How to French polish your guitar. Video 8 of 9.

[@arcam0789]

Dear Pablo, you are not only a great guitar maker, you are also a wonderful teacher! Number one !!!

[@redkitekk]

Andrea Forni thank you.

[@aleshikhoaugustine2187]

Jack of all track master of none

[@crazycool1128]

so satisfying seeing the guitar becoming more and more beautiful every episode

[@lomamansa]

I have been french polishing for a while and this may well be the best video on the topic of spiriting off that I have come across. You are an excellent teacher. Thank you.

[@ogarridoa]

En mi opinión no sobra ninguna explicación. Es una maravilla disponer de un tutorial tan completo cuando otros cobran por cursos con bastante menos detalle. De hecho, de nuevo en mi percepción personal, echo de menos alguna explicación mas detallada de las zonas difíciles, union aros mastil y tapa diapasón. Yo en esas zonas no consigo que quede a mi gusto. Esto por poner un pero... De nuevo gracias, gracias y enhorabuena. Te animo a seguir con estos vídeos. Los espero siempre con impaciencia y no me canso de repetir que para mi son lo mejor que conozco, y eso que hay muchísimo por ahí y no siempre gratis.

[@redkitekk]

Onofre Garrido muchas gracias por tu comentario. Me alegro mucho de que te sea de utilidad. El único secreto para barnizar las zonas difíciles es tener una muñequilla no muy grande y con punta para poder entrar en las esquinas. Animo, con un poco de práctica le coges el truco.

[@SC-SA]

Thank you very, very much. It's very selfless of you to share your knowledge with us like this. Thank you.

[@sueboxall3719]

dear sir, you're a master craftsmen, and a hopefully not a lost art , your skill is amazing , and have amazed with your time frame on doining your trade , skill time quality lost art now days thank you

[@downloadedvideos926]

I am an avid ameture luthier but You are a true Master.

[@astakic]

Thank you Pablo for very detailed spiriting of video . . .very, very good indeed!!

[@redkitekk]

aleksandar stakić you are very welcome, I am very pleased you are finding them useful.

[@sport2244]

Pablo, thank you for giving me the courage to try FP. You are amazing.

[@unlaxo]

Hi, Pablo, Thank you for great how to class on this topic!!! My friend is a chemist and we've found out, that Hexane (C6H14) works great as oil absorber and also does not affect the shellac polish. It's quick and can save you 2-3 days in polishing process. It's also reasonably cheap (15EUR per Liter - you need 10-20 drops for 1 guitar). It is natural product but also has some features of synthetic thinner. It is highly volatile and flamable and you need work with it in good vented spaces and store it in air tight bottles, like you do with acetone.

[@redkitekk]

Thanks for the tip, I will try it out.

[@apmpsj]

hi Pablo, thanks for share your experience.

[@redkitekk]

ale Pons you are welcome.

[@ricardojasso4411]

Hola excelente técnica ojala en algún momento pudiera poner subtitulos en español... Saludos desde Paracho México

[@miguelxorruno6196]

Creo que la experiencia de barnizar con goma laca es algo muy personal, cada persona tiene su experiencia a través de la observación de cada sesión, cada madera es distinta, el lugar y las condiciones donde se aplican. Para mí eres un crack, pero creo que te has pasado un pelín con tantas explicaciones y no tengo ninguna intención de desacreditarte porque para mí eres un crack.Entiendo que con un video de no más de 10 minutos puedes aclarar cómo es el proceso:dedicación, paciencia y tiempos de secado. Otra cosa, soy bilingüe, no estaría mal que hablaras en español y que los angloparlantes activarán subtítulos. Sin acritud!

[@ogarridoa]

Sobrar no sobran. Uno es libre de dar hacia adelante y dejar sin ver lo que quiera. El detalle está para los que les interese. A mi no me sobra ni un segundo.

[@timjbd]

Hi, Thanks for putting this series up here. Enlightening! If I have fingerprints in the surface at this point, will they work out during spirit-off and polishing compound or do I need to refinish? Thanks.

[@redkitekk]

No, i would remove them with very fine sandpaper and polish again

[@timjbd]

@@redkitekk Thanks, done!

[@henrypagan6657]

What’s the thickness of the shellac when done and dry. thanks for the video.

[@fm42jgtr]

I watched all the videos and I could not see how and when the inside of the tuning slots get polished.

[@redkitekk]

The inside of the slots are polished with a cotton cloth wrapped around your finger applying a few drops at the time.

[@brendanpratt1286]

Hi Pablo, these videos are exceptional. Thank you for posting these and sharing your knowledge. I do have one question. In this video, you say you are using a 2lb cut but, I believe in an earlier video you said you were using a 1lb cut. Can you clarify? Thank you!

[@redkitekk]

Sorry if I have given contradictory info. I use a 2lb cut mix.

[@brendanpratt1286]

@@redkitekk Thank you very much for replying so quickly, this may explain why I have not yet needed to use any oil. This is my first guitar build and I'm very grateful for your videos, thanks again!

[@becomingalulabro4536]

Hey Pablo, I’ve let my guitar rest now for about 3 days. I strung it up and played it a bit. When I got done playing, my polish had “melted” on the side where my right arm draped over guitar and it took on the imprint of the fabric of my pants where it was resting on my leg. Should I have let the guitar cure longer? Is there something I can or should do to harden up the polish so it’s not melting every time I play it? Is it possible I’ve done something wrong and the finish will never be right? I very much appreciate you Pablo, thanks again for this series. my guitar looks beautiful (I’ll share some pics once I get it completely done)

[@redkitekk]

Did you mix your own shellac or did you buy a ready mixed solution?

[@becomingalulabro4536]

@@redkitekk I mixed my own based off your recommendation. It dissolved for about 3 days and I started polishing right after it fully dissolved, I measured out the shellac to alcohol ratio using a scale. I also used lab grade 99.9% isopropyl alcohol. This is shellac is used; imgur.com/gallery/2tvPLB2

[@redkitekk]

@@becomingalulabro4536 the obvious would be to say that you need to let you guitar dry for a longer period before you start using it, I normally wait for at least a week. Otherwise I don’t know what can be the problem.

[@becomingalulabro4536]

@@redkitekk hey Pablo, I believe I figured out where I went wrong. I mention it so anyone reading this might not make the same mistakes I did. I was doing too many polishing sessions a day and too long during each session. I believe this never allowed the polish to fully dry & cure and I was just slapping more polish on top of it. I think it would have dried eventually, but without exposed surface area it may have took months or even years to harden where it wasn’t indenting the way it was. I decided to sand away about 2/3 of the polish with 600 grit and i believe I’m back on track. My experience is a cautionary tale for others! Trying to go too hard and fast hoping to get done faster, just ended up setting me back and additional 2 weeks 😩 I’d definitely recommend following the time tables Pablo lays out in the series and not trying to rush through or skip ahead without allowing for the appropriate drying & curing times.

[@eddyn4527]

Hi from Australia mate. Is it ok to use a drying oil like boiled linseed oil as the lubricant?

[@redkitekk]

Hi Eddy, I really don’t know, I have never tried it. If you use it let me know if it works.