How to make a French Polishers Rubber

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In this presentation I am demonstrating how I was taught to make a French Polisher's rubber.
Discover an insight of how to french polish here: • How to Strip and Frenc...
If you are just starting out and looking at french polishing for the first time then this is the correct way to start.
I apologise if this reads a bit arrogant but having looked at the video presentations by other people on KZbin that are trying to teach people how to do it, I thought it was about time someone demonstrated how to make one the traditional way.
To make a French Polishers rubber is hard to describe but as you can see in the presentation it is well worth practising.
It will make your french polishing journey considerably more rewarding if you start by making the rubbber correctly. A fully charged rubber will last a good amount of time and allow you to work the body of polish without having to stop.
The art of polishing starts with the rubber: It is the reservoir of polish that is stored within the cotton wadding inside the rubber that allows the French Polisher to work the surface.
The art of french polishing is understanding how much pressure to apply to the rubber in all directions and.... :
1) The downward applied force of pushing the face of the rubber onto the surface.
2) The pressure or 'squeeze' you apply to the body of the rubber in the cup of your hand.
3) The speed at which you move on the surface be it slow or fast
4) The direction you travel on the substrate being careful not to over apply and not to leave marks on the surface.
All the above has to be understood and mastered to achieve a good result in a reasonable amount of time.
It is very much possible to obtain a good finish by using other methods that are demonstrated on KZbin but, from what I have seen, some of the pieces polished started off the process as 'new' ended up as antique by the end of the process.
I would also very much recommend practising forming and folding a rubber. *Instead of using polish try it with warm water, this way there is no wasted polish and meths.
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[@collettemcquaide1956]

At last! A real French Polisher. Excellent work. I'm a traditional upholster but never got on with polishing.

[@richardgollin5928]

We are so lucky to get instruction 1 on 1 on KZbin and this is probably the very best you will find. Now to try it at home!!!

[@Offshoreorganbuilder]

Excellent and informative. Many thanks.

[@ashcoworkshops]

Great video, thank you!

[@ceknott]

This is perfection. Thank you for sending me the link

[@GilboysRestoration]

You're welcome.

[@dowtingtomas.695]

Wow! I have been following clueless You Tube experts! Not any more . Belated thanks dude .

[@benchippy8039]

Really interesting, I had no idea how much went into it, I remember a French polisher coming into the workshop wen I was younger and I regret paying no attention. Everything seems to be sprayed now, 2/3 coats and off for delivery

[@ceknott]

Fantastic thank you so much

[@zoeswan6940]

Very very useful, constructive ,well done

[@GilboysRestoration]

Thank you.

[@jamespolcyn8441]

Amazing work space.

[@GilboysRestoration]

Thank you. 🙂

[@kariblondal6102]

great video , amazing editor too!

[@GilboysRestoration]

Thank You very much

[@HoboJIm117]

Love your videos very nice!

[@GilboysRestoration]

Thank you.

[@williequinlan4946]

Thank you👍✅

[@adambartram232]

I've been polishing for years, and since watching these videos, I think I've progressed more than in the previous 20 years! Thank you!!!

[@GilboysRestoration]

Glad I could help. 😁

[@prettyfly6750]

Wow! Cool. Another "correct way" to make a french polish rubber.

[@joeyoungs8426]

This was certainly helpful. I made the mistake of using cotton balls and a blue t-shirt. Turned out okay. So armed with this tutorial I used cotton balls all shredded up with some wool batting wrapped in an old cotton hanky. The obvious advantage of using white is you’re aware of the rubber’s charge. So this new rubber was used to fix my original ‘tragedy’. So thanks for the tutorial and my guitar thanks you as well! Edit: I should have mentioned that I also went from a 3# cut to about a 1.5# cut. The resulting bodying is much smoother and I presume this has to do with a proper rubber as well as the thinner material being laid out. Based on where it's at right now the spiriting off looks like it will be mostly about the oil and not really refining the finish. I've also noticed the new rubber requires less oil. From one session to the next I have been able to 'ride the wave' of the oil from the previous session. Thanks again for the enlightenment.

[@GilboysRestoration]

Well done Joe Its all about finding the right way it works for you.👏 Kind regards Simon

[@craftypaddy290]

Great video , any tips on using oil for the finishing coats ?

[@GilboysRestoration]

HI Crafty Paddy. Use fine mineral oil. Apply it evenly (roughly about 15 - 20 cm apart) to the surface in small drops and let the rubber pick it up as it glides over the top.

[@erikkayV]

I would love to know what mix you use to make your spirit rubbers. I imagine making the rubbers is done the same way but you would add just a different ratio of polish to spirits. Are you willing to share that detail with us?

[@erikkayV]

My apologies. I had a look around your website AFTER I posted the question and found that you have laid out a rather beautifully detailed section on all the information one could ever need for this technique.

[@munseyslack9709]

Question for you: What type of cotton cloth do you use for the outside layer of the rubber? I've seen some say common T-shirt material is fine and others say it must be linen. Any suggestions on what weave or "type" I'm looking for?

[@davisrestorer]

T shirt cotton is no good for making rubbers, Linen is great but hard to come by, the best and most easily available material is good quality (at least 1200 count) old well used cotton sheet.

[@hollycunningham8042]

Hi. Just wondering how many layers of polish do you do with the fad before you move to the rubber? Thanks

[@utube1818]

Personally I would just use the rubber from the start, but either way no one can say. It all depends on the type of wood your working on, how well sanded it is (should be down to minimum 320 grit), if you have used a grain filler first. The it is not about layers, it not like brushing where you can count how many coats you have put on. Its about build up the polish until the surface is too wet to continue, then you leave it overnight come back and repeat until you have a finish your happy with.

[@grobifrank1976]

In Germany there is a distinction between "French polish" and "English polish". Do you have these terms in your UK too? I would be interested to know what exactly is meant by "English polish" ??

[@GilboysRestoration]

Hi Grobi. Sorry I have never heard of 'English Polish'.

[@SD-yb5fx]

So how big of an area can I do at one time. If I have a 4'x8' area should do the whole thing or section by section?

[@GilboysRestoration]

I would do it section by section. :-) Get the whole piece up to a fadded (sealed) level and then body manageable areas at a time. I would break this up into three sections if possible. I hope this helps SImon

[@f.kaiuokalanidamas7299]

I see your shellac is stored in a plastic bottle. I donʻt know much about this, but I canʻt afford to send my table to someone else so Iʻm doing it myself. Your videos are amazing and super informative. Iʻve been looking online (I know that is the worst idea sometimes) for the best ways to "store shellac" and everything says a dark glass bottle. Another video just uses big plastic bottles and plastic tubs to dip the rubber/fad to charge it. If plastic is more practical for application, is there a specific type of plastic I should get (BPA free, HDPE, LDPE etc)?

[@GilboysRestoration]

WE just use an old washing up bottle. It's easy to control and direct on to the fad. You can use a glass bottle. It comes down to what you prefer and how you were taught. 🙂

[@jamescollier2370]

I'm little confused by the end of the presentation. You made a fad out of stockinette, but used it to apply polish without a rubber. Is that for applying the polish quickly to body up? And then you go to the fad with a cotton rubber to work the polish into the wood pores and to start burnishing the surface to flatten it?

[@GilboysRestoration]

Hi james. The third process of the French Polishing process is 'fadding'. The fad is used to apply the polish (shellac) to the surface, quickly building an initial 'body' of polish which can be lightly sanded back ready for any further colouring and minor defect surface repairs. Then we move on to the bodying process using a rubber. The rubber gives much greater control of the polish allowing the user to apply more or less pressure depending on how it feels on the surface. The pure cotton cloth wrapped around the fad creating a 'Rubber' prevents the surface from being marked and allows you the user to apply a downward even force, in effect applying more polish and also flattening the polish and forcing it into the grain and pores, as you rightly say in your question. I suppose one way of looking at it may be to compare it to using a traditional paint system: Primer, Undercoat and then Gloss. When you apply a paint primer you are nowhere near as careful as you would be when you apply the last undercoat or gloss coat, the 'fadding process' is the 'primer undercoat'. I hope this helps.. Simon

[@jamescollier2370]

Yes, that's clear. I have used stockinette only for buffing out dried wax, but I will give it a try as a fad. I'll be refinishing an Edwardian cutlery cabinet next, but it requires some restoration first.

[@Tickleme3090]

James thanks very good question.

[@abp2861]

This is craftsmanship!.....what's wrong with the world is, the globe we live on is now filled with rubbish objects in our homes and businesses. Thanks be to God for this channel.

[@GilboysRestoration]

Thank you.

[@utube1818]

At last a video from someone who knows what there talking about. I am getting so pissed of with videos from people who clearly know little to nothing about the furniture finishing industry. I thought I was on to the right video when I saw the polish bottle in the thumbnail.

[@MrZOMBIE170]

i wonder if he is using button or garnet polish

[@GilboysRestoration]

Hi There. The polish we use is 'Special Pale polish' which has very little tinting effect when applied. We prefer using this as opposed to button or garnet as it gives a truer representation of the substrate.

[@tinahamilton9058]

I just talked to a professional french polisher who says there must be pumice included in the rubber. What do you think of that technique?

[@GilboysRestoration]

Hi Tina. Did he explain why? Pumice is a very fine abrasive. I'd be interested how this would work?

[@CA-gy4qf]

The only time I've seen pumice used was in the first spit coats to use as a grain filler

[@andystonebridge5061]

A pumice rubber is used to help grind down and flatten a partially polished finish. It was primarily used for very glossy work. Pumice was also used for water dulling, I suspect before the advent of fine wire wool.

[@stealthracer]

Hi, this is the first video where I've seen someone using methylated spirits as opposed to denatured alcohol. I assume the purple dye in it has no adverse effect on the polish?

[@GilboysRestoration]

Hi Steve, denatured alcohol and methylated spirits are the same thing, just depends where you are in the world. The purple dye is actually an additive put in by the suppliers, it's makes you sick should you try to drink it, it doesn't affect the polish at all.

[@simontillson482]

Gilboy's Restoration Not true. Methylated spirits is a mixture of ethanol and methanol, hence the ‘methylated’ bit.

[@veternumnoctua4022]

@@simontillson482 from Wikipedia: Denatured alcohol, also called methylated spirit (in Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and the United Kingdom) or denatured rectified spirit[1], is ethanol that has additives to make it poisonous, bad-tasting, foul-smelling, or nauseating to discourage recreational consumption. It is sometimes dyed. Pyridine, methanol,[2] or both can be added to make denatured alcohol poisonous, and denatonium can be added to make it bitter

[@Si-Al-Ti]

0:33 dank

[@marcelogonzalezechazu9054]

How to get sticky hands so you can french polish like a real pro!

[@riclrk9947]

Oi! stop giving away our trade secrets,let the amateurs keep trying with silly balls and we keep our rubbers....you know the secret French polisher's guild will be after you....lol.....from an irate French polisher

[@dianebroadley1455]

I feel this with Web design! But actually showing people this stuff shows them how difficult it is and to appreciate those skills. They are more likely to go to the professional whose been kind enough to show them their craftsmanship and beautiful work... Hope that helps!!

[@andystonebridge5061]

The first thing I was told when I started my apprenticeship was tell them nothing. I couldn’t quite work it out at the time because at that point I didn’t have any knowledge anyway.

[@riclrk9947]

@@andystonebridge5061 the main thing is on sight painters where always trying to figure out what the materials where(I learned from my Father,he had everything ready in unmarked bottles),to try and steal what jobs they could.There was alot of trade secrets which with the advent of the Internet are now open for everyone to see(p.s. Still takes years of practice to do well)

[@Medjurazzdiguetto]

The rubber is easy (14 min video to show that?)... The polish liquid is what i want to learn how to do... Dont mean to be arrogant :) The secret is in the mix my friends!

[@GilboysRestoration]

Hi André The forming and shaping of the rubber is so very important to get right. It is the principle foundation of the process. I have taught many apprentices to do this and it is not easy. Yes you are correct in saying getting the right balance of polish and meths 'charged' correctly in the rubber is also important but not having the tool to do the job in the first place is half the battle. You wouldn't paint your house with a tiny brush nor would you dig a large field with a small spade. Both will work, and eventually achieve a result but why put yourself through the pain. :)

[@Medjurazzdiguetto]

@@GilboysRestoration , so nice of you to reply! Im acctually in shock. Thank you for the advice! Your video was helpfull, and just so you know, it was the best rubber i've ever seen beeing made in youtube and real life, TOP 1. I will try to do it in your way.. i've ear that a linen cloth on the outside is better than cotton because cotton tend to loose the very small and thin fibers. Anyway, thank you and good work!!!

[@RICLEPP]

Why is your french polish special then. I can buy bags of garnet flacks and spirit and make my own...just don't understand why yours is special...

[@GilboysRestoration]

Hi Richard. The particular type of polish we tend to use is called: "Special Pale Polish" It's not me saying it's 'special' it is the name of the polish.

[@RICLEPP]

Gilboy's Restoration makes sense, very informative video.

[@GilboysRestoration]

Thanks Richard. I have watched many videos with ' KZbin Polishers' using a scrunched up small bag of wadding in a cotton cloth. It's fine for polishing a small flat area, but in a practical sense really not very effective. I've watched them polishing a small piece of wood for what looks like hours! If you learn the correct way it makes life a lot quicker, easier and more enjoyable.

[@RICLEPP]

Just started to self learn french polishing and want to do it right. I have looked at lots of videos also...my god there is some mind numbing drivel out there. Enjoyed your vids and was very informative...so again thanks.

[@GilboysRestoration]

Our pleasure. We hope to have another one uploaded shortly. Thanks for the feedback.

[@CN-kf1me]

Don’t need to French polish anything anymore just rub it down and coat it with sprayed high gloss lacquer followed by wet sand, polish and wax job done 🤣

[@GilboysRestoration]

Where do I start...😆

[@Offshoreorganbuilder]

@@GilboysRestoration I think he means, "So, you take the 18th. century tallboy, rub it down, spray with a high gloss lacquer, followed by wet sand, polish and wax and job done, thus ruining the piece and destroying any value it may have had.' He just forgot to add the last phrase.

[@GilboysRestoration]

@@Offshoreorganbuilder That pretty much sums it up. 😆