How do you know when to stop?

Interesting method, Kathy!

I've heard it said the French polish process doesn't end but rather that it's abandoned.

Pat

You can NEVER stop. You can take an extended break.

When it's flat enough and shiny enough for you, and looks like it will stay that way. With the epoxy fill, it shouldn't sink back, so if you're not there, you're close.

Did you spirit-off? I know Michael's technique uses fair amount of oil. When I've done this in the past I ended up with, what I would call, an "unctious" finish. What I found was, it would look fantatstic, and then after resting for a day or so the oil would rise to surface. Needless to say, these guitars needed quite a bit of "de-greasing".

Regarding when to stop, if you level sanded the surface, and didn't sand through to bare wood, I'd say your OK to stop.

That looks really good, Kathy!

I've got a question now....How do you know when to stop?

Howdy Kathy,
Nice work as usual! Looks like you are doing kind of a variant of the method that Robbie teaches. Did you mic the top thickness before you started? If so you can mic again to see how much build you have. If you are getting the level of gloss you want then you are done as far as appearance. The only issue then is finish thickness. FP is thinner that lacquer in general and with lacquer I like to have about 5-thou thickness. With FP or with Tru-Oil on mandolins I shoot for a build of about 3-4-thou. Folks with a FP instrument usually understand the need to be a bit more careful anyway, so less danger of a spilled beer or folks throwing bottles at them in a gig.

Alan D.

LOL. No one has ever successfully answered that question.

That really turned out great, especially for your first time!

I prefer to let new FP cure for at least 30 days, if time permits. OTOH, if you do get some sink back after the bridge is attached, it's not the end of the world to knock the finish back a bit and reglaze at a later date. DO NOT put it in the sun to help it cure! (guess how I know this... )

It may be helpful to practice glazing before you apply your final bodying. It took me a couple tries to get reasonably competent in the technique. Remember, FP can always be polished out exactly like lacquer, though it takes longer and doesn't give you the same bragging rights.

THAT, Kathy, is a stunning display of excellence. I always enjoy seeing your work!

Looks very nice Kathy. Did you add any gums/resins like sandarac, mastic, copal, etc?

Gordon Guttmann