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Well, after a decent snow storm this weekend (12”), I have decided that I am not going to wait for spring to spray my guitar. I am going to give French Polishing a try. After reading that it arguably least restricts the tone, I figure I could use all the help I could get. Besides, I’ll drive myself crazy if I don’t do something with this guitar until the weather warms. Having said that, does anyone have any suggestions?

I read the LMI info and this really good article, http://www.milburnguitars.com/fpbannerframes.html. I also just bought the video, French Polishing for Guitar makers by Ron Fernandez. In addition, I have 2 books on finishing, Hand-Applied Finishes by Jeff Jewitt and Understanding Wood Finishing: How to Select and Apply the Right Finish (American Woodworker)
by Bob Flexner.

Thanks,

Doug Ubele

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Guitars...One's too many...Twenty is not enough.

Hi Doug,

No one can blame you for wanting to forge ahead. It's nearly impossible to wait that long I'm sure. Here's an alternate application technique for a polished shellac finish.

Please understand that the process I'm describing is NOT French Polishing in the strict sense. So far only 12" square scraps of spruce have received this treatment as test cases. It's yet to be applied to a real guitar.

You may want to consider using button lac as it is the hardest form of shellac. You need to dewax this shellac before using: After mixing 1 1/2 lb. shellac from buttons, let stand undisturbed for two weeks. The wax settles to the bottom. Decant to another bottle by pouring off the top clearer shellac & then filter through coffee filters. Now water will not likely cloud the final shellac finish.

Day 1: After final sanding & inspection, carefully brush 3 coats of 1 1/2 lb cut shellac with the grain. Be sure to leave about two to three hours between coats. Use a decent ($10) varnish brush & don't over-brush during application.

Day 2: Wet sand level with mineral spirits & 400 grit. Then apply 2 coats of shellac at about 45 degrees to the grain - again waiting two to three hours between coats.

Day 3: Lightly wet sand level with 400 grit, wipe down and inspect. Dampen a pad with alcohol and olive oil - fairly wet at first. I used t-shirt material wrapped around cheesecloth. Use the typical airplane landing & figure eight patterns. Put increasing pressure into it. Do this for a few 15 minute sessions per horizontal surface till the surface is really flat and fairly greasy/glossy. Wait about 15 minutes between these sessions.

Let dry two hours then wipe with naphtha to remove the olive oil residue. After naphtha dries polish again using a new pad with alcohol only - no oil this time. Put a lot of pressure into it & keep moving! You can't do this too much. Set work aside and let dry and harden for two to three weeks. Admire it daily.

After finish hardens fully, polish further with Novus # 1. Renaissance Wax coating is optional but helpful against fingerprint & water or alcohol damage.

It may be best to do this only to the guitar top and optionally the sides & back - they get more physical abuse. If you do this to the back & sides, fill the grain before starting any finishing. Use Z-poxy by Pacer Industries - scrape on & off with credit card or razor blade.

Certainly consider an oil varnish for the neck. Thin Waterlox glossy varnish 50/50 with mineral spirits & wipe on with cotten pads. Apply 15 coats as thinned varnish has a 3:1 build compared to full strength. Only sand as necessary & don't sand final coat.

Sorry to write such a long dissertation, but I did not want you to try this approach & not have the full story. Good luck.

Skip

Practice a bunch before you start. Also if you have not grain filled yet I would recommend Z-poxy. It is a lot less work than Pumice. However for years I have pumiced and it does a great job but could leave little white specs if not done with great care and diligents. The main thing is to properly dissolve the pumice on the Munecia. It should change from powder white to clear. Work it in well. This takes a lot of elbow greaseMichaelP38376.4931712963

Where can I get the sqeeze bottle that you use to squeeze the shellac and alcohol into the pad? I am having a bear finding these. I bought Ketchup and Mustard bottles but the shellac streams out them instead of dripping. It's too difficult to control.

Thanks,

Doug Ubele

_________________
Guitars...One's too many...Twenty is not enough.

I have bought them at hobby shops and last ones at woodcraft they had a bunch of sizes. I would think the mustard and ketchup would be fine though. Mostly what I do is put what I am going to use in a session in a baby food jar. My daughter in law is a biology teacher at a high school and she gets me the bleakers also

[QUOTE=dubell] Having said that, does anyone have any suggestions?[/QUOTE] Yup, just dive in. The great thing about FP is that is ALWAYS reversable. Any mistake can be fixed. So go for it, and post questions when something goes wrong.

I use wash bottles to dispense shellac/alcohol/oil. Much faster than eye droppers. I doubt this is the brand/model that I use, but here's a picture of what I'm talking about. http://www.usplastic.com/catalog/product.asp?catalog%5Fname= USPlastic&category%5Fname=6252&product%5Fid=14757

Also, no offense to Skip, but you may want to use tried and true techniques for FP. You have enough of an uphill battle to fight already. No one will be able to answer your questions if you aren't using a standard technique, and you will have to forge on alone. Just go ahead and use the instructions in the Fernandez video and you will be fine.

Another idea is to use wine bottles (after you've drank the wine that is), I actually use Absinthe bottles - talk about old world authenticity! Once your shellac mixture has dissolved you strain it through some cheesecloth and a funnel into the bottle, then you cut a slit into the cork and put it back in. If the shellac clogs the slit at some point you can use a guitar string to unclog it.

Don't forget to thoroughly wash the bottles out first. I find this method allows me to load my muneca on drop at a time.

Best wishes,
Joshuajfrench38377.4531134259

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Instagram: @jfrenchluthier
Web: https://www.jfrenchguitars.com/

[QUOTE=dubell] Where can I get the sqeeze bottle that you use to squeeze the shellac and alcohol into the pad? I am having a bear finding these. I bought Ketchup and Mustard bottles but the shellac streams out them instead of dripping. It's too difficult to control.

Thanks,

Doug Ubele[/QUOTE] I find that I prefer eye droppers. this allows you to be very controled in the amount of shellac and DA you apply. you can get 5 for a dollar at the baby items area at Wal-Mart. This also allows me to store DA and cut shellac in one pint glass jars. Just draw as needed for jar in to the eye dropper. No worry about spillage.

I just finished FP'g my 2nd guitar. I'm having problems with the hardness of the finish. It is so thin, that a fingernail can rub it lightly and it will scratch it. I've already put 3 major dings on the top and have already refinished it twice. I used the FP in a can by zinsser, but have since moved to shellac flakes in 190 proof everclear. I'm waiting for it to harden to see if it will ever get there. I'm sure I did something wrong, but I'll continue trying. Anyway, I use the little Stew-mac eye droppers that are used for glue dispensing. They worked great for loading up the pad. You can get them here: http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Glues,_adhesives/Supplies:_Appli cators,_syringes/Accessories_for_Instant_Adhesives.html
Good luck!

[QUOTE=tl507362] I just finished FP'g my 2nd guitar. I'm having problems with the hardness of the finish. It is so thin, that a fingernail can rub it lightly and it will scratch it. I've already put 3 major dings on the top and have already refinished it twice. I used the FP in a can by zinsser, but have since moved to shellac flakes in 190 proof everclear. I'm waiting for it to harden to see if it will ever get there. I'm sure I did something wrong, but I'll continue trying. Anyway, I use the little Stew-mac eye droppers that are used for glue dispensing. They worked great for loading up the pad. You can get them here: http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Glues,_adhesives/Supplies:_Appli cators,_syringes/Accessories_for_Instant_Adhesives.html
Good luck!
[/QUOTE] The trick to making the finish hard is in the stiffing process. The straight strokes after each body session with a little more DA than shellac. The firmer the stoke the more compressed the amalgamation of shellac becomes and therefore the harder the final finish.
In the end you will never have FP finish that is as ding protective as a lacquer finish. They are two very different kinds of protection. FP is always a relatively soft type of finish in relation to lacquer. On the other hand it a hundred times easer to repair.

You can also add sandarac to the mix, about 1 part sandarac per 10 parts shellac. This dissolves nicely in alcohol. It helps not only to promote a gloss but add some hardness and durability. I get mine from International Violin Co.

Also, if the pad is too wet while you're polishing, it might make the finish soft.... adding too much shellac too fast.

Regards,
Joshua Frenchjfrench38377.5721990741

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Instagram: @jfrenchluthier
Web: https://www.jfrenchguitars.com/

Thanks for the tips, I'll try that.