Old keyed fiddle finishes?

[Jonathan Yuen <Jonathan.Yuen@kirurgi.uu.se>]

Hello,

I recently purchased a silverbas (silver drone) nyckelharpa (keyed
fiddle) made by Jerk Bengt Anders (Anders Ericsson) sometime around
the turn of the century.  It was misssing a number of keys and one
tuning peg, which are being fabricated.  These parts had some sort of
black paint and varnish on them, and I would like some advice as to
what would be a suitable finish.  The newer wood is much lighter of
course, and will have to be somehow stained.  I am primarily interested
in playing the instrument so that functionality is of primary concern.

The existing finish shows some wear, but no more than what would be expected
from normal use.  The black pigment appears to be paint, since it hasn't
run as might be expected from stain, but it must have been quite thin
since the grain of the underlying wood often shows thru.  

Hints regarding cleaning would also be appreciated.

Jonathan Yuen