French polish

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xtian
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Re: French polish

Post by xtian »

Very happy with the process. The alcohol fumes aren't bad, so I can do this indoors at my desk. And there's no slop (assuming you're tidy...) because you just wet the boule with a pipette, and rub it on.
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telentubes
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Re: French polish

Post by telentubes »

You're a natural. That looks fantastic.
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roberto
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Re: French polish

Post by roberto »

xtian wrote: Fri May 05, 2017 2:48 am I've finally finished sanding and grain-filling my walnut cabinet. And over the past two days, I applied the shellac to a test piece. Not too difficult, and I love the finish.
Wow! I would like to do something similar with three cabinets 2x12" in pinewood that I have.
Do you have a specific procedure or product for this, also considering the purpose?

Thank you all in advance.
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xtian
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Re: French polish

Post by xtian »

Reread the thread, Roberto. I ordered dewaxed shellac flakes, mixed with alcohol, and used walnut oil for the process. My cabinet was small, and it was a lot of work. I can't imagine doing THREE 1x12 cabs! Definitely try it out on some scrap lumber, and see how the process works. Lots of youtube videos are helpful.
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Phil_S
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Re: French polish

Post by Phil_S »

After Russ (Geeze) suggested a book to me about wood finishing, I'm feeling much more informed. It's my take that French polish is a great looking finish when done right. However, it is not durable. It is good for a violin or maybe a guitar that will be handled carefully. I'm not seeing it for a speaker cab. From what I've gathered, it is a rather soft (hardness) finish. Of course, you should do whatever floats your boat. There's no rule about this or that finish. Enjoy.
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xtian
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Re: French polish

Post by xtian »

Phil_S wrote: Thu Apr 04, 2019 4:35 pmFrom what I've gathered, it is a rather soft (hardness) finish
Yes. For furniture? Sure, but only for the doily and coaster elite. :)
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roberto
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Re: French polish

Post by roberto »

Thanks xtian, but nobody talked about the pinewood, just walnut that seems to have need of grain filling, while I don't know if pinewood needs the same. I will also search osmething similar in EU.
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xtian
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Re: French polish

Post by xtian »

roberto wrote: Thu Apr 04, 2019 8:14 pm Thanks xtian, but nobody talked about the pinewood, just walnut that seems to have need of grain filling, while I don't know if pinewood needs the same. I will also search osmething similar in EU.
Any wood needs the same prep for French polish--nice and smoooooooth with no pores. Shellac is diluted very thin for this process, and will reveal the shape of the surface exactly.
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Winder
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Re: French polish

Post by Winder »

Wow. Beautiful.
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TUBEDUDE
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Re: French polish

Post by TUBEDUDE »

My god that looks good! Nice job. The grain really pops. As usual the quality of the finish is established in the surface prep.
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10thTx
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Re: French polish

Post by 10thTx »

Outstanding! THANKS for sharing!

With respect, 10thtx
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Phil_S
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Re: French polish

Post by Phil_S »

xtian wrote: Thu Apr 04, 2019 6:01 pm
Phil_S wrote: Thu Apr 04, 2019 4:35 pmFrom what I've gathered, it is a rather soft (hardness) finish
Yes. For furniture? Sure, but only for the doily and coaster elite. :
I dunno. I figured a speaker guitar speaker cab would take some abuse maybe worse than a table. That's the reason I commented. On second thought, if it is not a gigging cab, then certainly go for it. I think it would be a challenge to make something look better than French polish.

Aaron, what did you use to fill the pores on the Walnut? Did you shellac and sand it level?
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xtian
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Re: French polish

Post by xtian »

Phil_S wrote: Fri Apr 05, 2019 7:24 pmAaron, what did you use to fill the pores on the Walnut? Did you shellac and sand it level?
I got some walnut colored grain filler. I didn't obsess, just got what they had at local hardware store. That's all, no other primer used, just sanded very fine, down to #600.
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ER
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Re: French polish

Post by ER »

Shellac fills the pores, using a bit of abrasive smooths the finish and knocks the high spots of the previous coat into the lows to fill the grain. The traditional guys use pumice powder, normal joes use super-fine steel wool. The oil is not part of the finish, it's just to keep the pad lubed so it won't get gummy and will glide across for a smooth finish as you apply additional coats, the low bucks oil is olive oil from your kitchen. The canned zinser stuff works fine, but you want to make sure you have a fresh can, and it doesn't last super long on the shelf, plus there's some more chemicals in there besides just the alcohol. Using flakes is best, they keep forever and you only make up what you need, and like you said minimal fumes.
I'm sensitive to chemicals and shellac is one of the few finishes I can handle, lately I've been burning everything with a propane weed torch and shellacking it. I did a baffle under the grill cloth the other day instead of the usual flat black spray paint and it worked great. I also did a 1x18 and sealed 2x12 for my daughter's bass rig, from far away it looks like it's tolexed, but without the added weight, sound deadening and without having to use contact cement. We'll see how it holds up.
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xtian
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Re: French polish

Post by xtian »

ER wrote: Tue Apr 09, 2019 6:47 amlately I've been burning everything with a propane weed torch and shellacking it
Woah. Let's see that!
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