removing clear varnish from a old blade

[werecow]

Originally Posted by Sajen

A very good indicator of good age are always the small cracks in rotan bindings,
see the attached pictures from some of my items, just use a good magnifying glass!

Interesting. Would varnish protect against such cracks, or do they still form regardless?

FWIW I don't expect my kabeala to be particularly old. Does the presence of varnish itself say anything about the likely (minimum) age range, or people still do that today?