Wood finishing stages a brief guide:
Stage One: Preparation.
Strip off the old finish using paint stripper or Methylated spirits.
Rub over the surface with wire wool or you can use a scraper blade then wash off using water or Methylated spirits.
Stage Two: SANDING.
Sandpaper smooth using rough grade sandpaper together with a sanding block to start, and then change to a finer grade paper to finish with, follow the grain at all times.
Stage Three: STAINING.
Choose the desired colour, and then apply using either cotton wool or brush in the direction of the grain at all times. This will dye the wood and can be very difficult to remove so choose carefully.
Stage Four: SHELLAC, SANDING SEALING.
Apply shellac sanding sealer, using the cotton wool from the inside of your polishing rubber or by using a polishing mop brush. Apply even coats that don't over-wet the surface or your stain will streak.
Stage Five: FRENCH POLISHING.
When the shellac sanding sealer has dried, you can then flick on a few drops of linseed oil onto the surface to be polished.
Now apply your French polish to the inside of your rubber, reshape it and now start to apply light pressure in the direction of the grain to start with, reapply a little more oil and now start to polish in circles so as to cover the entire surface you are polishing.
If the surface becomes too hard to polish, you can add a little more French polish to the inside of your rubber and try continuing with your polishing.
When you have built up a nice shine you should now start to polish in the direction of the grain as this will slowly remove the oil marks.
Change the polishing rag and add a very small amount of Methylated spirits as this will help to remove any excess oil left on your polished surface.
Take great care not to apply too much Methylated spirits as this could easily strip off your just French polished finish.
Don’t worry if things go wrong the first few times as French polishing does take many years to perfect the technique.
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