resin or Sandarac: 40 g.

Another formula is:
Alcohol: 1/2 liter.
Linseed Oil: 1/4 liter.
Shellac Ruby : 25 g.
Diatomaceous Earth : 25 g.
Water: 1 liter.

Now if you’d ask any reputable violinmaker / repairer to put sulfuric or acetic acid, resins, linseed oil, shellac, etc, on the surface of a valuable old violin for cleaning or polishing purposes , be prepared to get a good telling-off or get thrown out on the spot! Of course, resin oils and spirits are ingredients of violin varnishs.

On a side note: some violin makers, much less guitar makers, are able to cook really wonderful (curing) varnish recipes which still today show unsurpassed properties in terms of sound and durability of stringed wooden musical instruments. However, they require a much higher cost in production and later maintenance, in return also allow the eventually unmatched beauty of many naturally aged Woods (talking of 50 and more years), while the high-gloss, though inanimate looking "plasticwood appearance" of some modern guitars will not disappear, respectively hardly improve over time.

Most "magic cures" from the violin makers' chemical witches’ kitchen are, IMO, completely useless; at least those which get the attention of the guitar world. This is applicable only for finer carved acoustic guitars: on semi-acoustics and electrics you could (almost) use anything for cleaning and polishing - even some shoe polish might do it…

[balthazar]

Eau de toilette works almost as well.....not

There are also "eau de Javel", "eau de Cologne" and "eau de vie"

[339 in june]

There are also "eau de Javel", "eau de Cologne" and "eau de vie"

and : eau d'Alajoie ?

Sorry, special joke for french speaking people, I won't do it anymore.

[DanTheMan]

and : eau d'Alajoie ?

Sorry, special joke for french speaking people, I won't do it anymore.

Eau d'Alajoie is much better for classical guitar than for an archtop

Daniel M.

[Jabberwocky]

and : eau d'Alajoie ?

Sorry, special joke for french speaking people, I won't do it anymore.

[Top of the Arch!]

The term "vapors" was used as a reference to having gas in the old South! Just thought Id add that nugget of useless knowledge. Bob

[bananafist]

It was also something Victorian ladies suffered, (not gas, the vapors) faintness/giddiness, remedied by smelling salts and caused by their stays being too tight.