Rubber pressure & application!

Hello,

Today, I would like to talk to you about a common problem that I have observed whilst carrying out my duties as a French polishing tutor, recently I have noticed that some of my learners are not polishing with a correctly made up rubber and therefore, unable to shape their rubber to be able to obtain a flat and even surface.

Once you have made your polishing rubber correctly, you should use clean white paper or rag gently bang the rubber down onto the paper or rag so as to establish a flat surface on your rubber.

If you don’t polish with a flat rubber surface, you will and as I have recently observed during the polishing process not be able to transfer sufficient polish and the visible oil streaks will appear much thinner like crescent lines on the polished surface.

Instead the rubber whilst in use should leave behind a wide oil pattern as wide as the rubber surface itself.

For further information regarding how to make a rubber please go to my post French polishing and Rubber making dated 31 / 01 / 2011 you can find this post by scrolling down on the right hand side until you come to posts written during 2011.

Thank you for taking the time to read my posts!

 Regards,

Andrew.

Broken the 20,000 viewer barrier!

A big thank you all for helping me break the 20,000 reader score that I hoped would happen.

It makes me very happy to see the figures growing day by day, I shall continue to add useful tips and information that I think will be relevant to your needs.

Let me know if any of my information has been of use to you?  I have had some very good feedback from only a relatively few people since I started my blog.

 Seems you are happy with what I choose to write about.

I make no money from doing this, however; I can earn a very small amount if viewers should choose to click on the advertising video on the right-hand side of the page and just take time to view it.

Please only view the advert if you are interested in the subject.

I thought that you would be interested to know my top ten viewing Countries:

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My blog now goes out to 74 Countries around the World and seemingly growing all the time.

Thank you all.

Andrew.

Bureau Restoration

Today, I would like to show you a Bureau that I have just restored

Once again I had to remove the old finish and as this Bureau caucus was made of solid Oak this allowed me to sandpaper off the surface, however, the fall was veneered so I had been very careful not to sand through the surface.

Sanding saved some time and also removed the surface scratches and stain marks etc.

Then onto the staining, the choice best suited was Medium Oak as this brings out the beauty of the wood.

Once repairs were completed, then over to a spray finish for a longer and I felt tougher finish for an everyday used item.

This item would not have been French polished due to its relative modern production.

Comments are most welcome!

Beyond Transfiguration!

Well, today, this is not just a Transfiguration but I think a Resurrection.

This Oak Desk was in such a poor state that it took most of my skills and patience to bring it back to life.

Once again I had to remove all of the old finish back to the wood, stain to a medium Oak colour, and as with my previous desk I spray finished it with a durable lacquer.

I took me days to get it to this standard but I think it has been worth it.

See what you think.

Once again thanks for your support and encouragement, feedback most welcome.

Not just restoration this is a transfiguration!

With this Sapele Desk as you can see, I had to bring it back from the brink of destruction.

With the top, I used a small sharp blade to scrape off the grime and surface coating due to the surface being veneered.

On this occasion, I stained it Rosewood the client’s choice.

And for a durable working surface, I sprayed it over with a 70% lacquer.

Coal Scuttle Restoration!

Today, I will show you this very sad and in a poor condition Coal Scuttle.

It has been lying around my friend's workshop for years and for the most part, it was in pieces however, my friend decided that he no longer needed it and as it was in such a poor state polishing wise, He thought it would not be worth, spending the time and effort on it.

However, I decided that being the optimist that I am, I would restore the scuttle and try and sell it.

Firstly I had to sand down the entire surface to try and make the surface flat, using my sander, then after lots of sanding, I had to go over again using a sanding block and fine sandpaper to remove the fine marks left by the sander.

Once that was done, I chose the colour Dark Mahogany as the wood is already Mahogany.

 The stain added some new life to a much-needed piece.

For the finish and durability, I decided to spray the scuttle with a modern lacquer as this finish will last much longer than French polish.

So as you can see from the photographs it has come out looking somewhat different.

 Therefore I just thought that I should share with you, just what can be done with a little hard work and lots of patience; let’s hope I can auction it and get some money back for all my hard efforts.

Thank you for taking the time to read and view my posts.

Elephants came to Town!

I thought that you might be just interested.

Well how about this Table something different for a change, as you can see that this has been very badly broken and looks like somebody has sat on it.

Various stages during the repairs:

Table Top removed for access

This broken trunk supports the Tabletop

  Support removed ready for glueing

    Here you  can see two trunks to repair

   Under surgery

   After surgery & Wood-finishing

All complete!

This is a very good example, of the wide, varied and for me interesting items to work on as this requires me to use my furniture repair skills that I have built up over the years and makes a change from the usual mundane workshop items.

Thanks for taking the time to come to my blog, I hope that
 you enjoy it and find that it is of help to you.

Feedback is most welcome.

French polishing as a career!

French polishing as a career!

Well, this is something that I have asked myself many times over the years, was it financially worth the time and effort spending four and half years as an apprentice to learn the basics and then have to spend more years to learn and increase my skills and knowledge.

yearsears to learn and increase my skillls nd then have to spend years Or would I have been better off choosing another career?  With a steady income with holiday & sick pay included. 

I can never know the answer to my own question, but one thing that I am sure about, and that is for work satisfaction for me French polishing is second to none as I have a finished item that looks good for years and is treasured by its owners.

How many jobs can boast that?  Many people when they have finished their working day have only a paper trail left on their desk ready for the next day etc.

I have to say that if you are looking for a career that will give you good job satisfaction, but not always a steady income unless you choose to work for an employer however, if like me you choose to work for yourself then you are probably going to struggle to make a good living all year round why?  It seems that with the economic climate and the way things are people are not choosing to spend their hard-earned money on having their furniture restored.

Also, it will take time to build up a good reputation and have customers that come back as and when they are in need of your French polishing services.

My thoughts are that the Schools have a great deal to play in the training of the young skilled trades people of the future however, now the emphasis is on getting the highest Grades in School and to reach the best University this is all well and good, if you are lucky enough to be academic and or rich enough to pay the extortionate costs incurred and only to find as many Graduates do upon leaving that it is very hard to gain employment in their chosen fields of work.

Therefore, you must consider your options very carefully, as this decision will be one of the most important that you will ever make for your future.

Thank you for taking the time to read my posts.

Your feedback is most welcome.

How can I determine what finish is already on the furniture?

This is very important for should you apply the wrong coating, you could come up against some serious adhesion problems, as not all finishes can sit easily on top of each other and therefore, it is very important to get this process right as it could save you a lot of problems further down the line.

French polished surfaces:

Well, to find out if the surface is French polished?  Or not you will need to carry out some tests.  Firstly you will need to apply some Methylated spirits to an unobtrusive area of the furniture, once applied the surface should become tacky if it does feel sticky to the touch then you have determined that the surface is French polished and can now be polished over with further rubbers as required.

Lacquered surfaces:

Well, you will need to carry out the same as above only using Cellulose thinners and once again if the surface becomes tacky to the touch then you know that you have a lacquered surface and can safely go over with additional coats of lacquer.

Varnished surfaces:

Once again the same process as above only this time you will need to use White spirits or Turpentine lookout to see if the surface starts to soften and if it does you can be sure that you have identified that you have a varnished surface on which to apply additional coats as required.

However, if you are still unable to decide what finish you have to work on, I would suggest that you strip off the old surface and then you can be sure that you know what product and finish you are applying, and in doing so will avoid any risk of product incompatibility.

Well, I hope that this will be of some help to you, as and when you have to identify the various finishes.

Feedback is most welcome!

This table hand French polished using a rubber & shellac. 

Restored Sheet Music Cabinet

As you can see this sheet music cabinet has been fully restored.

The top has expanded apart & split

You can see the split rail & poor condition surface

Handles cleaned and buffed

Showing the top tilted

In order to restore this piece I had to remove the split top, then glue and clamp the two pieces together, then sand down the top for a smooth and even surface.

It was then stained a Medium Oak colour with a Golden Oak stain on top so as to give the cabinet a slight glow to enhance the appearance.

The top was previously nailed to the caucus and therefore, was not allowing the top of the cabinet to be able to tilt up to enable music sheets to be placed whilst playing etc.

All the handles were cleaned and buffed to a high shine.

The cabinet does not have the brass gallery to support the music sheets anymore however,  I expect that one could be found should the owner choose.

Once again thanks for taking the time to read my posts.

How to look after a French polishing rubber?

Well, let me explain the problems, that I often come across first.

I have seen many polishing rubbers being left on dirty workbenches and this causes so many problems due to dust and grime transference onto the rubber surface, and then when you go to use your rubber it becomes useless.

Another problem that I come across is when the rag becomes overused,  and the fibres of the rag then become clogged and this in turn then stops the polish flowing from the cotton wool inside your rubber and passing through the fabric then onto the polished surface.

Time for some help!

The best way I find is to always keep your rubber spotless and the rag must be changed often throughout the polishing process, this will also help to remove some of the oil during the finishing off process.

Rubber must be stored in an airtight container to prevent the rubber from drying out.

Before putting your rubber away at the end of the day, it is a good idea to open up the rubber and apply some Methylated spirits and then re-shape your rubber before putting back in the container.  This will keep your rubber moist and save it from drying out even though whilst in a jar, it can still dry out to some extent.

Remember to squeeze out the Methylated spirits before use if you don’t then you could and most certainly will damage your polished finish as the Methylated spirits will melt the polished surface and leave you with a nasty mark to deal with.

I always keep my polishing rubbers in a glass jar and that way I can see the condition of the rubbers inside.

I tend to keep the cotton wool inside my rubbers for ages as they seldom need changing the term used for the cotton wool part of the rubber is known as a fad.

A fad can be used for bodying up or sealing the grain using Shellac sanding sealer or as I often use it for polishing on table legs such as barley twist etc.

I hope this will be of some help to you?  Feedback! Always very welcome.

Problems with French polishing

Thank you for your enquiry, this sounds like a difficult one, however, I shall try and answer it for you!

You say you have “Grabbing of the rubber on the surface” Well this sounds to me like your polish is far too thick, you should and I would suggest, that you thin the polish from what I assume is purchased French polish by 25% with Methylated spirits, as this will help the French polish to flow through the rag more evenly.

Or perhaps you have thinned your French polish out too much? Which is causing the surface to melt the French polish on which you are trying to apply?

Another cause could be that you are not using linseed oil? I have tried other oils and I always come back to Linseed oil as this gives me the best result.

You say that you have “Changed your rag etc.” And I hope you are using wadding inside?

Another point is always to use the best quality white sheeting you can buy as this will give you a superior finish.

When you polish you should be able to see the width of the rubber showing in the oil streaks as you build up the finish, if you are not seeing these oil trails as you use your rubber then you are not using enough oil.

Or it could be that you are applying too much pressure whilst French polishing?  This is another cause for the dragging effect.

French polishing must be carried out in a warm environment this is not always possible here in the UK as we have such cold days and like my workshop, it is often freezing cold and therefore very difficult to French polish in.

How to remedy this well you will need to have adequate heating throughout all the polishing stages and then continue to keep the furniture warm whilst it is drying especially overnight in a cold damp climate like England.

I am not sure as to how much experience you have as a French polisher?  These problems arise once in a while and can drive us mad as I know only too well.

Make a brand new rubber from scratch using new cotton wool and the best white rag you can get hold of nylon is useless for French polishing.

Always store your rubber in an airtight container when not in use, I would suggest that you change the white rag on your rubber more frequently, as the surface becomes clogged and over oiled and this stops the French polish from passing through the rag and onto the surface, and therefore a poorly finished surface is all you will be left with.

My last thoughts on this topic are that you could have purchased a bad batch of French polish?  Check to see if the manufacturers have had any problems or complaints from other French polishers? Or you may have kept your polish for far too long?  And as a result, the mixture has become useless.

I hope I Have answered all of your questions?  And that I have been of some help to you?

Thank you for taking the time to read my Blogs I really appreciate it.

Regards, Andrew.  Feedback is most welcome!

Safety Equipment for Wood finishing

Today, I want to go over safety equipment and the importance of using it.

What products should we be using?

Lung protection:

Let’s start with sanding, as you will know that when you sand wood it produces a great deal of dust and most of which cannot be seen by the naked eye and therefore it poses a problem, as the fine particles then start to enter our lungs and then begin to damage them.

What can we do to prevent this?  Well, there are a number of good quality masks on the market that will give you good protection ranging from paper disposable to air filter masks.  Check with the manufactures instructions to ensure that the intended mask will be adequate for your requirements.

If you can try and work outdoors as this will help disperse the bulk of the dust.

Sanding machines come with dust collection that fits on usually at the back of the machine, they also come with a sandpaper hole puncher to allow for the dust particles to be sucked up through the machine and into the collection box.

Eye protection:

 Is a must when using paint stripper or sanding down especially when using very coarse sandpaper as the rougher the paper the bigger the particles that fly off I know as I have had plenty of those.

When choosing suitable goggles, I find the ones with air holes work best as there is less chance for them to fog up like this in its self becomes a hazard for if you can’t see whilst working, imagine what could go wrong.

Footwear:

Also very important when working with wood or any heavy items, it is essential that you take your footwear seriously for you never know when you might just need good protection.

When choosing work shoes or boots, I prefer to use steel toe capped boots and I suggest that you try on several pairs before you buy them as you will be wearing them all the working day you would not want to wear a pair that hurt your feet would you?

Clothing:

I like to wear a Carpenters apron as this gives reasonable protection from stains and polish; they are difficult to clean unless you boil them up in a bucket with soda crystals to soften the water.

Loose clothing that could get caught in a machine is extremely dangerous as this could result in you being dragged into the machine and with large machines the loss of fingers etc.  I won’t go there.

Hand protection:

This is a must for any French polisher why?  Because if you do not take great care of your hands they will become sore and infected and in some cases, I have met French polishers that have had dermatitis, when I studied at The London College of Furniture years ago now there was a teacher that had to give up hand French polishing due to having dermatitis he found it was better to teach rather than to come into contact with polishing materials he used to prefer to teach about spray finishing.

There are many barrier creams that can be applied prior to French polishing but check to see if you are allergic to any of the ingredients.

 I find these creams to be very messy and greasy not for me but they are there for a reason.

It is I think better to use disposable gloves for staining or rubber-faced gloves with a fleece backing as these are much stronger and protect your fingers whilst using coarse sandpaper and from nasty splinters.

At the end of the day, you can always use hand cream to keep your hands in peak condition.

Head protection:

Unless you are working on a building site, or in other hazardous situations then the use of head protection should not be needed.

However, there have been times when I have used a safety helmet and it is well worth the investment. 

Ear protection:
It is very important to consider your ears when using machines, particularly when using them for long periods of time, as the noise is given off from them can reach very high decibel levels that over a period of time will, and perhaps without you even noticing damage your hearing.

There are a number of products to choose from ranging from disposable earplugs that expand to fit your ear.
To large padded ear defenders that look like headphones.

I recently purchased some ear defenders that have a switch control that allows me to turn up or down the sound coming into my ears, this gives me very good control over what I choose to hear such as music or being called and when the noise level form the machine becomes too loud then I simply adjust the control and my ears are fully protected.

I have found them to be really useful and would recommend this type of ear defender to everybody.

For years I have sanded and never really considered about my ears until I watched a TV programme about noise and how when working with constant levels of noise it will certainly damage your ears and by then it will be too late to do anything about it. 

They are not that expensive and in my opinion well worth the money. 

As with all working situations, it is for you to assess the dangers and take precautions accordingly.

This is intended to help you, and in no way precedes your company’s own safety procedures or guidelines.

Always read the manufacturer’s instructions prior to the use of any equipment for the suitability and or allergic reactions etc.

I take no responsibility for any injuries whatsoever caused as a result of this information; these are just guidelines, and only with the best intention.

Feedback welcome!