Watching so many different techniques . . . some with shortcuts . . . May I suggest from one luthier to 'dirty' up your alcohol with a little shellac. It will lessen the chance of pulling off a layer when you are 'stretching' and 'burnishing.'
Increased pressure towards the end of the process is the key here!!! And no recharging the pad over and over again! Lots of pressure and a pad that is hardly charged. This is the first video that I have seen on French polishing where "increased pressure" is highlighted. The pressure is increased as the session progresses, until one's arm feels like it is ready to fall off! That is when I stop. When my arm is aching. That is when I know the session is over. The gloss gets shinier and the finish is flat, with no pad marks. Pressure is important and is not stressed enough. Good job Peter. I agree with your technique here.
Yeah, the pressure! I agree that most people don't talk about how much pressure to use-it's one of the really difficult things to teach, and people have to come to an understanding about pressure through experience. You can work with a heavily charged pad and a very light touch, increasing the pressure as the pad dries out. Or you can work with a lightly charged pad and start with more pressure. Depends on where in the process you are and what you are trying to accomplish. Thanks for the post Robert.
Haven't done any French polishing in a couple years. Just ready now to do a project and was looking to refresh memory. Excellent video, Peter. Gorgeous instrument!
Yes, that's it, thanks. I have read some comments about the newer Chinese ones and problems with the castings, but this one is an older version made in America and is quite solid.
Thanks Will. Those types of repairs are pretty tricky-whatever you fill with has to be leveled without cutting through to bare wood or you will start to get color differences. Every maker I know does this differently. If I find time I will make a short video about this.
Peter, I just came across your video! I learned a lot! When it comes to the elusive process of the mystical art of French polish every little bit of information helps. Thanks my friend! On a side note Everclear is available here in New Mexico...... But you must get the 1/4 gallon, the gallon will play havoc with the shellac flakes they will never dissolve despite the quality of the flakes, I think there is too much water in the gallon version.
Why thank you kind sir! However I assure you that it is I who have learned much from watching your videos on polishing. Can't get Everclear here in California, so I get alcohol from Mexico, 190 proof. See you around.
Its an old Columbian Versa Vise, or Wilbert Vise. I have the one all the gunstock carvers desire with the long thin jaws. I am still trolling for a regular one, but the more desirable one for nits and saddles is now on my bench. It will also work great for this too.
I have been wondering if a very well applied french polish to a solid body guitar can be equal or better in resonance / sonic and tonal properties than the nitro cellulose which is highly praised? Please can you talk about this and go into detail. I am aware french polish is primarily used on acoustic intruments can you please go into detail. Please advise many thanks!
interesting you mentioned change in smell...i always put a little gum benzoin in for the 'polishing' phase; and i've had honey bees come into the shop looking for that sweet smelling flower
Dear friend, I want to shellackize my old Martin D35 , I moved all the old polish, in the next days I will repaint the guitar, I want to sent you some pictures, because I´m not shure how I should handle it with the new bridge on , because i swaped from ebony to rosewood, i want to polish as you did, but i have to clue the bridge first, please help me by advisings
Just saw for the first time. While the commentry and info entailed, gave a mental picture of the pad construction and charging,, all I could really see was the image of the back of a guitar with some stuff happening in the top r/hand corner. I french polish, and have done so for 45yrs so no worries for me but not adequate for someone learning/lnterested in a serious "how to" instructional video
Hi, I love your video thanks. I am at the beginning of French Polishing my Maton guitar but was wondering how you finished the neck etc..? Did you French polish it as well?
The neck can beFrench polished as well but the start s to fill the pores with pumice powder and the start polishing it. ore layers are required of course.
I'm trying to understand what the purpose of adding the alcohol to the pad is prior to charging the pad with the shellac. does the alcohol dissolve excess shellac so that it can be spread out over the guitar? just to summarize (my luthier showed me how to reshellac my guitar, but i'm very apprehensive because i don't want to mess it up) shellac: mixture made up of the material + alochol alcohol: add to pad for what reason if the shellac is already cut with alcohol? oil: to allow the pad to glide over the wood (does this serve any other purpose? and the alcohol is also useful for dissolving excess oil on the wood. do i have everything understood?
Watch again. I add the alcohol only to the pad in the beginning to 'condition' it-if I like the way the cover is working I will do this; it sort of cleans the pad of oil and a little shellac that may have clogged the cover. I blot it until it's almost dry. Then start in with the shellac. Toward the end I want the mixture to be cut a little more by alcohol, so I'll add add a bit of alcohol after charging the pad with shellac. Depends on what stage your are in, if you're building finish then don't cut the charge with more alcohol. The oil is acting as a lubricant. The least amount of oil necessary is the best. Practice on a piece of scrap wood until you get a feel for it. Hope this helps.
THIS DRAWS THE OIL OUT OF THE FINNISH.IF YOUDONT REMOVE ALL THE OIL IT WILL BREAK OUT LATER LEAVING YELLOW STREAKS IN THE GRAIN.I POLLISHED PIANOS YEARS AGO
Great video and beautiful guitar. I know it should be left to a professional, but a video on repairing fingernail scratches and small dings would be interesting.
sdluthier Interesting. Linseed has been the 'fluid' of choice in western Europe for hundreds of years, paints, varnishes, including shellac, putty....I wonder if it's an agriculture thing? If there are olives falling all around you, you're not going to plant flax! Linseed is preferable to 'lemon oil' for fingerboards and bridges & not so expensive either.
I know this post is a year old, but I wanted to mention that the oil in this process serves a different purpose than the other stuff you mention. In a lot of those, the oil is modified to be a "drying" oil (especially if it's labelled as "Boiled"). It polymerizes, and hardens to become part of the finish. In the case of french polish, the oil is to keep the pad from sticking and allow the shellac to spread more easily. It will actually come to the surface as the shellac cures, and the majority of it will be wiped off. Generally, you wouldn't want to use olive oil on a fretboard, as it doesn't dry, and it will go rancid and smell funny.
I love your results with French polish. I build electric guitars (th-cam.com/video/8b-y-HFo07c/w-d-xo.html) and really am interested in starting to offer a shellac based finish to my clients. Have some experience with it, but I must admit that your results are better than my tests so far. I think the conversion finishes are not that "modern" anymore, since they are quite bad for our planet, while shellac has some very nice qualities for musical instruments. Would you think it will be an adequate choice also for electric guitars and basses?
Watching so many different techniques . . . some with shortcuts . . . May I suggest from one luthier to 'dirty' up your alcohol with a little shellac. It will lessen the chance of pulling off a layer when you are 'stretching' and 'burnishing.'
Increased pressure towards the end of the process is the key here!!! And no recharging the pad over and over again! Lots of pressure and a pad that is hardly charged. This is the first video that I have seen on French polishing where "increased pressure" is highlighted. The pressure is increased as the session progresses, until one's arm feels like it is ready to fall off! That is when I stop. When my arm is aching. That is when I know the session is over. The gloss gets shinier and the finish is flat, with no pad marks. Pressure is important and is not stressed enough. Good job Peter. I agree with your technique here.
Yeah, the pressure! I agree that most people don't talk about how much pressure to use-it's one of the really difficult things to teach, and people have to come to an understanding about pressure through experience. You can work with a heavily charged pad and a very light touch, increasing the pressure as the pad dries out. Or you can work with a lightly charged pad and start with more pressure. Depends on where in the process you are and what you are trying to accomplish.
Thanks for the post Robert.
Haven't done any French polishing in a couple years. Just ready now to do a project and was looking to refresh memory. Excellent video, Peter. Gorgeous instrument!
That guitar looked better then any guitar I have ever French Polished before you even went into the final polish!
Great video! Burnishing. Explains what everyone else doesnt! I get it now,Thank you
Yes, that's it, thanks. I have read some comments about the newer Chinese ones and problems with the castings, but this one is an older version made in America and is quite solid.
Much more interesting than paint, to watch. Thanks.
Excellent tutorial.
Thanks Will. Those types of repairs are pretty tricky-whatever you fill with has to be leveled without cutting through to bare wood or you will start to get color differences. Every maker I know does this differently. If I find time I will make a short video about this.
I love you work.
I teach so much frrom you videos about French Polish.
You have a New Subbscriber.
Hi Peter, I love to watch paint dry....well apparently, cuz I enjoyed your vid. Thanks kindly for sharing. Rich
Peter, I just came across your video! I learned a lot! When it comes to the elusive process of the mystical art of French polish every little bit of information helps. Thanks my friend!
On a side note Everclear is available here in New Mexico...... But you must get the 1/4 gallon, the gallon will play havoc with the shellac flakes they will never dissolve despite the quality of the flakes, I think there is too much water in the gallon version.
Why thank you kind sir! However I assure you that it is I who have learned much from watching your videos on polishing. Can't get Everclear here in California, so I get alcohol from Mexico, 190 proof. See you around.
Using your palm: a 'handy" way to help with the swirl marks. I didn't pick up on that the first time.
Its an old Columbian Versa Vise, or Wilbert Vise. I have the one all the gunstock carvers desire with the long thin jaws. I am still trolling for a regular one, but the more desirable one for nits and saddles is now on my bench. It will also work great for this too.
remarkable clarity
Very impressed with that finish, wish I could get my guitar to you!!
But how and what steps get from bare wood to the guitar in the beginning of the video? That is what I would love to see.
Take a look at the 9 series video of "Pablo Requena - French polishing!"
how do i finish a snooker cue to make it shine gloss finish without having to use lacquer?
I have been wondering if a very well applied french polish to a solid body guitar can be equal or better in resonance / sonic and tonal properties than the nitro cellulose which is highly praised? Please can you talk about this and go into detail. I am aware french polish is primarily used on acoustic intruments can you please go into detail.
Please advise many thanks!
interesting you mentioned change in smell...i always put a little gum benzoin in for the 'polishing' phase; and i've had honey bees come into the shop looking for that sweet smelling flower
Is that a Spanish Cedar neck? It looks really interesting in this video.
Dear friend, I want to shellackize my old Martin D35 , I moved all the old polish, in the next days I will repaint the guitar, I want to sent you some pictures, because I´m not shure how I should handle it with the new bridge on , because i swaped from ebony to rosewood, i want to polish as you did, but i have to clue the bridge first, please help me by advisings
Just saw for the first time. While the commentry and info entailed, gave a mental picture of the pad construction and charging,, all I could really see was the image of the back of a guitar with some stuff happening in the top r/hand corner. I french polish, and have done so for 45yrs so no worries for me but not adequate for someone learning/lnterested in a serious "how to" instructional video
Thank you for your insightful and thoughtful opinion. it's comments like yours that make TH-cam such an interesting platform.
Can I put shellac over nitro?
1.38 Its called a Parrot Vise/Vice
Hi, I love your video thanks. I am at the beginning of French Polishing my Maton guitar but was wondering how you finished the neck etc..? Did you French polish it as well?
The neck can beFrench polished as well but the start s to fill the pores with pumice powder
and the start polishing it. ore layers are required of course.
I'm trying to understand what the purpose of adding the alcohol to the pad is prior to charging the pad with the shellac. does the alcohol dissolve excess shellac so that it can be spread out over the guitar?
just to summarize (my luthier showed me how to reshellac my guitar, but i'm very apprehensive because i don't want to mess it up)
shellac: mixture made up of the material + alochol
alcohol: add to pad for what reason if the shellac is already cut with alcohol?
oil: to allow the pad to glide over the wood (does this serve any other purpose?
and the alcohol is also useful for dissolving excess oil on the wood.
do i have everything understood?
Watch again. I add the alcohol only to the pad in the beginning to 'condition' it-if I like the way the cover is working I will do this; it sort of cleans the pad of oil and a little shellac that may have clogged the cover. I blot it until it's almost dry. Then start in with the shellac. Toward the end I want the mixture to be cut a little more by alcohol, so I'll add add a bit of alcohol after charging the pad with shellac.
Depends on what stage your are in, if you're building finish then don't cut the charge with more alcohol. The oil is acting as a lubricant. The least amount of oil necessary is the best. Practice on a piece of scrap wood until you get a feel for it.
Hope this helps.
Why would one want to cut the mixture with alcohol towards the end?
We used to keep our 'rubbers' [pads] in a screw-top jar, kept damp with 'meths' [methylated spirit].
Good hints thanks
THIS DRAWS THE OIL OUT OF THE FINNISH.IF YOUDONT REMOVE ALL THE OIL IT WILL BREAK OUT LATER LEAVING YELLOW STREAKS IN THE GRAIN.I POLLISHED PIANOS YEARS AGO
How many sessions previous to this one?
Does french polishing take out small dings and scratch's from your guitar
No, the shellac is very thin. Very fine scratches can be polished out, but not dings.
Nice camera angle....!!!!
It’s a parrot vice.
I use the same way
Great video and beautiful guitar. I know it should be left to a professional, but a video on repairing fingernail scratches and small dings would be interesting.
hello, do you have a luthierie school?
Danke! Ich habe herausgefunden: um die Poren zu schliessen - statt Bimsmehl habe ich Talkumpuder genommen - es geht viel besser damit.
How is it called the oil that You are using?
Thanks
I'm using fresh olive oil.
sdluthier Is that in preference to linseed ? [Olive oil]
Banacek60 Chord I have never used linseed oil. Mineral oil, walnut oil, and olive oil is the extent of my experience with oils.
sdluthier Interesting. Linseed has been the 'fluid' of choice in western Europe for hundreds of years, paints, varnishes, including shellac, putty....I wonder if it's an agriculture thing? If there are olives falling all around you, you're not going to plant flax! Linseed is preferable to 'lemon oil' for fingerboards and bridges & not so expensive either.
I know this post is a year old, but I wanted to mention that the oil in this process serves a different purpose than the other stuff you mention. In a lot of those, the oil is modified to be a "drying" oil (especially if it's labelled as "Boiled"). It polymerizes, and hardens to become part of the finish.
In the case of french polish, the oil is to keep the pad from sticking and allow the shellac to spread more easily. It will actually come to the surface as the shellac cures, and the majority of it will be wiped off. Generally, you wouldn't want to use olive oil on a fretboard, as it doesn't dry, and it will go rancid and smell funny.
OLIVE OIL?
NOPE.
The entire point of the alcohol is to remove the oil and get the polish
It would have been nice to see the pad preparation at the beginning - you keep saying "as you can see" - NO we couldn't see
Tacheradaoem brother,,,
It's called a Miami vice.
I love your results with French polish. I build electric guitars (th-cam.com/video/8b-y-HFo07c/w-d-xo.html) and really am interested in starting to offer a shellac based finish to my clients. Have some experience with it, but I must admit that your results are better than my tests so far. I think the conversion finishes are not that "modern" anymore, since they are quite bad for our planet, while shellac has some very nice qualities for musical instruments. Would you think it will be an adequate choice also for electric guitars and basses?
请问，有中国的朋友帮忙翻译一下吗。谢谢。😊😊
😳💬