Violin varnishes can be produced in a variety of ways. In general, a distinction is made between oil varnishes, composed of resins, a drying oil, and a solvent, and spirit varnishes, composed of resins dissolved in alcohol.
To produce oil varnishes, the resins are cooked together with the oil, which serves as a binder, and then diluted with a suitable solvent (such as balsam turpentine oil) to achieve the desired consistency.
To produce spirit varnishes, alcohol-soluble resins are dissolved in alcohol according to specific mixtures and then filtered.