Don Williams on Traditional French Polish

[@mcseforsale]

I used this technique on some gentlemen's valet boxes about 6 years ago that I built from purple heart. After hours on each (I built them for xmas gifts), the finish was like purple glass and they still look that way today. Having found the "extra" box that I was going to build for myself at the time, I'm excited to be back here again watching this and remembering how amazing this process was as I finally get to build my own. Just put the headphones in or turn the TV on and get to rubbin'. It's time consuming and worth every hand cramp that it causes.

[@VillageCarpenter]

What Don Williams' is saying is that he has found in his research that this was a polishing technique that was used in France. The technique that was used in England that employed shellac was what the English referred to as French polish.

[@RoeRoe123]

Thank you for keeping the old methods alive. I worked in a cabinet maker shop years ago. The guy wouldn't touch anything less than 200 years old. Worked on a lot of museum pieces. He had me to put 6 coats of Johnson's paste wax on a 200 plus year old baby cradle for a couple, charged them $600 and they were tickled to pay it. It did look gorgeous, but the feel 🤗❤

[@rollandjoeseph]

Do you think using just the Johnsons paste wax alone would work well with antique furniture, I've been using Murphys oil soap to clean it, but wanted to wax it next, thx !

[@RoeRoe123]

@@rollandjoeseph Yes! Just clean it well and get out the elbow grease 💪 It's a beautiful finish that feels wonderful to the touch.

[@idanburs5869]

Given some of the comments below, the most apt statement from Don's presentation was "...it was in the old trade recipe books. We just weren't paying attention." It's a great video on how 18th century French artisans like André Jacob Roubo polished their furniture. Thank you, Kari.

[@VillageCarpenter]

I've never used it as a finish, but it looks really nice. The board that Don was working on in the video has a lovely sheen and is very smooth. Beeswax is not a protective finish, however, and you might need to reapply it every so often as you would a paste wax. So, I would not use it for a table top that sees lots of use. There again, I am not a finishing expert in any way.

[@VillageCarpenter]

According to Don, this is how the French applied finishes. What we would refer to as "French" polish involves many layers of shellac, but that is not the finish they used in France.

[@singlefather01]

I see. I was waiting for the shellac.

[@valentinozangobbo]

They start using shellac in the mid 1500s, when it first arrived in europe . Before in everyone did this kind of finishing

[@jlbernhard1]

With all due respect to Don's technique, this is not French Polishing. Traditional F.P. was discovered by a British writer on assignment to write a story in India during the last part of the 17th century in of all places, India. While writing about government in India. He happened to pass by a furniture maker every day, where he noticed that after furniture was built, workers would beat the furniture with tree branches. The tree branches happened to be the favorite home for Shellac Bugs. The more they beat the furniture, the more shine was applied to the wood. Upon the writer's return to England at the beginning of the 17th century, the focus of his article turned out to be the polishing of the Indian furniture. How it got to France, I'm not sure. However, the art of French Polishing is using shellac highly diluted using a cloth pad filled with cloth material to hold the solution, and applied in time not coats.. .... Therefore, French Polishing is the art of application. Until you read, and understand all the principles involved it is extremely difficult to apply correctly.

[@bilbobaggins2083]

Linen is the cloth of choice

[@benjamindejonge3624]

James Bernhard don’t forget that they used as well fine pulverized pomize stone in the clothes

[@4lper87]

Totally right James

[@rext8949]

Fantastic story !

[@tateharmann3057]

With all due respect, I think you are missing the point here. Maybe you didn't watch the whole video or read the blog post accompanying it? What he's saying is that what we call "French Polish" isn't actually French but an English interpretation of it. You say yourself that you aren't sure how it got to France. So Don discovered while translating some literature that the French were not (generally speaking) polishing furniture with shellac. Rather, they were using this wax polishing method as clearly described in Roubo's book "To Make As Perfectly As Possible". I understand the confusion...when I started watching the video I thought, "Hey that's not French Polishing!"...but then I finished it and read the blog post. Maybe the title of this video should be something like, "French Polishing is actually English." - or something along those lines lol.

[@danalaniz7314]

Very interesting and informative. Thanks for sharing.

[@jerryrobertsguitars]

Thanks for posting a nice video. I have done a little French Polish. I learned it from top classical guitar builders and also from one UK museum restoration person. Also I have researched it since about 1969. I have read many writings on the subject going back to the 19th century. My take is that it is widely agreed that the term French polish refers to a shellac finish, hand rubbed on in thin layers with a cloth pad. I believe the technique in this video should not be called French polish since it is wax and not shellac.

[@gregl2249]

If you listen closely he explains that opinion is incorrect

[@billdykstra1566]

its interesting the bashing...comments i mean... bees wax and animal oils/fats were used to 'finish' or 'protect' everything from leather to wood and metal for thousands of years (pre egyptians) before shellac found its way from asia (where the insects and plants that it comes from originate) in the middle ages (think marco polo here) was shellac used once it became readily available ? of course - its much better than oils and wax... what was used before then? for thousands of years? written history is a pretty cool thing if you ask me.....

[@claudioanthon2354]

Finishing is very difficult. Nothing substitutes for learning to do a few finishes well and anything beyond that goes to professional finisher. I would like to try this one, but it probably won't give me the durability and water repellency for the vintage sewing machine cabinets that I restore. 6-12" by 6-12" sample finishes before choosing the method is an absolute. Experiment, add stain, dye, shellac under poly, oil under poly or varnish. There is probably French vocabulary for this that doesn't translate. It's academic. I thought the soft sheen was beautiful, but these days, I go for durability and water repellency. Thanks Kari, will subscribe

[@VillageCarpenter]

Beeswax is the final finish in this case. I'm not sure how many coats he would normally put on, though. I believe Popular Woodworking shot a video of Don doing the same technique, but I haven't seen it. You could do a search on their site to see if you can find. Hope it helps answer your questions.

[@ken-mb5cp]

How do you melt Beeswax into a butcher block? How’s it applied? By brush or do you rag it in?

[@AafkeArt]

Thanks for the upload, very informative!

[@susangoodman2611]

fantastic lesson....thank you!!!

[@VillageCarpenter]

Glad you liked the video. This is one technique you can use if you wish to be period-correct when building reproductions.Today we have finishes that hold up much better to water, alcohol, and heat, but back in the 18th century, they didn't have as much choice. This is an old technique that Don discovered in his research.

[@theprior46]

Actually no modern finishes compare to the traditional shellac built shine - it refracts and reflects light differently from American Lacquer (Varnish) and Acid Catalyst AC Lacquer and Cellulose finishes. Admittedly the modern methods are more durable and French Polishing is best for vertical surfaces ie not for bar tops or tables. If you ever see a Piano lid polished with French Polish and finished with the Acid and Chalk method now extinct, you will see a finish like a calm enchanted lake that knocks Polyester into a cocked hat.

[@thewoodenmilieu]

Awesome! Thank you...is he in your shop? That looks like your bench behind him?

[@J87513]

Then what is he doing exactly? He is for sure applying some type of finish to wood of course but what kind? He is using the broom handle to sand it down and make it smooth then he applies beeswax. After the beeswax he applies shellac? How many steps are in this process to what he is doing?

[@rogerscottcathey]

you can rub wood down with its own shavings, or any piece of hard wood.

[@poosaypirate]

SUPER thats what i was kinda thinking and i probably will do just that i think the main difference is going to be there is no drill bit head with a Broom handle what ever, then you have the speed and pressure it wont match what he is doing by hand and will have a different effect but as you said , let that be an experiment

[@VillageCarpenter]

Don is using a straw burnisher. He plans to have them available on his website (DonsBarndotcom), but as of today, they are not listed. You might drop him a message if you're interested.

[@craigmouldey2339]

What is the function of the water spritzing? Does it simply serve as a lubricant to help the wax to move? Why not use turps?

[@SgtPUSMC]

It's for lubrication, you wouldn't want to use a solvent because that would likely break down the wax.

[@tawilk]

instead of the waste wax, could you do the high polish with just the beeswax? or maybe a walnut oil, beeswax combo? looking for food safe options.

[@nasreenmohsin]

i think this way you need one year to polish my sofa which i done with simole three step and three ingerdiants

[@SgtPUSMC]

I absolutely detest Poly for almost anything I make. I hate the smell, I hate the mess, and I don't like the idea of encasing beautiful wood in plastic. It's also a nightmare for repairing/refinishing. I've found that the claims of its durability are overblown and don't come anywhere near to justifying its use given the other drawbacks. Lacquer is better but you still have the smell and mess. Shellac is great but it's a bit finicky and it's not the most durable finish out there. For most of my projects I like to use Tung Oil and beeswax. I like the luster and soft glow you can get pretty easily. I'd never considered using just straight beeswax as a finish, but I will certainly give it a try, particularly on pieces where I don't want the extra darkening (or yellowing on lighter woods) that Tung oil usually produces. I spent six years in the Marine Corps, so I'm VERY familiar with the idea of spit polishing, but again, never even considered it for wood.

[@ryanellis7520]

What are the specs on that bench? Amazing. I'm building a small add on mobile bench to move around my current bench. Thanks

[@J87513]

All a French Polish is is sanding and applying beeswax? Where does the shellac come in to play? I thought it was sand, fill, shellac and buffer?

[@ramblinvanman6250]

What was the liquid you spritzed on the rag and wax?

[@VillageCarpenter]

Yes, he is in my shop. :)

[@apinakapinastorba]

Yeah, like PU is effortless :) Been polishing an item with PU for 2 days now.

[@WLDORPFELD]

Thanks so much!

[@alanyoung2529]

how many four-panel pine doors could a finisher do in eightt hours? I have some very wealthy customers but I'd have to charge fifty bucks per door side and I work a HELL of a lot harder than that guy.

[@duronboy2]

I didn't realize I was "vomiting polyurinate" on my projects!

[@ganko2240]

+duronboy2 I seriously hope you're not vomiting multiple coats of your own urine on your projects! ;)

[@duronboy2]

+Pablo Padilla My own? It's poly, so it must be from multiple sources!

[@edwardmirza]

Can you apply French polish / black polish to any surface (ie a surface primed with a water based, or oil based paint?)

[@heelercjwww]

Great video. When you go to "spit shine" could you apply the paste wax and do an initial buffing with a shoe brush? I am spit shined boots many times and noticed that if I gave the boots a "brush shine" first the labor involved in completing the "spit shine" was reduced. Thanks again

[@banacek60chord43]

Brushes kill the shine, they scratch. this guy is what we call in England, 'a chancer'. This is NOT French polishing, he's just waxing the wood so it will throw off any polish. Using primitive tools such as the straw bundle is retrograde,compared to 1000 grit paper.

[@uroscion2]

how can this be traditional when he's using johnson paste wax, which contains a petrol based hydrocarbon solvent? what wax would have been used traditionally and what solvent? I like the scrubber though, I was wondering how to get my beeswax into the wood without waxy build-up.

[@darrenevans8009]

could I make one of those "handle tools" by maybe bundling up cocktail sticks really tightly and chopping the end 's off flush? or do the reeds have to be finer?

[@VillageCarpenter]

You could certainly try it, Darren. I don't know if it would have the same effect as broom straw, but you never know 'til you try. I think Peter sells these on his site, though, for around $20 or so.

[@VillageCarpenter]

Been awhile since I watched the video, but beeswax would have been the traditional wax. I don't remember if he mentioned a solvent. The iron he used to melt the wax is a nifty tool (but not period-accurate, of course).

[@PhilWilkinsonMusic]

Did he say Polyurinate? around 6:34? :0)

[@VillageCarpenter]

He sure did

[@monellerichmond7208]

In the beginning, you refer to a French _____ burnisher ... cannot make out what you're saying? Thanks for this video ... I always thought the shellac layers was the traditional method ...

[@VillageCarpenter]

Monelle, it's called a straw burnisher. Also, this is how woodworkers in France would finish their furniture. The English version of "French" polish uses shellac. It's a bit of a play on words.

[@VillageCarpenter]

Don is using a traditional method for those who are interested in being period-correct when building reproductions. A polishing head on a drill might produce a different appearance than the straw burnisher; I don't really know. It would be a fun experiment.

[@paweljaniak2382]

What does the water do to the wax paste?

[@alexmauro8426]

does the spray bottle have mineral spirits or water?

[@hbert06]

With this method it doesn't matter! You can even skip it entirely since it doesn't do shit to protect the wood. I don't get why people are praising this video. There is more than one very compelling reason they don't do it like this anymore.

[@VillageCarpenter]

Yep!

[@WLDORPFELD]

Where does one find a broom straw bundle, short of purchasing a broom and cutting the handle off?

[@VillageCarpenter]

+Wayne Dorpfeld You could try contacting Don directly on his website donsbarn.com/contact I don't know if he still sells them or not, but if he doesn't, he would be able to tell you where to buy one. I googled "straw burnisher" and found a company in Canada, but I don't know if they work well or not.

[@williambranham6249]

Contact some Shakers. They were famous for their straw brooms. Buying a broom would be easier and less expensive. I made one using hose clamps to bind the straw. Works well

[@_e8a]

what do you spritz your pad with when you spit shine the wood? thanks

[@JD_Fidler]

Water

[@VillageCarpenter]

Someone in the comments shared this link to Chris Schwarz's write up and video about this technique that you might find helpful. www.popularwoodworking.com/techniques/finishing/my-introduction-to-the-polissoir-roubos-wax-polisher

[@fmann7545]

would could should can or do you begin to French polish over the bees wax ?Or is it just an alternative way to polish?

[@VillageCarpenter]

+F Mann It's an alternative way to polish.

[@fmann7545]

+Kari Hultman Ahhhhhh, Thanks Kari.

[@ShavinMcCrotch]

What the heck is a whisper tail??? I googled it and got nothing.

[@williambranham6249]

It is a vapor trail from either the solvent in the wax or shellac. There are videos on YT that discuss that.

[@rjlchristie]

what's a soddering iron?

[@blackhatter011]

I used a car polisher, it goes much quicker.

[@J87513]

Beeswax as a final finish? Is it a good finish? Any pro's and con's?

[@williambranham6249]

Read Bob Flexners book on finishing .He is a respected professional who approaches finishing from a scientific point of view. He rates all common finishes. Wax has the fewest desirable qualities in a finish, just below oil.

[@rjlchristie]

Bwx offers no protection from scratches or abrasion, is easily worn and it won't hold its shine. It can be easily applied, repaired and rebuffed. That's about it.

[@rjlchristie]

@@williambranham6249 Desirable qualities are subjective, subject to what you wish to achieve, for example many people rate oils way above polyurethane. It's fine to have tables of qualities (pro and con) but simple ranking as to desirability is bogus.

[@theprior46]

Could we have subtitles please? - the acoustic where this was recorded and the speaker's accent is very hard to decipher.

[@AliasJayjay]

this is not Traditional French Polishing

[@uroscion2]

video mentioned below: www.popularwoodworking.com/techniques/finishing/my-introduction-to-the-polissoir-roubos-wax-polisher

[@apinakapinastorba]

What is that tool you are using? By the way, "how the French do things" is a bit generalisation, don't you think? :)

[@chrisstearns10]

🤣🤣🤣🤣"vomiting polyurinate"🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣👍👍👍👍👍

[@bestyoutubernonegraternumber1]

French polish is shellac. That is not mistaken - it is correct. A true French polish is Shellac.

[@davidabowd8007]

I might add Marlo makes these for a good number of traditional furniture makers. So it's no secret beeswax is a popular finishing technique. It never died out in the hills of NC, and I imagine that is true in WV too as I have seen quite a few examples of fine furniture makers there using burnished beeswax finishes also.just to throw another fact into the mix, German instrument makers, following the Italian tradition use Rosin thinned with alcohol (pine sap hardened) to finish their nstruments. And you will never find good violin makers using shellac, not ever.

[@knappdave9]

"... Vomiting some polyUrinate on the surface..." Classic.

[@mrcmountain6342]

dont see who would vote down here

[@toxyk1]

it 'snot the way to make a french polish . no wax at all for first

[@apinakapinastorba]

Put your caps lock off and have a lolly.

[@poosaypirate]

ITS THE NAME FOR THE FUCKING STYLE OF PETES SAKES GET OFF IT PEOPLE!!!

[@telosfd]

This is not a French polishing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@ASQUITHZ9]

Why do all these Demo people always have a beard and work so xxxxxx slow I think some of the ways he is working would shag up a lot of the old french gear in fact he would be of to Madame Guillotine.

[@MrTruth111]

Why is there always someone who has to write shit?

[@banacek60chord43]

MrTruth111 To protect you from people who call themselves 'scholars' and put nonsense on the web. This guy could ruin furniture and instruments. He says he's no expert..that's right!

[@ASQUITHZ9]

Banacek60 Chord touché

[@gojessego]

Banacek60 Chord he was the lead conservator at the Smithsonian institute in Washington DC. I assume that makes him a pretty sound authority.

[@whiskeyblood]

You're absolute imbecile. You should really refrain from commenting on the internet.