Welcome to my Blog.
A little about myself,
I am a French polisher and have been in the trade since 1968.
I attended The London College of Furniture and was an apprentice at Harrods Ltd.
After completion I worked for a variety of furniture restorers to gain even more experience and knowledge.
This was to be of great benefit to me, as I learnt many new skills that have come to help me throughout my working life as a French polisher.
Therefore, I would like to add and exchange information regarding French polishing and wood-finishing.
I specialise in hand French polishing, using traditional methods that have stood the test of time.
Likewise I can use modern finishes that give a more durable finish.
If you are like me, passionate about wood-finishing, I would welcome your input.
Thanks for visiting!
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| This had to be stripped, stained and varnished |
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| This blanket chest had black marks on the top |
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| The above chest had a new back leg and base |
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| The above cabinet was stripped and re-polished |
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| This Table had to be stripped and refinished |
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| After stripping staining and finishing |
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| This had to be stained and polished |
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| After staining and polishing |
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| This was in a terrible state |
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| After very skilled works |
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| As you can see this was in a very bad condition |
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| After restoration |
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| Look how bad this Table was |
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Now you can see your face on the surface
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This was fit for the skip I think
Now look at the difference
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| Look at this poor table above! | | | |
Another tricky job
Is that better?
When I was young I found a recipe for french polish that has been 30 years ago, now I wood love to find that recipe again. I would love to get it back, if I may get it from you that would be great. \Thank you
ReplyDeleteGary
gbtrostel@cableone.net
Hello Andrew my name is Len and I live in The Lake District up in Cumbria although I hail from the west coast of Cumberland
ReplyDeleteI am just starting out I work mostly on Guitars and llike the idea of the French polish finish as I can sit and relax and work at a pace less dictated than nitro cellulose lacquer etc... I have read many of the posts here and found them very enlightening I am working almost always on bare wood ranging from fine spruces to mahogany rosewood ebony.
Now although my first go on an old 1960,s guitar is ok'ish it is far from perfect of course.I used a dy shellac from colron which i now suspect after reading your answers to other peoples issues is inferior (suggestions welcomed), now I would like to start it again unless there is someway of cutting it back with meths or something, I do use 99%alcohol for other projects so have a stock if that is of any use.
I find i get thick areas surround other fixings where the shellac is harD. to get the same thickness and in congregates there.
I HAVE ALSO BEEN DOING IT IN A FREEZING COLD SHED WHICH AGAIN I NOW KNOW TO BE A BAD IDEA.
I could do with knowing how many coats roughly you would expect to use from bare wood including initial prep as well and what would you consider the best type of white cloth, of course as you would suspect i have huge dragging issues i only get about a 4"area done before it draga. Following the instructions on the tin seems now to be a ludicrous idea as it is totally different to what i have read here and linseed raw boiled or indeed fried does not get a mention also unless methylated spirits has evaporated off the back of the tin its not mentioned either. sorry it such a long post i'm sure i hav'nt finished my questions yet but I have enough to get started, except for the question how to get back to stage one preferably without sanding as I cant afford to take away any more wood after the initial sanding
cheers Len
Hello Len,
ReplyDeleteThank you for reading my posts, well where do I start? As you have very thin wood on which to work on, you must be very careful not to sand through the surface. Yes you could wash back the French polish using Methylated spirits apply to cotton wool, and wipe over the surface don't use wire wool as this could leave rust marks on the surface of the wood, as wire wool can and does rust and I do not want to be the one person that damages your Guitar now do I. Meths stripping will take some time and you need to apply lots of it as it will evaporate whilst using it, you could try a non scratch nylon scourer to help lift off the old wet polish, but go very easy please!!! I never use the polish that you mentioned as it hate the stuff. You should try using French polish from a Company called Morrells Wood Finishes their Head Office tel: 08750 606162 and ask for your nearest supplier. I buy their Special Pale Polish, then I dilute it. 75% French polish & 25% Methylated spirits this will help the polish to flow into the grain rather than sit on the surface and become a sticky mess.
Once you have stained your item it is best to seal the stain using Shellac sanding sealer as this will help to fill in the wood grain and therefore help cut down on the amount of French polishing required.
Rags use the best quality white Cotton sheeting also from Morrells take a look at their website.
Or any good clean white rag you can get hold of will do.
I use Linseed oil, once the surface has had several sealer coats and some French polish applications start with gentle pressure as most people press too hard when the start off.
Yes you will need to heat your workshop if you don't your polish will chill and this is shown by a white bloom marking start to appear on the polished surface. Whilst French polishing you must keep your polishing rubber moving all the time when the polish starts to drag just apply some more linseed oil but remember you must remove the oil very slowly by applying a little polish and a tiny amount of meths to your rubber this takes some time to master always open the rubber when applying polish or meths then reshape and continue.
In polishing we don't use the term coats as it will be determined by how close the grain is and type of wood etc. I hope this will be of some help to you? I visited The Lake District with my family back in summer it is really fantastic I even made a Video of the place on Youtube. Well come back again if I can be of any more help.
Glad you enjoy reading my posts Thank you regards, Andrew.
Hi Andrew
ReplyDeleteI have recently retired - my trade experience began as an apprentice coach painter in the mid 60's but then spent over 20yrs signwriting and then several years painting and decorating.
I have used various Morrell's products over the years all of which have been straight forward in application and provided superb results so I have no hesitation buying their french polish.
My question concerns the item requiring repolishing. It is a modern and quite large dining table with what I believe to be an ash venèer that has been applied in a diagonally bòokmatched design so the grain direction covers all points of a compass. The finish is a pale honey coloured polish with a waxy surface that has softened at some point and retained marks from daily use and the pattern from a heat protection sheet.
Do I need to strip down to veneer or will it be sufficient to meths off the waxy film and repolish from there? Will the Morrell's do the trick or should I get some pale shellac flakes and make my own polish?
Will appreciate any advice.
kind regards
Chris Gibbs
Hi Chris,
ReplyDeleteYes, you could try stripping the surface back using Methylated spirits, and fine wire wool. If that doesn't work then use paint stripper, use a sharp and level edged scraper but be careful not to catch on any raised veneer or you will be having to glue it back. Once the finish is removed, wash down with either Meths or water, dry the surface so as to keep the veneer from raising more than needed. Sandpaper with the grain and don't cross onto grains going in the opposite way. once you have done that I would suggest that you stain to a Golden Oak colour, do a test on a small area first, and if suitable stain over, and the once dry, you are ready for French polishing. If you are going to use hot plates etc, then you may be better off using a heat resisting product and not French polish as this is not good for heat etc. Morrell's make a coating for Furniture that it heat resisting or as best as possible. I can't think of the name of the product for now, but you can brush or roll on the coating, and it dry's to a nice smooth finish and easy to apply. It's formulation is like a varnish mixed with wax and other drying agents. Hope this will help in some way? If you need more advice please come back again. Regards, Andrew.