Shellac Finish on a Stansell Flamenco

Hand applied shellac . . . an alternative to French Polish Flamenco Classic Guitar construction

[@mauricefox8056]

I think Les's method for finishing is fabulous. I liked it so much I wrote it up step by step as I saw it and asked Les's opinion. Well, as you can imagine I missed a few things but after a couple of conversations, rewrites and spell checks, I think I'm pretty close. Les was kind enough to post this entire write up to his website. I hope this helps you as much as it did me. Les again Les!!

[@FiddleSticks800]

Thanks for putting that together. I just happened upon your article on his site. It is very helpful.

[@artangulo4550]

When i watch a video like this hoping to learn a more of a process in this case french polishing i feel more that i learn to appreciate the craftmanship the dedication and the art. Thank you for sharing

[@parryreposte6585]

Stunning work. I especially like the rosette, A beautiful departure from the classic. I only wish I could afford one. :)

[@matrags]

Beautiful looking guitar, the venue Rosetta is particularly nice and the finish is stunning.

[@ColettaHughes]

Wow... How beautiful to watch. I sure would love to play that beautiful guitar :)

[@laughingstock1991]

Absolutely exquisite guitars. And music!!!!

[@LiuteriaMarcellan]

The title says: Hand applied shellac . . . an alternative to French Polish. But French Polish is hand applied! Your method of shellac finishing is awesome, so if I use regular shellac(standard shellac or unwaxed white shellac) and build up the finishing, i realy just need to sand it trough 12000 grit and than apply polish? It amazing!

[@daveogarf]

KILLER guitar ditty in the background!

[@poporrecnet]

I have much respect for Mr. Nelson.

[@TheBinaryWolf]

I like your technique for installing the golpeador.

[@Ivorymandingo]

nice process ! Thank you for taking the time and effort to share it all. cheers John Gavin

[@koenvanderpoorten4128]

Not many people know how to do this. Shellac, alcohol and sumatra oil? Well done!

[@stansellguitars]

Thanks for your input James. I guess it comes down to what works for me. I've never owned or used spray equipment (and brushes are cheap). Brushing lets me to isolate each component (top, back, sides, neck & headstock). This allows me to heavily flood (pool) each surface insuring maximum depth of penetration. I believe this is much more critical for a shellac vs lacquer finish.

[@stansellguitars]

@YatesInstruments . . . around two weeks in a climate controlled environment before Micro-Mesh and Novus polish . . . then 6 months to a year later, after the shellac has fully cured, do it again . . . or live with the micro crazing.

[@manconello]

Hi, beautiful work. I'd like to know how many coats you do before sanding at 220 grain, and how many coats to finish with the pad. thank you.

[@cratoonio]

amazing finish...please share the song in the back ground

[@LiuteriaMarcellan]

The greatest thing is that there is no need of oil! It's awesome!

[@NoraphonKaedklung]

Thank you.

[@patbassman8251]

What sort of time scale was spent on that guitar , the video makes it look easy , my French polishing is improving but my first guitar took weeks .

[@JohnOakwest]

I like how the bridge magically appears after building up shellac. I thought the area would be scraped away or masked off to glue bridge directly to wood top.

[@stansellguitars]

That step is shown in detail on my ". . . Bridge Building " video. One way it can be found is on my web-site at www.stansellguitars.com.

[@jotaeme4316]

Thank you Les. I'm a professional musician, and now trying to build some instruments for my own use. The quality and clarity of what you show in your site is helping me BIG time. I greatly appreciate it. Thank you!!

[@ahmadsalehzadeh880]

Please tell me what kind of red colors I can add to my shellac to varnish my violin. Please refer to many colors because I am living in a small city without access to various materials. By doing so, I may find one of them. And please say your idea about saffron. Thanks.

[@lancier015]

Fascinating! I will surely try this on my first project. It seems easier than doing french polish and it still yields a very good finish/gloss. What I wonder, though it looks awesome, is if it's tonally as good or better than french polishing and if it's more or less durable... I guess I'll have to try out! Thank you for showing us this method!

[@walterrider9600]

thank you Les

[@soursopbramble]

Thanks for posting! Could you explain why you scrape the bindings at 1:25? Does the application of the shellac leave a lip at the edges?

[@flaviodelisa]

Excelente trabalho,gostei do video, parabéns, técnica perfeita.

[@joeynuggetz]

I couldn't tell if you were using a scraper or if it was a sanding block of some sort. I got the micro-mesh part but i'm referring to just before the final sanding. Would be nice if you wrote down your technique. I'm a big shellac fan and was hoping to learn a bit from this video but there's no accompanying description on the process. Looking for french polishing alternatives.

[@stansellguitars]

There is a detailed write-up of this process on my web-site at www.stansellguitars.com. It's a couple years old and needs to be up-dated as I have evolved certain techniques. I can tell you that I now use 120 grit on the bare wood before the first flood coat as this allows for the deepest penetration. I also use a scraper extensively along with 180 grit to level the flood coats and only then do I graduate to 220 grit for leveling between top coats.

[@danieleduardoillanesflores5917]

Perdón muy buen trabajó pero la guitarra que muestra tiene un clavijero distinto ?? O eso me parece cuando hace el trabajo de cambiar la pala de la guitarra ya que no se muestra o es otra guitarra ?

[@kaalilakdi2473]

What song is that, which artist?

[@mauricefox8056]

There is a link on Les's website.

[@poporrecnet]

Nice job!

[@therealcindyrange]

Greetings, could you please tell me what type of flakes? how do you not get lines with shellac? Beautiful work!

[@sharabande]

very good video and very funny, especially the progression from 1500 to 12,000. Which apply before sanding, sealant or varnish is?

[@Martinjazz16799119]

Very nice work. How long did it take you to finish this kind of varnish ? Thx

[@YatesInstruments]

Great video! Once you've built up the body of shellac, how long do you leave it to harden before you sand it with the various grades of micro mesh?

[@erniezamora9509]

Can I used waterlox too sir.nice video demostration

[@Goriaas]

Sorry if thats a stupid question, but isnt the body of a flamenco guitar less deep than classical? Why is this a flmenco guitar? because it uses light wood on back and sides(cypress?)?

[@orisguitars7315]

Beautiful work. What's the time on a finish like this, and what was the dark liquid in the squeeze bottle?

[@turrubiartes9]

thanks . now how or what glue you use for the bridge ?

[@podluthier5451]

Hi Les, Thanks for the great video. Your instrument is beautiful! Do you have any experience using Meguiar's Plast-X in place of the Novus product? I applied some to a scrap piece of wood over several coats of shellac and did not find that any immediate burn-through occurred. Thanks!

[@ravigunn2]

Maurice, is there a link for the write up??

[@PGRSchool]

Hi Les. How long do the flood coats remain on the guitar before removing? Thanks, DJ

[@stansellguitars]

12 hours at 50% RH . . .

[@TheMenap]

Are you sanding everything dry? I have proplems to see if i removed al scratches from the previouis grit. Do you have an advice for this?

[@stanislavmatura1891]

Beautifull video :)

[@FranciscoLopez-ql5fk]

muy ilustrativos los vídeos

[@blockchainbtc7693]

Hello what's the name of this paint and where it is sold in internet

[@LiloUkulele]

What is the white backer in the thad? French polish is shellac flakes and alcohol ....what is the difference here? "Hand applied shellac . . . an alternative to French Polish"

[@limerot]

French polishing is a way to polish to a high gloss finish without using sandpaper and buffing to high sheen.

[@sagouridis]

michael Ryan will

[@vanderlei91]

amazing!!!

[@robenriquez7586]

Nice video..question? 1.what did you use to change the color? 2 can i stain the wood to achieve my color and then shellac?.last what is the dark stuff in the bottle..

[@jamesdrogers]

That's all shellac.. Garnet shellac if I'm not mistaken.

[@adieladdinariefzainudin2572]

came here again just to listen to the song.

[@TomKrall]

awesome

[@santiagosmorocho4627]

Humm porque me cambian la guitarra empezó con una de cuerdas de metal y termino con la flamenca cómo es eso

[@andjelkojakovljevic7462]

one question...if I want to stain guitar, should I stian it before flood coats or after I scrape/sand that flood coat?

[@stansellguitars]

I am no expert on staining wood, but I believe most (or al) staining should be applied to bare wood (pre-flood coat). Best advise I can give is to always try it on a practice piece first.

[@andjelkojakovljevic7462]

thank you so much for your response

[@stansellguitars]

I use the same "cut" for the initial flood coat as well as the top coats. Too heavy cut for the flood coat will not penetrate deeply enough to create a foundation. It does not work as pore filler for open or large pores.

[@stansellguitars]

It's called a "Tap Plate" . . . like a pick guard for Flamenco technique.

[@justinc9732]

damn that's nice

[@FLAMENCOFUSSION21]

ola buenas quisiera saber que es lo que echa para pintar.pintura? o que es como se llama ese producto que echa para pinharla? ?

[@berrygomez92]

Se llama goma laca

[@stansellguitars]

I apply two or three coats per day for a week or so. I use only de-waxed . . . no experience with waxed, so can't say.

[@jonatasabreu410]

Lindo trabalho amigo, parabens!

[@djkuyp]

Does anyone know what the difference is when it comes to the sound? I think there is none but I am no expert.

[@brucelevine6517]

The thiner the better the same could be done with Water base poly but the shelac is much better for the wood but poly is stronger

[@zeddapiras2169]

bellissima!!!

[@friedrichbahk5675]

What used liquid? (3:33

[@Roberth3dSantandrea]

wood seller

[@Txikibuda]

Music by Goh Kurosawa. The second one is "Jovka Kumanovka" from his album "Before Sunset"

[@dwsnsgp]

Shellac is a little soft and sticky. I used true oil instead.

[@teken322]

whats this music ?

[@samuelacoltzixolocotzi5885]

excelente

[@SuperCarver2011]

Shellac..carefully applied and then sanded in even thin coats. The traditional lacquer finish for guitars..probably better than nitro-cellulose lacquer for better tone. Just have to be careful with any moisture touching shellac. The plastic polish provides a great shine. The clear plastic pickguard protects the top from those sharp fingernails during rasquedos and drumming.

[@tlalolinichalchihuitl6450]

good job....¡¡¡¡¡

[@lamengambrea]

does someone knows whats that kind of sponge he uses with the sand paper

[@michaelluo9696]

I guess it's not a sponge, but a piece of foamed plastic that is strong enough to support the sand paper from inside.

[@pistolriverschoolofuke5034]

Hard foam pad . . . comes with the "Micro Mesh".

[@AlbertoGomez-oi5ou]

good :U

[@sandysuu2171]

Ole😊

[@Thestripper1]

Very nice. Loved it all the way until you put that piece of plastic on and basically destroyed it. Look at Willie Nelsons trigger..

[@georgetempest9627]

the chop board shaped pick guard totally ruined a beautiful guitar...

[@doglegsteve8363]

Flamenco guitars have these to protect the top from hard finger nails mate.

[@fl7888]

eeew applied with brushes.... filed with sandpapers....

[@grizzlygamer8891]

I was thinking the same. am I right in thinking apply with linen and rub back with talc?

[@fl7888]

+Grizzly Gamer I don't know much about french polishing, but my guitar teacher does. He says it's usually applied by a piece of cotton cloth stuffed with cotton balls. But I saw his friend (a master french polisher) did it with kitchen paper. He said he doesn't use oil which most polisher do, and use more alcohol to thin shellac. He uses pumice stone powder to fill pores at times depending on the type of wood used for sides and back. Also remember he said "I never use sanding papers, shellac applied by the technique is too thin for it."

[@pistolriverschoolofuke5034]

+fl7888 This is "an Alternative to French Polish" . . . just another way to apply shellac. Similar results . . . much faster (in my experience).

[@fl7888]

+pistolriverschoolofuke I showed this to French Polishers. It's not what's called "French Polish(ing)", the name of the technique, but just applying shellac like a house painting job. Much faster, yes, faster than anything, but you do not get any "Similar results". You even can get thinner finish with lacquer than this if you want and have decent skill.

[@CrimsonCustomGuitars]

Very very nicely done! Thanks for sharing

[@stansellguitars]

After the first one or two "flood coats", the finish is removed back down to the wood . . .leaving a smooth even "foundation". Scraping the bindings (and the rest of the guitar for that matter) eliminates much of the initial sanding and saves sandpaper. The corner of the binding is later removed with the scraper, leaving a 45 degree chamfer. See my web-site for a more detailed description of the entire process.

[@TheBinaryWolf]

Nice work!

[@juliaanddavidstone]

The term is french polishing, there is not a product called French polish, it is shellac which comes from a beetle in southern Indian and Malaya. The method of applying shellac was originated by two brothers from france called Martin, in the 17th century it did not become widely used until they traveled to England and coincided with the use of Mahogany in the furnature industry a perfect finish for hardwoods. The method used was to apply shellac with a rubber, a cotton cloth folded around cotton wadding to apply a series of very thin coats to built up using varying pressure to achieve a mirror like finish but the the product is shellac.

[@ecaff9515]

Excellent video and process. Just Beautiful. A work of Art. The music in the background was perfect. It made me grab my guitar and play along. I pray your guitars play and sound as beautiful as they look. Your level of workmanship is what we always say, "Do your best. Always". Thank you for sharing.

[@stansellguitars]

In theory, the end result should be no different than French Polish, as "French Polish" is just the "technique" used to apply shellac.

[@WYOMINGWOODTURNER]

This process and video are excellent. I have never done this with shellac but will try it. thanks Sam

[@stansellguitars]

Yes, the flood coats are shellac and alcohol.

[@EricOlsonConnect]

Excellent technique and demo. Thanks!

[@stansellguitars]

It's shellac, so it is equal in durability to the best applied "French Polish". Everything depends on and is built on the first (flood) coats.

[@KenjiKitahara]

killer... i'm thinking of using shellac as a sealer for my ukulele. i've never been one to care too much about finishes on my own instruments, but i must say this is impressive to watch.

[@stansellguitars]

I would think so . . . although I would always recommend trying new procedures on a test piece first.

[@beandog100]

Everything about this video is exceptional. True artist at work.

[@macmudan1279]

Music by Vlatko Stefanovski and Miroslav Tadic,great job very nice guitar!

[@dwsnsgp]

I have done that on a set of homemade lamps. Not a French polish but only an expert would know the difference.

[@dwsnsgp]

I’ve done that too!

[@mackenzie77777]

I`ve used shellac on small boxes as a finish. Just rubbing it on with a cloth, not actually French polishing. Its a lovely finish and is so hard and glass like. Not like some varnishes that are so soft you can put your nails in to it. Nice video!

[@cristianomusicas31]

Watching from Brazil, Thanks for sharing your knowledge, I had the same ideas, I'm happy to see that these ideas work!

[@seasonedtoker]

when you first applied shellac with a brush, was that grain filling? is there any difference in preparing the shellac for filling than it is for making a clear coat? do you mix it thicker?

[@capitanvonchickenpants8492]

I always thought Shellac was french polish?

[@Terpsfutbol09]

Amazing video Les! What pound cut shellac are your brushing on? dewaxed? How about when you pad on the shellac? 1 pound cut? thanks - beautiful guitar

[@babyzenon]

Such a pity theres not more information available with this video. Believe me its a lot more difficult to get this kind of finish that the video suggests and for beginners it would be next to impossible without the relevant instructions on how to mix the shellac and how much to use and how long to dry before sanding etc etc. Great quality but short in detail. Respect on your great guitars though .

[@or6944]

Great, what is that at :029 seconds on the palm of your hands? Is the product at 4:16 in the bottle the same Naphta? Is the Naphta the only product you use other than adding some Grain alcohol at some moment? No other varnish nor oils?

[@markowalski1]

Shellac is a type of finish product, french polish is a technique to apply a finish.

[@najibi8606]

fantastic first the guitar was with wooden pegs, but in the end the guitar was with mechanics (;

[@JosueSilvajosueviolao]

Lindo instrumento, mas preferia sem muita pintura, verniz, mas na madeira mesmo.. Baita. Imagina a sonoridade.

[@Generalvass]

Você saberia me dizer o que tem nessa goma laca? Percebo que tem algo a mais nela.

[@JosueSilvajosueviolao]

@@Generalvass não sei Paulinho.

[@carmenrivera998]

Que le puso será o aceite para pulirlo quedó bien padre

[@punkaholicmember]

What's the song, please? Informative!

[@bernardwhite4365]

Would this work over a satin poly finish?