French Polish Help

[Dave Roller]

I read in one of the past issues of AAW that a french polish could be made by mixing one part shellac (I used clear), one part linseed oil (I used boiled), and one part alcohol (I didn't use the good stuff).

I turned a weed pot out of poplar and sanded it to 600 grit to have something on which to test the "formula." I applied the polish and was able to get nothing more than a flat finish, not something I associate with french polish. If anything, it seemed to raise the grain of the wood.

How many coats should this take? Should I increase the amount of shellac? I think it should work as is inasmuch as it's one recommended by a highly respected woodturner.

Wordsmiths should appreciate the juxtapositioning of "french" and "polish."

Thanks for any help.

 

[Charlie Knighton]

you forgot the onion 😀

 

[MichaelMouse]

I think you're confusing friction polish with French polish. Your recipe is one similar to one given as friction polish.

French polish is shellac in a thousand coats, with maybe a drop or two of oil to keep the "fad" or "tampon" from sticking. Uses a light cut of shellac and continual motion to spread, where it dries in a matter of a minute, by which time you're passing over it again. I like non-polymerizing light viscosity oils like olive or grape, though linseed (raw) is also referenced in the classics. Not as part of the finish, mind you, but rather as part of the lube, and a way to hold another component of a traditional French polish, the pumice used for filling the grain.

It's a great "looker" finish which is easily applied, since it's mindless rubbing that does the trick. Polished a lot of stuff in the ambulance ready room. Pager goes off, the gloves hit the floor and I'm off.

This is French polish on a piece of soft maple. Good depth, color and a shine after spiriting off that really doesn't need a buff and wax, though you could do one if you cared to.

 

[Dave Roller]

Actually, MM, I'm not confusing anything. The author of the article writes of "a French polish mixture" made as described above, although he later says it produces a "near French Polish finish." His source for this recipe is a Bonnie Klein video. I'm asking for input on how this mixture is supposed to appear on a finished piece. It did not appear like french polish I've applied to small tea boxes I've made.

 

[Jake Debski]

Actually, MM, I'm not confusing anything. The author of the article writes of "a French polish mixture" made as described above, although he later says it produces a "near French Polish finish." His source for this recipe is a Bonnie Klein video. I'm asking for input on how this mixture is supposed to appear on a finished piece. It did not appear like french polish I've applied to small tea boxes I've made.

My experience with the 1/3-1/3- 1/3 recipe is; It is cheap, quick and dirty. I use it for items made at charity demos. A truly lasting high luster is nearly impossible. If it is doable, it would be more work than the results warrant.

 

[Ed_McDonnell]

How fresh is your shellac? If it's not fresh that could be a problem.

Adding alcohol to shellac just reduces the cut of the shellac. What was the cut of the shellac you started with? What was the cut of the shellac referenced in your article (before adding the extra alcohol).

Counting the alcohol and shellac you added as "total shellac amount" means you were effectively using 2 parts shellac and one part oil. That seems like a lot of oil. Maybe try a ratio of 8 parts shellac to one part oil (using fresh shellac at 1 to 2lb cut).

How did you apply it? With the lathe spinning?

Ed

 

[Dave Roller]

How fresh is your shellac? If it's not fresh that could be a problem.

Adding alcohol to shellac just reduces the cut of the shellac. What was the cut of the shellac you started with? What was the cut of the shellac referenced in your article (before adding the extra alcohol).

Counting the alcohol and shellac you added as "total shellac amount" means you were effectively using 2 parts shellac and one part oil. That seems like a lot of oil. Maybe try a ratio of 8 parts shellac to one part oil (using fresh shellac at 1 to 2lb cut).

How did you apply it? With the lathe spinning?

Ed

Ed, although I did not buy new shellac for this trial, I am well withing the shelf life of what I have. It is three pound cut. To get to 2lb cut, I'll need to add five parts alcohol to two parts shellac. If I understand you correctly, to that I should add about one part oil. Boiled or raw? I have both.

The article did not mention the cut of the shellac used, but my guess it was 3lb cut. I haven't seen 4lb shellac for several years.

I applied the mixture with the lathe spinning, letting the wood soak up as much as possible and then using the still damp towel to "burnish" the wood. This was the recommended method of application.

Thanks for your help.

 

[Dave Roller]

My experience with the 1/3-1/3- 1/3 recipe is; It is cheap, quick and dirty. I use it for items made at charity demos. A truly lasting high luster is nearly impossible. If it is doable, it would be more work than the results warrant.

Thanks, Jake. As you can see in my response to Ed, I am willing to give this one more try. The author of the article said he used it to apply to bottle stoppers. Your experience leads me to believe it's not the best choice for that, or, maybe for anything.

 

[MichaelMouse]

Or, you could try French polishing instead of friction polishing. Here's some really a-r information on the process and recipe. http://www.milburnguitars.com/fpbannerframes.html Makes an exceptional shine easy, as I stated above.

Your high oil content friction polish means you'd better heat the daylights out of it if you want to keep the shellac resin from cooling to sticky and solid while it floats on the absorbed oil and is cooled by the evaporating alcohol. Use something tough like linen or cotton muslin rather than the polyester blend t-shirt most recommend and keep the pressure on it to draw the viscous oil up. In French polishing you use base coats of shellac to keep the oil from penetrating and thus escape the problem encountered with friction polishing. Oil floats on the alcohol, comes to the surface, and is spirited off.

As was said long ago, the fact that Polish and polish are spelled alike indicates that even Webster doesn't know s*t from Shinola.

 

[Dave Roller]

Or, you could try French polishing instead of friction polishing. Here's some really a-r information on the process and recipe. http://www.milburnguitars.com/fpbannerframes.html Makes an exceptional shine easy, as I stated above.

Your high oil content friction polish means you'd better heat the daylights out of it if you want to keep the shellac resin from cooling to sticky and solid while it floats on the absorbed oil and is cooled by the evaporating alcohol. Use something tough like linen or cotton muslin rather than the polyester blend t-shirt most recommend and keep the pressure on it to draw the viscous oil up. In French polishing you use base coats of shellac to keep the oil from penetrating and thus escape the problem encountered with friction polishing. Oil floats on the alcohol, comes to the surface, and is spirited off.

As was said long ago, the fact that Polish and polish are spelled alike indicates that even Webster doesn't know s*t from Shinola.

I like to use pieces of chamois in these situations.

 

[Ed Heuslein]

Howdy Natty: You've actually got Bonnie's polish correct. I believe she uses 2# cut, 1/3 shellac, 1/3 BOILED linseed oil, and 1/3 denatured alcahol (DNA). It does not leave a high shine. It's a quick & dirty finish for small turnings. You're applying it correctly. As I recall (it's been several years) Bonnie put on one coat, let it dry for a minute, apply coat two, burnish it in, wait a minute and apply coat three and burnish it in. Then, apply a carnuba was for final shine. As I mentioned, it's good for small items but will streak on larger things. Only mix up a little at a time as it goes a long way and shelf life is only a couple months. Give it another try. -Ed- 🙂