The struggles to learn the art of French polishing

 The struggles to learn the art of, French polishing.

For me, it all began back in 1968 the days of the Beatles and flower power, back then if you made a good enough effort to find a job you could.

When I left school I was unsure what I should do with myself and what path to take?  As I have mentioned in an earlier post on my Blog site I did not like School and the bureaucracy that went with it, years later I was described by a fellow French polisher he stated “That I was a rebel without a cause” Perhaps that is a good description of me!  Several years later this same man was sacked for stealing from the company that we both worked for so much for his righteousness.

Well, I walked the streets of London looking for work, and the only thing I thought I could do is work with wood, my Father had been a Carpenter & Joiner in his earlier days so perhaps my passion for wood came from him?

Eventually, I found employment as a French polisher for a very famous London West End Store where I served a Four & Half years Apprenticeship, during those years, I spent my days as a typical apprentice first job would be to sweep up the entire workshop, then go and empty all the very heavy metal rubbish bins onto a truck that used to come once a week.

After that job I was responsible for filling the French polisher’s bottles with French polish, then another with white spirits and so on.

I found that most of the French polisher’s would not wish to teach me or pass on their skills, as they perhaps felt that one day I would take their jobs, little did they know.

The way that I tried to break the code of silence was to try and befriend and help the polisher’s by doing this slowly they started to impart their knowledge.

Only after I had earned the respect of the French polisher’s would they then show me how to strip off the polish from whatever item was in the workshop at the time, then I was asked to do all of the stripping processes as you could imagine not a very pleasant job.

Many days, I would go home and be really sad and did not want to go back in to work the next day, but when I spoke to my Father he encouraged me to continue with my training, and looking back he was right.

Well, I stuck my apprenticeship out to the end of its course and the day came for me to receive my Certificate of completion.  This was great and I felt so proud of myself I had achieved something.

Most of my friends at that time were working on digging holes in roads and doing heavy manual work earning better money than I, but for me, it was not about the money I wanted to learn a trade that no matter if I never used my new skills again during my life I could always fall back on my trade should the need arise.

Now my apprenticeship was over I had to leave the company and move on this was very common then as it was considered that the young person, would gain more experience within another company, at the time I did not believe this or understand the logic behind this but now I do understand, as when I moved to another company I did learn some different techniques and skills, and it seems that French polishing is a lifelong learning experience as there is always something new coming along to learn or at least try.

Well, I don’t know everything about French polishing, as that would just be pure arrogant and that is one thing I hate about some people that go through their lives being that way.

French polishing has not been an easy career choice, and since I have been self-employed for the past twenty-eight years life has not always been easy!  As with recessions coming and going and customers looking to keep their costs to a limit makes for a hard life.

For me, I have an easy-going personality and take every day as it comes and this has stood me in good stead.

Most people that I come across are too afraid to try self-employment as they are naturally afraid about what happens if the work dries up?  This is something that I have become used to however, I believe that if I do a good job and the client is happy with my work they will return to me again with more work or at least a recommendation.

For me, as with any self-employed person, a good recommendation is very important with this in mind and having done some good quality works, has given me some very good clients of note that do return to me as and when a problem arises.

If you are new to French polishing or considering becoming one ask yourself do you want to become rich?  Or do I want to be work satisfied?  Because at the end of the day most people that I speak to are certainly not happy with their jobs and would love to work for themselves but lack the conviction required to survive on their own in this big wide world.

It does take a great deal of determination when the phone does not ring and Christmas is coming up etc.  You get the picture!

For me, ever the optimist and still a rebel and will not change now, I love what I do and really enjoy my work even though it is very hard work that requires great patience something that I have in abundance.

Should you wish to become a French polisher?  I wish you every success.

Learn as much as you can and make the best use of your skills, never become secretive with things you learn in and throughout your life why?  You ask because “There is nothing in life that isn't known” in the words of the great John Lennon.  How true.

I hope that this has been of interest to you?  If so hit the comment tab below and I shall reply to you.

Thanks for reading.

Woodworm what can we do about it?

Woodworm what can we do about it?

These are classic examples of woodworm

Let me see what I can come up with, firstly if you detect the signs of woodworm in your furniture or home, you should never ignore it, why because woodworm if still active and left untreated will spread throughout your premises.

How can you tell, if you have woodworm in your furniture?  Well, this is simple to spot if you look usually on the underside and around the feet of your items and you see small round holes this will indicate that woodworm has at some time infected your furniture.

However, this does not necessarily mean that the woodworm is still active as the infestation could have taken place many years ago and therefore, there would be no risk of the Beatles spreading or coursing any further damage.

How can you tell if the Beatles are still active in your woodwork?  Usually, if you can see traces of wood dust around the holes and another way to tell is if you tap the surface and wood dust falls out then that is a clear sign that the Beatles are still active.

As a precaution as soon as you see any sign of woodworm, you should always treat the timber as if it is still infected.

How to do this, woodworm treatment should be carried out by qualified specialists due to the nature of the hazards associated with the chemicals used in the process.

Should you choose to carry out the treatment yourself?  You should ensure that you take the time to read and understand all of the manufactures instructions prior to starting.

If you are in doubt about your ability seek professional help.

How I treat woodworm firstly, I ensure that if possible I take the item out into

The open fresh air, due to the strong fumes are given off by the chemical used, I make sure that I use safety goggles this is a must why?  Because you can either brush on or inject the treatment into one hole and the liquid can and has shot out from another hole and gone straight into my face, not very nice!!!

Also, I make sure that I wear a breathing mask this is also a must as the fumes given off by the treatment can be harmful.

Wear suitable protection for your clothing, such as a disposable outfit and when you have completed the treatment it is best to dispose of it in a sensible manner.

If you are treating woodworm indoors it is essential that you choose a treatment killer that is non-flammable to let me explain further, I had very bad woodworm in flooring that required a specialist company to deal with the problem, and whilst the woodworm killer was soaking into the wood this can take hours or more to dry out.

As a safety precaution, the treatment agent removed the electrical fuse circuit to the room that was being treated, due to the risk that if light or an electrical appliance should cause a spark when switched on then this, in turn, could lead to an explosion.

That is why I advise you to ask professionals to treat indoor infestations but I see no reason, as to why you cannot carry out small projects that can be done as I have instructed outdoors.

I hope this will help you to choose whether to do it yourself or call in the professionals!

This is meant for guidance purposes only and therefore, I take no responsibility for any injuries caused whatsoever, by or as a result of lack of experience by persons unskilled in the treatment of woodworm.

Thank you for reading, feedback is always welcome.

Finishing Stages & Stiffing off

Finishing stages and stiffing off:

Recently, I was asked about this crucial stage in French polishing.

This section is about the final process during French polishing, it is known as stiffing off, what this means is, that when you have finished building up to a high shine on your surface and now need to leave the surface with a streak-free finish.

The way to achieve this is while you have enough linseed oil on your polished surface and before your rubber starts to begin to drag, you should now begin to polish in the direction of the grain only, should you do this method you will soon begin to see that eventually the oil marks left by your rubber, will start to follow your rubber direction.

Keep this up until you need to charge your rubber with some more French polish, open your rubber and apply the polish and this time add a very small amount of Methylated spirits, reshape your rubber and continue to polish with the grain using light and even pressure and you will soon see a very high shine begin to appear.

This is what I do; once my surface starts to become clear I change my rubber rag for a fresh cloth and then continue to polish with the grain until all of the oil has been worked out of the surface.

This will take some time and patience but your hard work will be rewarded with an outstanding shine to be proud of.

I hope this will be of some help to you.

How can I clean my hands?

Well, I have worked in a number of workshops and have found that just about every company uses a different method.

One company I worked at used a household bleach with hot water to remove the old French polish, yes it worked but what was it doing to my and others skin? 

Another company used soda crystals in hot water, now this works well but again very harsh on the hands.

Of course, methylated spirits will remove the polish from your hands, but will leave you with a nasty smell that will last for hours.

If you are particular about your hands and need to keep them in a clean condition, you might like to try a barrier cream rub this well into your hands prior to French polishing and this will help to reduce the polish from sticking and therefore make it easier to clean off at the end of the day.

I found that trying to remove the polish by vigorous rubbing using canvas with hot water was causing my hands to become very red in colour so I stopped using the harsh canvas and now I just use hot water with soap and flannel and if I have stain around my fingernails I reach for the scrubbing brush rub soap into the bristles and this works well, of course, it does not get all of the stains out but it is better than having sore hands.

I find it is much better to let the polish come off in its own time or if like me by the time I have finished washing and doing the washing up nearly all of the polish will have gone.

It could be said that gloves would be the most prudent thing to use and this would negate all of the above having said that French polishing is about getting the feel through your fingers and I don’t think this can be done wearing gloves only my thoughts.

I hope this will be of some use to you?

If it is of use or perhaps you have a method that works fine for you?   Please click on the comment tab below thanks.

Just for Charlotte & everybody else

Hello Charlotte,

Thank you for getting back to me, firstly yes it is best to make a new rubber if you find that it has become too sticky or the surface of the rag has an oily shine build up, as the French polish can’t pass through the rag when it gets in this poor condition.

Secondly you only need to apply a very small amount of methylated spirits on your rubber, and the way I do this is to always open up the rag and then hold the bottle of methylated sprits against the cotton wool and up turn the spirits slowly and make sure that it does not spill out anywhere near your polished surface.

Once you have done this re-shape your rubber, and then using a clean cloth press out the excess polish onto the cloth this ensures that you will have less chance of applying too much polish to the surface.

In French polishing we don’t use the word coats, as this would imply that it is the same finish as varnish which it is clearly not.

We use the term bodying up this is a very slow process together with the use of linseed oil ensures that you can continue to build up a fantastic shine, and when done with experience will produce an outstanding finish.

Thirdly it is best when you have finished French polishing your item, leave it to dry for at least three days to dry, as the methylated spirits will need to evaporate through the polished surface and in turn harden.

The longer you leave the surface to dry the better.

When you are not using your rubber, always keep it in an airtight container, I use a screw top jar this works very well.

And a good tip before you put away your rubber for the day, open up the rubber and then apply some methylated spirits as this will keep the cotton wool soft and subtle for when you next come to use it.

However, when you do next choose to use it, remember to squeeze out the excess methylated spirits prior to use, if you don’t the methylated spirits will damaged your polished surface.

I hope this will help your Mother to develop her French polishing skills?

If you have time, take a look at my video that I recently made.

Just Google/ YouTube:  My Movie of Professional Wood Finishing.wmv

I hope you will like it.

Regards,

Andrew.

Why use Shellac Sanding Sealer?

Why use Shellac sanding sealer?

Well, I shall explain,

 Using Shellac sanding sealer when applied properly seals the wood grain and sets the stain from streaking prior to the French polishing.

A good application of sanding sealer is very important, why?  If applied too wet it will then take a very long time to dry, and therefore you will not be able to continue with your finishing.

It can be applied by brush; I prefer to use a polisher’s mop brush for this purpose as it has very fine hairs and produces a nice even coating.

Or you can apply using mutton cloth; I like this method as I find it works well with turned work as I can push the sealer into the twists and turns. Etc.

Always build up a good body of sanding sealer and this will save you hours of polishing time when you start to use the French polish with a rubber.

Remember to always keep your brushes clean and soak them using Methylated spirits when not in use or during your project.

If you are using the mutton cloth method remember to store it in an airtight container or your cloth will soon dry out and become useless.

Don’t forget to shake the container prior to and during use as this product needs to be kept well mixed as some of the contents sink to the bottom of the container.  (Always ensure that the lid is secure before shaking up).

Apply in the direction of the grain as this will cut down the risk of cross-grain stain streaking should you apply too wet.

The sealer works well if applied in thin coats or likewise with the mutton cloth method.

Most polishers’ use the inside of the rubber which is made from cotton wool and this is then called a fad.  I have never been very keen on this method, as the cotton wool even though it has been in use in the rubber for some time, always seems to become tacky and then bits of the cotton wool starts sticking to the surface of the furniture.   Just my opinion!

Mind the stairs

Mind the stairs!

I have made a good start

Look at these big dents

Old filler over screws

This is yet another Handrail, that I have recently completed, it was in very poor condition but looks much better now.