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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 6 ก.พ. 2025
- In this video Simon explains, in depth, the processes of french polishing using shellac and the benefits of applying a high quality beeswax polish to either bare or french polished wood.
0:17 Inspection of severely sun-bleached rosewood piano lid or fall
2:06 Applying stripper to remove the finish
4:21 Removing the dissolved old finish with coarse wire wool
6:55 The original rosewood is revealed
7:38 Neutralising the surface
9:13 Why not to sand
10:46 Dividing the stripped area to enable comparison of a traditional french polish finish to a natural wax finish
11:46 Applying Gilboys 'pure gold' beeswax polish to one section - bit.ly/2CyTbm4
12:46 Applying Gilboys 'rose gold' beeswax polish to another section - bit.ly/31amt4G
13:42 Applying french polish to the other section with a fad (french polisher's rubber). Discover how to make a French Polisher's Rubber here: • How to make a French P...
16:42 De-nibbing or 'cutting back' the surface with 320 sandpaper
18:30 Using a 'rubber' to 'body' the surface
23:40 The right way to remove the oil by 'spiriting' the surface and how professional french polishers spot any remaining oil
29:09 Buffing the natural wax finishes for a satin sheen
30:42 Applying 'rose gold' beeswax polish ( bit.ly/31amt4G ) to a section that has not been stripped of the degraded and broken down finish
31:36 Applying 'antique gold' beeswax polish ( bit.ly/2VbtwGp ) to a section that has not been stripped of the degraded and broken down finish
32:34 Buffing the wax polished areas after 20 minutes. "Let's buff".
33:28 Comparison of the results
Gilboys Gold can deliver such a stunning finish because it has a very high beeswax content in comparison to other brands that focus on profit. Our intention has never been to compete on price, but to simply make the best beeswax polish there is.
For more information on Gilboys Beeswax Polishes: bit.ly/2EPFxJk
Follow us on Facebook: / gilboyspolish
Follow us on Twitter: / gilboysantiques
Follow us on Instagram: / gilboysantiques
Visit our website: bit.ly/2EK6cHJ
It is nice to see someone putting a point on their rubber and keeping it there, sign of a tradesman.
There's something immensely satisfying about something skill-based where you slowly and extensively work with something until you reach a moment where you start noticing your dedicated work paying off. This is why I love woodworking and finishing so much. Just like spending hours on getting a beautiful mirror shine on your shoes, it shows people that you have the patience and skills to reach something others aren't willing to do. Some might call it a waste of time, but It's an accomplishment that makes me feel good. I love detail work. I wish more of that was appreciated here in the U.S.
This is like listening to the shipping forecast. So soothing 🥰
The vocabulary of this man is beautiful
Well, that was incredible to watch. I have tried to watch how to do French polish before and never was the explanation so thorough as to how and why? Thank you!
I watched this before attempting to get a few marks out of our Ercol dining table. So glad I did - there's a lot of useful information here.
Thankyou for opening my eyes to this amazing process, I had never seen it actually being done before & now understand why it was necessary to use the paint stripper to clean the base rather than sandpaper it down. French polish brought out the most exquisite grain & the finish was an absolute delight & the relative comparison was what made me really sit up & comprehend the difference between just waxing or cleaning & waxing vs sanding,etc. very educating. Thankyou for sharing this knowledge as I certainly learnt something new today. Gratitude for sharing & much respect for your skills! Best wishes.
Our pleasure. We hope to have more videos on the channel soon.
Best wishes, Simon
nice to see someone who knows what he is doing.removing the oil is most importent as it will breakout later.used to polish pianos in the sixtys.
Always tried to French polish and it looked ok BUT YOU have shown me the best way , WHAT A FANTASTIC JOB
Hi Mike.
I hope you have success.
Cheers Simon
Thanks
Wow. Love the presentation, the skill, the narrative explanation. Thank you. There are videos out there that only shows "what I did" and this is clearly a "how I did it". Thank you. A real masterclass.
A true craftsman at work. beautiful
Thank you
I love that... there's many vids on youtube on how to do this but "this is the right way".
I hate his blasphemous attitude
Thank god for craftsmen such as yourself. I always wanted to be able to work on wood, but the currents of life have made that quite impossible. Thank you!
Wish he was here to upgrade my living room suite. Very beautiful work.
Thank you Esther.
There are a lot of chancers out there, calling themselves french polishers. This guy knows his onions.
Wow, now this is new to me but I just love the results... Will have to watch the video 5 more times to pick up the proper process. Thanx a mil for sharing!
Thank you. It's a very rewarding process.
Remarkable doesn't begin to cover it. Thank you so much for this demonstration.
Thanks Bud.
Your love for what you too is so obvious. Absolutely lovely work! Thank you for sharing 😊
Thank you. We do enjoy our restoration work. I'm glad you enjoyed watching it.
Thank you. We do enjoy our restoration work. I'm glad you enjoyed watching it.
Legend has it that he's still rubbing it now 2019. Man loves rubbing wood
The Legends are true. He's actually worn a hole through it and is now rubbing the work bench bellow.
@@GilboysRestoration hahahaha love it 😂😂
Don't forget: he stripped first. :)
Don’t we all.
Lamster66 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
Great demonstration. I learned a lot of interesting and useful stuff by watching this so thanks for that.
An exelent video for someone like me who is interested in refurbishing furniture!
The way you make you polish rubber is spot on...
Old World craft🤎🖤
Thank you for showing this, beautiful work❣️❤️
And the grain in that rosewood is stunning!
Absolutely brilliant! They’re all fantastic. Even the original unrestored in the right surroundings would be ok to me. Somehow, the old decay, and even covered in dust can be welcomed as part of the story and give off a sense of peace in the right placement, the right environment, the right setting. I think your video is excellent and very informative and shows how to respect beautiful wood. How to avoid the B and Q look! Lol! Thank you for your time and expertise and sharing your skills! David.
Love the clear explanation, very helpful for the beginner! Thank you for taking time to make this videos !
This (without the stripping) is the exact same method my mother used to apply finish to new furniture fifty years ago. In Spain it's called "barnizado a muñequilla".
Absolutely beautiful finish.
Very instructive. I use French polish for finishing classical guitars. I used to grain fill with pumice or rottenstone, but recently have tried epoxy filler with very good results.
Hi Jim. Thank you. It's difficult to shorten the process to just half an hour but I think it gives a little insight to how we do it.
this is quite fascinating,so many ways to care for beautiful wood. im ditching the can of pledge today!
wow, I am going to have to learn to be patient, the french polish is beautiful, I cant imagine that with wax on it as well.
Always mind the eyes!
Especially when using an aggressive stripper such as you use, even a water based coating can make the eye sting if there is a splash as when working on a large piece. Great tutorial, many thanks for this.
Wow, thanks for the professional tips on polish
Thanks Marc. I hope it helps.
@@GilboysRestoration You never stop learning, Got a dinning table with heat marks, cost me nothing, so nothing to lose, will give it a try from start to finish. Let you know the results from following your tutorial.
After all these years i finally see someone french polishing as described to me 50 years ago. It looks far easier than varnishing...
Excellent video. Quite informative. Thank you for sharing.
Glad it was helpful. Thank you
just your voice made it interesting....being a carpenter for 42 years I found the tutorial particularly interesting......
Thanks Ray.
Like when he said "I'm going to mosque off the sections"
You mentioned using b.l.o on the Rosewood, i’ve only ever had bad luck using it on rosewood as it turns my hand plane totes and knobs black.
Fantastic video, I found it very informative. Thanks for the insight!
What is French polish? What type of rubber; where do you get it? What type cloth is wrapped around the rubber. The effect of this process is stunning. Thank you.
French polish is youre finish thinned out, the rubber is a wad of cotton, and the rag is a soft cotton rag. I believe he said he used a shellac for his finish. He pretty much did the same thing anyone else would do to apply finish, he just rubbed it on instead of using a brush. Personally ive goten better results applying a finish, then using 800, 1000, then 1200 grit sand paper, and then using a polishing compound like the stuff you buy for your car. Much higher shine and i don't have to worry about getting my chemical mixtures perfect
What a real professional ...beautiful thank you.
Really entertaining to watch. Thank you for taking the time to show us your craft. Cheers!
Thank you. I have tried to get as much information in there as possible.
Very nice work, and and enjoyable, educational video. Many thanks!
Very beautiful at the end! Many useful things said!
Absolutely love this video. I've watched it at least 5 times now. I've been brushing shellac on bits for about the last 6 month and getting good finishes, but after watching this I picked up all of the bits I need. I'm literally about to fad on my first layers of shellac. It's on an Indian rosewood peice of furniture that I've made and I soon realised I needed to grain fill it - shellac is not a grain filler! Anyway, many thanks Simon and everyone at gilboys :)
how do you grain fill it? Thanks
No matter what contemporary products that I've seen none ever come close to the look of hand rubbed French polish. They usually look mass production or just plastic. It's definitely worth the hand work.
French polishing is a technique. It’s not the substance used to polish, which is actually shellac. Shellac can also be applied with a brush. However, in that case, one couldn’t say that the instrument or piece of furniture was French polished. I just wanted to make it clearer for those who were wondering.
Thank you, the video seemed to suggest that the substance used was "french polish" and that it was a 'special' polish. What is the difference in finish between applying shellac with a brush and french polishing - does the latter give a high gloss finish?
Jay S I don’t know whether applying shellac with a brush gives a higher gloss. As I mentioned French polish is the technic he uses to apply the shellac with a pad. With a brush, you would still have a shellac polish. But just not a French polished piece of furniture or instrument.
Jay S Applying shellac with a brush wouldn't be termed French polishing. Technically you would be what they term spirit varnishing. You can get it extremely glossy but it requires going through finer and finer abrasives/polishing compounds. Alternately you can do a mix, part brushed and finished off with a French polishing fad. The real difference between the two methods is that the action of the fad helps to fill the grain or any pin holes/blemishes. Brushing isn't so good at that aspect. A brush with extremely soft hairs is used, very thin shellac, many many coats for a full gloss flat finish. Don't assume that brushing the stuff on is easy, it isn't.
Jay S one consideration which was eluded to but which plays an important factor in the final result - he mentioned the wood had its grain filled. Some woods are open grained, others closed. On an open grained wood that has been filled, you inherently wind up with a more level finish. The filler can often be dyed which can be used for effect.
The French polishing technique, I suppose is an early method at filling the Grain, cut shellac brushed on and sanded can do serve the purpose, effective but takes practice and patience
@@vihuelamig Also, since the shellac dries so quickly brush applications tend to build too fast and leave a less than desirable surface. I guess that's why the progression through polishing compounds is recommended.
WHo would have thought! I´m a fan of french polishing :) If you need a 60 year old apprentice...I´m yer man. Thanks for the vid :)
Godamn, in my next life I want to be born French.
French vanilla, French fries, French bread, French kiss, and now I learn about French polish. All the things I love
And the French public toilets ... ?
Don't forget your yellow vest
French tickler, bulldog , connection. onion soup, riviera.
Thank you for this fantastic video!
Thank you.
love the French polish, thanks for sharing!
Thanks Gilboys. My boy has recently started writing... you can imagine the next. I've repaired one bit, but I've the wife's grandmother's wardrobe to strip back at some point in the future. May need to sand too. This gives me hope.
Go Luck Anthony. Be aware that often when you strip and sand small areas it look patchy. 🙂
Thanks for that. The intention is to strip the doors and then one side to re-polish. I'm concerned that at one point he has pressed quite hard and may have marked the wood. But he may have just cut through the shellac.
Dear sir, my hobby is the lathe, I use the doll made of nightgowns with enough use and I charge it from the outside, but leave the marks on the finish, I should use another kind of fabric or that I do wrong. Thanks a lot.
Hi Manuel. Take a look at these videos, they might also help you. 🙂 th-cam.com/video/Nu93hys1N58/w-d-xo.html
I learned how to French Polish from Master Finisher George Frank in York, PA back in the late 80's. It'll wear you out.
Excellent video!!! Good voice and film quality.
Very beautiful my friend love the look really want to try to learn the proper way of French polishing not the TH-cam American way lol what I’ve seen here in the state is absolutely nothing like what you are doing and I must say you are definitely doing it right from the books I’ve read lol I love it!!
Thank you. It is a lovely way to finish wood but not so popular these days. Simon
I have done french polishing on a few hobby parts (in purpleheart) i wish i knew the makeup of the polish a friend gave me. The wood looked like it had a glass or high polish polyurethane coating on it after only 4/5 coats. It was beautiful but still smelt and felt of wood not polyurethane. My finish of choice for my woodworking.
thanks for your time, man, sharing this with us!
Excellent video, I learned a lot, many thanks.
Excellent. That was fascinating, well explained and informative. Thank you
Thank you, it's always good to see our films being appreciated.
Thanks for this interesting demonstration.
Our pleasure, Thanks for watching.
Thank you. This is the tutorial i needed. Perfectly done.
Hi! Why color after applying polish? Should color be applied to the wood before varnish and then polishing it?
Here is my more in-depth explanation of how I was taught to French Polish. I think these videos will help you.
th-cam.com/video/Nu93hys1N58/w-d-xo.htmlsi=ybuz-SH54zj94p6N
@GilboysRestoration thank you!
after you do the stripper, what brand is it, then there is the liquid you use after the stripper, what is the liquid and what brand? Thanks
Wait - what happened at 9:10 when the metho evaporated and the surface was left white - next second it's all clean and you are wiping and saying its all nice - what did you do to get rid of the white blemish after the metho evaporated ?
Very nice 👍 thank you so much for all your great work.
very nice work that gave me some useful ideas thank you.
French polish no doubt about it.Looked beautiful.
Lol
‘Tis a thing of beauty
It is a very long time ago since I last bought an "aggressive" paint stripper. Generally what's for sale now is anything but "aggressive", it doesn't even sting your flesh or remove the paint on the tin!
Whats for general sale is generally very tame, yes. usually you have to wait 15 mins or so with the stuff you get today. The trade use stripper we use is pretty 'gutsy'.
Awesome video!!! 👏👏👏
I think I like the French polish myself..... need to see how it's made.... hmmmm ideas ideas....
What is exactly in that bottle you are using for French polish!! Very impressive! Want to use it!!!
Hi Diane.
It's 'Special Pale Polish" Type it into google. :-)
Thanks for showing this. Very clear explanations. . .
Thank You. I hope it helps you get an insight to how to French Polish. I've seen too many videos showing the wrong way (in our opinion) to French Polish. Many Thanks, Simon
Can't for the life of me, figure out why this is in my recommended, but here I am watching it.
Somewhere in you there is a furniture restorer waiting to be discovered.
@@GilboysRestoration: Love your wry, subtle English humor. Thanks.
Many thin coats is always better than fewer thicker, comes out much nicer.
A brilliant video, thank you.
Fantastic video, well done, I'm just in the process of doing up an old table around 150 years old.
I was afraid to use mets....
He mentioned mets, what is it?
@@smithdavid5489 methylated spirits
Thank you for taking the time to make such a great video on the subject of French polishing. May I ask about the white mineral oil boiled and unboiled what's the difference? How can I tell them apart? Where can I get hold of the correct mineral oil?
Hi Jimmy.
Thank you for watching our videos.
Boiled linseed oil has a chemical dryer added to it to accelerate the drying time.
Raw linseed has no dryers added and therefor will take longer to dry.
Mineral Oil is highly refined crude oil. (baby oil is a mineral oil) It's so refined, its food safe.
Just 'google' mineral oil. ✅
That is gorgeous
This guy is the Gordon Ramsay of wood polish
Wondering why the scar was not lifted back to the surface before you started polish process. Could have used cold or hot press.
Gosh! Loved this!
Good explanation dude
"The stripper will leave a burning sensation on your skin"
Words to live by.
Well played, sir.
PPE might be a good option
🤣
7:50 caution as a "spirit based stripper" was used
Lmao
I love wood and I learned so much from these videos! Thanks for sharing! Could you recommend a good paint stripper? Would turpentine substitute be good enough to remove some thick layer of painting from oak?
Thank you Diana.
I would try using a enviromose or similar. Turpentine substitute alone will not work. 🙂
I can't get the hang of this. When I try and apply a second coat a
couple of days later it seems to lift the first coat in places so I end
up with an uneven layer.
Hi Richard.
It may be because you are not moving the rubber fast enough when it makes contact with the surface. There is an art to applying french polish and if you allow the rubber to rest for any period on the surface it will "burn" the finish underneath. The solvent in the rubber will start to dissolve the previously applied polish.
French Polishing is not really about coats, it's not a layered coating system. It's the process of applying a 'body' of polish to the surface of the wood...
I'll try and explain:
The art of it is; understanding how to do this using a rubber and working the polish from it' and then on to the surface. At the same time as using pressure from your hand to squeeze the rubber forcing a measured amount of polish out and using pressure on the surface to move this polish around and then the speed and movement of the rubber on the surface also has to be considered. Move to slow and too much polish is applied, move to fast and you lose control of what you are doing.
All of this has to be understood and then mastered.
The only way to learn this is by repeatedly doing it. Hence, in times of old, there were french polishing apprenticeships of 3 to 4 years.
Beatiful French polish, just wondering tho why you left the parts hinged together? Don't think you mentioned that.... Lol just kidding, had to say it. Great video!!
😆. Sorry. Thanks Roy.
It's a beautiful finish but isn't shellac made / thinned with alcohol and therefore not going to be ideal where a beverage might spill on it?
Hobson's choice for pianos. Always a problem.
facsinating to watch, would love to buy some of those products just to have a go lol. thanks for sharing, from Garry in the UK
Thank you.
Fantastic. Many thanks..learned a lot...
Would it be possible to tint shellac using an alcohol based stain?
Yes you can tint it with alcohol based stains. In the UK they are known as spirit colours. I have used them along with pigment powders to colour and tint shellac. 🙂
@@GilboysRestoration thank you a LOT! Your videos are really useful and enjoyable. Keep up the good work!
Amazing video! Definitely subbed and will be picking up some of that wax. Little tip... get a boom for that mic. Will greatly help with the audio levels.
Thank You. Yes I think you are definitely right on the mic boom.
Excellent video! What would you do if you wanted it black again? Would you paint it black and then french polish on top? I have an old black piano from the 20s im trying to restore but I don't know how to best restore the black shiny surface that is now quite dull. Parts of it look more grey and in some places it has chipped off revealing light wood underneath. I have not been able to find any good info on restoring old black uprights.
The black is often done by adding carbon black pigment into the shellac in the early stages of the polishing process described here.
Thanks for the idea. Where can I buy that black pigment?
so would the hinge normally still be there?
🤪😅
Incredible, thank you 😊👍👍👍👍😊
I don't know your name! And wouldn't give you a second look on the street! But RESPECT TO YOU SIR! YOU ARE A CRAFTSMAN! I french polished a mahogany guitar a few yrs ago! Its not easy!!!
How do you not pick off the dried stuff on the outside of the polish bottle??!! Great video btw. The rose gold wax looks incredible
Every few years we do. 🙂
What is that rubber you mention please. How can I get one please
Hi Clara. A rubber is made by folding the fad with a cotton cloth. You can see me doing it here. th-cam.com/video/GmA6YQLaJBM/w-d-xo.html
Hello! Amazing job! I have a question : I would like to perform a french polish like you did but on a black Piano. Do i need to buy a special BLACK SHELLAC OR A TRASPARENT SHELLAC can do the job ?
Hi Hussein.
Have you any experience with French polishing? If you have then I would recommend using black shellac and then special pale. But if you have had no experience at all then I would try and gain some first. Attempting to french polish a piano as your first project would be like trying to win a race in a F1 car without passing your driving test. 😳
I wonder if it is solid rosewood or veneered? at 16:13 it looks solid. I might get maybe six or more guitar sets (back and sides) out of that lid.
Hi Richard,
Sadly it is veneered. being a guitarist myself, i can fully appreciate where you are coming from hehe! I will agree with you it's probably not the best practice to be leaning over your work whilst polishing, in this case it was necessary for film purposes.
Kind Regards
Archie
@@GilboysRestoration Thanks for the reply, and the upload!
@@rjlchristie sadly, you wand tone wood for guitars. Also, as all rosewoods are now a listed protected species, getting it is a bit more difficult. When ordering some online, best to have it packaged and listed as "musical instrument parts" or it may get held in customs for an inordinate amount of time. DO NOT TRY TO ORDER IT AS LUMBER STOCK!