Thank you so much for sharing your experience and talent. Finishing's always been my biggest issue. My workshop is 12 X 12, with wood heating in our long winters and I can't access a dust-free paintshop near my igloo. I would definitely adopt Shellac but I have a question: Can I use the canned Zinzer product for your technique? I have been unfortunate in my search for flaked shellac and the appropriate kind of alcohol. Same with the pumice. What the heck is that? I am in Canada and "real" Shellac users up here are more difficult to find than a Hillbilly reality show. Shellac got to be my best option. Cheers ...:o)
If you can get a can of de-waxed shellac from Zinsser, like the bullseye seal coat, which is a 2lb cut of de-waxed shellac, then it will work just fine. I have never used the waxed shellac for FP, however this can of shellac is essentially the same stuff that I make in my shop, just in a can. Best of luck.
I watched all of your videos, so if I could now make a comment on your technique. There are many different methods to "French" polish. And we all arrive at a method that suits us personally. That said, the one thing that you are missing is "increasing the pressure" of the pad in the final bodying steps. Pressure to the pad is how you get the high gloss and NOT refilling your pad very often, but applying increasing pressure until your arm feels like it is going to fall off! It has taken me over 20 years to master the FP process. Also, after final bodying, you can wet sand, yes, I said wet sand the finish with soapy water and 1200-2000 grit or higher to entirely flatten the finish. Constantly drying off the water while wet sanding. After thorough drying, more final FP sessions with very little shellac and mostly alcohol and a tiny bit of 4F pumice, and pressure!!! French polishing is not for the weak at heart. It requires years of practice and patience, FYI, to get master quality results. You must put in hundreds of hours to totally understand the process.
Thank you for sharing those tips, it goes to show that there are always more ways to do something than one. When I was adding pressure in the beginning while French Polishing, I ended up going through the shellac layer, which was made soft again from the added alcohol and shellac. Ever since then I have been sure to use less pressure, however if you have been doing it that way for so long then it has to work that way as well. Perhaps I have too much fresh shellac on the guitar later in the bodying sessions, and less would surely prevent the top layer from getting gummy with extra pressure. I will give that a try next time I FP, and again I appreciate your insight.
Thanks mate this is helping me with my first French polish finish on the hollow body archtop.
Thank you so much for sharing your experience and talent. Finishing's always been my biggest issue. My workshop is 12 X 12, with wood heating in our long winters and I can't access a dust-free paintshop near my igloo. I would definitely adopt Shellac but I have a question: Can I use the canned Zinzer product for your technique? I have been unfortunate in my search for flaked shellac and the appropriate kind of alcohol. Same with the pumice. What the heck is that? I am in Canada and "real" Shellac users up here are more difficult to find than a Hillbilly reality show. Shellac got to be my best option. Cheers ...:o)
If you can get a can of de-waxed shellac from Zinsser, like the bullseye seal coat, which is a 2lb cut of de-waxed shellac, then it will work just fine. I have never used the waxed shellac for FP, however this can of shellac is essentially the same stuff that I make in my shop, just in a can. Best of luck.
how would you apply those long continuous strokes to the sides, without interruption?
trinidad has wood but the name's of the is different?
thanks Brian..you are awesome!
I watched all of your videos, so if I could now make a comment on your technique. There are many different methods to "French" polish. And we all arrive at a method that suits us personally. That said, the one thing that you are missing is "increasing the pressure" of the pad in the final bodying steps. Pressure to the pad is how you get the high gloss and NOT refilling your pad very often, but applying increasing pressure until your arm feels like it is going to fall off! It has taken me over 20 years to master the FP process. Also, after final bodying, you can wet sand, yes, I said wet sand the finish with soapy water and 1200-2000 grit or higher to entirely flatten the finish. Constantly drying off the water while wet sanding. After thorough drying, more final FP sessions with very little shellac and mostly alcohol and a tiny bit of 4F pumice, and pressure!!! French polishing is not for the weak at heart. It requires years of practice and patience, FYI, to get master quality results. You must put in hundreds of hours to totally understand the process.
Thank you for sharing those tips, it goes to show that there are always more ways to do something than one. When I was adding pressure in the beginning while French Polishing, I ended up going through the shellac layer, which was made soft again from the added alcohol and shellac. Ever since then I have been sure to use less pressure, however if you have been doing it that way for so long then it has to work that way as well. Perhaps I have too much fresh shellac on the guitar later in the bodying sessions, and less would surely prevent the top layer from getting gummy with extra pressure. I will give that a try next time I FP, and again I appreciate your insight.
Und warum machen Sie die Lampe über der Arbeitsfläche nicht an??
Why don't you switch der worklamp over the workplace not on??
Thx for the vids :) Keep up the good work
nice job
Oh, sorry, after 6 videos you did it!