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Sanded through my finish, that is...

I'm embarrassed to ask, really. I'm using Zinsser's FP shellac, unfilled (because I like visible grain). I'm pretty sure on some corners (i.e., the back of the headstock) I've sanded through, as the wood is substantially lighter, but in other areas, I can't tell.

Should my rule of thumb be, "When in doubt, add more finish"?

You sanded through. Not difficult to do when french polishing.

After adding more finish, try to see if you can perfect your method enough to not use any sandpaper.

best wishes,
Joshua

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"Should my rule of thumb be, "When in doubt, add more finish"? I say yes to this. I would just add more finish to be sure you got it. Shellac is used in repairs all the time when you need to cover scratches and dents, so I would think adding more finish can't hurt. I used the same finish as you on my last, and I had to use sandpaper too. I'm not good enough. I kept getting ridges after about 3 sessions. So eventually I just gave up and sanded. I increased the grit of sandpaper as I lowered the lb cut. until I was up to 1500 grit. This worked pretty good. Good luck!
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