A couple of drops of an oil like palm, or sunflower once in a while on the pad will keep it from sticking for a smoother application. The oil floats up out of the finish harmlessly. It’s a time honored part of the craft. Good vid. Captures the zen of polishing.
@@wesleybaggett8412. Hello Wesley. Why do you choose French Polish, as opposed to Spirit or Oil Varnish ? French Polish from what I have read , is essential the same as Spirit varnish, being shellac + solvent/denatured alcohol , and for me is so much easier to buy. Thanks.
I think my favorite aspect of French polishing is how incredibly thin the total thickness of the coating is. It looks deep and glassy, but it's thinner than a sheet of paper in total thickness, and that's amazing.
The color on the violin is just the natural color of the shellac? It’s a beautiful process and a great sounding finish. The older it gets the better it sounds!!
nice shostakovich sound track! good choice - I french polish my own instruments when I do repairs and i am grateful for those who share their experiences and knowledge of these things. Thanks. Subscribed. I have some videos on my channel as well.
Such a great technique! Can you give me advice? I always leave lines that are visible in the light! How can I avoid that so that it leaves no witness lines?
I couldn't believe I recognized the violin piece playing in the background. My teacher gave me sheet music for it a very long time ago: "Prelude" by Dmitri Shostakovich, if I remember correctly. That was 50 years ago!!!
@wesleybaggett8412 will tell you why you need the top shiny..the other day i was at a concert when the soloist was using a Del Gesu and i thought that violin looked spectacular under lights, was shimmering at differerent areas. obviously someone french polished the living daylights out of it. compared to that violin, all the violins of the orchestra looked so dull !
I have found refinishing using a Alcohol based coating, the second and subsequent coats soften the previous coats, how does it build colour when the coats never really harden?
please correct me if I'm wrong. I am under the impression that the traditional finish for violins is a particular type of varnish developed by the early makers before French polishing with shellac came about. violins are touched up with French polish later or even French polished all over later on. did you varnish your violin first? has French polishing instead of varnish become the norm now?
If they had compressors and spray guns back then, they would have sprayed initial coats of shellac to save time. Thanks for the video and beautiful instruments!
This procedere starts with grainfilling. When you are ready with that, finish polishing starts. You dont want to get more material on it as necessary, because this would have some negative effects to the sound.
I've never actually counted the layers. I just keep doing it till I'm happy with it. I can spend a couple of months several hours a day finishing a violin.
Wow! How's that possibile? I know a couple of cratsman that are able to polish a table to reach a perfect shimmer in a couple of days. I know a table is not a violin, hence the question: what are the differences? Can you briefly decribe the process?
You make shellac about 4:1 flakes to alcohol, by weight, I think it can be varied and has the consistency of alcohol which gets sticky when it starts to dry. I used a cheap paper towel wad with a better shop paper towel outside, you dip this sponge in the shellac and let it get saturated, obviously not to a drippy state. The sponge is what allows this guy to apply coat after coat, if you press it liquid will come out. The dampness has to be right so you can press some without making puddles, you press more as it loses liquid to stay damp.
If these are choices of premade, I suspect he uses flakes and alcohol not a can. He calls it French polishing which I though refers to refinishing, I guess it also refers to the technique used when shellacing something. I made shellac and tried the technique out on a refinished table top, tuned out well, wet sanded with wet sand paper and spray between maybe 3 coats. Smooth, nice, but flat, probably his comments on going over it again if it skips, maybe the wet sanding had an effect. I think I could have started at any point and got his finish if I applied enough coats correctly.
@@mykofreder1682 No,i wouldnt be doing from a premade. I would buy the flakes and then do the cuts myself. But been watching some videos and some refer dewaxed over waxed, and vice-versa. and some even add a wax layer on top for protection, and I was wondering on his opinion. I really like the look a french polish gives, plus, compared to other options, its the least for health issues.
Can I mix a few drop of oil based paint with Shellac solution? I want to make Red-Brown. My shellac is light brown naturally, so I need a little red. Can I do this?
No. The solvent for shellac is ethyl alcohol, so you can only use alcohol soluble dyes to color it. However, shellac flakes do come naturally in “garnet”. You might like that. Perhaps mixed with some brown flakes.
To be clear, shellac dissolves in ethyl alcohol. This is also called grain alcohol because it is distilled from grain and is the kind we drink. It can be purchased in liquor stores under the brand name “Everclear”. Denatured alcohol, called methylated spirits in British English, is ethyl alcohol to which 10% (perhaps more) has been replaced with chemicals to make it taste bad and make you sick if you drink it so that it can be sold in hardware stores for the wonderful solvent that it is without paying the federal liquor tax. It will work to dissolve shellac flakes for French polishing too. It is worth noting that both ethyl alcohol and pure shellac are cleared for human consumption by the FDA and shellac therefore makes a great shiny finish for kids toys. It’s what makes jelly beans shiny.
Great demonstration. Thank you.
Work of love ! Beautiful sir !
Looks like a doctor is finishing a violin. Like it. 👍
Yeah, Doctors just don't have the hand/eye coordination to do this work LOL!
A couple of drops of an oil like palm, or sunflower once in a while on the pad will keep it from sticking for a smoother application. The oil floats up out of the finish harmlessly. It’s a time honored part of the craft. Good vid. Captures the zen of polishing.
On rare occasions I use only olive oil.
@@wesleybaggett8412. Hello Wesley. Why do you choose French Polish, as opposed to Spirit or Oil Varnish ? French Polish from what I have read , is essential the same as Spirit varnish, being shellac + solvent/denatured alcohol , and for me is so much easier to buy.
Thanks.
I think my favorite aspect of French polishing is how incredibly thin the total thickness of the coating is. It looks deep and glassy, but it's thinner than a sheet of paper in total thickness, and that's amazing.
The color on the violin is just the natural color of the shellac? It’s a beautiful process and a great sounding finish. The older it gets the better it sounds!!
gorgeous violin
A labor of love!
nice shostakovich sound track! good choice - I french polish my own instruments when I do repairs and i am grateful for those who share their experiences and knowledge of these things. Thanks. Subscribed. I have some videos on my channel as well.
Please explain how much shellac and how much alcohol to be used. What to use as a pad and how and when to recharge your pad.
Such a great technique! Can you give me advice? I always leave lines that are visible in the light! How can I avoid that so that it leaves no witness lines?
Shellac has been around for thousands of years and is a resin secreted by the female lac bug on tress and is quite a process to produce shellac.
I couldn't believe I recognized the violin piece playing in the background. My teacher gave me sheet music for it a very long time ago: "Prelude" by Dmitri Shostakovich, if I remember correctly. That was 50 years ago!!!
it is a great piece. I recorded this one recently, part of it, as it's very rewarding and fun.
how much do you press ? are you going to press more as the paddle begins to get dry
?
@wesleybaggett8412 will tell you why you need the top shiny..the other day i was at a concert when the soloist was using a Del Gesu and i thought that violin looked spectacular under lights, was shimmering at differerent areas. obviously someone french polished the living daylights out of it. compared to that violin, all the violins of the orchestra looked so dull !
I have found refinishing using a Alcohol based coating, the second and subsequent coats soften the previous coats, how does it build colour when the coats never really harden?
They do harden in micro layers just enough. I can spend a couple of months finishing a violin.
please correct me if I'm wrong. I am under the impression that the traditional finish for violins is a particular type of varnish developed by the early makers before French polishing with shellac came about. violins are touched up with French polish later or even French polished all over later on. did you varnish your violin first? has French polishing instead of varnish become the norm now?
If they had compressors and spray guns back then, they would have sprayed initial coats of shellac to save time. Thanks for the video and beautiful instruments!
This gentleman has access, yet he chooses to do it by hand. Back then, my guess some would and some wouldn't. Same as today.
This procedere starts with grainfilling. When you are ready with that, finish polishing starts. You dont want to get more material on it as necessary, because this would have some negative effects to the sound.
Have you added pigment to the shellac to achieve that rich, dark colour?
I use an organic stain that I make.
I bought a Czech made Stadiverio. ARE THEY WORTH MUCH.
how you apply color before French Polishing
Is the varnish of this violin oil based?
What shellac are you using?
i got one question. how many layers do you use when you are poolishing violin like this. thanks a lot
I've never actually counted the layers. I just keep doing it till I'm happy with it.
I can spend a couple of months several hours a day finishing a violin.
Wow! How's that possibile? I know a couple of cratsman that are able to polish a table to reach a perfect shimmer in a couple of days. I know a table is not a violin, hence the question: what are the differences? Can you briefly decribe the process?
Is there shellac on the pad as wel?
You make shellac about 4:1 flakes to alcohol, by weight, I think it can be varied and has the consistency of alcohol which gets sticky when it starts to dry. I used a cheap paper towel wad with a better shop paper towel outside, you dip this sponge in the shellac and let it get saturated, obviously not to a drippy state. The sponge is what allows this guy to apply coat after coat, if you press it liquid will come out. The dampness has to be right so you can press some without making puddles, you press more as it loses liquid to stay damp.
Yes. That's what gives it it's dark color on the polishing pad.
which do you recommend, normal shellac or dewaxed shellac? is there any difference?
If these are choices of premade, I suspect he uses flakes and alcohol not a can. He calls it French polishing which I though refers to refinishing, I guess it also refers to the technique used when shellacing something. I made shellac and tried the technique out on a refinished table top, tuned out well, wet sanded with wet sand paper and spray between maybe 3 coats. Smooth, nice, but flat, probably his comments on going over it again if it skips, maybe the wet sanding had an effect. I think I could have started at any point and got his finish if I applied enough coats correctly.
@@mykofreder1682 No,i wouldnt be doing from a premade. I would buy the flakes and then do the cuts myself. But been watching some videos and some refer dewaxed over waxed, and vice-versa. and some even add a wax layer on top for protection, and I was wondering on his opinion. I really like the look a french polish gives, plus, compared to other options, its the least for health issues.
I've always used dewaxed.
@@wesleybaggett8412 alright. thank you for the tip! I will try and get some dewaxed amber shellac!!
Have you ever tried propolis?
No I haven't.
Can I mix a few drop of oil based paint with Shellac solution? I want to make Red-Brown. My shellac is light brown naturally, so I need a little red. Can I do this?
No. The solvent for shellac is ethyl alcohol, so you can only use alcohol soluble dyes to color it. However, shellac flakes do come naturally in “garnet”. You might like that. Perhaps mixed with some brown flakes.
You're polishing with denatured alcohol?
Tab and Ken yep, that’s how you apply spirit varnish
No, not denatured alcohol, pure grain alcohol such as everclear
Yes and shellac.
To be clear, shellac dissolves in ethyl alcohol. This is also called grain alcohol because it is distilled from grain and is the kind we drink. It can be purchased in liquor stores under the brand name “Everclear”.
Denatured alcohol, called methylated spirits in British English, is ethyl alcohol to which 10% (perhaps more) has been replaced with chemicals to make it taste bad and make you sick if you drink it so that it can be sold in hardware stores for the wonderful solvent that it is without paying the federal liquor tax. It will work to dissolve shellac flakes for French polishing too.
It is worth noting that both ethyl alcohol and pure shellac are cleared for human consumption by the FDA and shellac therefore makes a great shiny finish for kids toys. It’s what makes jelly beans shiny.
the pressure on the neck as he is cleaning it. he is holding it wrong. makes me cringe.
he isn't cleaning - he is varnishing. you have NO idea what you're talking about. cringe about your own ignorance.
@@thatoneguy8064 hahahaha